Looking for a set of kitchn knives for my wife

[Msmith]

I brought a set of knives for her several Christmas seasons ago, around $80 from JC Penny. I am thinking to get her a new set. I can't afford a set like Cutco's (around $1000) but $200-$300 is the price range. Any recommendation?

[Saccopoo]

Originally Posted by Msmith

I wandered the mall last night to search for knives set. JC Penny sells the International Henckels which has the marking of Thailand. Macy also sells International Henckels, with three different markings on the blades: China, Thailand, and Spain in which the Spain ones are heavier.

Only in Bed & Beyond I found Henckels: the Pro-S and the Four Stars II, and the Wusthof Classic . By reading the reviews and the comments from this board, I am leaning toward the Four Stars. Now I have to bring my wife to Bed & Beyond for some hand-on experience.

Thank you for all the helps.

The Henckels Four Star is a really nice knife. Very durable and well designed. You'd be hard pressed to find a better knife. Cooks Illustrated really likes them and they are pretty honest and objective about their opinions.

Honestly, it comes down to how it feels in your hand. All the top knives are sharper than hell and are built incredibly well. If you've been using the Chef Tony knives, anything is going to be a huge step up.

[Saccopoo]

Make sure that you get a high quality cutting board in addition to the knives. It will make as much of a difference in the use of the knives as the knives themselves.

Investing in a end grain board will do wonders for your knives.

I spent the money and got a John Boos Deluxe BBQ board and it's every bit as kick ass as my Ken Onion Santoku.

[Mr. Arrowhead]

cant go wrong with Cutco,

[Stewie]

I've bought from here a couple of times. Not great prices unless you catch one of their deals, then it's awesome.

http://www.cutleryandmore.com/

[Fish]

Originally Posted by Mr. Arrowhead

cant go wrong with Cutco,

Yes you can. Cutco are shite. Cheap ass 440 steel. It doesn't hold an edge very long at all. The type of steel makes all the difference in the knife. And Cutco has the cheapest weakest steel available. Most of their blades are serrated too, which should tell you everything you need to know. Anybody who spends over $20 on a serrated kitchen knife deserves to be stabbed in the face with it. Serrated knives are pretty worthless in the kitchen. They put serrations on them because the steel is so cheap it can't hold an edge for more than a few weeks. Get a blade with higher vanadium content. I prefer a good ATS34, AUS8, or VG10 steel. VG10 being the best IMO.

[mikeyis4dcats.]

Originally Posted by Saccopoo

Shun and Global are hot right now. All the Jap knives are the rage. This has to do with the increased Rockwell number (hardness) of the steel and the variety of blades in the lines. (Global has an incredible variety of knives.) They also payed attention to the ergonomics of the knives themselves.

However, I've found that my Shun's have a somewhat "brittle" feel to them versus my Germans, and while the lighter knife is nice, I like a more substantial feel to the handle. (I like my Shun Ken Onion granton Santoku substantially better than my Shun Classic 8" for this very reason.) I've recently played around with the Wusthof Ikon Classic line and it's fantastic, at least for what I want in a knife. The Global knives feel like they were made for a little girls hands.

I would like to try the Kasumi Titaniums, as they look a little more substantial in the handle department, but I can't find a retailer around my area.

I have also heard really good things about the MAC line of knives. I think Thomas Keller and Charlie Trotter use and endorse them, and you won't find a better chef than Keller in this country at the current time.

maybe true, but the book was written 9 years ago, so Global has a long history

[Saccopoo]

Originally Posted by NewPhin

The point being, as others have said, find out what knife is her primary knife and buy her a badass one. For me, it would definitely be my chef's knife. I'd like to have a good santoku as well to start working with... but I haven't invested yet.

I was doing some reading on new knives due to this thread, and came across the JA Henckels Miyabi products. Apparently, they purchased a knife making facility in Seki (the knife making capital of Japan), employed some of the top craftsmen there and are putting out some insane shit.

The Fusion line just came out (June 2010 was the debut), uses the VG10 steel (same stuff used in the Shun Classic line), but has double the layering (64 layers compared to 32 on the Shun) and a ridiculously razor sharp 9 to 12 degree edge tolerance.

The line is being offered through Sur la Table exclusively, and I just checked their site and it looks like they are offering the Santoku at a very nice introductory price:

http://www.surlatable.com/product/cu...ortby=ourPicks

Apparently, Henckel Japan gave one to Zknives for review and then was confident enough in the blade to let it go for a pass around through the knife forum members.

Here's the initial review:

http://www.zknives.com/knives/kitche...00dgy270.shtml

For $90, I'm going to go down to the Sur la Table store here and pick one up today. That's ridiculously cheap for what is theoretically being offered on this knife in terms of build quality, the type of steel and the edge. I'll put it through the paces this week and let you know how it stacks up against my Shun's.

