A Good, Cheap Knife

[winesonoma]

Best deal, made by Boker you want 8310,8307,8308 . Best prices and selection.

http://www.knifemerchant.com/products.asp?manufacturerID=1#4

[scratchline]

Hey, Chad. Just wondering if you've ever seen the Benchmade kitchen knife set, and if so, what you thought of it. BTW, I am LOVING my 11" vintage Sabatier carbon steel chef knife. My new favorite and wicked sharp.

Mike

[Chad]

Hey, Chad. Just wondering if you've ever seen the Benchmade kitchen knife set, and if so, what you thought of it. BTW, I am LOVING my 11" vintage Sabatier carbon steel chef knife. My new favorite and wicked sharp.

Mike

Congrats on your Sabatier! Very nice knife.

I have seen the Benchmade set, though I haven't had the pleasure of playing with the knives. The reports and reviews I've seen have been very good. It's a nice set (though overpriced, I think), and it was cool to see Benchmade stretching out a little.

Another knife to consider -- and I can't believe I didn't think of this before -- is the Spyderco 9" chef's knife. The Spyderco line of kitchen knives is generally excellent, especially considering the price. They take a good edge, handle well and are easy to maintain.

Chad

[Toliver]

I received some Forschners as a gift last Christmas and they rock.  I use a steel to keep the edge honed and haven't had to sharpen them yet.

What kind of steel are you using (in terms of texture of the surface). I need a new one and am trying to decide what to get.

Brooks,

Sorry about the delay in answering but I had to wait until I got home so I could get the brand name of the steel I have in order to respond to your question.

Here is the "steel" I have.

I put the word "steel" in quotes because this is nothing like the steels one normally thinks of when the word arises. I never would have bought it myself. This was a gift from the same person who gave me the set of Forschner knives (we took a knife skills class together last summer so she knew how much I enjoyed using a "real" knife).

The text on the web page is technically incorrect in calling this a "sharpener". The box this "steel" came in also says it's a "sharpener" but it's not...it's a steel which means it's an edge honing tool. Then again, it's made in England where they drive on the wrong side of the road, so what can you expect.

The picture doesn't show it off very well, but there is a set of two small steels set up in a spring-loaded X-formation (you can see one part of the X in the picture). You draw your knife through the top of the X to reset your knife edge. The handle is suppose to allow for stabilty when using the steel. However, I am uncomfortable having my own flesh and bones so near an edge that being resurrected. I usually hold the base on the left side and use my right hand to draw the knife through. It just takes 4 or 5 swipes through and the edge is back better than ever. The "steel" rods are supposed to be replaceable, too.

It's not as cool to use as a real steel, but it gets the job done.

[Chad]

Cool, you have a Chantry. Very nice system. The Razor's Edge Mousetrap Steel is also a very handy product, especially for restaurant volume steeling.

For everyday use, Brooks, you might take a look at the EdgePro ceramic steel. These things are amazing and significantly better than any grooved (or even smooth) steel. My sharpening regimen has been greatly reduced since I switched over to one.

Chad

[Samhill]

Just wanted to thank everyone for all the useful links, I think I'm going to get one of these http://gallery.bcentral.com/Gallery/Produc...e=2&sortOrder=0

I just really dig the looks of the thing.

Also, Gul_Dekar, I think it will be useful for you to visit a kitchen store in your area and handle a few different knives to see how different handle styles feel to you before you purchase.

Edited May 19, 2004 by Samhill (log)

[blueapron]

I have an Sanelli oyster knife and the handles are great!! Slip resistant and thick for those with big greasy paws. Just took along time to get it , because it hade to come from the manufactor in Italy,but I was living in Canada at the time so that might have been the problem too.

[Samhill]

Yeah, beyond the beauty of the item, the wusthof santoku I have has a very nice handle, comfortable and quick, but it and I MUST be dry.

Where did you order the oyster knife from, blueapron? The site waldorf provided http://www.sagetra.com does have an AMAZING array of blade shapes!

And waldorf, I'm thinking of buying the 'Japanese Knife' you have, give me (us!) the rundown?

[chefboy2160]

I would also suggest buying the forschner 10" fibrox handle. I have been using these knives for many years now in high volume professional kitchens and I am very satisfied with these low end professional knives. I just steel before each use and I have a razor sharp comfortable knife that works great. I do not know what the mix of carbon steel to stainless steel is but the forschners have a realy good mix. Take care of this knife and I promise it will take care of you. Doug...........

