OT...Cutco...wow!

I currently do everything with two kitchen knives (and one pair of scissors), but I have two more on order though... all Japanese.

I have two Globals -

a G48 (~$95):
chefknivestogo_1993_4278839


and a GS-37 (~$70):
chefknivestogo_1993_5001444


...I like the Globals because: they are relatively inexpensive, one piece, modern/cool looking, sharp, easy to care for, and balanced well. As my primary / everyday knives I specifically looked for something I didn't have to baby nor spend a lot of time maintaining. Mine go in the dishwasher sometimes, and in general (even though I don't abuse them) - I wouldn't worry so much if one was damaged as it's not that expensive and there are zillions of them out there.

and I've ordered two semi-customs from Shinichi Watanabe at WatanabeBlade.com. These knives are:

- hand forged/made in Japan by a 6th generation smith
- reasonably priced with a reasonable turn around time
- ample options re type, size, finish, steel, engravings, handles
- well regarded among knife nuts and chefs in a few other forums

a Gyuto (chef's knife - ~$300):
gyu300.jpg


and a matching Yanagi (sashimi knife - ~$400):
ho.jpg


I like the Watanabes because they're beautiful, hand made, and very Japanese - but they're a different beast altogether and need much more attention and care than the very-utilitarian Globals (IMO).

Also, for what it's worth, Watanabe-san is a real nice guy as well, very easy to work with, etc. Check him out if you're not familiar with his work; sometimes he comes to US knife shows, but you can order via email too.

For a less expensive Watanabe knife, check out this 180mm Gyuto for $160...
kurouchi.jpg
 
Laughing my butt off at this thread, bunch of Busse only folks talking about kitchen knives of all things! Delicate, frilly, foo foo knives! There exists a kitchen knife forum here at Blade Forums...and not one Moderator moved this thread, sacrilege, pure sacrilege! It flies in the face of irony, wait 'til the Buck knife guys here about this!
 
I have most of the Wusthof Classic line, but here is what I use the most(minus the Krein santuko someone just previously mentioned!)

PICT0312.jpg


kitchenknives.jpg
 
Hey Yager...how about you send me that NICK? :D

So right now it seems like the possibles are Global, Shun and Wusthof, pending a good fondle by the Mrs. We shall see what happens, but all of this help is much appreciated. I would love to go with one-off Japanese knives, but wifey likes the aesthetics of a coherent set. If you people had to pare your cooking knives down to the bare essentials, what would they be?

J
 
A santoku and a petty. That's it! Honestly it could probably all be done with a santoku. The smallest Shun set would work though if she's dead set on a congerent set. Aethestically their the best looking too in my opinion.
 
8" chef or similar santoku
4" paring
8-10" bread
We have the former two in Shun, also have a Spyderco Yang that does good work on items that like serrations. You can do a hell of a lot of cooking with just these. :thumbup:
 
lamson Sharp are a fine kitchen blade. Made in the US and good looking with rose handle. Chef knife along with a sandwich knife and three steak knives, replacing the cheap knife set I had for two years
 
DowntownDM said:
what's the story on the Busse kitchen knife? Very cool...
Click to expand...

Busse made a run of NICK's(the thin ones) a santuko style blade. there was a mix up, and some were made from thicker stock, hence the XXL NICK...I still like it better then most thin blades...
 
Boker's Yadama is the Deal. The design is a combination of the Santoku and the traditional Chef knife. With 16 years of cooking experience, that's my first pick.
 
Okay, people. Thank you very much for all your suggestions. I headed over to Williams-Sonoma during my planning period and copped feels on a bunch of knives, and I've purchased an 8piece set of Ken Onion-designed Shuns. I liked the Wusthof Ikons and the Shun Classics, but I'm pretty sure wifey will LOVE the ergonomics of the Shunions. :thumbup:

I know I overpaid a bit for the Shunions at WS, but I DID get a free sharpener and a bamboo prep cutting with two metal bowls. Besides that, I can take the knives back if I have any problems, and they also stated that if I ever had any problems, they would do whatever they had to to satisfy me. Sometimes that piece of mind is worth an extra couple dollars. Ain't that one of the reasons we pay the money we pay for our INFI? :thumbup::D

Anyway, I will keep you all posted about our experiences. Thanks again. You people are dope!

