which chef knife (millionth time? ;))

ziptrickhead · Jan 30, 2009

CootShooter said:
I think you guys have talked me into the Victorianox Fibrox Forschner. My question is, should I get the 8" or 10"?

Also, what do you guys think of the 7" Santoku?

If you can afford it, you should only get the santoku WITH a chef's knife in my opinion. Santokus are great for medium sized tasks but I feel they lack the curvature for good chopping motion.

If you're getting a medium sized knife with the chef's, I would say go with the 10" chef's. If it's just going to be your only large kitchen knife, go with the 8".

Also make sure you have cutting boards large enough to accommodate the 10" if you get that.

I've handled the Shuns in a local cookware store and it nests in the hands quite nice so long as you're holding it properly.

Lycosa · Jan 30, 2009

The pic of the knife the Firebert posted, is the Ideal chef knife design.

thombrogan · Jan 30, 2009

Gator97 said:
Hey, Brogan, did you ever get your A-Type Aritsugu?

Yes, I did. It's a project knife to say it mildly and not as fun as my Takeda (which will not tolerate rock chopping with the edge I gave it, but pushcuts so easily that it's quicker than knives which can) or Shun Elite (which rock chops effortlessly with its nigh-RC65 edge).

Gator97 · Jan 30, 2009

What did you do to Takeda?

I got my A-Type to 12 deg edge and gave it ~3deg microbevel on back side. Took 6 hours with DMT 120 to remove all that metal. Rocks no probs though.

thombrogan · Jan 30, 2009

Gator97 said:
What did you do to Takeda?

I sharpened it to 3-4 degrees per side. Why?

Your Aritsugu looks awesome. I significantly thinned the left side of mine (I are lefthanded having) using a wet grinder and it took less than 15 minutes. The problem was that I tried to polish up the finish. Something about chasing several scratches from several grits in a very wear-resistant steel really turns me off.

Would've been fine if I left it as-ground. As seen here:

Gator97 · Jan 30, 2009

3-4 huh? I'm pretty sure your Takeda is also 61HRC. Although all that proves the point that if you have even 8-10 deg per side on harder knives there is no prob with rocking/chopping.

SPXTrader · Jan 30, 2009

looker said:
Shun -- at first glance are simply gorgeous and seems to have all the bells and whistles of a Japanese knife: wa handle, VG-10 (great balance of hardness, sharpen-ability and stain resistance), Damascus-faux, etc. But the blade profiles are atypical of gyuto. The pregnant belly of the Classic series makes it some sort German/Japanese cross breed. I dont care for the Alton Angle series and detest the Ken Onion series.

Interesting. Are you talking about the Damascus-faux in VG-10 with 32 layers of SUS410, the SG2 with 2 layers of SUS410, or the SG2 clad in nickel & high carbon steel?

CootShooter, many of the Shun knives have D-shaped handles - you order right- or left-handed models to fit your preference.

thombrogan · Jan 30, 2009

Gator97 said:
3-4 huh? I'm pretty sure your Takeda is also 61HRC. Although all that proves the point that if you have even 8-10 deg per side on harder knives there is no prob with rocking/chopping.

61 doesn't sound right for a Takeda. For my Aritsugu, it sounds about right, but the Takeda is hard (and brittle) steel.

Kueh · Feb 1, 2009

An important consideration is your size.

Height, weight, length of your arm, size of your hands ....... all affect how comfortable a cooking knife will feel.

Personally, get a light Chinese cleaver. It will outperform a chef's knife and a santoku.

thombrogan · Feb 1, 2009

I've got to get me one of those Chinese-style cleavers.

looker · Feb 2, 2009

SPXTrader said:
Interesting. Are you talking about the Damascus-faux in VG-10 with 32 layers of SUS410, the SG2 with 2 layers of SUS410, or the SG2 clad in nickel & high carbon steel?

I was referring to these....
Classic - VG-10 stainless steel is clad with 16 layers of SUS410 high-carbon steel on each side, producing a 33-layer rust-free Damascus look.
Elite - SG2 Powdered Steel cutting core clad with 2 layers of SUS410 stainless
Kaji - SG-2 powdered steel cutting core to the Pattern Damascus cladding,
Onion - VG-10 cutting core clad with 32 layers of SUS410 stainless

Shun (as well as others brands) are doing what I think the Japanese call "suminagashi or faux Damascus; cladding a outer jacket on to the inner core to create an Damascus appearance of multiple layers / ink patterns. I believe its mostly done for cosmetic, ornamental reasons. Shun offers the VG-10 steel core in the Pro series (naked), and the Classic, Onion series (cladded).

looker · Feb 2, 2009

thombrogan said:
I've got to get me one of those Chinese-style cleavers.

A Chinese vegetable cleaver uses different techniques. http://www.cooksillustrated.com/images/document/howto/SO97_ISchinesecleavers.pdf With a bit of practice, I do fast, imprecise cuts (dice, mince, chop) better with the cleaver, and more precision cuts / tip work better with the chef.

I got my mine for about 20 bucks at an Asian grocery store. It has a thin, flat edge that's about 8 inches long and 4 inches tall. The added height makes scooping up stuff easier and elevates the thick part of the blade. I can cut through most things before it wedges. It does every better, at greater volume, and for a fraction of what I paid for a Santuko and Nakiri.

thombrogan · Feb 2, 2009

Sorry to read that your nakkiri and santoku were made obsolete by an inexpensive cleaver. My santoku will stay valuable to me because of sentimental reasons, but off to nab a CCK or similar I go!