Great Kitchen Knives I can sharpen that won’t break the bank

Way below your budget but tramontina makes good stuff, if a bit utilitarian. For your budget you could put together quite the set from the custom knives listed here.
 
You can find Tojiro 3-piece sets for under $200. I've seen two versions, either gyuto + santoku + small petty or gyuto + medium petty + small paring.

That's with VG-10 steel; I think there's an R2 set available as well but it's more expensive. I like the way VG-10 takes a fine edge easily on ceramics and it is stainless.

If I was starting my kitchen knives over on a budget I'd probably get one of those Tojiro sets and then take a while saving up another $2-300 for a slightly nicer wa gyuto as well.
 
Plus one for shun. Have 3. Love them. They go on sale during big holidays. They do a factory second sale at the end of the year at half off
 
I like Wusthof forged (mine are the original Grand Prix that I've had for upwards of 30 years) but Victorinox will fit your budget better. I'm of the camp that feels one really only needs 3-4 knives for a home kitchen if one knows how to use each - a chef's knife (I prefer 8"), a paring knife, a bread knife (serrated), and, possibly, a utility knife (mine is 6"). I also have a steel to help keep the edge in good shape after every 2-3 uses. Japanese knives are all the rage but I have yet to use one. Thinner blades, more brittle but potential for a higher degree of sharpness and holding an edge better. I keep thinking about the birch handle Myabi 8" chef's knife but it wouldn't be a practical choice for me.
 
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What tools do you use to sharpen? If you are using diamond or CBN, you can sharpen anything, which opens up some more options.

Regardless, one can argue that the goldilocks steel is a AEB-L variant regardless of your sharpening tools. I would look for something in 14c28n at 61-62 HRC or higher. Other great options mentioned.

I cook everyday. In my use, I primarily use a chef's knife at 8" or longer. A very small paring knife would be my next choice. I would probably go with a bread knife next, although having a nice filet knife is another defensible option. Slicer can be a great tool as well.

I guess what I am saying, is that this is a buy once cry once type of deal, imo. Splurge on the chef knife, which should account for 85% of your use. You can add a couple Vic fibrox knives to round out the set (these are great, btw - tremendous value).
 
CSG said:
I like Wusthof forged (mine are the original Grand Prix that I've had for upwards of 30 years) but Victorinox will fit your budget better. I'm of the camp that feels one really only needs 3-4 knives for a home kitchen if one knows how to use each - a chef's knife (I prefer 8"), a paring knife, a bread knife (serrated), and, possibly, a utility knife (mine is 6"). I also have a steel to help keep the edge in good shape after every 2-3 uses. Japanese knives are all the rage but I have yet to use one. Thinner blades, more brittle but potential for a higher degree of sharpness and holding an edge better. I keep thinking about the birch handle Myabi 8" chef's knife but it wouldn't be a practical choice for me.
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My wife has the Miyabi 8" 600D Morimoto "Fusion" Edition. She loves it. It's her most used Chef Knife by far.
The CMV60 steel performs much like VG-10. Easy to maintain, but it can stain if you store it with moisture on it.
Delrin (POM) handles scales with red liners. We paid $90 for hers way back in the day. Now they go for $150 on sale.
 
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If you can find them in stock, Takamura gyuto in R2 aka SG2. Should have enough left over for a Takamura petty, or several cheaper paring knives.
 
When the budget allows, my next kitchen knife (first nice one) will be a custom magnacut chefs knife from a custom maker on here. It's the perfect solution to me. Instead of picking from what's offered in stores, I can pick size shape blafe steel hrc etc
 
Been out of town so here's the answers.

Budget Total: $300
What: Looking for maybe a 8" chef knife, Bread knife, 6" & paring (or close to this)
My Sharpener: TSPROF K03 Pro
My Stones: Diamond

I checked out the SHUN and such that Link2 suggested. Little out of my price range.
 
I'm going to look around here at some of these custom knife makers and see what I can come up with.
 
I second the Tojiro recommendation. Excellent knives for the price.

FWIW, I dislike Shun knives, not least because I find them harder to sharpen than other knives. Sort of slippery.
 
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