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Game-changer for sub-$50 knives:
Fuji Cutlery Co., parent company of Tojiro, manufactures in the same facility in Japan a Molybdenum-Vanadium mono-steel version of the Tojiro DP for non-NA markets under the Narihira name. They are the same as Tojiros DPs in every single dimension, but use a MV mono-steel construction like a Fujiwara FKM, Misono Molybdenum, or similar, rather than a VG-10 core. The 210mm gyuto is only $45 on Amazon with prime shipping.
But you want a 240mm? Okay, that's a whopping $46 on Amazon with prime shipping.
I bought one. It is 100% made in Niigata, Japan. A perfect DP copy but MV mono-steel construction. Good F&F. Like a Fujiwara FKM with bigger comfier handles for 35% off.
Also Konosukes deserve a very, very strong mention in the $200-$500 range.
Dalstrong is on the list of things I will never buy. I have a very strong suspicion that these are cheaply made Chinese knives that have successfully convinced the world they are something more than what they are.
First of all, why does Burrfection like these knives so much? Even if they truly were something special, so many other knives already are. Has he discovered these on his own and is now on a mission to share them with the world out of the goodness of his heart? Probably not. It's far more likely he's being paid to talk about them.
Most Dalstrongs have high ratings on Amazon. This one holds a 4.8 out of 5 with 425 reviews. Of course we have ways of telling when reviews are fake and if we put that knife through Fakespot we can see that it only gets a grade of C with a full third of the reviews being bought for, automated, or low quality.
Certainly a Fakespot grade of C is not catastrophic but if you assume Dalstrong has been successful in convincing the world it's making a quality product then the rating makes sense. Maybe the knives are fantastic, but given my suspicions I'm not willing to waste my money finding out. More importantly, most people buying one will never be able to tell that they wasted their money as it will very likely be better than whatever cheap and dull knives they had before, but at the same time a Dalstrong is probably no better than a Tojiro which costs half as much.
I see strops being posted and discussed a lot, so I just wanted to share what I've been using the past few years. It looks cheap because it is, but it far out shines anything else I've ever owned or used.
Quite literally, this is a rectangle of denim cut from an old pair of jeans double sided taped to hobby board. It cost a few dollars and about 10 minutes to make, because I only have a hand saw.
If you have it, VHB tape is excellent as it's thicker and sort of like a foam material allowing the surface to have a little "give", but anything will work. This is the stuff and I had a roll of it for a different purpose.
All hail the denim. Thanks to u/barclid for raving about denim enough for me to eventually try this all that while ago.
They are mostly disposable, just buy a decent one and throw it away when it won't cut anymore.
So you are in TJ Maxx looking for a good Japanese starter knife? Probably not going to find one there.
That said, these are the same knife, no difference. Probably 440 steel and not worth your money. They go for about $15 on Amazon.
As far as a different option, I am not sure of a good one of this type at a cheap price. If you are dead-set on japanese-style, I don't have an answer for you.
But if you are willing to go western, go Victorinox Fibrox chef's knife for about $35.
https://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Fibrox-Chefs-Knife-8-Inch/dp/B008M5U1C2
Shapton 1k pro
under Ha No Kuromaku on amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Kuromaku-Ceramic-Whetstone-Medium-Grit/dp/B001TPFT0G
I am not familiar with the brand but boy does it look a lot like the "Tuo Cutlery" brand knives
( example: https://www.amazon.ca/Cutlery-Phoenix-German-Kitchen-pakkawood/dp/B01GL4C4WK?pd_rd_wg=IDPCe&pd_rd_r=c8713a4b-e95e-4656-95ac-0bc526b0b775&pd_rd_w=2hJ3S&ref_=pd_gw_simh&pf_rd_r=S9RT19M4WY0HVC52W0A7&pf_rd_p=f94c2d3e-f0c7-5762-86e7...) * I tried to make the link shorter but that broke it.
Maybe there is some Chinese mass maker that makes very similar blanks and they are then rebranded?
> I shouldn't "drag" the knife across the cutting board to push food
You shouldn't do that with any knife. A simple fix is to keep a bench scraper nearby and use that instead. If you absolutely have to not pick up another tool, use the back of the knife.
> You aren't cutting through bones, so it should be fine, but you usually hit the knife against bone as you try to find the meat in the middle.
Accidentally striking a bone is not guaranteed to cause chipping but you're right that it's still not a great idea to put yourself in this situation. But then, how often are you cutting apart ribs? Adding to that, how often are you slicing frozen meat?
If you're slicing things with bones in it and prepping frozen proteins every day then yeah you got the wrong knife. If you're only performing those tasks once in a while don't you have any other knives you can use? Those are what, 5 minute tasks? Just pick up and old knife for that.
Not much will beat an Atoma 140 (or even a 400) in terms of its ability to chew through metal. This will wear the plates out faster however.
The Gesshin 400 is not great for thinning double bevel knives as it's rather soft and dishes quickly, though it would probably work well enough and is a nice stone. I use mine for sharpening single bevels but not much else.