Jason
 
Hey at least you know you overpaid and you're ok with it! I love the Onion Shuns. Congrats on a good purchase!
Now please make sure they're kept OUT of the dishwasher and OUT of a drawer. :D
 
I overpaid by less than a hundred dollars, and got the knives, block, cutting board and electric sharpener. I don't mind that, especially knowing that I can return them if necessary, and that I'm covered by WS if there are any problems. Also, I found out that the WS offers cooking/preparation clinics at their store. Maybe I can talk my wife into going in to learn how to make souffles this weekend. Sometimes a bit of info is more of a value than saving money.;)
 
I'mGatMan! said:
So...anyone else own the Shuns? I'd like a more intensive review if possible. But wouldn't it be nice to have an All-Infi cutlery set?
Click to expand...

Sure. Wife will never part with 'em. So darned sharp the edge is almost mono-molecular! :D

Doesn't stain, edge is reasonably tough for steel that thin ... and is very easily restored.

We're quite happy.
 
Thanks for the info, OldPhysics...

Update: Got the knives home to my sick wife, and we opened them together with my mother in law. There were oohs and ahhs as the box was opened, wifey and m.i.l. each unsheathed a couple knives, and they were impressed. Wifey proceeded to put the block on the couch and slide the 10" chef knife (which wasn't even supposed to be in the set) into the block only to find that the blade stuck through the bottom and cut through the fabric of our couch. :mad:

Then, we unsheathed all the knives only to find that we got two 5" utility knives, a 10 chef's knife instead of the 10" carver, and were missing the bread knife. At this point I was pissed and called S-W and the manager told me to bring the whole set back. Would have been nice to just bring back the wrong knives and get the right ones, but oh well.

I'm the kinda guy who tries to heed omens (ala Paulo Coelhuo's Alchemist) At this point I'm starting to feel like these are the wrong knives for us. Maybe you Hogs, Hogettes and Piglets will think I'm nuts, but to get the wrong knives and THEN cut into my damn couch...something doesn't feel right.

Okay, so now I've decided I'm just going to wait til Friday and have my wife join me at S-W so she can tell me what SHE likes. If she decides on Wusthof Classics, we can get the 23 piece set at Bed, Bath and Beyond for under 800$ before tax with a 20% off coupon. We can get an 8pc set for right around $215. I personally liked the Shuns AND the Wusthof Ikons. Maybe she'll dig those. :thumbup:

Either way, it feels like it's back to the drawing board for me. :grumpy:

J
 
No offense Gat-man, but what would you or your wife do with 23 kitchen knives? :D
Sounds like W-S f'd it up from the get go. All the packaged Shun's I've drooled on have been straight. Who knows. Either way, good luck man!!
 
Clean,

I totally agree with you, but you know we Americans LOVE to get as much as we can for as little as we can. : D

I would be happy with 5-6 knives. A paring knife, Santoku, utility knife, carver, bread knife. Can't see needing more than that. Don't even really need a block because I already have one.

Guess I'll find out Friday or Saturday what wifey is in to and we'll hafta compromise.
 
I hope that if I bought a set of Ginsu, a bunch of you hogs, hogettes and piglets would rent a charter bus, drive down to Miami and take turns beating my ass. : )

I almost think I deserve it for ALMOST buying the Cutco. ; )

Incidentally, Cutco is all over that rep's ass for carrying out business on eBay. I don't like that I caused the guy trouble, but that guy tried to sell me a 385$ set of knives for 1650$. Wow...
 
My minimal set would be:

-Chef's knife
- paring knife
- long, thin serrated knife - for bread and carving. Currently, I use a carving knife to slice bread, and see no reason to dedicate a blade to either task. If you make LOTS of roasts or breads, might make sense to get a dedicated tool. This should also be long enough for watermelons
- kitchen shears
- maybe add a santoku, thinner than the chef's knife, for more precise slicing
- maybe add a set of steak knifes, if it would make you happy Cutco is pretty good for this.

Above all, try out your knives for ergos and balance before you buy. A ginsu is a better choice than a busse if it feels right in your hand and you use it.

Also, match your knives to your cooking style. If your wife (or m.i.l. for that matter) is going to hack at frozen food, drop them on the floor, put them in the dishwasher, and do other unspeakable things, don't get a very thin, carbon steel, $1000 Japanese light saber. Go with something relatively thick, soft, and inexpensive that will stand up to the abuse and can be easily replaced when it fails.

Unless you have aesthetic considerations, blades intended for commercial chefs often give you more bang for the buck. F. Dick is good, but there are many others. Typically you'll get thin, stamped blades and plastic one piece handles.

Good luck finding something that works.
 
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