Im in the market for a new chefs knife.
I'm a Chef at my own restaurant and I usually cut a lot of stuffs like poultry, vegies...etc...I bought 2 Shun knives and love them so far. They are very well built and sturdy. They are not too lite and not too heavy. I rarely sharpened them or used a steel on them and the sharpness is in very good condition. If you ever wanted to sharp them, then you can send them to Shun and they sharpened them for free. It looks beautiful too.
Registered User
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,244
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From: Vancouver B C
If you drop by for dinner today it will become painfully obvious that I’m not a professional chef. However I do love to cook and appreciate a good knife.
Professional kitchens are peopled by hotheaded chefs who take out all their angst and anger out on some poor chopping block, dicing hapless farm animals and acres of veggies. Keeping this in mind, European and American knife manufactures adjust the steel alloy used in their Chef’s knifes to stand up to the vigor’s of the kitchen. Owing to the flexibility of the steel as it is drawn out to a cutting edge, it is not practical to go beyond a 20-degree bevel on the cutting edge. Sharp but not razor sharp, all in all not a bad compromise as the blunter bevel will stand up to heavy use.
Life in the Japanese professional kitchen is much less chaotic and more Zen like. Japanese chefs take better care of their cutting implements and are less likely to bang them around or throw them at subordinates. Keeping this in mind the Asian manufactures use a much harder alloy in kitchen knifes. In sharpening one of these knifes, one can draw the edge bevel to a sharper 15 degrees or even a scalpel like 10 degrees.
The difficulty for somebody like me at home to draw a edge out this sharp, is that a the more elastic alloys used in the Euro alloys flex away from my whet stone or other sharpening implements. The harder more hi-tech alloys and layered steels used in the better Japanese knifes allow my stone to grip the edge and draw it out sharper, but still provide enough toughness for my home use.
I have settled on the Japanese Global brand of knifes as the perfect cutting weapon for my use. Easy to achieve a razor sharp edge (no small feat) and strong enough to hold it for an extended time. An eight and a half inch Global chef’s knife has a beautiful balance and is a joy to use, but the handle is fairly small so this brand might not suit you as much as me.
If you enjoy using a sharper knife, I recommend seeking out one of the better Japanese knifes for home use. If you lack the patients to finely hone your knife just bring it with you when you come over for dinner. I’ll sharpen it while you wash and wax my Z.
Professional kitchens are peopled by hotheaded chefs who take out all their angst and anger out on some poor chopping block, dicing hapless farm animals and acres of veggies. Keeping this in mind, European and American knife manufactures adjust the steel alloy used in their Chef’s knifes to stand up to the vigor’s of the kitchen. Owing to the flexibility of the steel as it is drawn out to a cutting edge, it is not practical to go beyond a 20-degree bevel on the cutting edge. Sharp but not razor sharp, all in all not a bad compromise as the blunter bevel will stand up to heavy use.
Life in the Japanese professional kitchen is much less chaotic and more Zen like. Japanese chefs take better care of their cutting implements and are less likely to bang them around or throw them at subordinates. Keeping this in mind the Asian manufactures use a much harder alloy in kitchen knifes. In sharpening one of these knifes, one can draw the edge bevel to a sharper 15 degrees or even a scalpel like 10 degrees.
The difficulty for somebody like me at home to draw a edge out this sharp, is that a the more elastic alloys used in the Euro alloys flex away from my whet stone or other sharpening implements. The harder more hi-tech alloys and layered steels used in the better Japanese knifes allow my stone to grip the edge and draw it out sharper, but still provide enough toughness for my home use.
I have settled on the Japanese Global brand of knifes as the perfect cutting weapon for my use. Easy to achieve a razor sharp edge (no small feat) and strong enough to hold it for an extended time. An eight and a half inch Global chef’s knife has a beautiful balance and is a joy to use, but the handle is fairly small so this brand might not suit you as much as me.
If you enjoy using a sharper knife, I recommend seeking out one of the better Japanese knifes for home use. If you lack the patients to finely hone your knife just bring it with you when you come over for dinner. I’ll sharpen it while you wash and wax my Z.
