Kitchen knives for an abusive user

[Shotgun]

Its just a tool for most people , especially in the kitchen

This. Fancy knives is your hobby, not hers. I personally have 3 kiwis and 1 forschner chef knives. They hardly ever get sharpened, sit in water and get thrown in the dishwasher after each use. They still do the job I bought them for.

 

[Bigfattyt]

I'm relatively in the same boat.

We have some cutco knives. They get tossed in the dishwasher.

But, I have a few of my paternal Grandfather's carbon steel knives and they don't go in the sink, even. They get set aside, and hand washed and dried, right after use. I have one 'custom' pairing knife that has a fancy wood handle. It immediately got washed in the dish washer...... kind of ruined.....

It is a struggle.....

The worst part is, my dish washer baskets are rusting through. The protective rubver layers have been cut in so many spots by the knives being put in willy-nilly.....

 

[Bill1170]

My wife is pretty good, as non knife people go. But my nicest knives live in my desk; I alone may use or wash them. Luckily, we don’t have a dishwasher. We’re old school.

 

[oldtymer]

Kai or Rada best choice for your situation. Cheap, dishwasher safe per manufacturer, easy to sharpen.

 

[strategy9]

If you are going to go the Henckles route, I would strongly suggest the Twin Signature set over any if the international series, especially if ordering online. Quality and heat treat on the German made vs the Chinese made series' are more consistent in my experience. Same goes for all the popular German brands; Wusthof, Messermeister, their lower end lines are lower end for a reason compared to their higher end lines; not necessarily "bad" persay, but definitely more of a dice roll for quality, especially if buying sight unseen..


The Victorinox Forschner basic set is also a pretty good deal for a basic value set.

My suggestion though, for you, considering your situation + budget, plus it looks like you are after a full set w/ steak knives:
check out the Tramontina Gourmet forged traditional or contemporary block set.

 

[emjay4248]

If she is truly that dishwasher happy get some victorinox kitchen knives. The lower end lines are cheap and work. Sure the steel is rather soft so you will have to resharpen more often but they can take a lot of abuse. Plus some of them come in different colors.

Victorinox Forshner is the absolute best bang for the buck. I know a few chef's who use them for work and they are indestructible and easy to sharpen. If you are into cooking Cooks Illustrated which are considered the best in unbiased ratings has voted this knife as the best knife in comparison to knives twice the price.
I have about $1000 worth of chefs knives and the Victorinox gets the most use and the blade is thin so you can also use it as a slicer.

 

[Knives&Lint]

I voted for the second choice "Better luck in your next life. At least she gave you three cute kids.", because that pretty much sums up my marriage

My wife is a pretty good cook, but her chopping technique makes me cringe. "TAT TAT TAT TAT TAT TAT TAT" on the chopping board like a freaking jackhammer. Seriously, I have to leave the room every time. She also did the dishwasher thing a couple of times but I was able to nip that in the bud luckily. Now I wash the knives, which doesn't bother me at all.

Another vote for Victorinox here, and I bought her some Kai knives that she likes as well. They are good quality knives and much better than the stuff she would buy if left to her own devices. On the bright side, what they lack in edge retention is made up for by the fact that most of us enjoy sharpening knives. They're also handy to have around for jobs in which you'd prefer to not use your nicer knives.

I still have my nice Japanese knives, but they are off limits to her, and honestly she doesn't mind at all. She actually prefers her knives that she can hack away with to her heart's content. We both enjoy cooking, and have very different styles, so separate sets of knives has been the solution for us.

 

[markeriv]

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I went with these:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005LRYSOQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Alberta Ed]

Alas, my dear wife (48 years) is a chronic knife abuser. Recently she broke the tip off our Henckels French chef's knife -- I'm just glad she didn't slip and stab herself. So I keep 'em all sharp, a variety of smallish paring knives, and this Christmas a nice Spyderco 4" utility knife. Victorinox is a good choice for larger kitchen knives. But forego the $600 set... it would just be a waste.