Best Kitchen Knives for the money?

G

GLively

Joined
Oct 25, 2006
Messages
93
I could use some advice on the best kitchen cutlery for the money. I'd like to spen less than $200 for 3 knives: 8" Chef, 6" utility, and a small paring knife.
If you think a particular chef knife is worth $200 then let me know. Thanks Guys!:D :D
 
I'm not up on US pricing . I would go Wusthoff , or possibly Kershaw , Global is another possibility . I'm not a fan of Henkels - quality and strength isn't there . I have no idea what kind of price you could ge online . Since kitcen cutlery is a long term investment , and very personal try if possible before you buy . If it doesn't feel right in your hand , you wont be happy .

Chris
 
I'd say Spyderco's discontinued Pro Culinare line was the best value for the money. They are getting very hard to find:( , but I managed to get most of them before they sold out:D .

I prefer them over all reasonably priced knives I've tried. They are not pretty, but very functional. Great steel in them as well.

The new Yin-Yang knives from Spyderco only cover the utility knife on your list.
 
Check out Warther knives. American made kitchen knives in D2 steel at a nice price. I have the 8 inch and 9 inch slicers and plan on getting the paring, chefs and general purpose knives.
 
We received some Kershaw Wasabi knives for Christmas. They haven't gotten used much yet, but they appear to be great cutters.

Best kitchen knives for the money though, hands-down, the Old Hickory knives from Ontario. The carbon steel gets razor-sharp, natural handle materials (which I prefer), and for $200 you can buy a five-piece set and have $$ left over to actually buy groceries. :)

-Bob
 
GLively said:
I could use some advice on the best kitchen cutlery for the money. I'd like to spen less than $200 for 3 knives: 8" Chef, 6" utility, and a small paring knife.
If you think a particular chef knife is worth $200 then let me know. Thanks Guys!:D :D
Click to expand...

Without exception and by far the best value for money are the Victorinox (often also known as Forschner) range of kitchen knives - they have a fine reputation and standing for the profession kitchen and butchers - possibly because they are inexpensive - but the reputation is backed up by numerous reviews over the years.

Probably the best overview is that by ConsumerSearch.com where they literally are "reviewing the reviews" -
ie: they look at all the available reviews rate them, and try to come to some concensus - the link on kitchen knives -

Kitchen Knives Review at ConsumerSearch.com

"Best budget knife set.
Forschner Victorinox Fibrox
(*est. $60 for three)
In reviews, experts often express surprise when evaluating these stamped knives, as they run counter to the assumption that the best cutlery is forged. Some experts miss the bolster, a feature on forged knives that aids in balance and maneuverability, but they say the Forschner's sharp blade can compete with knives costing twice as much. In recent reviews, the Forschner chef's knife easily beats cheaper knives."

" It's commonly accepted that the best knives are forged -- hammered into shape from a single piece of metal. An alternative method is to stamp them out of a sheet of metal; this process produces a lighter, thinner blade without a lip between the handle and blade (called a bolster on forged knives). Many cheaper knives are made this way, and reviewers say they can feel flimsy and hard to control. Forschner Victorinox Fibrox (*est. $60 for three) stamped knives are the exception. In side-by-side tests, experts are amazed at how well these perform next to forged knives that are three times as expensive. In a Cook's Illustrated review, Forschner Victorinox tops three categories: chef's knives under $50, paring knives and bread knives."


Hope some of this helps.

--
Vincent
http://clik.to/UnknownVT2007
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http://clik.to/UnknownVincent
 
Bob W said:
We received some Kershaw Wasabi knives for Christmas. They haven't gotten used much yet, but they appear to be great cutters.

Best kitchen knives for the money though, hands-down, the Old Hickory knives from Ontario. The carbon steel gets razor-sharp, natural handle materials (which I prefer), and for $200 you can buy a five-piece set and have $$ left over to actually buy groceries. :)

-Bob
Click to expand...

Definately what he said!