I have a full set of Shun knives. I use to work for a knife store (Chesapeake Knife and Tool) and honestly these were the best I have owned. Global makes a good knife as well but they are VERY hard metal and hold their edge for a long time but they are particular about sharpening.
http://www.kershawknives.com/product...249&brand=shun
Which brings me to my next point, sharpening. A knife is only as good as the sharpener that keeps its edge. For that I would recommend the Spyderco sharpener.
http://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=77
It all comes down to what feels good in your hands and what you comfortable using.
Just my 2 cents
http://www.kershawknives.com/product...249&brand=shun
Which brings me to my next point, sharpening. A knife is only as good as the sharpener that keeps its edge. For that I would recommend the Spyderco sharpener.
http://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=77
It all comes down to what feels good in your hands and what you comfortable using.
Just my 2 cents
Last edited by Villainous350z; Jul 8, 2010 at 05:18 PM.
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 121
Likes: 0
From: Cecil Co, MD
hello Z brothers
i work for Cutco Corporation analyzing efficiency in their branch offices
if u want no BS answers on pricing and sets, email me
khrisu.vectorbaltimore@gmail.com
i've been with the company for 3 years and am available to resharpen your CUTCO and take orders without any uncertainty...
i work for Cutco Corporation analyzing efficiency in their branch offices
if u want no BS answers on pricing and sets, email me
khrisu.vectorbaltimore@gmail.com
i've been with the company for 3 years and am available to resharpen your CUTCO and take orders without any uncertainty...
We had to be trained at the store how to do it correctly with the right angles and pressure. The Spyderco is safe to use and it wont eff the blade all the user has to do it hold the blade at 90 up and gently slide.
i have 2 forged chef's knives... 1 japanese style J.A and 1 grand prix wusthof... i actually use the henkel more, since the feel of it is more balanced and i LOVE the japanese style handle.
i have the full set of wusthof grand prixs though... and i have for 4 years. theyre still perfect.
i have the full set of wusthof grand prixs though... and i have for 4 years. theyre still perfect.
So you use the same angle no matter a German or Japanese knife?
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,244
Likes: 31
From: Vancouver B C
Jeffie, I have one of these devices. The deluxe version of the Spyderco has two sets of holes in the base to hold the ceramic stones. One set for an Asian style knife and one for a Euro style knife. I like to use a different device to first put a hollow grind on the blade, and then use either the Spyderco or a flat stone with a guide to feather in the final bevel.
The Spyderco is good, but I prefer a flat stone with a fixture to lay in the delicate final bevel.
The Spyderco is good, but I prefer a flat stone with a fixture to lay in the delicate final bevel.
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Registered User
iTrader: (7)
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 3,797
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From: Hamsterdam, Baltimore
If you drop by for dinner today it will become painfully obvious that I’m not a professional chef. However I do love to cook and appreciate a good knife.
Professional kitchens are peopled by hotheaded chefs who take out all their angst and anger out on some poor chopping block, dicing hapless farm animals and acres of veggies. Keeping this in mind, European and American knife manufactures adjust the steel alloy used in their Chef’s knifes to stand up to the vigor’s of the kitchen. Owing to the flexibility of the steel as it is drawn out to a cutting edge, it is not practical to go beyond a 20-degree bevel on the cutting edge. Sharp but not razor sharp, all in all not a bad compromise as the blunter bevel will stand up to heavy use.
Life in the Japanese professional kitchen is much less chaotic and more Zen like. Japanese chefs take better care of their cutting implements and are less likely to bang them around or throw them at subordinates. Keeping this in mind the Asian manufactures use a much harder alloy in kitchen knifes. In sharpening one of these knifes, one can draw the edge bevel to a sharper 15 degrees or even a scalpel like 10 degrees.