A Shapton Pro 120 is what I usually start with and it's like $35 on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Shaptonstone-Traditional-Homogeneous-Waterstones-Shapton/dp/B001TPE1PK
But really the only reason to go with a Shapton over an Atoma in this case is to save some money.
Be all like what? My lack of criticism of a mediocre blog post or my cursing? Literally three out of the five points are fucking stupid. You use a chefs knife to chop, slice and mince?! Really!? No way! A sexy knife? A warranty?
A low effort post begets a low effort post. I get the want for people to earn money off of shit but put some fucking effort into it. Those amazon links are references to earn OP money. I can't stand that shit when no effort is made on the part of OP.
The blog post offers the reader no new information other than opinions. No factual data. Only opinions on an overpriced knife. Why would you ever buy a $130 knife with a bolster? Get a fucking MAC for $20 more without one. And it takes an edge like a champ.
That smile link is for the EFF (https://www.eff.org/).
I get the need for a quality knife to last, but this post offers little in the way of actual advice. Only why they like Wusthof.
edit: This is a joke. Apparently jokes don't go well on this sub =/
For anyone else looking for a professional quality paring knife made of surgical stainless steel that one Amazon seller described as "very sharp", look no further.
People, I give you the ForeverSharp^TM Paring Pro. Enjoy.
Also featured on OP's magnetic knife holder.
amazon link to said knife for others
just a generic Shun ripoff, don't expect too much from it. Fakespot said it was quite high on fake reviews.
Never really heard of this knife before, would say don't buy it.
for $80 you can get a Tojiro dp 210mm gyuto, a budget knife that we know to work solidly given its price.
Apparently some schools force you to use their "house" knives, so you should check back with them. Also there is a bigger chance your kit/knives get stolen, so don't invest, start low and if you want, buy one for home use.
Get a Chef's minimum 200mm, bread knife, paring and tourne knife, a good peeler, bench and dough scraper, a silicone spatula/spoonula. Get it right isn't bad from what I heard. I love Rösle oneshttps://www.amazon.com/-/de/dp/B00FPLHXSG . Maybe also a finger spatula. Don't get a Deba, get a fileting/boning knife with semiflex like Swibo/Victorinox or Dick. Also a not too coarse honing steel like Wüsthof or Dick, Dickoron is one of the best, would get an oval one not a round one.
You will always need beaters anyway, so they are a good start to learn technique and sharpening. Save money and invest later. The always recommended Victorinox Fibrox is a good choice, get the taller/higher one might run as Carving knife. Or get a good German as Chef's knife like Wüsthof without bolster, Messermeister, Dick but they are pretty expensive in the US.
My wife got me a pair similar to these a while back since I cook with so much onion. I don't use them all the time, unless it's for a large batch. They work pretty well.
What kind of knives are you sharpening, how much are you looking to spend, and how much of an effort do you ultimately plan to invest? A whetstone lasts a long time so it usually makes more sense to invest in something a bit nicer rather than to get a cheap stone and end up with it collecting dust.
I usually recommend the Shapton Pros on Amazon as they are great stones for very cheap: https://www.amazon.com/Kuromaku-Ceramic-Whetstone-Medium-Grit/dp/B001TPFT0G
A good knife is definitely worth it if you are going to be using it a lot, but it does not have to be expensive. The Victorinox 8", Tojiro DP, and Wusthof Pro all come in uner $70 and are good value options that will perform well.
As for the KUTT, you feel victim to a very common and very shady practice on Amazon where the seller can specify a product's value. It's true sale price is between $30-$50 but Amazon lists the "actual" price at $105 which nothing more than a thinly veiled lie. If you look a the price history you will see that the average price is about $48 and the mode price is about $35. For about a week the price was nearly $115 which of course makes no sense and is just a money grab.
For an alternative at $30 or less I would look at the Wusthof Pro which I've seen recommended before. It should be on par with a Victorinox 8" while costing a bit less.
> I wasn't able to really sharpen them to the point I wanted.
This can mean a lot of things, but in general the softer a steel is the less "sharp" it can get. That's not entirely true as practically any steel can be made razor sharp, but not every steel can stay that way. There are a lot of factors that effect this but for the most part a $30 knife is not going to hold an edge as long as a $130 knife, and there are tradeoffs that come with edge retention as well.
Victorinox 8" Chef's knife is the usual recommendation https://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Fibrox-Chefs-Knife-8-Inch/dp/B008M5U1C2 for entry level knife users. They are also pretty common in commercial kitchens.
I think you're referring to "Honbadzuke/Finish Sharpening" (lifted from JKI site) for "normal" knives. Also includes "uroshi" on the flat side of single bevels. I recently asked Jon to open up a new yanagiba for me and in addition to all of the above he took out any low spots.
My board is
a, stuck to my counter top with tacky shelf liner
b, huge
c, heavy AF
I hope to never have this problem!
Tsubazo. Japanese version of a $10 supermarket knife. Probably 420J2.
