Questions about kitchen knives

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Murky Depth

Joined
Apr 18, 2005
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Hello friends, search function is down.

1) What good kitchen knives do you know of that come in any of the current crop of high-end steels such as S30V & VG10 (just naming a couple I've had good experiences with in folders, feel free to suggest others).

2) Right now, I have the Henckels brand, & it seems to dull out quicker than my IQ when I took the SAT. Could it be possible that I'm just not sharpening/touching it up often enough? Cutting duty is pretty light, only a family of 3. The only cutting required happens for dinner prep which is only 2 or 3x a week. Is it normal or recommended to touch up the edge before each use?

Thanks.
 
Not sure if we'll see many kitchen knives in s30v. Generally makers of kitchen knives design them so they are easy to touch up (re-sharpen). A kitchen knife made of s30v would take more work to restore the edge if it went dull compared to a knife made of 440a, VG-10, etc.
 
WadeF said:
Not sure if we'll see many kitchen knives in s30v. Generally makers of kitchen knives design them so they are easy to touch up (re-sharpen). A kitchen knife made of s30v would take more work to restore the edge if it went dull compared to a knife made of 440a, VG-10, etc.
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I see the logic. Thanks for the feedback.
 
Murky Depth said:
Hello friends, search function is down.

1) What good kitchen knives do you know of that come in any of the current crop of high-end steels such as S30V & VG10 (just naming a couple I've had good experiences with in folders, feel free to suggest others).

Thanks.
Click to expand...

I have tested the following brands that use VG-10 and all of them perform really well - Masamoto, Kikuichi, Tojiro, Hattori, Shun, Kasumi, Mac. Any of them would run circles around the Henckels. There are currently no production kitchen knives made from S30V. Good cooking.
 
Henckels and most Western kitchen knives are soft. Carbon steel ones can get sharper, but are usually also soft. For chopping as opposed to slicing, or working around bones, this is good, as chipping is prevented. Downside is frequent, but easy sharpening or edge realignining.

Japanese kitchen cutlery leans toward hard thin blades that get extremely sharp and hold the edge. Traditional and Western designs in carbon steel, modern stainless, powder steels etc are all available. The downside is many are unsitable for heavy chopping, and certainly not breaking down bones. If you're willing to put up with generally higher cost, almost certainly higher maintenence (water stones are the best way to sharpen-acute highly polished edges on hard steel, not micro-serrations do the work), and a general predeliction to smaller sizes (some 12 inchers are available, but can be very costly) one can obtain knives, some at prices competative with hencklels, Wustoff, etc. that are much thinner, harder, and capable of cutting rings around the generally used German stuff. But one can actually embed the edge in a cutting board and break it off if one of these thin hard slicers is wielded in an axe-like fashion as some folks do with a large, heavy german chef's knife.

Someone skilled in the use and choice of such knives can actually convert a cucumber, carrot or large radish into a paper-thin sheet by turning it against the blade.

There is a kitchen knives forum on Knife Forums that is quite active, mostly concerned with Japanese blades. But some of the current crop of steels are made in Japan anyway. Fallkniven has some kitchen knives made there, for example. Those people can point you in the right direction, as some of the knives are purpose specific, and some are intended for "general use". Western "gerneral use" isn't identical to Japanese "general use", though.

Global, Kershaw Shun, are becoming quite available, and use VG-10 or the like. Many others can be had at quite reasonable prices. Of course, one can go all to way to hand-made pieces.
 
I have been using kershaw shun's since Christmas and I am in absolute love with them. They cut circles around my Henckels and maintain a superb edge.

I have not yet heard much bad about them
 
Murky Depth said:
2) Right now, I have the Henckels brand, & it seems to dull out quicker than my IQ when I took the SAT. Could it be possible that I'm just not sharpening/touching it up often enough? Cutting duty is pretty light, only a family of 3. The only cutting required happens for dinner prep which is only 2 or 3x a week. Is it normal or recommended to touch up the edge before each use?

Thanks.
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You need to steel on a smooth steel, every time you use the knife. It's especially important with these soft steels.

Regarding the higher-end steels, I have a couple of Hattori's which are expensive and frighteningly good cutters, but the edge profile is a bit thin for VG-10 and they'll chip if not used properly (that is to say, I don't chip them, but my wife and mother-in-law do).

Joe
 
Some don't like the handles on the Shuns--aren't they asymmetical, and bad for lefties?? On the leftie topic, some of the japanese stuff is chisel edged (traditionals are often two layer laminate), and the left-handed versions often cost a lot more and are not stocked.

I re-shape the handles on many of the knives I really like anyway--as long as they are close, I can deal with it, but prefer not to other things equal.

I have a Kyotsuna in "swedish silver steel" (or something like that-its stainless) guyoto (like a light, thin chef's knife) and a Dojo Blue parer in carbon. Both are three layer blades, and my Henckels can't come close. Quite reasonable prices. But they are not "beaters". I put a slight (fortunately reversable) bend in the Dojo, and have pushed the edge on the Kyotsuna too thin so it chipped. Not big chips, but I had to clean it up with an 800 grit waterstone. Now I know better, and use the Henkels for some of the rough stuff. Touchups with a 4000 or 6000 grit waterstone seem much more effective than trying to use a fine ceramic rod in my experience.

The carbon parer is easier to sharpen and gets a little sharper.

The forum I mentioned above has lots of info on comparisons, internet vendors etc. In some cases identical knives are sold under different names, for example.
 
My favorite kitchen knives are the Fallkniven K1 and K2. Since I bought them I haven’t picked up any of my other kitchen knives. They have VG10 blades, and very ergonomic zytel handles. Like all Fallknivens they hold an excellent edge, and sharpening is quick and simple.
 
I've been using a Shun paring knife for a while now to try out the brand, and I'll be picking up one of their Santokus or French knives as soon as I can afford it. They're amazing, amazing knives. Just remember that they're optimised for cutting a Japanese diet, and be very careful on any red meat with bones in it.

Now, two contradictory statements ;) :

1-Be generally wary of applying your knowledge of utility-knife steel to kitchen knives. In general, what's stressed in pocket knives and fixed blades isn't what's stressed in kitchen cutlery. In general (in general, now) you want a hard edge on a utility blade so that it can cut hard, tough materials without dulling quickly or rolling its edge; rust resistance is a secondary consideration.
In general (in general, now ;) ) you want a kitchen knife to be more rust-resistant and have a slightly softer edge so that it'll survive the wet, acidic world of the kitchen, and take the occasional glancing slice across a bone without damaging the edge (dulling it, sure, but not _damaging_, if you can avoid it); edge retention is a secondary consideration (after all, you're cutting soft matter and you can steel it with each use).

2-The Shun knives are laminated VG-10. :D
 
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