Inexpensive Knives

[DanM]

Although Passover will be done tomorrow, I am officially done with the really bad set of knives we have in our passover set. I am wondering what people recommend for inexpensive knives. I probably only need a chef knife, a carving knife, and a paring knife. My budget is $75 or less. I can (hopefully) reuse the block from the current set, so that is not important.

Thanks!

Dan

[Conal]

Forschner knives are considered by most to be the best available cheap knives.Made by Victorinox,the company behind Swiss Army knives.If you read Cook's Illustrated or watch America's Test Kitchen you've probably seen them.They always give them top ratings in every knife roundup.Fibrox is the low end version and Rosewood is higher quality line.

http://www.forschnerknives.net/eshop/10browse.asp?category=Rosewood%20Series

[Blether]

What's your budget for sharpening materials ? It's easy to buy a reasonably-priced knife, or to buy an expensive knife, but if you don't maintain it, it becomes a a disposable item.

[DanM]

What's your budget for sharpening materials ? It's easy to buy a reasonably-priced knife, or to buy an expensive knife, but if you don't maintain it, it becomes a a disposable item.

Given that they will be used 8 days a year, at most, sharpening concerns will be a future concern. But I will most likely have them professionally sharpened.

Regarding Forchner knives. Is there any difference between the rosewood and fibrox series, besides the handle?

I also read about Sanelli Knives. They are a bit over my budget, but have good reviews.

Dan

Edited April 6, 2010 by DanM (log)

[ethermion]

I will second the Forschner knife suggestion. Probably the only reasonable choice in your budget for new stuff. Another thing to consider, is that more and more places are offering sharpening services. My shoe repair shop, a local hardware store, and a local cooking supply store all sharpen knives for $5 each for a passable job. Maybe your existing knives can be saved for a bit, putting the remaining money in the bank until you can get a real knife or perhaps a good steel for maintenance.

[weinoo]

I will second the Forschner knife suggestion. Probably the only reasonable choice in your budget for new stuff. Another thing to consider, is that more and more places are offering sharpening services. My shoe repair shop, a local hardware store, and a local cooking supply store all sharpen knives for $5 each for a passable job. Maybe your existing knives can be saved for a bit, putting the remaining money in the bank until you can get a real knife or perhaps a good steel for maintenance.

i have a feeling that your shoe repair shop and the local hardware store will do more damage to your knives than good.

Forschner is the way to go within your budget. Might even be able to fit in a steel.

[ethermion]

Don't know about the shoe repair shop, but the hardware store has a fancy diamond stone setup and does a very nice job. And if the knives are "affordable" to begin with, why not spend $15 bucks to touch up knives that are destined for the rubbish bin anyway?

[DanM]

Don't know about the shoe repair shop, but the hardware store has a fancy diamond stone setup and does a very nice job. And if the knives are "affordable" to begin with, why not spend $15 bucks to touch up knives that are destined for the rubbish bin anyway?

Please let me clarify... The current knives are useless, worthless, Chefmate POS. They deserve being sent to the dust bin.

Dan

[andiesenji]

I agree with the Forschner Victorinox and the Fibrox handles are much easier to hold than the rosewood.

Cook's Illustrated tested several of these knives and have shown the segments on Cook's Country or America's Test Kitchen broadcasts.

For the money, they can't be bettered and in fact, were considered comparable to the high-end Wusthof and much superior to the Henckels that were included in the tests.

I have a lot of expensive knives but I also have some of the Forschner Victorinox with the Fibrox handles for use when other people are going to be in my kitchen and when I don't want to subject my expensive knives to possible damage - such as cutting through bones, etc.

The bread knives are excellent for rustic breads with hard crusts.

I have no problem with putting these knives in the dishwasher - they were designed for this and for use in a professional kitchen.

[Jaymes]

We are very blessed here at eG to have a bonafide knife expert that has, literally, "written the book" on knives, Chad Ward: "An Edge in the Kitchen"

There are several threads that explore this subject, including the exact question you've asked about inexpensive ones.

You can do a search for threads with "knives" in the title to see all of the threads but, in the meantime, there is excellent information in this one: Searching for good, inexpensive knives

And this one: Which knife for Christmas?

_______________________________

Edited April 6, 2010 by Jaymes (log)

[pyrguy]

Another vote for the Victorinox Fibrox knives. I have friends that are knife makers so i have knives that run from the not too much money to a lot more. I keep a drawer full of the Vic's as our 'friend in the kitchen' or 'this could really screw up a knife' knives. We also buy their parers by the box to use as parers and steak knives.

[Porthos]

I own both Forschner Fibrox and Rosewood knives and heartily recommend them for budget-minded knife purchases.

