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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is available! Price is $250 ea (shipped within CONUS).
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/
Looking for custom kitchen knife for wedding gift
- Thread starter Kirk1963
- Start date
- Joined
- May 16, 2011
- Messages
- 174
Budget?
- Joined
- May 16, 2011
- Messages
- 174
- Joined
- May 6, 2009
- Messages
- 2,914
If you don't have any luck with the guys that have been mentioned, contact me. I can make pretty much anything you want. I can send pics of my work if needed.
If you haven't already purchased, please don't give them anything Shun or mainstream!!! As pretty as they are, they are among the poorest performers in their price class.
Your idea of a few nice knives rather than a block full of mediocre knives of ambiguous usage is the way to go IMHO. One only really needs a handful of particular knives and technically two knives will do 98% of the work...
Something like a 240-270mm chef's knife (I'd say a gyuto given how light and balanced they are which allows one to use a 9+ inch knife for very controlled cuts) and a 3-4 inch parring knife, add maybe a 6-7 inch serrated knife will be golden. If you haven't checked them out yet, give Richmond a look. They make a few different lines in which you can find a parring knife, chef's knife, and utility knives using the same handle style, a reasonably good cutlery steel with good hardening, and a high-end product that is surprisingly inexpensive.
I have their 240mm 52100 Addict and I am incredibly pleased with it. I would put its performance not far from my Konos, but at under half the price. The 52100 they are using is IMO one of the best steels on a knife in that price-class and at 61 HRC it will outperform most of its competition. While it isn't quite at the level of the Hitachi Super Steels on the Konos, it's not far from it and like those steels, it better resists chipping that some of the higher hardness kitchen knives are prone to (Shun, for example).
Kikuichi makes some exceptional products ranging from dirt cheap but great quality to very expensive and great quality. Their entry carbon steel lines are hugely popular with pros as they are built to perform and built to last. Their damascus gyutos have a very signature look unlike others...
http://www.chefknivestogo.com/kigoelgy24.html
Their other gyutos are also excellent and die-hard kitchen knife nuts will vouch for both the quality and value of their products.
Then of course there are custom makers found on this forum and places like CTTG. While I cannot speak to them, I can say that this is always a great way to go as you can get custom knives which are unique, of incredible craftsmanship, and perform amazingly...I imagine a CPM-3V kitchen knife would be a mecca...
Your idea of a few nice knives rather than a block full of mediocre knives of ambiguous usage is the way to go IMHO. One only really needs a handful of particular knives and technically two knives will do 98% of the work...
Something like a 240-270mm chef's knife (I'd say a gyuto given how light and balanced they are which allows one to use a 9+ inch knife for very controlled cuts) and a 3-4 inch parring knife, add maybe a 6-7 inch serrated knife will be golden. If you haven't checked them out yet, give Richmond a look. They make a few different lines in which you can find a parring knife, chef's knife, and utility knives using the same handle style, a reasonably good cutlery steel with good hardening, and a high-end product that is surprisingly inexpensive.
I have their 240mm 52100 Addict and I am incredibly pleased with it. I would put its performance not far from my Konos, but at under half the price. The 52100 they are using is IMO one of the best steels on a knife in that price-class and at 61 HRC it will outperform most of its competition. While it isn't quite at the level of the Hitachi Super Steels on the Konos, it's not far from it and like those steels, it better resists chipping that some of the higher hardness kitchen knives are prone to (Shun, for example).
Kikuichi makes some exceptional products ranging from dirt cheap but great quality to very expensive and great quality. Their entry carbon steel lines are hugely popular with pros as they are built to perform and built to last. Their damascus gyutos have a very signature look unlike others...
http://www.chefknivestogo.com/kigoelgy24.html
Their other gyutos are also excellent and die-hard kitchen knife nuts will vouch for both the quality and value of their products.
Then of course there are custom makers found on this forum and places like CTTG. While I cannot speak to them, I can say that this is always a great way to go as you can get custom knives which are unique, of incredible craftsmanship, and perform amazingly...I imagine a CPM-3V kitchen knife would be a mecca...
Thanks for the info, I spoke to Darrin Sanders and was impressed with his work and knowledge and have commissioned him to build the knives. He has been extremely professional and great to work with thus far - from the design to assisting with sourcing the materials he has been a pleasure. I will post the pics when they're done. They will be mammoth tooth ivory and Devin Thomas SS Damascus.