Does this knife exist? Fixed blade 'kitchen' utility knife question.

One of the Victorinox kitchen lines (I think it's the fibrox line) always places VERY high in the America's test kitchen equipment tests, even in comparison to some vastly more expensive knives in the category. I also agree with others who have suggested old hickory for camp kitchen cutlery. Simple, stout and inexpensive to replace if you lose one in the woods or get... ummm... overly rambunctious with it.
 
Expensive kitchen knives are fine if you are only the one user. However, food prep is often a shared thing and its torrid watching your cack handed helper pummelling that custom jap blade into the work top! In the field its even worse. Everyone expects a kitchen knife to be cheap and few treat them with any real respect.
I have a field set for my field kitchen that feeds the masses. Handles can get scorched or melted as somehow normal kitchen good practice goes out the window when in the field. Don't go overboard, Victorinox is plenty good; or replace your home stuff with new and take the old stuff for the outdoors.
 
Its always been a source of humor for me. People have no problem dropping $800 on a knife that'll cut nothing more than packing tape but buy the crappiest wal-mart garbage out there.

In a way, I'm sort of that way. I came across some old hickories at a garage sale and snatched them up. I've been using them for years now and keep them every bit as sharp. They were designed and made in a time where people didn't have the luxury of cheap, throwaway knives. Plenty of people use them as outdoor knives also.
 
If I'm reading this correctly, you're willing to spend more if it can pull double duty, but otherwise you're looking for a dedicated kitchen knife right?

If so, I stand by my statement. So far the Tojiro DP seems like the best fit to your request from a "soley kitchen knife" perspective. Also, it seems to run about $30-40, so it should be well under budget.

F801Tojiro-DP-3-Lagen-HQ-Officemesser-F801-31.jpg
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If you're looking for a hybrid camp/kitchen knife in that size... that does get a bit harder. The old hickory suggestions are good, but they'll take a bit of work to clean up. I wouldn't suggest a Mora for food prep at all (scandi grind doesn't work well for food prep, particularly thick/tough things like carrots or potatoes. You end up "batoning" through them when they get thicker. Mora DOES make a FFG blade, which might work for you though (Craftline Flex).

Craftline Flex
FT10890.jpg
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You might be able to scrounge up a AG Russell Deer hunter on the used market, which is close to your requirements. Its got a .06 (iirc) thick spine, FFG, but its a mite short in the blade (4in).

Top blade. Its discontinued, so might be harder to find.
Deer_Bird_Scalpel.jpg


So, personally, I'd go with a dedicated kitchen knife, and spend the remainder of the budget on a knife you want for outdoors. Kitchen knives are specialized for a reason (they usually have space for your hands when used on a cutting board for starters). I think getting a true hybrid of both kitchen/outdoors would leave you somewhat disappointed in the long run.

Good luck finding something that works for you :).
 
Everyone should have a spyderco serrated kitchen knife as a utility blade. Best there kitchen utility knife there is. I give it as a wedding present and it is universally loved.

For kitchen knives in general, buy Victoronix Foershner brand. Recommended by chefs and brick/mortar knife stores. If you want to go cheaper, Dexter is a good brand as well. Use what the professionals do.
 
Conchita has appropriated the one stainless Mora I have bought. It is a little on the long side, with a blade in the neighborhood of 5 or 6 inches. Of course the scandi grind is no good for slicing, but somehow, she manages to slice up carrots, tomatoes, kohlrabi, melons, cabbage, limes, you name it. It seems to work better than any of the dedicated kitchen knives in the drawer. Naturally, YMMV.
 
Here's what I just picked up for the same purpose.

Bradford Gatsby Clip point Steak knife

4.25" M390
8.5" total
.08" thickness
Carbon Fiber handles
2.8oz

Went ahead and picked up 2. One for the future Mrs.Deer.






also picked up a sheath for one so I could take it to family bbq's/holidays :D

 
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The cow said:
Its always been a source of humor for me. People have no problem dropping $800 on a knife that'll cut nothing more than packing tape but buy the crappiest wal-mart garbage out there.