You can get one new on Amazon for about $15 (+ shipping): https://www.amazon.com/Ozawa-Japanese-Kithchen-Knive-11-1/dp/B00JNI3HNM/
I think the long sushi knife you're looking for is a yanagiba, a quick google search shows that Japanese Chefs Knives has the Kanetsugu that can be had for as little as $70 and is made of carbon steel. Here's one on Amazon for < $50 but is made of stainless which will require more sharpening. I've not used either of these knives so I can't speak to their quality though if I had to guess you'll get more mileage out of the Kanetsugu than you think. Don't let all the fancy knives posted on here convince you that you need something expensive. :)
My advice if you want a knife like the ones your coworkers are using you should ask them what they are! However you could also try filling out the survey from the side bar here and some more experienced forum members may be able to help you a lot more than I can.
Massdrop usually doesn't offer any significant discounts when you factor in shipping and the wait times are annoying. Really the only products they sell worth buying are Massdrop exclusives in my opinion.
If you want a ceramic knife just find the top rated product on Amazon. We don't often know anything about materials for ceramic knives so branding is moot and comparisons are pointless. At the end of the day they are mostly convenience items offering pretty good performance for "virtually no maintenance", or so they would have you believe.
Many people on this sub spend a lot of time hand sharpening their knives to get optimal performance, but in general people don't do this. Most people do not take care of their knives at all and ceramics are targeting those people. These kinds of knives offer similar levels of performance without the effort, however, once ceramic knives start to go dull there's practically no going back.
So what are they good for? Well out of the box a $20 ceramic knife will probably stay as sharp as a $200 Blue #2 handmade carbon steel knife from Japan. The former will dull eventually and then you can just throw it out and buy another. The latter will dull more readily but can be sharpened with the right know how and equipment (whetstones).
Anyways do you plan on doing much cooking at college and do your living accommodations allow it? This 2-piece Tojiro set is a much better deal in my opinion.
I've bought from Chubo before and it all went fine.
Probably their best selling point is that all of their products are available on Amazon, shipped and sold from Chubo: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008RHR8NU/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=AWC43JUWMVYHY&psc=1
That way, if you encounter any problems with shipping or the product, you can often rely on Amazon for better dispute resolution. That, and 5% cash back.
An affiliate link is a product link with metadata attached to it so that some party receives kickbacks from either every visit to the product, purchase of the product, or both. For example I can become an Amazon affiliate, start a youtube channel reviewing cups, and provide affiliate links to the cups I reviewed in the description of my videos. Amazon will then pay me a certain amount every time someone clicks that link and/or buys the cup.
Reddit universally spam filters all affiliate links by default.
So from this link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000N5H2XU?ascsubtag=TWC9110&ref=sr_1_5_acs_twc_TWC9110_lp&tag=ospsearch-20&qid=1514829266&sr=1-5-acs&programName=osp&contentType=story&contentId=3dc61fdf-5edf-474c-bd78-48c026817e32
The base address is https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000N5H2XU and everything after the ? are parameters. Usually anything that looks like ref= or tag= indicates an affiliate link. I'm guessing this also pertains to ascsubtag=.
Just because its cheaper doesnt mean its fake.
The fact that its cheaper and on ebay isnt a good sign, but prices for the same cutlery can be very different based off of the country its being sold in.
Germany's amazon has the knife for as little as 54euro
or the US amazon has it for $74.
I dont really think either of those are fake. Is $5 cheaper that unbelievable from the ebay store? not really.. but for an exta 15, you can buy it from US amazon and that will usually have a warranty, while ebay shops do not.
I buy a lot of things from ebay, and I always check to see if its fake on the first day of receiving it. If it is fake, and less than $50 they usually just tell you to keep it, and they return the money. Worst case, you have to return it, the shop gets a mark in Ebay's system, and you get all of the money back including the return shipping.
That is not the knife in KC that I remember It is the FDick offset serrated knife. I have that knife and it is a great knife. He said a friend of his used it for everything and he recommended it. It is about the same price as mentioned.
https://www.amazon.com/Dick-8505518-Pro-Dynamic-Offset-Utility/dp/B0001EK2US
Kiwi Brand Knives for sure. You can get two 6.5 inchers or one 8 incher for about $15 on amazon.
Sounds like they're ready to start cooking with you. You can get a small chef's knife for a kid to use and teach them how to use it (with supervision, of course). You could retrofit a locking cabinet over the magnetic strip in the mean time if you're decently handy.
Lots of cooks I know have gone with the Ultimate Edge knife bag. I like the book fold style over a roll because you don’t need as much space to open it.
<100 for a ~150mm petty is already a bit of a tight one, you want one for <30?
look at vnox paring knives. Kiwi also makes one thats closer to the petty profile you're looking for
I dont have experience with the knives you listed but I have this Victorinox and it is excellent. I prefer it over my fancy German knives usually. LINK
If you are going to be getting just one knife I always recommend a maguro bocho. Definitely can handle a tilapia and a squash, could probably cut both at the same time to increase your kitchen productivity!
You could get the Japanese version of the 5k on Amazon for much cheaper.
I just got a yanagiba the other day. Not because I needed one but because I wanted one. Get off my back okay!?!?
Anyways I picked up a this Yoshihiro off of Amazon because it was cheap but from a well known maker and I get 10% back on Amazon.
