The wife wants a new set of kitchen knives

I have a couple of the Shun, an 8" chef's and 4" pairing that I use for just about everything in the kitchen. I also like some Old Hickory Knives for use around bone, a carbon steel blade and a joy to use. Look around, try different knives if at all possible,
you don't have to have all the same knife.
 
i turned my mom into a knife person with Shun cutlery. Japanese made. VG-10 Blades.

She has a set of the premier series. They're a little pricey, but nice too.
 
I sell professional cutlery for a living in Boston. From Henkels to Kikuichi and all the wusthof shun and global in between. Costco is vastly overpriced. I personally recommend a Henkels Zwilling One. they are out of production but they are around. IF you want premier cutlery kikuichi is a high carbon hand made japanese knife from a 700 year old knife company.
 
FYTrig said:
I sell professional cutlery for a living in Boston. From Henkels to Kikuichi and all the wusthof shun and global in between. Costco is vastly overpriced. I personally recommend a Henkels Zwilling One. they are out of production but they are around. IF you want premier cutlery kikuichi is a high carbon hand made japanese knife from a 700 year old knife company.
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I spoke with a knife wholesaler in San Francisco today who has had a lot of issues with Kikuichi knives not being straight, and a lot of the Shun knives experiencing 'deep pitting', he said. Which seems weird for VG-10, but given that Shun knives are mass produced and maximized for profits, and not performance, it's not surprising. Secondly, Kikuichi, as a company, is resting more on their history than the quality of their product. From what I can tell, their knives are largely overpriced for what you get, and even on their website the iterate to the customer that they have the possibility of receiving a knife that is not straight. As a cutlery wholesaler, have you received many bent knives from them?
 
"a lot of the Shun knives experiencing 'deep pitting', he said. Which seems weird for VG-10, but given that Shun knives are mass produced and maximized for profits, and not performance, it's not surprising."

So is any other knife from any other major knife manufacturer. They reach a compromise between price and performance to maximize profits just like any other knife company, otherwise we'd have Cowry-X knives for $10.

"Secondly, Kikuichi, as a company, is resting more on their history than the quality of their product."

As far as I can tell, Kikuichi doesn't even make knives. Its simply a brand that rebrands or outsources works to other companies.
 
I work for a company that doesn't sacrifice quality or performance for profits. I don't know if we're a 'major knife' company (we were mentioned in here, though) but not all knife companies are about the bottom line - some want to provide a product that will exude quality and invoke satisfaction that has all but been forgotten. Sounds cheesy, I know, but I believe this wholeheartedly.
 
I don't know what company you work for, but certainly, most of the companies listed in this thread are run like businesses, with profits a big part of the equation. Profits are not an evil thing, they're what motivate makers to make better knives. Generally to charge a certain price, you have to deliver a certain amount of performance, unless you get into perverse market manipulation.

Cutco? The epitome of perverse marketing.

Benchmade? Are you really telling me bolsterless 440c 58-60 HRC knives are worth $500?

Henckels? Sure, they charge a large premium for their brand name, and have a set of outsourced stuff just to capture even more of the market.

Wusthof? More or less the same as Henckels minus the China part.

Global, Shun, Mac etc etc

All of these companies have to determine what sort of product they can produce at what price point. Basically, if your company is run to make money as a business, you're always going to have to find some sort of compromise between price and quality. The only exceptions are makers who run a business in order to support knifemaking, rather than knifemaking to support a business. Even then they still have to turn a profit or go under. Not to mention in general I'm skeptical when I hear someone say they don't compromise quality for profit, why aren't they making the best knives in the world then, since they usually are not?
 
Carter might be a big name in the realm of custom makers, but I really doubt his output and employee comes anywhere near the other major (as in large) manufacturers listed in this thread. I suppose coming from a functional viewpoint Carter knives don't sacrifice much, but it is kind of obvious that not all the care in the world is put into making them pretty. It operates on the same principles as major manufacturers.

You want a product that can sell due to its qualities, but you need to reach a larger market by cutting out things you don't think are important, like a fancy handle, or random scratches in order to make the knives more affordable. Pursuing the bottom line doesn't necessarily mean you produce "worse" knives, it means you pend less time on things that your consumer base does not find important.

It's not like white steel and blue steel knives coming from virtually any maker don't have reports about chipping, but Shuns are much more likely to attract customers that will chip their knives, and fault the knife rather than their own skills or sharpening.
 
Hm, We have no pitting issues with our Shuns and it's been about 2 years since I got them. We have a set of Cutco knives and the only good thing I can say about them is that we didn't pay for them. So for knives we didn't pay for, they're OK but 440A is pretty dated and I consider it to be a mediocre steel for blades.
 
I've had my Shun Classics for 3 years and no pitting issues, no chipping issues, no staining issues—really! These knives are what inspired me to really learn how to cook and I'm pretty good now. The difference between these knives and a $25 chef's knife is quite simply amazing.
 
I have a few friends with the Shuns and none of them has had any pitting, staining, or rust issues including one that often leaves it dirty / wet for hours. However, they have experienced chipping on the chef’s knife. The edge is too prone to micro chipping for heavy handed rocking / grinding motions and needed to be resharpened at a more robust angle or with a secondary microbevel. Imo, Shuns are pretty good, but the new Miyabi knives at Sur la Table are as good and in some ways better.

My friend just got one and we compared it to his Classic. Although the fit & finish on the Shun is excellent, the Miyabi is even better. They even rounded the spine and finger choil. The Damascus cladding on the Shun looked nice new, but scratches easily. The Miyabi has 2x more layers and a matt finish that seems to be harder to scratch and may hide scratches better. Both use VG-10 steel. His Shun was too dull to compare cuts, but the miyabi can hold a more acute edge. The Classic has a German style blade with a raised tip which I’ve always found made getting the tip to touch the cutting board abit akward. The Miyabi has a gradual curve that’s curved enough for rocking, yet flat enough for push cutting.
 
As others have mentioned, purchasing ala carte allows you to get exactly what you want, but at a price. Another option is to look at quality makes that have 3-4 packs which typically include a paring knife, a chefs knife and perhaps a bread or 'utility'/petty and/or a boning. (bread knives are over rated IMHO unless you bake fresh bread). Global, shun, henkels, messermeister(sp), wustoff, etc. all have options in this arena.

If she really like to cook, is a foodie, etc. perhaps a custom. I've seen some nice stuff on the forums here, and Murray Carter knives are supposed to be awesome. I would echo the notion that a set of 12 probably is overkill. If she likes thinner blades, go with a Japanese style knife regardless of maker. Although, once you go that route, it is difficult to go back to full out western style blade thicknesses.
 
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