The difficulty for somebody like me at home to draw a edge out this sharp, is that a the more elastic alloys used in the Euro alloys flex away from my whet stone or other sharpening implements. The harder more hi-tech alloys and layered steels used in the better Japanese knifes allow my stone to grip the edge and draw it out sharper, but still provide enough toughness for my home use.
I have settled on the Japanese Global brand of knifes as the perfect cutting weapon for my use. Easy to achieve a razor sharp edge (no small feat) and strong enough to hold it for an extended time. An eight and a half inch Global chef’s knife has a beautiful balance and is a joy to use, but the handle is fairly small so this brand might not suit you as much as me.
If you enjoy using a sharper knife, I recommend seeking out one of the better Japanese knifes for home use. If you lack the patients to finely hone your knife just bring it with you when you come over for dinner. I’ll sharpen it while you wash and wax my Z.
Professional kitchens are peopled by hotheaded chefs who take out all their angst and anger out on some poor chopping block, dicing hapless farm animals and acres of veggies. Keeping this in mind, European and American knife manufactures adjust the steel alloy used in their Chef’s knifes to stand up to the vigor’s of the kitchen. Owing to the flexibility of the steel as it is drawn out to a cutting edge, it is not practical to go beyond a 20-degree bevel on the cutting edge. Sharp but not razor sharp, all in all not a bad compromise as the blunter bevel will stand up to heavy use.
Life in the Japanese professional kitchen is much less chaotic and more Zen like. Japanese chefs take better care of their cutting implements and are less likely to bang them around or throw them at subordinates. Keeping this in mind the Asian manufactures use a much harder alloy in kitchen knifes. In sharpening one of these knifes, one can draw the edge bevel to a sharper 15 degrees or even a scalpel like 10 degrees.
The difficulty for somebody like me at home to draw a edge out this sharp, is that a the more elastic alloys used in the Euro alloys flex away from my whet stone or other sharpening implements. The harder more hi-tech alloys and layered steels used in the better Japanese knifes allow my stone to grip the edge and draw it out sharper, but still provide enough toughness for my home use.
I have settled on the Japanese Global brand of knifes as the perfect cutting weapon for my use. Easy to achieve a razor sharp edge (no small feat) and strong enough to hold it for an extended time. An eight and a half inch Global chef’s knife has a beautiful balance and is a joy to use, but the handle is fairly small so this brand might not suit you as much as me.
If you enjoy using a sharper knife, I recommend seeking out one of the better Japanese knifes for home use. If you lack the patients to finely hone your knife just bring it with you when you come over for dinner. I’ll sharpen it while you wash and wax my Z.
Im pretty sure the japanese knives need like 16 degrees or something like that.
I tried out some knives and had trouble deciding between the Wustof classic Icon and the Shun Kaji (8 in chefs knife) I went with the Shun Kaji. Both had about equal weight but you can definitely see the the difference in blade. The kaji seemed way thinner. The kaji felt great in my hand.
I will post pictures once I get the knife. The online ones dont do the craftsmanship justice...
Jeffie, I have one of these devices. The deluxe version of the Spyderco has two sets of holes in the base to hold the ceramic stones. One set for an Asian style knife and one for a Euro style knife. I like to use a different device to first put a hollow grind on the blade, and then use either the Spyderco or a flat stone with a guide to feather in the final bevel.
The Spyderco is good, but I prefer a flat stone with a fixture to lay in the delicate final bevel.
The Spyderco is good, but I prefer a flat stone with a fixture to lay in the delicate final bevel.
Impressed you have patience for a wet stone.....
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,244
Likes: 31
From: Vancouver B C
Yes Villainous, I am a patient person and although I have only a limited understanding of metallurgy and mechanical things, I love to try and master simple stuff like properly sharpening my knifes. My dad was a grand maven at that kind of thing. He sharpened planer blades, all his drill bits, ground all kinds of cutting tools for his lathe, as well as keeping the household knifes razor sharp.
I have kept most of his hand tools, even though I only use a few of them the odd time. However, I took to heart everything he taught me about knife sharpening and delight in using his fine Japanese waterstones. I get by in my kitchen mostly only using a 8 in chef’s knife and a small paring knife, so it’s not too hard to keep them in shape.
