The ultimate kitchen essential. Who makes the best knives?
Don't love my Henckels Pro S (gift), and a good, comfy, sharp knife is my go-to device for desecation of every kind. Something that can stand up to the kind of abuse I dish out.
Wusthof, Kershaw, Global, Kyocera come up a lot. I've even had a lot of people say they'll never give up the cheap CUTCO knives they've had for years and years!
If you could buy any brand of knives, what would it be? Why?
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24 Comments:
I love my Global knives. They feel perfectly weighted to my hands (I have small hands). I'd definitely buy more Global knives when we need them.
Actually have a cutco knife I bought when a friend became a rep. It's one sharp knife! I don't use it often, though because both my husband and I have been cut by it (and not by the other sharp knives in the house).
hereandthe at 4:07PM on 10/16/07
I have a Henckels knife I swear by for bread. But for everything else, definitely Global. They are strong, sturdy, and sharpen nicely. The weight balance is good. And they look pretty on my magnetic wall strip.
BaconUnwrapped at 4:11PM on 10/16/07
I have a selection of knives and subsequently, knife brands. I don't believe in "sets" because there are always a couple of B.S. pieces.
I have 2 Chicago Cutlery knives from when they were still made in Chicago and they are beautiful. I used those knives all through school and still love them today. I have a couple of Wusthof and Henckels- things like my bird's beak parer and a boning knife.
I have a santoku by Ming Tsai when he was doing cookware and accessories for Target under the Blue Ginger name. I wouldn't normally purchase a knife in a plastic holder but I liked the shape of the blade, the construction of the knife and the heft of it. I plunked down my $29 and went home. The thing now lives in my knife roll and when I tried to find another, they had already vanished.
chiff0nade at 4:16PM on 10/16/07
Ditto on the Ming Tsai santoku. We have a set of Henckels that my wifes parents bought for us, but I use the Blue Ginger monster every day. I lucked into mine on clearance for $12 or so.
ajeys at 5:06PM on 10/16/07
Having more knives than I can possibly ever use my answer is this. Full tang, able to be sharpened, feels good in your hand and does what you want it to. Brands mean little to me. When I look at a knife and feel it in my hand I know what is good. You really only need about 4 knives. I know I don't have 4 either, I have more like 24.
JerzeeTomato at 5:27PM on 10/16/07
I have a real melange of knives as well -- a Shun 8" Chef, a Forschner 8" Chef, a Wusthof Santoku, and Henckels for my bread and paring (both from their cheapest line). I love the Shun, but others have complained that it doesn't have a bolster -- a real drawback if you use the pinch grip on your knives. The Forschner is a really big, but not heavy, knife. The others all "do their job and feel good in my hand" -- but your mileage may vary :-)
Dominic
the zen kitchen
dvchurch at 5:37PM on 10/16/07
I love my Global chef's knife.
charm city cupcake at 5:49PM on 10/16/07
i also have a complement of expensive knives by henkels and wusthof but the one normally i reach for, oddly enough, is a five and a half inch analon santoku "try me" that i bought for fifteen bucks on sale at bed bath and beyond when i needed something in a hurry. the grip fits my hand perfectly, it handles every task i need it to do, and it stays nicely sharp without much maintenance. go figure.
cybercita at 9:42PM on 10/16/07
Last week I received a Henckels Cermax 8" chef's knife (made in Japan for Japanese chefs, Rockwell hardness 66.) I was skeptical until I tried it, and I will say that, to me, it is the finest blade produced for less than $300. I currently use a mix of Misono UX-10, Kershaw (Shun), MAC and carbon steel Sabatier knives, and if I could, I would trade them all in for these Cermax beauties. The factory edge is sharp as a scalpel, and such hard steel retains that edge for a very long time. Also, the handles are very user friendly. JB Prince.com sells them for the best price, but their offering is limited. There are other online sources with a bigger selection, but for higher prices.
zapatista at 9:58PM on 10/16/07
I've settled on a brand called Professional Companion, from the Grand River Tool Co. This appears to be the house brand for GFS Marketplace here in Michigan and surrounding areas. They're intended for long-term food service use, having ribbed rubberized handles and a great edge that can take a serious amount of abuse. I can't seem to find out much about them, except that they just plain work. Prices aren't bad ... $20 for the 10" chef's knife.
LunaPierCook at 4:37AM on 10/17/07
Jerzee Tomato said: "able to be sharpened"
I must voice my agreement about this. I couldn't imagine purchasing a knife I couldn't sharpen at home.