[loochy]

For what it's worth, I got these Anolon knives from Costco for Christmas and I love them. The edge is holding well and they do a great job with all of my cutting needs:

http://www.amazon.com/Anolon-Advance...0154302&sr=1-1

They might not be expensive enough for you knife snobs, but I sure do like them.

[Fish]

Originally Posted by Saccopoo

I was doing some reading on new knives due to this thread, and came across the JA Henckels Miyabi products. Apparently, they purchased a knife making facility in Seki (the knife making capital of Japan), employed some of the top craftsmen there and are putting out some insane shit.

The Fusion line just came out (June 2010 was the debut), uses the VG10 steel (same stuff used in the Shun Classic line), but has double the layering (64 layers compared to 32 on the Shun) and a ridiculously razor sharp 9 to 12 degree edge tolerance.

The line is being offered through Sur la Table exclusively, and I just checked their site and it looks like they are offering the Santoku at a very nice introductory price:

http://www.surlatable.com/product/cu...ortby=ourPicks

Apparently, Henckel Japan gave one to Zknives for review and then was confident enough in the blade to let it go for a pass around through the knife forum members.

Here's the initial review:

http://www.zknives.com/knives/kitche...00dgy270.shtml

For $90, I'm going to go down to the Sur la Table store here and pick one up today. That's ridiculously cheap for what is theoretically being offered on this knife in terms of build quality, the type of steel and the edge. I'll put it through the paces this week and let you know how it stacks up against my Shun's.

That's a really good looking blade. I may have to check one of these out. Thanks.

[Saccopoo]

Originally Posted by KC Fish

That's a really good looking blade. I may have to check one of these out. Thanks.

Real pics:

[ForeverChiefs58]

Wüsthof Ikon Blackwood 20-Piece Knife Block Set


http://www.williams-sonoma.com/produ...GAN&cm_ite=Std


This is sure awesome. I like the blackwood, but for that kind of coin, you could get this:


Shun Kaji 19-Piece Knife Block Set

[googlegoogle]

Originally Posted by Saccopoo

Shun and Global are hot right now. All the Jap knives are the rage. This has to do with the increased Rockwell number (hardness) of the steel and the variety of blades in the lines. (Global has an incredible variety of knives.) They also payed attention to the ergonomics of the knives themselves.

However, I've found that my Shun's have a somewhat "brittle" feel to them versus my Germans, and while the lighter knife is nice, I like a more substantial feel to the handle. (I like my Shun Ken Onion granton Santoku substantially better than my Shun Classic 8" for this very reason.) I've recently played around with the Wusthof Ikon Classic line and it's fantastic, at least for what I want in a knife. The Global knives feel like they were made for a little girls hands.

I would like to try the Kasumi Titaniums, as they look a little more substantial in the handle department, but I can't find a retailer around my area.

I have also heard really good things about the MAC line of knives. I think Thomas Keller and Charlie Trotter use and endorse them, and you won't find a better chef than Keller in this country at the current time.

titanium isn't that hard. i know. hard to believe.

Global = great too. There are shun and mac too.

[arrowheadnation]

Not gonna lie, I bought my mom the miracle blade set a couple years ago. I have no idea of the status of them now but man did we have a blast karate chopping pineapples and tossing apples in the air and hacking them in half when we first got them. They were sharp as he'll. And the steak knives that came with them were money...speaking of money, Guy Fieri is peddling knives on the food network now.

[Msmith]

After couple months of research, I have come to the decision to buy the following items for my kitchen set. I must say this: your suggestions are extremely helpful and I am grateful for you people to take time to post in this thread.

I am going to order from this online company, CutleryandMore for the free shipping.

1. the Chef knife: Tojiro 8.25" Damascus blade for $120. The alternate is the Miyabi 8" knife for $100. The concern I have about this blade: it is designed by a celebrity, Miyabi Morimoto which sometimes a product like this may not be a successful design.

2. the Paring knife: Forschner 6-piece set for $23.

3. the Honing rod: Kyocera 9" ceramic rod for $23.

4. the Shears: Messermeister 8" scissors for $10.

5. the Block: bamboo block with 17 slots for $30.

6. the Cutting board: 18x12x1.25" end grain board for $30. There are boards made by bamboo but I like to know more about those boards before buying.

7. the Sharpening stone: stone/oil combo from Norton for $40. The alternate is the Wusthof sharpen stone for $40.

There is all to it for $276, plus tax.

Welcome for further suggestions.

[cdcox]

I worry about bacteria from meat in a wood cutting board. Wood is fine for veggies. I have a small one of these that I like.

http://www.cutleryandmore.com/epicur...-board-p114151