looking for a good 6" chef's knife.

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kgriggs8

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Something like this Shun I saw on E-bay is what I had in mind.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Kershaw-DM0723-...ryZ20639QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

I want a high quality medium sized all purpose kitchen knife. I have a nice set of Wustof Trident classics but the 8" chef's knife is just a tad too large and heavy for some tasks. It works but is not ideal. I want something that is a little lighter and more handy. Something that feels like it was made for your hand if you know what I mean.

So other than the 6" Shun classic, what should I be on the look out for? I am a kitchen knife novice for the most part. I hear the Japanese knives are the only way to go but many of them are in the hundreds of dollar range. I was think $100 or less.
 
The Kershaw Shun series has more of a German-Chef blade shape. If that is the specific shape you want please disregard this post.

In regards to a more Japanese-Chef knife shape (Gyuto) I use and have used an Al-Mar 8-inch Chef's knife seen here and am very pleased with it. The Al Mar line features either laminated VG-2 steel or VG-10 steel (the Ultra line). I have a VG-2 model and it is very easy to sharpen and stays sharp for a reasonable amount of time. Fit and finish were excellent and have remained so, no loose rivets, no rust, and so forth. The knife is very thin and much more lightweight than my Sous Chef's Masashiro or my Executive Chef's Messermeister. I can only assume that the 6-inch and 7-inch models Chef or Santouku would be lighter and thus more handy for you. Also, the handle is slightly too small for me, but I have very large hands so it may fit you better. I would personally recommend a Santouku blade style if you are going to go with a shorter length since they seem to pack more blade into less inches.

*Bonus Joke: The factory edge on my knife was amazing, the sharpest I have seen on any knife. My first day of using the knife my fellow coworkers and I were plating a wine dinner and my Sous Chef was having trouble slicing his duck confit wantons. My Executive Chef noticed this and approached with his Messermeister, asking with a grin; "Want to borrow a sharp knife?" My Sous Chef replied, having used my knife to Chiffonade some mint leaves earlier, without looking up; "Nah, I think [Spoonrobot] is using his." Take that overly-thick German blades!

Be forewarned though, I have had problems with the edge chipping on my knife when using a German Messermeister steel. The best bet with Japanese knives (in my experience) if to use a ceramic or diamond steel.
 
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