I like to wash.

[gajinoz]

I've often thought that some of the custom knives, and even some of the production knives, I've seen would make great kitchen knives, (and yes, I mean that in a good way).

The problem is, washing them. It's highly likely that my wife will end up throwing them in the dishwasher at least once!

So, the question is: What blade materials and, especially, what handle materials are most likely to survive the rather unfriendly interior of a working dishwasher.

As an aside, my Spyderco Calypso Jnr has been through the washing machine a few times with no obvious damage, a drop or two of Tuff Glide and they're good to go.

 

[Rich357]

Wash the knife yourself. Dry it and put it away before she can get her hands on it.

I think a plain Chris Reeve Sebenza with an S30V blade should be ok in the dishwasher.

A fixed blade knife made of S30V with G-10 scales should be ok in a dishwasher.

 

[bobby.t]

2nd. Train the wife.

Or get a new wife made of materials most likely not to submit a knife to the rather unfriendly interior of a working dishwasher.

 

[beluga]

Any kind of stainless steel (or even carbon steel if you don't mind the stain) and micarta / G-10 / carbon fiber should be dishwasher-friendly.

 

[Cougar Allen]

Wash the knife yourself. Dry it and put it away before she can get her hands on it.

Right. Handles that can survive the dishwasher aren't hard to find, but a razor sharp edge will not be improved by knocking against other knives inside the infernal device, or by being thrown into a drawer full of other knives afterward.

 

[Absintheur]

My wife was instructed in the kitchen the first day she moved in with me, anything that has a sharp edge is hand washed and dried and a scrubbing pad never comes within 3 feet of my cast iron. The seasoning in a couple of my fry pans was laid in there originally by my grandmother...lol. As I do 90% of the cooking it has never really been a problem. All you can do is make sure she understands the damage that can be done to blades and handles of good kitchen knives. If she understands there really is little chance of one getting in accidentally as they don't really look like silverware.

My kitchen knives, with a few exceptions, are custom and are probably better treated than some of my EDCs. They don't go in a knife block or a drawer but live on wall mounted magnetic strips. They get used, washed, dried and put up as soon as I finish with them. Yes, I do baby them.



However...Cold Steel makes some nice kitchen cutlery in VG-1 with Kraton handles, you can find the older Cold Steel Kitchen knives in carbon steel occasionally as well. The Al Mars come with hollow steel handles and are VG10 or VG2.

 

[MTF3]

My Darling Bride loves to leave one of my "good" knives on the counter unwashed just to hear me scream.

I am in the habit of following her to clean d put them back on the magnetic bar. She now leaves my Ken Onion Shun alone after she almost cut the tip of her finger off while cutting onions. To her credit, she did tell people that she wasn't even supposed to be using the knife in the first place. I get to cut up onions now. (Thank Goodness)

I rather her leave them out for me to scream about than put them in the dishwasher. What she doesn't know is that I have bought some just for her to use and claimed them as mine, so she will stay away from the ones I use for most cooking.

A good sharp kitchen knife is a pleasure to work with. When I cook for the Shrine Club I take my own. I love it when somene asks, "Why does this knife cut so good?" My usual response is, "Because most people are cheap morons!" That usually takes care of pesky volunteers.