Need kitchen knife recommendations!

[MacLaren]

Tojiro DP in VG10

[Doc Dan]

I think my husband is most excited for the paring knife - he can't eat an apple without one.

Wait! Are you insinuating there is a way to eat an apple without a knife? Blaspheme!

[JuPaul]

> I think my husband is most excited for the paring knife - he can't eat an apple without one.

Have you ever seen a TV show called Firefly?

https://youtu.be/auF9gWaGCwo

I'm an apple cutter as well, but mostly because I like to dip them in almond butter.

Hahahaha- yes! In fact two of our ball pythons are named Capt Malcolm and Inara (they both have the Firefly genetic morph). Turns out I'm more than just a knife nerd.

[James Y]

Glad you picked something that you and your husband are happy with, Julia.

My teeth are healthy and strong, but I literally have to use a knife when eating an apple. When I was in elementary school, one day I saw a friend eating an big red apple during lunch, and as he was taking a big bite, it grossed me out so much that from then on, I had to eat my apples (and other fruits with edible skin, like pears, etc.), sliced. And I’m sure it’s 100% psychological, but to me, apples seem to taste better when sliced.



Jim

[JuPaul]

Glad you picked something that you and your husband are happy with, Julia.

My teeth are healthy and strong, but I literally have to use a knife when eating an apple. When I was in elementary school, one day I saw a friend eating an big red apple during lunch, and as he was taking a big bite, it grossed me out so much that from then on, I had to eat my apples (and other fruits with edible skin, like pears, etc.), sliced. And I’m sure it’s 100% psychological, but to me, apples seem to taste better when sliced.



Jim

I think my husband would agree - he hates just chomping into fruit, and I think he likes the ritual of cutting a slice before each bite. I, on the other hand, usually slice all my fruit on the cutting board then eat it from a bowl. But on the go I'll eat an apple whole no problem. Funny how particular we humans are.

[SG89]

Another Shun knife I love is the kiritsuke. Great slicer! I have the 6in kiritsuke classic and 7in asian chef knife classic

[JuPaul]

Another Shun knife I love is the kiritsuke. Great slicer! I have the 6in kiritsuke classic and 7in asian chef knife classic

That Kiritsuke is on my list now, too! Do you like the hollowed out areas? They keep stuff from sticking to the knife, right?

[SG89]

Another Shun knife I love is the kiritsuke. Great slicer! I have the 6in kiritsuke classic and 7in asian chef knife classic

That Kiritsuke is on my list now, too! Do you like the hollowed out areas? They keep stuff from sticking to the knife, right?

No, mine is this one:https://www.dlttrading.com/shun-classic-6-kiritsuke

Sorry I didn't know there were diff versions

[JuPaul]

Another Shun knife I love is the kiritsuke. Great slicer! I have the 6in kiritsuke classic and 7in asian chef knife classic

That Kiritsuke is on my list now, too! Do you like the hollowed out areas? They keep stuff from sticking to the knife, right?

No, mine is this one:https://www.dlttrading.com/shun-classic-6-kiritsuke

Sorry I didn't know there were diff versions

Oh perfect! I think I like that more than the 6" chef's knife I was thinking about adding. But my husband doesn't like the hollow edge style, so I didn't think I could sell him on the one I saw first. That one is great!

[PineyBoy]

Even though you don't seem to like Global I think they are very well made and fit the bill for most home kitchens. I own several and they are used by my wife and I stick to the pieces I made over the years. I am very partial to the performance of high carbon, however most people would not appreciate the high maintenance.

[JuPaul]

Even though you don't seem to like Global I think they are very well made and fit the bill for most home kitchens. I own several and they are used by my wife and I stick to the pieces I made over the years. I am very partial to the performance of high carbon, however most people would not appreciate the high maintenance.

Don't get me wrong, the Global knives we have are very nice and I use them every day I'm at home. I just don't love the one-piece construction since the steel handles can get slippery sometimes. So just wanting to try a different brand.

[JD Spydo]

Have you looked at the Bradford knives culinary knives? I have their paring knife and chef knife in M390, and they're pretty good (and might just be in your budget range).

Without a doubt the best kitchen knives I've ever used are the TRC Knives Equilibrium (chef's knife) and KO (kitchen utility size), but they're super hard to find, and probably not right for a cabin (occasional use) because of their price point.

> X50CrMoV15, VG-Max, MBS-26. How do they compare with BD1N, VG-10, and Superblue

I wouldn't go with Super Blue. There are too many random people in kitchens who don't know how to care for carbon steel.

X50CrMov15 is a typical mass market kitchen knife steel. It prioritizes stain resistance, and is usually run soft so the edge holding will definitely underwhelm a knife person.

