Knife recommendations

[conkey210]

Hey guys, it's time to buy new knives. I want the best of the best within price reason.
What do you guys use and what would you recommend?

Thanks

 

[noboundaries]

I'm a nut for specials.  We have the J.A. Henckels International set.  You feel like you could perform surgery with them.  After buying my set (as a gift for my wife) I ended up buying two more sets and gave them to my kids as Christmas presents.  They love them too. 

Great knives, hold their edge beautifully, and Amazon has the $350 set on sale right now for $130! 

 

[mummel]

I have Wusthofs. Great knives too.

 

[pc farmer]

victorinox knives. Love them.

 

[conkey210]

I am getting rid of the henckles I currently have now. Very displeased with them.
Wusthofs were recommended by someone else but they seem on par with the henckles.
I have a few cutco chefs knives and they are ok but just are not sharp enough and when they are it doesn't last long.

 

[chef boyarista]

Global knives are pretty nice to have around if what you're cutting gets kinda messy. No big gaps where bacteria can hold up easily and they look slick. If you do your own polishing you can make a sturdy $10 cleaver from Chinatown look like a million bucks.

 

[tropics]

All of the knifes mentioned are good,a good sharpener will make them stay that way.

Richie

 

[thesmokist]

I have rada knives they re cheap and easy to sharpen and hold an edge. I run mine across the bottom of a coffee cup a few times and it's razor sharp again

 

[jcollins]

Being in the restaurant supply business i see alot of Dexter Russell, Wusthof, Shun... etc. And i have always herd you get what you pay for with any brand.  

 

[letthemeatrest]

i like dexter russell alot.. they are good solid working knives and if you mess one up, its not a big deal, just get another one to replace it. 

i hate having expensive knives and having to watch my friends use it on things they shouldn't be cutting with it

 

[bmaddox]

victorinox knives. Love them.

I second victorinox. Very affordable and hold an edge very well. 

 

[jirodriguez]

Victorinox - great bang for the buck, and every time America's Test Kitchen does a knife comparison they come out in the top 3, beating out much more expensive name brand stuff.

 

[homebody]

Victornox if you want easy stainless steel. Old Hickory are a little bit more work to maintain, but they are half the price, and you can make them razor sharp.

 

[b-one]

I agree with Tropics. But if your not going to take care of it don't waste the money!

 

[venture]

An ever recurring thread.

Any knife is only as good as the hand of the person who holds it.

More importantly, the hand of the person who cares for it?

Good knife brands mentioned here.  I have used most of them.

He said he wanted the "best of the best". But he said "within price reason".

I have used Victorinox and Dexter with great success on different knives.

For the money, the Victorinox line is hard to beat. Dexter makes some good boning knives. Different weights and different feel.  Handle the knife before you buy!

I had one set of knives which I received as a gift.  I will never recommend buying knives in sets!  One knife you like and three you don't.  One knife you use and three you don't. 

It has been said that mismatched knives are the sign of a confident chef?

Good luck and good smoking.

 

[sawinredneck]

I am getting rid of the henckles I currently have now. Very displeased with them.
Wusthofs were recommended by someone else but they seem on par with the henckles.
I have a few cutco chefs knives and they are ok but just are not sharp enough and when they are it doesn't last long.

I am getting rid of the henckles I currently have now. Very displeased with them.
Wusthofs were recommended by someone else but they seem on par with the henckles.
I have a few cutco chefs knives and they are ok but just are not sharp enough and when they are it doesn't last long.[/quote\]

I have to ask, what are your issues with the Henckles knives? I've had a set for a few years now, but not used heavily. I'm just curious, nothing more.

 

[conkey210]

The henckles are about 3 years old and used heavily.
Recently the cutting edge has basically developed large gaps along the edge and I and the company cannot say why this has happened. 3.5" paring and the 8" chef. My larger chef knive also by henckle is fine and receives the same treatment as the other two.

After lots of research and advice from a lot of you guys I think I will be going with the top of the line shun. Currently there is a promotion for a set of 3. Included would be pairing,6",and 10" they are all Damascus steel and are about 600$
The runner up is victornox but I have no experience with them at all.

I will try and post a pic later of my current knives.

 

[sawinredneck]

Thank you for the explanation, I'm sorry to hear of your issues.

 

[conkey210]

What really gets to me is nobody can explain why this is and has happened. The knife edge is completely ruined.

 

[chef boyarista]

I was a big fan of Shun for a while. If you want to save a couple (hundred) bucks buy some nice Tojiro knives. Same steel, you're just not paying for the name.