Chef's Knife

H

H2600

Joined
May 4, 2003
Messages
89
I'm in the market for a new chef's knife. I've done some reading and it seems that most everyone agrees that 10" is about the right lenght for home use. I'm interested in hearing everyone's thoughts regarding chef's knives.

Right now I'm kinda interested in Global knives primarily because of their sleek look but I'm very undecided and I definitely like the idea of my very expensive knife comming from somewhere other than Japan... I don't know, I'm kind of rambling but I think you all get the point--what chef's knife should I buy...
 
A Chefs knife with an 8 inch blade is more than adequate. You might consider 1095 high carbon over stainless. I have had my Foster for 15 years now & it cuts like a dream. I always wash it off & wipe it down after use & have had no problems with it. :thumbup:
 
I hate to drop another forum's name, but Knifeforums has a 'kitchen knives only' forum. The discussions there are top notch and very insightful. You can find out what the pros and not-so-pros think about Global there. Be forwarned, it can be addictive :D .
-Mark
 
Once you start putting some serious money into kitchen knives I would seriously consider looking into the custom marker, check out George Tichbourne and Phil Wilson.

-Cliff
 
I find that an 8” blade on a kitchen knife is large enough (and easy enough to use) for most jobs.

Since I bought my Fallkniven K1 kitchen knife I haven’t used any of my other kitchen knives, and I haven’t thought about buying any other kitchen knife.
 
H2600 said:
I'm in the market for a new chef's knife. I've done some reading and it seems that most everyone agrees that 10" is about the right lenght for home use. I'm interested in hearing everyone's thoughts regarding chef's knives.

Right now I'm kinda interested in Global knives primarily because of their sleek look but I'm very undecided and I definitely like the idea of my very expensive knife comming from somewhere other than Japan... I don't know, I'm kind of rambling but I think you all get the point--what chef's knife should I buy...
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I actually find about a chef's knife about 8" long to be more utilitarian, especially for home use where you wont probably cutting anything huge often. I just bought a new chef's knife myself, and the cutting edge is only a little over 7 inches. (review coming later)

Global knives are of great quality, and are recommended. Another interesting alternative in this price class is the Fallkniven K1

Honestly though, I think some of the high end kitchen knives might be a bit overpriced if you don't consider using them for a living. There are some fine middle of the road kind of alternatives for the ones on a tighter budget. Victorinox kitchen knives, for example, come in a variety of handles and styles, and are very useable for the price.


Edit:
seems like djolney beat me to it. I guess that's what you get when you leave the reply window in the background and get distracted by other things for a few hours... well, great minds think alike.
 
I help sell kitchen knives over the net for a shop and have found a number of people buy a 10inch blade and decide it's a bit too big and they should have gone for an 8inch.
Global knives seem to be a love hate thing. I don't like the handles and think they cost a lot for what you get (in the UK) but they cut well. I'd try and borrow a G2 and see how you get on with it before you buy one.
 
Andy_L said:
Global knives seem to be a love hate thing. I don't like the handles and think they cost a lot for what you get (in the UK) but they cut well.
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I'm not that impressed with the "twist" handles on them either, but the alternative straight ones are nice.
 
Way-O said:
I'm not that impressed with the "twist" handles on them either, but the alternative straight ones are nice.
Click to expand...

I think I've tried every knife at some point and haven't got on with a single one. The ones I use are a traditional sheffield pattern and I collect them from the factory
 
These are my favorites in the kitchen - Kershaw Kai Shuns - extremely light, well balanced extremely sharp and thin. Below pic of 10" chefs and 6" paring knife, VG10 inner core and 16 layers per side of a softer steel.
KaiShun.jpg
 
I've used just about everything out there in the last 35 years. Henckels, Forschner, F.Dick, Mundial, Chicago, Cutco, Wusthof and a few others I don't remember. Most of those brands are very decent knives but once I tried a Global I was sold. I started out with a 5" cooks knife and now own four more that pretty much cover anything I need to do in the kitchen.
(6 inch Forged Utility Knife, 7 inch Weight Forged Butcher's Knife, 4-1/4 inch Paring Knife, 7 inch Santoku Chef's Knife)


The thin blades are amazing slicers and hold their edge very well. Most people find the handles are quite comfortable and aren't slippery in the hand as you might think. Global knives will be the only knives I buy from now on.
 
I've used Henckels for many years but they have been replaced with the Shun knives [ agrussell with the white handles] I find these significantly harder and need sharpening much less yet can be sharpened with a butcher's steel easily. They are well designed in balance ,thin blades, weight.
 
So I guess for general use people seem to agree that Globals are pretty good...

I did look that some of those other knives mentioned and I'm not too interested in the Kershaw Shuns. They look alright, but I think think I would rather go a little more conventional/modern. Does anyone think that it's a mistake to not go German for a kitchen knife? I'm hoping this knife last for a long time and if the Global isn't up to the task I'd rather consider something else.
 
I hate to repeat advice, but seriously, check out one of the other 2 forums listed. There are a lot of kitchen knife nuts there and professional chefs who have been through the gammut of knives that have been listed here. I don't think there is anything wrong with not going with a german knife for a kitchen knife. I've had a set of Wusthoff knives for almost 10 years that have served me well and I loved until I found real japanese knives. the Gyuto's have a better blade design I think than the deep belly on a german knife. Also, the steel is better than the german knives. Take a look at japanesechefsknife.com or korin.com. Or as Cliff said, look at a custom knife. I think globals are a step in the right direction from a german knife, but not quite there.
 
I don't think it's a mistake to go for a German knife. I use some sheffield stuff and a chinese clever that I think out slice global. This could be because of the handles though.
 
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