VG-Max is supposed to be a proprietary improvement to VG-10. I haven't used it personally, though, so I can't say what it will be like. I've used other Shun knives in the kitchen and been pretty happy with them, though.

MBS-26 is going to have less edge holding than either BD1n or VG-10.



I have a BD1n chef knife (this one: https://www.amazon.com/DROP-Massdrop-Ap ... B07ZJSY9ZH) that's pretty good (although at this point not even in service because it's utterly outclassed by the higher end knives in our kitchen). For the price it's great though, and would definitely be a good fit for your cabin use (and budget). I'm not sure if there is a matching set or not, but if the same company made the other knives you want, I'd recommend it.

How about Aus10A steel? Is it a significant improvement over Aus8?

I've only ever owned two Spyderco folders that had AUS-10. And to be honest it never really impressed me to the point to where I wanted to own other folders made with that steel. And I noticed that Spyderco never really pushed it much after making those older stainless handled NATIVE models with it. Now AUS-8 has been one of my favorites for several years but particularly in serrated blades. It's not bad for plain edged blades but it really does well with serrated blades IMO. My full SE, AUS-8 Catcherman model is one of my most used knives in the kitchen and has been since about 2002.

To get right to the point I've found that with the advent of VG-10 blade steel and especially in the late 90s/early 2000s seemed to completely replace a lot of those earlier blade steels that Spyderco used in their early going. I even liked the ATS-55 blade steel better than those AUS steels. I'm not a metallurgist>> all of that was just based on actually using those steels over the years. Good luck and keep us posted

[JD Spydo]

Even though you don't seem to like Global I think they are very well made and fit the bill for most home kitchens. I own several and they are used by my wife and I stick to the pieces I made over the years. I am very partial to the performance of high carbon, however most people would not appreciate the high maintenance.

Don't get me wrong, the Global knives we have are very nice and I use them every day I'm at home. I just don't love the one-piece construction since the steel handles can get slippery sometimes. So just wanting to try a different brand.

When it comes to the handles I can't beat the German made kitchen knives I've gotten in the past 10 years. Particularly my J.A. Henckels, Wustoff and Messermeister culinary knives >> as well as their rock solid, overall construction. And most of those I mentioned are units I luckily found at two local thrift stores. Another German made knife that I find has awesome quality is the F. Dick line of culinary knives. Also F. Dick has about the best sharpening steels and other accessories as well.

When it comes to culinary type knives I've not ever found an internet dealer that knows his stuff like the guy who has the one website "www.theknifemerchant.com">> he made his living early on as a professional chef and I've found that most of the stuff I've learned off of his website over the years is solid information. Not to mention he carries the best lines of culinary knives I've ever seen.

[JuPaul]

Have you looked at the Bradford knives culinary knives? I have their paring knife and chef knife in M390, and they're pretty good (and might just be in your budget range).

Without a doubt the best kitchen knives I've ever used are the TRC Knives Equilibrium (chef's knife) and KO (kitchen utility size), but they're super hard to find, and probably not right for a cabin (occasional use) because of their price point.

> X50CrMoV15, VG-Max, MBS-26. How do they compare with BD1N, VG-10, and Superblue

I wouldn't go with Super Blue. There are too many random people in kitchens who don't know how to care for carbon steel.

X50CrMov15 is a typical mass market kitchen knife steel. It prioritizes stain resistance, and is usually run soft so the edge holding will definitely underwhelm a knife person.

VG-Max is supposed to be a proprietary improvement to VG-10. I haven't used it personally, though, so I can't say what it will be like. I've used other Shun knives in the kitchen and been pretty happy with them, though.

MBS-26 is going to have less edge holding than either BD1n or VG-10.



I have a BD1n chef knife (this one: https://www.amazon.com/DROP-Massdrop-Ap ... B07ZJSY9ZH) that's pretty good (although at this point not even in service because it's utterly outclassed by the higher end knives in our kitchen). For the price it's great though, and would definitely be a good fit for your cabin use (and budget). I'm not sure if there is a matching set or not, but if the same company made the other knives you want, I'd recommend it.

How about Aus10A steel? Is it a significant improvement over Aus8?

I've only ever owned two Spyderco folders that had AUS-10. And to be honest it never really impressed me to the point to where I wanted to own other folders made with that steel. And I noticed that Spyderco never really pushed it much after making those older stainless handled NATIVE models with it. Now AUS-8 has been one of my favorites for several years but particularly in serrated blades. It's not bad for plain edged blades but it really does well with serrated blades IMO. My full SE, AUS-8 Catcherman model is one of my most used knives in the kitchen and has been since about 2002.