So the knife itself is pretty good for what it is. The handle is basic, but it will do. The blade itself appears to be lacquered a bit but is otherwise as expected. One thing I did not expect was that the uraoshi was not ground in so I had to do the that myself and didn't do the best job.
Very good starter for a professional chef or end all be all for someone like me who just wanted to have one. Spending more money is going to get a blade with a better handle and higher overall fit and finish, but I don't see performance significantly improving. From what I can tell the blade shape, profile, and geometry is standard single bevel yanagiba so there really isn't much to improve there.
Overall I'd give it a 7/10.
It's actually very common for those traditional ho/magnolia wood handles to come untreated. All you need is to give it a bit of a soak in food grade mineral oil (which is pretty much just mineral oil treated with Vitamine E) followed up by a buffing with a beeswax/mineral oil combination. I apply this to any areas of exposed wood on the handle, including where the tang meets the handle.
There are a lot of sellers on Amazon but this is what I most recently used:
There's not a huge difference between 6k and 8k. 8k will give you a rough shave but 6k probably won't. Personally I prefer the higher grit for my nakiri but it's definitely not required to bring out it's performance.
I think both that knife and that stone is a fine choice; fairly middle of the road so to speak.
I haven't had the chance to try the Yamashin but I expect it will get the job done. Probably won't be the thinnest blade, or have the best grinds, but it should be good for a beginner sharpener. The White #1 steel is not a very common choice and it's a bit harder than White #2 but still not quite as hard as Blue #2 (or as prone to chipping, not that Blue #2 is very chippy at all).
If you watch the prices on Amazon, you might be able to get a Shapton Pro 1k and 5k for around $60-70 total. At the moment, the 5k is quite a bit more than it use to be.
https://www.amazon.com/Kuromaku-Ceramic-Whetstone-Medium-Grit/dp/B001TPFT0G
https://www.amazon.com/Whetstone-Sharpening-SHAPTON-Ceramic-KUROMAKU/dp/B001TPH8YG
The problem I'm seeing with Spyderco's kitchen knives is that their "cooks knife" looks more like a slicer, i.e there's almost no knuckle clearance. Could just be a bad picture but its something that's kept me from trying one. There's also a fair amount of complaints on amazon in regards to rust, so it may not be the best choice if you don't clean your stuff right away
Basically, assuming proper heat treat, carbon steels will have finer grain size resulting in the ability to take a sharper, more acute edge. Stainless steels typically have larger yet harder grains so they can't take as smooth an edge as some carbon steels and may be more difficult to sharpen on some stones. Generally stainless steels don't need to be sharpened much past 1000 grit though I've gone up to 3000 and noticed some improvement. The Shapton pro 1000 is designed for stainless knives and is available on Amazon. to give you an idea about stone budget https://www.amazon.com/Kuromaku-Ceramic-Whetstone-Medium-Grit/dp/B001TPFT0G/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1516239064&sr=8-2&keywords=shapton+1000
An interesting read on Shapton stones I found on this forum. https://jendeindustries.wordpress.com/2009/10/21/shapton-stone-tutorial-part-1-introduction-to-the-shapton-pro-and-glass-series/
Hammer or damascus finish is mostly (in my opinion) purely a matter of taste in appearance. I'd be more concerned with steel and blade geometry especially if you are looking into a Japanese knife. They can be quite thin and brittle compared to your Wusthoff.
I use this the 6" version and idiot reviewers on Amazon gave it bad reviews because they didn't realized that food pans and lids are sold separately. It's cheaper and less flex than Cambro, I owned both and can confirmed.
Hi there!
reddits spam algorithm tends to freak out over URL-shorterners and referral links. so your comment here got flagged for it.
i can approve your comment if you change the links to full length and referral free links.
for the amazon links, that would mean that the link should look like this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003EIE8LC. without the "ref=xxxx" part at the end.
if you dont want to clutter up your comment unnecessarily, using a hyperlink works well.
it should look like "[this](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003EIE8LC)" without the quotes. though the "link" button in the reddit text editor does the same.
A lot of people have been saying the Tojiro has been hit or miss lately with the grind and construction. Where are you located? Might want to try a japanese knife store. The stuff on Amazon will be hard to fulfill your unique requirements, and the price range for what you are looking for will be a little higher.
Maybe this one? https://www.amazon.com/Misono-Santoku-Knife-18cm-Left-handed/dp/B0091G999W if you really need it to come from Amazon.
I can't seem to find any solid information via their website or Amazon Q&As, I'd like to know for sure myself. The bolster is a great shape, I like how I can comfortably choke up on the blade further than I might otherwise. The handle was what ultimately sold me over some of the other, similar options. This one https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CPTQD6Y/ref=psdc_289857_t1_B00BKEODHG was one of the finalists, but the handle is just so plain. Much more intense patterning in the blade, but it felt like it wasn't the complete package. No part of the knife I got felt like they phoned it in.
Get a shapton pro 1k, it's a splash stone and that's all you need ATM.
$60 can on Amazon so you still have $20 left for naniwa nagura
Ha No Kuromaku Ceramic Whetstone Medium Grit #1000 by Shapton https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B001TPFT0G/
Shapton 120 can be had for cheap on Amazon (as Kuromaku) and is a solid stone. I recommend just going with that if you're not sure and since you have the rest of the set already.