We grew up with plain carbon steel kitchen knives, and a set of Old Hickorys will be all you need for any kitchen duty. They have a track record of serving generations of people in kitchens that the new trendy stuff can't touch. And like Bob said, you'll have money left for food.
 
I have Trident Henkles. I have got one that is amazing! It's a Forever Sharp serrated knife that is super cheep.( one on e-bay for $5.) It slices better than all of the rest of my knives. Is as sharp as it was new. I saw a demo at Sam's once and was impressed! It was like the TV commercial. I didn't wan't the whole set, so I got one off e-bay. The regular bladed paring knife isn't too good. But the serrated blade is awsome!
 
Thanks for all the ideas. I sure have a lot of options to check out! Keep the opinions coming. The more the merrier!:D :D
 
Bob W said:
Best kitchen knives for the money though, hands-down, the Old Hickory knives from Ontario. The carbon steel gets razor-sharp, natural handle materials (which I prefer), and for $200 you can buy a five-piece set and have $$ left over to actually buy groceries. :)

-Bob
Click to expand...

Wow, thanks Bob. I had no idea these existed until you mentioned them, and they seem to be exactly what I've been looking for. Can't wait to order a few and give them a try. :thumbup:
 
I agree with Guyon's suggestion.

As I've said many times before, after I tried the Tojiro's, I got rid of all my European and American knives. Names like Henckell's, Wusthof, Dexter, Case and so on all fell to the Japanese kitchen knives. The Tojiro Pro's cut like lasers and the edge retention leaves the other stuff wanting. Kershaw's "Shun Series" are also excellent for the money. Both brands offer great looking and performing knives for the money.

I'm of the opinion that if you go Japanese(for kitchen knives) you'll not go back to the European or American kitchen cutlery. The Japanese kitchen knives are just beautiful to look at and a joy to use in the kitchen. The edges are thin on these knives and sharpening/maintaining those edges is relatively easy.

The Japanese kitchen knives just have too much to offer for the money, and, life's too short to use crappy knives.

As an aside:

Those D-2 Warther's look pretty decent. If they work as good as advertised, they might be worth a spin. It would be great if one could get an American made kitchen knife that worked as well as those from Japan.

Lanza,

Have you done a review of these knives yet? If not, would you consider doing one?
 
Check out LamsonSharp. Old company, Made in USA...Massachusetts. I recently bought a 7" Santoku...a very nice knife forless than $60.

George
 
misque said:
I agree with Guyon's suggestion.

As I've said many times before, after I tried the Tojiro's, I got rid of all my European and American knives. Names like Henckell's, Wusthof, Dexter, Case and so on all fell to the Japanese kitchen knives. The Tojiro Pro's cut like lasers and the edge retention leaves the other stuff wanting. Kershaw's "Shun Series" are also excellent for the money. Both brands offer great looking and performing knives for the money.

I'm of the opinion that if you go Japanese(for kitchen knives) you'll not go back to the European or American kitchen cutlery. The Japanese kitchen knives are just beautiful to look at and a joy to use in the kitchen. The edges are thin on these knives and sharpening/maintaining those edges is relatively easy.

The Japanese kitchen knives just have too much to offer for the money, and, life's too short to use crappy knives.

As an aside:

Those D-2 Warther's look pretty decent. If they work as good as advertised, they might be worth a spin. It would be great if one could get an American made kitchen knife that worked as well as those from Japan.

Lanza,

Have you done a review of these knives yet? If not, would you consider doing one?
Click to expand...


Yes, but these "Japanese" knives that were linked appear to have Swedish Steel :confused: :D
 
Check out LamsonSharp. Old company, Made in USA...Massachusetts.
Click to expand...
I think I read somewhere that they used to make the Chicago Cutlery kitchen knives. I have two of those that I really like, "high carbon stainless steel", natural handle materials, and it's very easy to get them super-sharp. They were inexpensive too.

But it would be difficult to find USA made Chicago Cutlery products; their new stuff is all imported from China.

-Bob
 
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