Better than expected

P

Polzeyboy

CHEEKY BUGGER
Joined
Jan 9, 2020
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109
It’s nice when a seemingly low key gift is actually really quite good.
My dad bought us all Kitchin (a range out by a celebrity chef, Tom Kitchin) knives a while back. Assumed it would be okay but no more; a little while into ownership and heavy use I noticed it was staying sharp way longer than all our other numerous kitchen knives.
I looked up the steel (printed on the side) and it’s not the most punchy name: X50CrMoV15 stainless steel. It’s miles off premium but it’s performed brilliantly for years now and sharpens easily with my trusty Sharpmaker.

The blade on my Charge Tti (S30V) has also been excellent while the 420HC stuff on my other ones just doesn’t hold an edge for long at all. And the Gerber Suspension tool I have appears to have all metal made from a soft French cheese.

Any nice surprises in your kitchen/shed/wherever?
 
Well this one sure died.
Just noticed that fairly well respected German brand Wustof uses the same steel.
RIP post; I thought this might go a bit further.
 
Some of mine are 4Cr13. I think X50CrMov15 is 5Cr15Mov? that's better than 4Cr13. My 4Cr13s have served for years, didn't pay much attention to them before, but they serve ok for family cooking. And they hold up ok in years of dish washer...... There are of course some stains, but don't bother us much (I only recently notice them...)
 
Yes most of mine are just unbranded (Sheffield steel or similar) and a pain to sharpen. This one is head and shoulders above the rest.

I need to get myself a decent Santoku knife at some stage; I like the way they cut and slice. I was a chef many years ago!
 
I got a santoku knife that was in a box with no English writing on it at all and nothing on the blade either. I've had it for about 10 years now and it's been really good.
 
I believe there is definitely a place for knives and in the lower and middle parts of the spectrum. (Except for knives that a just bad quality, like the gas station knives. Bugger those). Especially since the law of diminishing returns heavily affects our hobby when it comes to price/quality.

In my kitchen set I have a noname brand knife (left over from my student days) and I think what's an IKEA knife next to my Wusthof and a custom knives. They might not exactly reach the same level of quality, but they're pretty decent in their own right, especially considering the price. But when I have to cut something hard or unfamiliar, guess which knife I'll use?
 
Lodd said:
I believe there is definitely a place for knives and in the lower and middle parts of the spectrum. (Except for knives that a just bad quality, like the gas station knives. Bugger those). Especially since the law of diminishing returns heavily affects our hobby when it comes to price/quality.

In my kitchen set I have a noname brand knife (left over from my student days) and I think what's an IKEA knife next to my Wusthof and a custom knives. They might not exactly reach the same level of quality, but they're pretty decent in their own right, especially considering the price. But when I have to cut something hard or unfamiliar, guess which knife I'll use?
Click to expand...

The knife mentioned happily slices tomatoes and peppers but my Manly Wasp S90V is a joy to use on such food; soooo sharp and soooo precise. But being only 2.8” as a UK legal carry, a bit short for chopping!
 
If it cuts good and stays sharp it's a winner. I've often found piles of kitchen knives at rummage sales and thrift stores. I look for the ones that have some age and are still sharp to wicked sharp with quite a bit of blade left. After awhile you get an eye for the good ones. A lot of folks donate or sell Grandmas old kitchen knives and stock their kitchen with a fancy-looking matched set not knowing Grannies old knives will shave a peel or slice a tomato so thin you can see through it. A lot of people will pass on a kitchen knife with patina, not me, those are usually some of the best. Been around and if they aren't sharpened to nothing you can bet they'll take and hold an edge.
 
We use a set of Victorinox Fibrox knives in the kitchen and are very happy with them. We could afford a much more expensive set of German, Japanese, etc. kitchen cutlery but why spend the money for knives are not as good a cutter as these. From my understanding these Victorinox Fibrox knives are commercial grade, used in many restaurants, butcher shops, meat packers, etc.

We have set of both large and small Fibrox knives. My two favorites are the filet and the boning knife. The dragon lady's favorite is the big 8" chef knife and bread knife which get a ton of use. These are just a great knife, period!




 
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I was looking at getting a set of fibrox knives. I don't want to get anything too expensive because my wife will destroy the edge :(
 
The only knives I use in the kitchen are Victorinox fibrox-handled knives. And only four of them...a Santoku, a parting knife, a hooked fruit knife, and a serrated, blunt-tipped “utility”. They are all I need. When they begin to lose their “bite,” a few seconds on the Sharpmaker and they’re ready to go again.

Jim
 
unwisefool said:
I was looking at getting a set of fibrox knives. I don't want to get anything too expensive because my wife will destroy the edge :(
Click to expand...

I thought the same thing with my wife. We got one of the more expensive spyderco kitchen knives, and now I find her telling me to be more careful with it she doesn't want the edge to get ruined :D
 
The Dragon Lady is very good at keeping her kitchen knives sharp. She just hands them to me when she doesn't think they are sharp enough. My trusty Sharpmaker gets them in cutting order in no time. If you don't know about a Sharpmaker here is a quick look.

 
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