By the way the Shapton Pro 5k is just... gross for some reason. I never really liked how it felt to use and how it cut.
> the 320 gets used a lot. It's not a cheap stone
It's only $35. If you look around you can find most Shapton Pros for around $30-$40.
​
If you had to ballpark it, how badly overpriced would you say? Amazon has this 7" premier Santoku for $140 right now. It's on a discount price, but what would you pay for a knife like that from someone other than Shun?
> I would link to Amazon but then my post would be disappeared.
and the worst part is that its not even us doing that. it is reddits sitewide spamfilter.
it is however perfectly possible to link amazon. the spamfilter only triggers on the tracking/referral parts of the link. so the following link works https://www.amazon.com/Messermeister-Meridian-Elite-Stealth-8-Inch/dp/B002P9C96W?th=1
if the link is longer than that, then it is because amazon is doing some tracking fuckery to see where you came from / who sent you etc.
Shun gyuto:
Best knife I’ve bought as a young chef by far the most miles of any knife I’ve ever used in my life if I had only one I could take from my knife roll to battle it’s this knife
Shun Cutlery Classic 7” Asian Cook’s Knife; All-Purpose Kitchen Knife Offers Professional Results; VG-MAX Cutting Core with 68 Layers of Damascus Cladding; Ideal for Meat, Fruits and Vegetables https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004M3ZF2O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_i90JFbCTW13TY
Fuji Narihira is the only other knife near your budget, and it's gone up lately. The 240mm is $55 now https://www.amazon.com/Fuji-Cutlery-Narihira-Double-Molybdenum/dp/B001TPFPVE/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2VSGCRLA1H3Z1&dchild=1&keywords=fuji+narihira&qid=1594863986&sprefix=fuji+na%2Caps%2C419&sr=8-1
Cheaper on Amazon Victorinox Swiss Army Cutlery Rosewood Chef's Knife, 8-Inch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0019WZEUE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_5-LdFb4RE6JP7
They also make a line called Swiss Modern, but the chef knife is out of stock.
I actually meant the Atoma 140 but vOv
For thinning I use a few stones; the Shapton Pro 120, DMT 120, DMT 325, maybe the Atoma 140 or 400, and a Gesshin 400.
Of these I like the Shapton Pro 120 the most because it's aggressive and cheap but it loads up pretty quick and is tough to recondition and flatten. I usually end up using 80 grit sandpaper to do this.
The real problem is that I don't particularly find any of these stones all that effective at thinning other than the Atomas. The DMTs are just worse Atomas, the Gesshin is good but very soft, and the Atomas cost to much to burn on this.
I'm thinking of getting the Sigma Power Select 120 and see how that does but I haven't yet.
I also really want to pick up the Pride Abrasives 220 if I can find it for cheaper. This guy here: https://www.amazon.com/Pride-Abrasives-220-Grit-Waterstone/dp/B07B5VLCNK
I have the 1k, 6k, and 10k and I like them a lot.
I’d skip the utility knife. They’re not really small enough to use in hand easily and they don’t have the knuckle clearance to use on a board either. I’d steer you towards a petty instead and then a cheap but good paring as well. Other choices are strong, especially with the restriction of buying from amazon.
I have a bunch of knives of different prices and metals. And lately I've been using this Victorinox 8 inch chefs knife almost exclusively. It's so easy to sharpen...honestly a few minutes a month and it just stays sharp. It's lightweight and just crazy fun to use, and it's my cheapest knife by far.
Seki Tsubazo, you can get one for 2000 JPY, about 14.62 USD
I got a digital microscope from Amazon. To make your life easier, I highly recommend getting the aluminum stand as well otherwise when it's wobbling around it's incredibly hard to see.
Digital Microscope
Stand
Victorinox Swiss Army Cutlery Rosewood Chef's Knife, 8-Inch https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0019WZEUE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_X27V92VVMJ925FE0KCV2
This is on sale 45% off. Is it as good as the Victorinox this sub recommends?
I'm a fan of Tim Hayward's Knife. Don't buy it to learn or improve your knife use or sharpening skills. It's a nice little coffee table books with images and background stories on the knifes.
Dude just get a large HDPE cutting board:
https://www.amazon.com/Winco-Cutting-Board-1-Inch-White/dp/B003HEWUFO
Polyethelene is what the high end Hasegawa cutting boards use and the PE ones are preferred generally over the ones made from rubber which tend to prevent the knife from sliding across the board (for actual slicing).
Make sure it's 3/4" thick or greater as the 1/4" boards will warp.
Tramontina Century knives are great on a budget.
https://www.amazon.com/Tramontina-Knife-Forged-80008-561DS/dp/B08RJZDB7B
Decent steel, solid quality, thin behind the edge, but they do have the dreaded full bolster.