[waldorf]

Yeah, beyond the beauty of the item, the wusthof santoku I have has a very nice handle, comfortable and quick, but it and I MUST be dry.

Where did you order the oyster knife from, blueapron? The site waldorf provided http://www.sagetra.com does have an AMAZING array of blade shapes!

And waldorf, I'm thinking of buying the 'Japanese Knife' you have, give me (us!) the rundown?

Samhill - The rundown on the Sanelli Japanese knife... Great... If you were to nose around professional kitchens you will find lots of Sanelli knives... hard to miss given their attractive red and green handles... Very comfortable with a great feel... gives one lots of confidence. Without a doubt they are a terrific value... If you were to google Sanelli, I am confident that you will find the 7" Japanese knife for less than 35 dollars... a great price for an Italian-made product of this quality... . Don't forget to check out local restaurant supply stores.

[blueapron]

I got the knive from Hendrix Restaurant supply in Canada.

The prices on the site are in canadian dollars. Sanellis are on sale and with the exchange rate(let your creditcard do it)they are even cheaper!!

Edited May 20, 2004 by blueapron (log)

[jayt90]

Hey, Chad. Just wondering if you've ever seen the Benchmade kitchen knife set, and if so, what you thought of it. BTW, I am LOVING my 11" vintage Sabatier carbon steel chef knife. My new favorite and wicked sharp.

Mike

I got my 10" Sabatier chef (carbon steel, bakelite handle) on Canal Street for $10. in 1970. It has been my main blade ever since. In my more ignorant and youthful days, I would split open frozen roasts using a hammer on the spine.

After one of these events the handle split into 4 pieces. The blade was fine. When I recovered my senses, I cleaned it up and put the handle back together with crazy glue.

I have treated it with much more respect, every day since, and it has repaid me a hundred fold.

[Sleepy_Dragon]

A last thought about a casual cook wanting to keep an edge on a knife without needing to deal with sharpening it themselves is to get the knife in question professionally sharpened.

At the recommendation of my instructor, I shipped my knives to Bob Kramer of Bladesmiths. They came back to me crazy sharp, and he also cleaned up the horrible hatchet job I'd done to much of the edge and surface of my boning knife and paring knife after my uncoordinated attempts at sharpening them.

Anyway, the specific reason why I mention Bob Kramer is because my instructor said he got his knives done by him around 5 years ago, and hasn't had to use anything other than a steel to keep them sharp since then.

Don't know if getting a steel and paying for the sharpening service would be too much out of your budget after buying the knife itself, but it's something to consider at a later date.

Pat

[Woods]

Try Forschner (Victorionx) They are very good for the price. JP Prince has good prices on them.

[oraklet]

like many others, at that price i'd recommend either ebay or victorinox. BUT: the stamped victorinox comes in two lines, one with plastic handle, the other with a wooden handle. the plastic handle is the tightest and therefore more sanitary, but it's a bit larger than the wooden handle which will leave you more room for your hands when cutting and chopping. it's VERY important imo that your knuckles don't knock onto your cutting surface.

so, if you don't wish to take a chance with ebay, i'd really reccommend the 10" victorinox chef's knife with the wooden handle, which can even be modified to suit your hand (i've done that myself, and i'm not in any way a knife nut!).

by the way, i picked up 3 of my 4 victorinoxes in second hand shops at a few dollars.

[chromedome]

My student kit was composed entirely of the Victorinox Fibrox line; that's also what we use at my work. I really like these knives. My grip is impeccable even when the handles are slick with blood or grease, and the textured handles are large enough that I can handle them deftly even on a bad-arthritis day.

They may not hold an edge quite as well as the more expensive knives out there, but the converse is also true. It takes no time at all (a few quick strokes of the steel, or the stone if you've neglected your blade) to bring it back to a brutally sharp edge.

I've tried various higher-end knives from my classmates' kits (Henckel, Wusthof, Global, and the upper-end Victorinox knives) and didn't see any compellling reason to change. I'm thinking seriously of a Japanese-style knife for at home (want to teach my kids proper knife skills, and the smaller knife would be easier for them to handle), but I really prefer a longer blade for serious work.

That Sanelli looks like a good choice, for my home knife. Gonna have to see who carries them locally.

[Bicycle Lee]

I love all my wusthoff classics... but to get one that you are going to use on a regular basis, like a chef's, you'll spend a lot more than 40 bucks...I agree with going with a cleaver....very versatile.