When I was a kid it would be worth my life to bang a knife blade against the edge of the sink etc, so I learned to respect knifes. Unfortunately my boyfriend is clueless about stuff like that and his family is even worse. I work hard at maintaining the mongrel collection of knives at his place and it kills me to watch his idiot sisters do stuff like cut things inside a frying pan, literally sawing the blade into the cast iron etc. Since he loves his extended family, I’ve come to feel that it’s better to just bite my tongue and quietly repair the carnage later. Although just once I’d love to dress down the oldest sister for all the bitchy things she says and does to me.
I have kept most of his hand tools, even though I only use a few of them the odd time. However, I took to heart everything he taught me about knife sharpening and delight in using his fine Japanese waterstones. I get by in my kitchen mostly only using a 8 in chef’s knife and a small paring knife, so it’s not too hard to keep them in shape.
When I was a kid it would be worth my life to bang a knife blade against the edge of the sink etc, so I learned to respect knifes. Unfortunately my boyfriend is clueless about stuff like that and his family is even worse. I work hard at maintaining the mongrel collection of knives at his place and it kills me to watch his idiot sisters do stuff like cut things inside a frying pan, literally sawing the blade into the cast iron etc. Since he loves his extended family, I’ve come to feel that it’s better to just bite my tongue and quietly repair the carnage later. Although just once I’d love to dress down the oldest sister for all the bitchy things she says and does to me.
Yes Villainous, I am a patient person and although I have only a limited understanding of metallurgy and mechanical things, I love to try and master simple stuff like properly sharpening my knifes. My dad was a grand maven at that kind of thing. He sharpened planer blades, all his drill bits, ground all kinds of cutting tools for his lathe, as well as keeping the household knifes razor sharp.
I have kept most of his hand tools, even though I only use a few of them the odd time. However, I took to heart everything he taught me about knife sharpening and delight in using his fine Japanese waterstones. I get by in my kitchen mostly only using a 8 in chef’s knife and a small paring knife, so it’s not too hard to keep them in shape.
When I was a kid it would be worth my life to bang a knife blade against the edge of the sink etc, so I learned to respect knifes. Unfortunately my boyfriend is clueless about stuff like that and his family is even worse. I work hard at maintaining the mongrel collection of knives at his place and it kills me to watch his idiot sisters do stuff like cut things inside a frying pan, literally sawing the blade into the cast iron etc. Since he loves his extended family, I’ve come to feel that it’s better to just bite my tongue and quietly repair the carnage later. Although just once I’d love to dress down the oldest sister for all the bitchy things she says and does to me.
I have kept most of his hand tools, even though I only use a few of them the odd time. However, I took to heart everything he taught me about knife sharpening and delight in using his fine Japanese waterstones. I get by in my kitchen mostly only using a 8 in chef’s knife and a small paring knife, so it’s not too hard to keep them in shape.
When I was a kid it would be worth my life to bang a knife blade against the edge of the sink etc, so I learned to respect knifes. Unfortunately my boyfriend is clueless about stuff like that and his family is even worse. I work hard at maintaining the mongrel collection of knives at his place and it kills me to watch his idiot sisters do stuff like cut things inside a frying pan, literally sawing the blade into the cast iron etc. Since he loves his extended family, I’ve come to feel that it’s better to just bite my tongue and quietly repair the carnage later. Although just once I’d love to dress down the oldest sister for all the bitchy things she says and does to me.
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 121
Likes: 0
From: Cecil Co, MD
i work for Cutco Corporation analyzing efficiency in their branch offices
if u want no BS answers on pricing and sets, email me
khrisu.vectorbaltimore@gmail.com
i've been with the company for 3 years and am available to resharpen your CUTCO and take orders without any uncertainty...
if u want no BS answers on pricing and sets, email me
khrisu.vectorbaltimore@gmail.com
i've been with the company for 3 years and am available to resharpen your CUTCO and take orders without any uncertainty...
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