Read the 1 star reviews. You'll note that the Henckels single man made in Spain (Henckels Classic) indicate that it uses German steel. The Henckels single man made in China (e.g. Henckels Statement) just say stainless steel. And the reviews all say it rusts. China is notorious for using knockoff steel alloys. You'll note the ones made in China are 30% cheaper than those made in Spain (and the Henckels double man made in Germany are over twice the price).
https://www.amazon.com/J-Henckels-International-13550-005-Statement/dp/B00GHX5HGG
FYI that is polyethylene, or HDPE. It's fine as a cutting board material, in fact I would say most cutting boards are almost certainly HDPE, though it is a bit hard.
Either way, $150 is crazy expensive for that! Here's a generic, albeit white, HDPE board on Amazon that is close to the same total surface area but only $36 (note it doesn't say HDPE but it almost certainly is): https://www.amazon.com/Stanton-Trading-799-30-Cutting-Board/dp/B0032AM0LW.
HDPE is to be used, abused, and replaced. The board you have in your picture is a synthetic rubber and sits alongside other synthetic materials like Asahi and HiSoft. These are very different than HDPE which maybe justifies their increased costs.
https://www.amazon.com/Kuromaku-Ceramic-Whetstone-Medium-Grit/dp/B001TPFT0G
Start with that, get good at it, then look at a higher grit one. I do 1K -> 5K. Also look into getting a strop to maintain the edge between stone sessions.
Anything that comes apart, e.g. these:
https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Grips-Multi-Purpose-Kitchen-Scissors/dp/B000KILLXM
The 7” Zwilling meets most of that criteria and has got a heck of a rock-a-belly. Easily one of my favorites for rock/chopping because of the shape, it’s high carbon stainless. It’s definitely not brittle, but you’ll need to sharpen it every four - six months. Or at least I do.
https://www.amazon.com/ZWILLING-J-Henckels-38401-182-38401-183/dp/B06Y2KYT76/
Yes, it's meant for cutting sashimi. It's a yanagiba.
This is a low-end one, basically a Japanese $10 supermarket knife: https://www.amazon.com/Ozawa-Japanese-Kithchen-Knive-12-5/dp/B00JNI3FVG
Knives like this are often 420J2 and about 53HRC, about the same as the better $10 supermarket knives in the West. These cheap knives usually have a fairly steep secondary bevel rather than having the main bevel continuing to the edge, so they won't usually cut as well as a proper yanagiba even when sharp.
After doing some research I decided to buy a hinoki board since it seems to be gentle on Japanese knives.
Kiso Japanese Cypress Hinoki... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HFW1N3S?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
I found a pack of adhesive rubber feet on Amazon, specifically this pack). They work great and you’ll find random uses for them all around the house - I’m adding grippy rubber feet to everything 😂
Cheers man ! Believe it or not I got this off amazon uk for 25 quid, pretty sure this is it: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Magnetic-Organiser-Kitchen-Scissors-Enhanced/dp/B087J9VJMP
The magnets on it are pretty good and more than strong enough to rigidly hold up a Japanese knife as they are lighter - it’s not high enough for 240s but because of these magnets I’m able to securely fit the Anryu on it as you can see.
Looks the part too and is pretty good quality !
Diamond Flattening Stone Lapping Plate for Sharpening Whetstone Extra Size/Rust-proof/Deeper Grooves/Light Weight/Non-Slip SCOTTCHEN https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SCZDPC2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_4oYcGbCSCDTXK
I'd only recommend a japanese knife if you wanted to work on your knife skills and learn to push cut or pull cut. Up to you though, its not necessary, but japanese knives overall are typically much thinner behind the edge, and usually cut significantly nicer, effortlessly. The steel is typically harder, requires sharpening less often, but is more fragile in trade. Its a fun experience if you've only had thicker german knives.
$400 will get you essentially every western style knife out there. No you don't need a different knife for veg and meat, one good chef knife will cover both. You should use a different knife to break down chicken though, or anything with bone to not risk the nicer chef knife.
The king 1000 is a solid stone, I'd probably push you toward the shapton pro(https://www.amazon.com/Kuromaku-Ceramic-Whetstone-Medium-Grit/dp/B001TPFT0G). Its more expensive, but it doesn't require soaking, is significantly harder, and will last longer without needing to be flattened.
Hard to tell the quality of the honing rod, but the pics don't look good. Maybe get a cheap one from zwilling or mercer or something.
yea I agree with what aced is saying. 150 is more manageable for veggies too. But also funny to cheap out on a chef knife and get a petty thats 100+ I know tojiro has a 2 piece set with a chef knife and pairing knife on amazon for around 130... get good sharpening on a stone with the v nox and then you got a banging set to use too... Could be something to consider, Good luck!
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https://www.amazon.com/Tojiro-2-piece-Chefs-Knife-Set/dp/B00GHN6T40
It is a Shi Ba Zi Zuo Chinese Cleaver. They are thought of pretty highly around here for price to performance with this style of knife. It is mainly a vegetable/boneless meat cutting knife.
I am not in Europe, so please forgive if the shop is bad, but if he doesn't have a SHAPTON Pro 1000 grit stone yet https://www.japaneseknives.eu/a-48914429/sharpening-stones/shapton-ha-no-kuromaku-whetstone-1000-medium/#description
I'd be surprised if it's not available on Amazon Italy as well.