In a way, I'm sort of that way. I came across some old hickories at a garage sale and snatched them up. I've been using them for years now and keep them every bit as sharp. They were designed and made in a time where people didn't have the luxury of cheap, throwaway knives. Plenty of people use them as outdoor knives also.
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That has been one of my introspections of this hobby in the last year or so. It is one of the reasons I like Condor stuff, though I am not recommending anything in their line for the kitchen. I would not use the general Mora stuff for the kitchen as the handles take up too much space in drawers for me. I think I have pretty much stayed within a reasonable cost range for my outdoor (non-kitchen) simply because other than for "the sake of the hobby", I generally believe you're wasting a lot of money on really expensive knives unless you just "want them". But other knives serve quite well. I still would like a fairly good set of kitchen cutlery, but it is not a high priority for me.
 
I can't post a link without deal spotting, but google "Victorinox Rabbit". It's quickly become my favorite go-to knife in the kitchen.
 
For a nice cheap option, look up the Cold Steel Roach Belly. I have one of those in the kitchen along with the Mora Allround 8.1 inch in stainless, they work quite well and are still cheap and durable enough to be tossed in the dishwasher.
 
22-rimfire said:
That has been one of my introspections of this hobby in the last year or so. It is one of the reasons I like Condor stuff, though I am not recommending anything in their line for the kitchen. I would not use the general Mora stuff for the kitchen as the handles take up too much space in drawers for me. I think I have pretty much stayed within a reasonable cost range for my outdoor (non-kitchen) simply because other than for "the sake of the hobby", I generally believe you're wasting a lot of money on really expensive knives unless you just "want them". But other knives serve quite well. I still would like a fairly good set of kitchen cutlery, but it is not a high priority for me.
Click to expand...
It is funny I have a kitchen full of at least 40 pieces of kitchen cutlery of varying quality and I always seem to gravitate back to very cheap to inexpensive fully serrated knives for virtually all cutting tasks.
 
Most of my kitchen knives are more expensive than almost all of my pocket knives.
 
If you like thin you'll like these guys.
Thin is the way to go for most things.
Not the most exotic but they really are very useful knives.

I cracked one of their medium size basic quality knives . . . are you ready ? . . . while battoning a super hard squash. Turns out a timber saw or chain saw would have been the correct tool to use. Who knew ?

My point is I continued to use that poor knife for like a year afterword. It refused to crack further and was used every single day. We finally retired it. I think I will cut it off and grind it into a shorter knife and keep using it. Oh and I had it for thirty years before it cracked. Seems to have serious enough steel in it. The company seems to play the actual alloy pretty close to the vest.

I'll post a photo later. (photobucket had decided to be useless again).

PS: way to go on nice long post. Now I feel like I'm not the only one. :)
 
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Here we go. Photo as promised.
The top knife is the thirty year old Mac that I cracked. The red plastic thing is pointing to the crack.
The bottom saw is what I bought to attack the super hard squashes with.

The middle knife is a very nice knife but quite a bit thicker and more robust. And a couple hundred dollars. Pretty swell though I like it too.



PS: I mirror polished the MAC; it came nicely / finely ground but not polished.
 
Sirryacus said:
It is funny I have a kitchen full of at least 40 pieces of kitchen cutlery of varying quality and I always seem to gravitate back to very cheap to inexpensive fully serrated knives for virtually all cutting tasks.
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Me too. I am a big fan of the budget Victorinox kitchen knives. I often buy a couple every time I visit one particular knife store in TN. I purchased a Pioneer Woman (brand) two knife set at Wally World (chopper and paring knife).... pretty impressed with them actually so far and cheap too. It is hard for me to justify spending $50+ on a kitchen knife when my wife has no idea of value when she grabs one to pry open a can or something.
 
I purchased a Pioneer Woman (brand) two knife set at Wally World (chopper and paring knife).... pretty impressed with them
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This Pioneer Woman ?

We dig those guys ! ! !

Their dog Charlie is my hero dog. Here he is at his best (flying . . . and preparing for his next flight; what a dog !).



 
Deer said:
Here's what I just picked up for the same purpose.

Bradford Gatsby Clip point Steak knife

4.25" M390
8.5" total
.08" thickness
Carbon Fiber handles
2.8oz

Went ahead and picked up 2. One for the future Mrs.Deer.






also picked up a sheath for one so I could take it to family bbq's/holidays :D

Click to expand...

For The Win!
 
Lot of you are recommending santoku blade but these blades are purely meant for chopping and slicing purposes....for boning, opening packaging, cans etc these are not good

i own this and i cannot use this for taking chicken off the bone easily

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i would suggest going for bushcraft type of knives as they around 4-5 inches and very good for piercing and boning purposes as well as slicing veggies

bushy%201%20(1).JPG
 
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