Re: BIFL kitched knife that won't break a budget?
Posted: Mon May 13, 2019 11:02 am
I own 3 chef's knifes and gave a 4th this year as a gift.
1. A generic wusthof knockoff. Decent knife, but I've never loved it. I've never been able to get it wicked sharp. The steel is "gummy" a common criticism of lower quality stainless knife steels, if you've ever sharpened high carbon and then sharpened these you'll be able to tell immediately. It doesn't mean the steel is soft or bad, just different. My understanding is that that the grain structure of the hardened steel is larger than nicer steels and causes it to feel weird as you sharpen.
So that was my baseline for the next 3 knives:
I bought these two Japanese stainless knives that are advertised as super-hard:
Nexus:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079S ... UTF8&psc=1
Global:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XX ... UTF8&psc=1
Both of these knives are indeed very hard and very very very sharp and retain their sharpness for a long time. I love both these knives. I gave the Nexus to my mom because it was a little too small for my hands, and I kept the Global. It is the nicest knife I've personally ever used and I love it.
Then finally is my Old Hickory:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000F ... UTF8&psc=1
This knife's build quality is absolute shit. But for > $20 you get a nice simple high carbon steel blade. I personally like using this knife. I can get it very very sharp. The downside is that although the steel is nice, Old Hickory doesn't heat treat it as hard it should be so edge retention isn't much better than my Wusthoff knockoff. However it can quickly and easily be sharpened and I personally get good results on a shitty 2 sided oil-stone I keep in the kitchen drawer.
All of these knifes can be found well under $100 and will last you a lifetime.
I like decent tools for the things I do every day, and we definitely cook every day. These knives are all a joy to use, even the Old Hickory in spite of its fit and finish.
Cheers,
Pat
1. A generic wusthof knockoff. Decent knife, but I've never loved it. I've never been able to get it wicked sharp. The steel is "gummy" a common criticism of lower quality stainless knife steels, if you've ever sharpened high carbon and then sharpened these you'll be able to tell immediately. It doesn't mean the steel is soft or bad, just different. My understanding is that that the grain structure of the hardened steel is larger than nicer steels and causes it to feel weird as you sharpen.
So that was my baseline for the next 3 knives:
I bought these two Japanese stainless knives that are advertised as super-hard:
Nexus:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079S ... UTF8&psc=1
Global:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XX ... UTF8&psc=1
Both of these knives are indeed very hard and very very very sharp and retain their sharpness for a long time. I love both these knives. I gave the Nexus to my mom because it was a little too small for my hands, and I kept the Global. It is the nicest knife I've personally ever used and I love it.
Then finally is my Old Hickory:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000F ... UTF8&psc=1
This knife's build quality is absolute shit. But for > $20 you get a nice simple high carbon steel blade. I personally like using this knife. I can get it very very sharp. The downside is that although the steel is nice, Old Hickory doesn't heat treat it as hard it should be so edge retention isn't much better than my Wusthoff knockoff. However it can quickly and easily be sharpened and I personally get good results on a shitty 2 sided oil-stone I keep in the kitchen drawer.
All of these knifes can be found well under $100 and will last you a lifetime.
I like decent tools for the things I do every day, and we definitely cook every day. These knives are all a joy to use, even the Old Hickory in spite of its fit and finish.
Cheers,
Pat