Edit, it is https://www.amazon.it/Kuromaku-Ceramic-Whetstone-Medium-SHAPTON/dp/B001TPFT0G/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=shapton+kuromaku&qid=1608223153&sprefix=shapton+&sr=8-2 The sub wiki recommended stone.
maybe like 3 hours end to end? I definitely took breaks between the grits. I just got this cheap sandpaper on amazon (not sponsored) but I imagine anything would work. I was advised to start at a lower grit to really get the scratches out, and I changed sending direction with each grit
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DTGP1QT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
the plastic with rubber feet are OXO "good grips" boards. (link). The rubber works better than the dish towl trick for sure. The wood one in the nice photos is a butcher block table top cut in half.
>You really only need a combo diamond stone
I will def. look into this, I think there are some cheap combo diamond stones that would fit the bill, and I don't need a polished edge.
https://www.amazon.com/Smiths-50447-4-Inch-Diamond-Sharpening/dp/B00BYDDNUQ/
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something like this wouldn't be sufficient, given my backpack objective, would it?
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Ok i lied, I have 5 knives, not 4. I didn't count my serrated paring knife :P
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Chinese cleaver, 8 inch chef knife, 3.25 inch paring knife, 3.5 inch serrated paring knife, and an offset handle bread knife
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Everything else worth something, I threw on ebay, gifted, or left on the street for the ppl of the neighborhood to take
I've yet to figure out a Nakiri in that price-range I want to buy, it's sort of in between where you're slightly above the good bang-for-buck stuff, and below the good stuff. Exactly why I'm in a state of limbo with my 6 dollar Kiwi nakiri.
I know that MAC makes a nakiri but it's just called a vegetable cleaver: https://www.amazon.com/Mac-Knife-JU-65-Japanese-Vegetable/dp/B000MRJDEU
It's not fancy, but probably one of the best options under 100 bucks. Saves you some money and MAC is known for good quality products that perform well. I've got a MAC santoku and am solidly a fan of it.
There ya go! Literally it’s gunna be a big jump from what u have. Any scratches I use a medium then fine rust eraser, just make sure u remover your burrs. Even between stones.
Don't know much about them, but they're on Amazon as Japan Bargain or Japanbargain 1552 running for about 15 to 30 bucks. I actually have one of the debas that I received as a gift. Decent knife, but the steel is very soft.
The different styles are all listed on the same page.
Edit: fixed link
It's very practical! I had the honesuki for breaking down chickens, but I was lacking something to take the bones out of a chicken. At that point all of my knives were Japanese or Japanese-style but none were designed to actually scrape along bones and they run the risk of chipping as well. What I really needed was a flexible knife made of a softer steel and the Victorinox fit that role perfectly. I even had to get my honing rod out of storage since this is the only knife I can use it on. A boning knife is meant to be honed each and every time you use it and is not meant to be a buy it for life kind of thing.
This is the specific knife but don't buy it on amazon! It's way overpriced on that site. You should be able to find it for $20 or less on ebay.
Picked up an Old Hickory on Amazon for all of $11, because why not.
The handle is crap, the factory edge was horrid, and the tip was completely blunt - it was purposely not ground and left at the same thickness as the spine. Actually all of the grinds were terrible!
However, its 1095 steel with a good enough heat treatment that the edge holds reasonably well while also being soft enough to not chip after cutting through chicken bones. Like I took the spine out of a chicken using a knife instead of shears just to test the knife.
After about 5 minutes on a 220 stone followed by a progression 2000 (and 5000 for bits of the face) the knife had a working tip and a whole lot of ~~ugly~~ character building scratches.
Henckels / Wustie were my first "good" knives, 30 years later I graduated to Japanese and I haven't looked back.
Like the Ikon Wustie, the semi bolster makes for easier (and better) sharpening and like the handle, shape and creme color, as well. You done good.
To maintain the knife (sharpening), suggest a 1 - 2K whetstone - Bestor makes a good 1200 thats usually available on Amazon. If you're not going to use a stone then suggest this pull thru:
I would start with two or three stones. If I had it to do over again, I would want them to be really low maintenance, so I would probably still buy a DMT product, but I think it would be this one.
DMT W6EFC Three 6-Inch Diamond Whetstone Models in Hard Wood Box https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003NCVFC4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_uxIhzbB9AS31A
If after you've used these for a while and you decide you then want a finer stone, at that point you're probably hooked and $100 for a single stone won't seem too unreasonable.
But this is where it all gets really tricky. I mean... Define expensive? My 4000 grit Mizuyama stone was around $60 and my 8000 grit Kitayama stone was around $80. Both are decent splash and go resin bonded stones. I bought the DMT kit off Amazon maybe 5 or 6 years ago now which had two double sided DMT Duo-Sharp diamond stones, a holder and a non slip mat for a little under $300. Which is a really good price for 4 diamond stones from 220-1220 grit which are guaranteed to stay flat and can be used wet or dry. The Wicked Edge system I have now was $650 of Amazon, but it might be the best value because it's capable of sharpening any profile blade quickly, repeatably and with great precision. So one has to distinguish between expense and value at some point.