I love my diamond steel but think it needs replacing :( The diamond steel raises a great edge, even on a less than desirable knife.
chiff0nade at 9:51AM on 10/17/07
Having shopped fairly recently for a knife for my twin, I'd have to say: whatever knife feels good in your hand. Full tang and forged for the most part, of course. I tried several knives at William Sonoma (they will let you hold them and play a little if you ask) and found Shun and Global didn't fit my hand at all. Quite uncomfortable for me. So I stick with Wustof or Henkels classics - although there are some new designs out from Kershaw, so who knows? Hard to shop for a knife based on advice alone. Best to hold them yourself and see.
jpolk at 10:15AM on 10/17/07
I bought a nice set of Henckels a few years ago. I wish I'd bought Wustof instead. My Henckels just plain won't hold an edge.
1stmakearoux at 12:26PM on 10/17/07
Thanks for all the great feedback.
1stmakearoux -- you've nailed my complaint about Henckels. They do feel fine in my hand, etc., but no amount effort, whether honing on the steel, or sharpening on a stone, will get them as sharp as I like. They also don't like my abusive kitchen methods. Yes, I confess to not always washing and drying them right away. And, yes, I admit that I do put them through the dishwasher. But, in my own defense, I only started doing that recently after deciding that all my devoted TLC wasn't doing any good. Truthfully, it doesn't seem to have made any difference.
I would definitely play around with knives in the store, but I'm thinking I won't be able to tell for sure until I actually start chopping, slicing, mincing, and dicing!
LunaPierCook -- that Professional Companion line sounds interesting, especially the abuse resistance! I'll check it out...
So, now that you all know I tend to be a sloppy cook who's always in a hurry, does anyone have other feedback on durability in the face of abuse?
LoCo at 7:05PM on 10/17/07
All my knives are Henckels too, and they feel just right in my hands. But I pretty much have to sharpen them each time I pull them out...
A crazy favorite of mine is a set if 6 "steak" knives in a block that I got from a dollar store in an emergency. They are paring knife sized serated blades in plastic handles. I've used them for 4 years now, all the time for a hundred little tasks such as halving grapes for the kids or trimming off crusts. And I just throw them in the sink to be gorged on by the dishwasher at night. They have all survived. I love them because I don't feel obliged to wash them right away and there's enough of them to get me through the day. I had only expected them to last me a week!
tayyba at 7:21PM on 10/17/07
Wusthof
Megs915 at 12:04AM on 10/18/07
I bought a 10" knife in 1972--I think it's made by "Ontario," which I don't think is much of a brand at all. It wasn't expensive, but it takes a hell of an edge. I can cut a thin sliver of lemon rind for a martini, and then use it to crack the breast bone of a turkey.
jscheck at 12:47AM on 10/18/07
@1stmakearoux: You got that right. I have a Henckels santoku that I am constantly having to sharpen. Plus it diosn't fit my hand that great - I have very small hands.
I really, really want a Wusthof Classic 8" chef. I test drove one and liked the weight and the fit.
Tellicherry at 10:31AM on 10/18/07
I'm lucky that my wife works for Sur La Table, so I have a nice collection of Shun knives. My favorite is the Chinese chef's knife - I've hardly used anything else since I got it.
deeoh1 at 4:15PM on 10/18/07
Sanelli. Easy to handle and wash. The best in Italian design
Are they available in the U.S.?
jrgiguere at 4:42PM on 10/18/07
Mac knives are great
Lesley C at 8:39PM on 10/19/07
I was given a four inch folding chefs knife as a present . A "Hocho" japenesse made from A.G Russel Knives. It has become the workhorse of my kitchen tools. What it lacks in length, it makes up for with a sharp edge that holds for months at a time. Its well balanced and small enough to be multi purposed. I highly recopmmend it. I have bought one each for both of my daughters and they rave about them too!
Kenzo at 3:52PM on 10/20/07
I just bought an Analon santoku I just bought at BBB, as well. It fits my hand, has a nice heft to it, and does the job.
flootsmith at 11:54AM on 10/21/07
I used to sell knives for a living, and the number of snapped blades I saw on the Henckels knives persuaded me never to buy one. When I got married we registered for Wusthof Classics and they have served very well. They take an edge easily, have a good heft, and fit my and my husband's hands well (we agreed that the knives had to fit both of us). A friend gave me a ceramic santoku of dubious provenance and I love the damn thing. Luckily it was cheap so when it dulls or the blade breaks I can replace it without too much trouble.
Greyhoundgrrl at 12:03PM on 10/24/07