Need some kitchen knife advice

freq18hz

freq18hz

Joined
Mar 4, 2010
Messages
1,093
Hi all,

As a knife enthusiast, I've decided my pursuits are better suited to the kitchen, where I will actually be using my blades (ninja's that need to be shanked are in short supply these days).

Can someone recommend some great kitchen knives? I have the standard green cheapo Santoku and Kitchenaid blades (yes I just said kitchenaid).

I have been looking at the Shun classic, Shun Premier, Miyabi, and a few others. I need some expert advice here. Ideally I'd like something that looks and feels nice (I like the balance of the Shun classic so far), but I care more about function over form.

Preferably looking for something to compliment this pair of high-carbon Nakiri and Santoku knives that the wife got me for xmas:

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-Freq
 
Shun is the way to go, unless you really want to spend lots more money. I'm pretty happy with my old Whustof kitchen knives, then again I get outside to use hawks and knives to feed my knife lusts. I'd like some better kitchen knives some day, but I'm not in need, so...I wait.
Be sure to look around old threads in the Kitchen Cutlery forum, I've drooled over many custom kitchen knife pics here.
 
I haven't used any of them, but Stephan Fowler makes some awesome looking knives. He's on my list to add to my already WAY too big collection of knives for the kitchen. In my early life I was a cook and a baker, so I got my hands on a lot of different knives. I've seen some awesome cutters out there, but I'm not sure I've ever seen a kitchen knife perform like the Fowler I've seen tested out by Saltydog on the Chefknivestogo website. Here's the page for Fowler knives and there you can watch Salty blow up some food with one of them. I'm not sure how many are in stock, but yeah. Nice knives.

http://www.chefknivestogo.com/stephanfowler.html
 
Everything i'll say you probably already know, but here goes anyway. There are so many great ones out there now. You might be able to narrow it down a bit if you have a preference for certain steels, blade styles, and handle shape/materials. There are quite a few very good makers here on Blade Forums - check out the fixed blade subforum. Shun definitely has some very nice knives. The Bob Kramer/Shun collaborations are nice. The Bob Kramer/Zwilling collaborations are nice (52100 steel). I recently attended a demo/sales presentation with Bob Kramer where he introduced his Zwilling line. I don't need much of an excuse to by a decent knife if my wallet will survive. I came away with the eight inch kitchen knife - thin, easy to sharpen, holds an edge very well, forged 52100, made in Japan. The only thing I'm not really fond of is the unsoldered brass bolsters. I was spoiled by how Randall always (I think) soldered their guards. I just really like to see this on a kitchen knife if using a metal guard or bolster - especially with a carbon steel blade. It helps keep crud out from under an area where corrosion may start if the knife is not thoroughly cleaned and dried after use. I'm sure it adds expense though. The straight Bob Kramers are very nice also if you have a spare 5K to 20K. As you know, Murray Carter makes some great knives also. I was lucky enough to attend one of his blade smithing classes (a great experience if you can make it). One of the knives we made (with a lot of guidance and help (and patience on Murray's part)) was a forged Japanese style kitchen knife. It was forged with a core of Hitachi #1 White if I remember correctly. It is thin, very easy to sharpen, and holds an edge well. It looks like nothing fancy with its simple white wood handle, forge finish, and the patina I've let develop, but it is the knife I use most often just because it cuts so well and is so easy to maintain. I haven't been there for some time, but there is/was a website I believe was called Cooking for Engineers. It's author had quite a bit of good information on blade steels, a number of different knives and tests he had performed. Hope this helps a bit - or at least puts you to sleep if needed. Mike
 
It depends a lot on what you're willing to spend and what you're looking for. High carbon? Stainless? Damascus/san mai damascus construction? You have a nakiri and a santoku, so are you looking for a gyuto, or petty, or a specialty knife like a deba or a yanagiba?
 
Just based on their descriptions I would say that they are below average for the price.

All western models of MAC knives have blades made of rust resistant high-carbon Chrome Molybdenum Vanadium alloy, with Tungsten added for selected models to increase hardness even further.
Click to expand...
By making the knives with a hardness between 58 and 60 degrees Rockwell C, the knives can be sharpened with the characteristic "MAC edge" .
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if you are looking for good knifes for the kitchen then youu should look at

Global

kershwar

stellar

vitorianox
 
freq18hz said:
Anyone have any experience with these?

http://www.cutleryandmore.com/mac-professional/chefs-knife-p18061-Freq
Click to expand...

Yep. I've got a 10"-10 1/2"<?> chefs knife (original shape - rounded tip) hanging on a magnet a few feet from me now. Its about 25 years old. I drag it across a diamond steel a couple of times every once in awhile (when I want a razor thin tomato slice or an effortless glide thru a turkey breast for that awesome T-day presentation), then I rinse it while scrubbing with a nylon brush or a sponge, dry it and back to the magnet it goes. Great knives!

My dad bought a set of these back in the day...since my parents are now elderly, they prefer the smaller paring/boning type knives in the set (they also store on magnets) but they begrudgingly let me take this one as they don't feel comfy wielding the massive power it holds.

They are all light (stamped NOT forged). They are all precision instruments and feel superbly balanced. They make a nice addition to your daily-use knives! I have German blades, Japanese blades, US Blades (forged AND stamped - I judge every knife on its own merits) and they all have pros and cons - but you'd have to take the MAC knife out of my hand by force! Just keep in mind they are thin and sharp - don't toss them in a drawer and don't use them to cleave a chicken (German forgery excels at that task).
 
freq18hz said:
Anyone have any experience with these?

http://www.cutleryandmore.com/mac-professional/chefs-knife-p18061

How do they compare to the Shun classic?


-Freq
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I’ve used the Mac pro chef’s knife a few times and would describe it as solid workhorse. The handle and f&f are vgood. The blade steel maybe vg-5 or something similar, it takes a good edge and responds well to steeling. I recall the blade itself being somewhat stiff and tough yet thin enough to not have wedging problems. On paper, they seem a bit pricey and kinda meh, but you sort of have to use one to appreciate it

Shuns’ overall build quality and f&f are better than the Mac, but the blade shape is quite different. The Shun has more deeply curved edge and is quite dependent on using the rock-chopping cutting style. Whereas the Mac has more moderately curved edge – which won’t rock-chop as smoothly, but slices and chops better.
 
Professional cook here! Miyabi 600S(VG-10) is the one I currently use, though the Shun Premier(VG-10) and Miyabi 5000 MCD(SG2) are two that I enjoy using as well. I love the handle on the Miyabi 600S, personally, but my grip on kitchen knives is a bit different than most folk I know.
 
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