[Peter the eater]

If you want really, really inexpensive knives then look for Johnson-Rose online or at restaurant supply shops. I've got a whole bunch from Real Atlantic Wholesale Club. They're low-end stainless steel from China with resin handles, and although they don't hold an edge very well, they are really easy to sharpen. And if you lose one -- who cares? My 12" chef's knife was around five dollars. I take this $30 set of five when I cook away from home:

[paulraphael]

I'll throw in a vote for the wood-handled forschners. Same blade. Slightly higher maintenance, but I prefer the way they look and feel.

[mr drinkie]

I tested out the Sanelli, Dexter-Russell, Mundial, F-Dich, and Forschner (all out of the box), and the Forschner was definitely my favorite of the inexpensive knives. The Sanelli has a really nice handle and a very good feel though. It was my favorite for chopping cilantro, parsley, and other herbs, but the Forschner was still the best overall and it costs less than the Sanelli too. Just be aware that the 10-inch Forschner is really big. I like it, but some like the 8-inch size better.

For $38.50 you can get a cheap Japanese vegetable knife (Nakiri). It is an amazing knife for the price and you can send it back to Japan Woodworker for them to sharpen when it needs it. You only pay for the shipping.

I bought that knife as a practice blade for sharpening, but I have been really happy with it and use it quite often. It is very sharp and goes through vegetables a lot better than the chef's knives above. That's just my opinion.

Just be careful because Japanese knives demand a bit more care and once tried you may become mentally sick and desire more and more sharper knives and spend too much money on sharpening materials. I'm kidding -- sort of.

Here is the link.

k.

[paulraphael]

If you're goig for a step up from the Forschner chef's knife (which isn't as great a bargain as their smaller knives), I'd recommend the least expensive Togiharu gyuto from Korin. It's $80 for the 240mm size, has good steel and great geometry. It won't compete with some pricier knives in edge retention, but is easy to sharpen, and will cut better than anything by shun or global or the big German companies. A gyuto is a much more versatile style than a nakiri or santoku ... it will do everything that those shapes do. The reverse isn't true.

A few years ago Tojiro was the obvious choice in a budget J-knife, but their prices have gone up quite a bit.

[mr drinkie]

I didn't mean to lead anyone astray with the Nakiri. I just thought it was an inexpensive and fun knife to use.

The chef's knives and gyutos are more versatile and I would usually recommend spending more for better quality cultery, but if you are trying to stay within your budget, Cutlery and More does offer a set of four Forschner Fibrox knives for $70, and it will meet most needs.

Here is the link.

k.

Edited April 10, 2010 by mr drinkie (log)

[Dakki]

I'm sure to get flamed for this but I'd rather have a $5 knife and a $3 sharpening stone than a $100 knife and no stone.

[Peter the eater]

I'm sure to get flamed for this but I'd rather have a $5 knife and a $3 sharpening stone than a $100 knife and no stone.

Agreed. Even better, get both knives and a stone. To use a lame automotive analogy, it's like having a fancy sports car when guests are around, and a beater pick-up for going to the dump.

[paulraphael]

I'm sure to get flamed for this but I'd rather have a $5 knife and a $3 sharpening stone than a $100 knife and no stone.

Sure ... without care and maintenance, a $100 knife becomes a sub-$5 knife in short order. Unfortunately, decent sharpening stones cost more than $3. I'll usually coax people into budgeting a chunk of change for a decent combination stone, at least to get started.

There's indeed a good $5 knife available: the forschner plastic handled pairing knife costs just that, and works great. I've talked to sonemone who's had to tourne potatoes by the crate, who thinks this is the best knife for the job. The same guy has spent over $300 a pop on his gyuto and yanagi, so this isn't just the opinion of a cheapskate.

[scubadoo97]

I'm sure to get flamed for this but I'd rather have a $5 knife and a $3 sharpening stone than a $100 knife and no stone.

No flames here. I totally agree but I would rather have a better knife and a better sharpening stone. No matter how expensive the knife, if it's dull it has little value at that moment.

[Dakki]

Unfortunately, decent sharpening stones cost more than $3. I'll usually coax people into budgeting a chunk of change for a decent combination stone, at least to get started.

My first stone was a Chinese made silicon carbide combination that was about $3, to go with an undersized "chef's knife" that wasn't much more. Far from ideal but I learned on it, and I wouldn't cry if it was all I had to sharpen typical soft stainless.

These days I use Japanese waterstones and a Sharpmaker with the ultrafine rods in place of a steel.

[DanM]

Thanks everyone. I am going to order Forschner knives. I found this set on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Fibrox-3-Piece-Chefs-Knife/dp/B0000CF99O/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1271102169&sr=8-2. That should satisfy my needs.

Dan

[Chris Amirault]

I may have gotten into this game too late, but I consistently marvel at the Chicago Cutlery basic boning knife that I have used many times each week for years and years and still love.