Arcos is another lesser known but good European brand.
That is indeed a rather coarse stone. Grit rating is probably pretty close to the standard most people refer to.
Using lubricant and extremely light pressure will get you a really sharp knife off that stone. If the finish from factory is rough, go out with a bottle of water and flatten the stone against a tile or brick or something.
You can just get yourself a ceramic stick and use it after your current stone if you plan to do more push cutting/ wet shaving. Use water with the ceramic as lube and use ultra light force when apexing the edge.
Just a couple more options to confuse you even further :)
Wusthof Le Cordon Bleu is on sale on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Wusthof-Cordon-8-Inch-Cooks-Knife/
9-inch Wusthof Classic Ikon is on sale too - https://www.amazon.com/Wusthof-Classic-9-Inch-Cooks-Knife/dp/B000SM762A/
I recommend the Ikon, these things look and feel pretty amazing.
Yoshihiro is, in my opinion anyway, perfect for gift shopping since they seem to emphasize beauty and presentation without losing much in the way of performance. And they got good looking blades at several price ranges.
My suggestion would be this santoku if he’s just a home cook. Got one for my mom on Mother’s Day and she loved it.
There’s a couple of other picks within that budget I think so take a look on amazon or their site if you aren’t sure.
both a chef's knife and the gyutou fulfil the same purpose- general main knife, its redundant to get both, unless your intent is to return the one he doesn't like.
never heard of a mundial knife before, but appears to be somewhat decent, although info like HRC is missing from amazon page
the tojiro is considered a budget knife with a few corners cut during the manufacturing process, and needs a bit of thinning and sanding in order to perform better. Gesshin stainless would be a good starter knife that performs out of the box
another thing to consider is that the care of the knife is probably going to be a big thing. a knife can only perform as well as it is cared for. if he has a honing rod, picking up the mac wouldn't be a bad idea. If he has whetstones/knows how to use them, gesshin would be the way to go IMO.
That looks really well done, nice job on it.
Let me ask you, I bought one of these knives a while back from Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001FEJ0WO?
Its awful metal, but I really like the shape. Do you think it would be viable to put a similar curve or smile on the edge of a Torijo ITK?
Thanks! It's actually an inexpensive rubberwood/hevea board from Amazon that only cost £25 or so.
I'm not sure how rubberwood compares with other boards, but this one seems okay so far. It's large, tall, and blades slightly dig into it, so it's nice to use.
On the Amazon CA site this stone is much better suited to your requirements than your 3/8K. Stilll a cheap stone to be sure, but at 300/1K it will get your knives started well and 1K is plenty of stone to finish cheap knives on.
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01KEXPJLW/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?psc=1
Suggest you choose one knife to get into shape before taking on your whole kit. Don't try and learn too many new things at once.
Suggest you spend some time watching a good utuber before and during the sharpening of the knife. I like JKI's stuff a lot.
Yes you can chew up some steel with a 300 grit stone - but only if you do it too long, using too much pressure and/or very wrong. Suggest you don't do that.
Good luck.
What you want is a microscope, something that provides 50x or higher magnification. This thing from amazon apparently works well. There are cheaper options from China, but the reviews aren't as favorable. You can try something like this if don't want USB connectivity.
so this is what i use on a monthly basis to keep my knives sharp (amazon link). I have a coarser grits stone as well when i need to reshape but for the most part I leave reshaping to a pro.
Sorry completely forgot to respond to this, I got mine from Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Chosera-000-Grit-Stone-Base/dp/B000CNOXGC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1528318335&sr=8-1&keywords=naniwa+chosera
Wow, thanks for the helpful info! My budget is around $50-$70. I found King 1000/6000 grit for $35 that had decent reviews on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Combination-Sharpening-KW-65-Nagura/dp/B00M8P96QE/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1528746717&sr=8-4-fkmr1&keywords=king+2000%2F5000+grit+whetstone#customerReviews
What do you think? The person using it is a beginner with whetstones. Do you recommend buying a strop as well?
Looks like a brand or seller called 関鍔蔵作, which I think roughly translates to "Seki Knife Warehouse". This Amazon link (hopefully affiliate free) shows a knife with the same Kanji on it: https://www.amazon.co.jp/関鍔蔵-セキツバゾウ-作-刺身・出刃2本組セット-30043/dp/B000NARU32
I agree with filthysven here. A cheap stone might not even be true to grit let alone the consistency issue mentioned. If you don't want to drop $50 on the Cerax, a cheaper option I have heard many people recommend is the King Deluxe 1000(but I have no personal experience with this stone), found you a link here on Amazon. A cheap stone doesn't necessarily means that it's bad, you just gotta find the right cheap stone.
I know it's not traditional Japanese, but when getting into different knives, and before purchasing a carbon steel Japanese knife, I got this little thing on Amazon for $20. It is single bevel which silly me didn't realize until later, but I just put my own 50/50 edge on it and it works very well considering how cheap it is. Mercer makes pretty decent knives for the money you spend. I still use it every day in my professional kitchen and it makes vegetable chopping very fast and easy.