Which knife to buy #317

[foodcyclist]

Hello all!

I recently won a recipe contest and one of the prizes was a $200 gift certificate to a kitchen store. I'd like to use the proceeds to acquire a new knife as my current Wusthof is getting a bit ragged. I'm looking for some guidance. I'm just a home chef looking for an all-around 8" chef's knife. I've done some research on this site and have come up with some good ideas but the selection at this store is a bit limited.

The brands available are Wusthof, Henckels, Global, shun and furi but the choices within each brand are limited. One knife I was looking at in particular is the Henckels twin cermax m66 8" chef's. Any opinions?

Thanks in advance!

Steve

[Dr. Teeth]

Congrats on winning the contest. Go to the store, try em all. Buy the one you like most. Knife preference is a somewhat personal thing and for the $100 or so you'll drop on the knife at their store the clerk can take 15 min to let you play with all the knives.

Just my 2 cents.

[Octaveman]

The Twin Cermax is a great knife. Uses a powdered steel so it will stay sharp quite well. Global, Shun or the Cermax would be your best bets. Try them out in the store and pick the one you like.

[WiscoNole]

Of the options you listed, Shun.

[KLwood]

Congrats on the recipe contest ! ( what was the recipe for BTW ? )

the Henkels Cermax sounds like a pretty good choice : powdered steel blade, with a much thinner grind than traditional German knives, no chunky bolster to get in the way so youre able to use the full length of the blade and the exceptional fit and finish of all Henkels Knives...heres some technical info on it CLICKETY

According to those specs, that Steel comes in at Rockwell 66 + which is up there with Ultra high end steels youll find in Japanese Chefs knives.. pretty sweet if youre willing to go the extra mile when sharpening it or part with a few bucks every so often to have it sharpened by a pro. Also, I believe there are some concerns about using a traditional Aligning Steel with ultra hard thin knives..( some of the Resident Knife Experts can shed some more light on this ) I believe that most Japanese Knife enthusiasts recommend using an ' old Fashioned ' razor strop to maintain the edge between sharpening .

As mentioned earlier, try them all and go with the one that feels best.

[foodcyclist]

Congrats on the recipe contest ! ( what was the recipe for BTW ? )

Thanks for all the helpful info!

The recipe was for smoked salmon with potato galette. Part of the prize was being able to showcase it on live tv with Chef David Burke... Fun stuff.

The recipe is available off the Contest hosts' website, www.newjerseylife.com

Thanks

Steve

[roosterchef21]

Pick up each knife that is the right size. Hold it. Feel it. Feel the weight. Does it feel right? How about in the hand? Is it comfortable? Do you feel comfortable? Put them all down. Leave the store and come back in 1/2 an hour and do it all again. Then pick the right one. Who cares about price. Treat it right and it will last a lifetime! Like a women really!

[Matt_T]

Last time I was in SLT I tried the Global GF-33 8" chef's knife. It's in their forged line, thicker at the spine than the more common model G-2 8" chef (but still lighter than a Wusthof), and with a straighter, beefier handle and different edge profile. I really liked it. At the SLT I was in (Berkeley), the GF-33 was not on display and only came out when I asked the clerk if they had anything hidden away.

MT

Edited October 18, 2007 by Matt_T (log)

[foodcyclist]

Thanks for all the input everybody. Lot's to consider but it basically boils down to what feels good in my hand...

Steve