To get right to the point I've found that with the advent of VG-10 blade steel and especially in the late 90s/early 2000s seemed to completely replace a lot of those earlier blade steels that Spyderco used in their early going. I even liked the ATS-55 blade steel better than those AUS steels. I'm not a metallurgist>> all of that was just based on actually using those steels over the years. Good luck and keep us posted

Thanks, JD. We ended up getting three Shun knives in vg-Max. They arrived super sharp, and we've only used them for two weekends now, so it's too soon to really comment. But my initial impressions are good, although my husband thinks the 8" chef's knife is too heavy and the handle is too thick (compared to the 8" Global it is about 30% heavier). It's looking likely that we'll add a 6" chef's knife or similar since we both are really loving the utility and paring knives in hand.

[benben]

Have you looked at the Bradford knives culinary knives? I have their paring knife and chef knife in M390, and they're pretty good (and might just be in your budget range).

Without a doubt the best kitchen knives I've ever used are the TRC Knives Equilibrium (chef's knife) and KO (kitchen utility size), but they're super hard to find, and probably not right for a cabin (occasional use) because of their price point.

> X50CrMoV15, VG-Max, MBS-26. How do they compare with BD1N, VG-10, and Superblue

I wouldn't go with Super Blue. There are too many random people in kitchens who don't know how to care for carbon steel.

X50CrMov15 is a typical mass market kitchen knife steel. It prioritizes stain resistance, and is usually run soft so the edge holding will definitely underwhelm a knife person.

VG-Max is supposed to be a proprietary improvement to VG-10. I haven't used it personally, though, so I can't say what it will be like. I've used other Shun knives in the kitchen and been pretty happy with them, though.

MBS-26 is going to have less edge holding than either BD1n or VG-10.



I have a BD1n chef knife (this one: https://www.amazon.com/DROP-Massdrop-Ap ... B07ZJSY9ZH) that's pretty good (although at this point not even in service because it's utterly outclassed by the higher end knives in our kitchen). For the price it's great though, and would definitely be a good fit for your cabin use (and budget). I'm not sure if there is a matching set or not, but if the same company made the other knives you want, I'd recommend it.

How about Aus10A steel? Is it a significant improvement over Aus8?

I've only ever owned two Spyderco folders that had AUS-10. And to be honest it never really impressed me to the point to where I wanted to own other folders made with that steel. And I noticed that Spyderco never really pushed it much after making those older stainless handled NATIVE models with it. Now AUS-8 has been one of my favorites for several years but particularly in serrated blades. It's not bad for plain edged blades but it really does well with serrated blades IMO. My full SE, AUS-8 Catcherman model is one of my most used knives in the kitchen and has been since about 2002.

To get right to the point I've found that with the advent of VG-10 blade steel and especially in the late 90s/early 2000s seemed to completely replace a lot of those earlier blade steels that Spyderco used in their early going. I even liked the ATS-55 blade steel better than those AUS steels. I'm not a metallurgist>> all of that was just based on actually using those steels over the years. Good luck and keep us posted

Thanks, JD. We ended up getting three Shun knives in vg-Max. They arrived super sharp, and we've only used them for two weekends now, so it's too soon to really comment. But my initial impressions are good, although my husband thinks the 8" chef's knife is too heavy and the handle is too thick (compared to the 8" Global it is about 30% heavier). It's looking likely that we'll add a 6" chef's knife or similar since we both are really loving the utility and paring knives in hand.

Get the small Santoku, I promise you'll love it! And I've been meaning to ask if you had gotten your new Shun's in and what you thought?

[TomAiello]

I'd be very interested to hear your thoughts on VG-Max. I'm curious if the edge holding is noticeably better than VG-10, and also how the edge stability is (did they raise the HRC but lose stability?).

[JuPaul]

I'd be very interested to hear your thoughts on VG-Max. I'm curious if the edge holding is noticeably better than VG-10, and also how the edge stability is (did they raise the HRC but lose stability?).

I'll report back once we've used them a while. I wish I had a kitchen knife or larger knife in vg10 to compare. Maybe I need to get a Street Bowie. You know, for experimental purposes.

[benben]

Wifey bought me a Shun “wide” paring knife, I probably used it 5 or 6 times yesterday, it’s so thin behind the edge, it’s a razor!

This is my 3rd Shun, I’m a fan!

[JD Spydo]

I'd be very interested to hear your thoughts on VG-Max. I'm curious if the edge holding is noticeably better than VG-10, and also how the edge stability is (did they raise the HRC but lose stability?).

I'm willing to bet with that Prefix it's most likely in the same family and made by the same company as VG-10. I seen on one website that one company uses another name for VG-10>> they call it CMV60. But that's not unusual for a steel to go by more than one designation or label.

I'm willing to bet that those SHUN knives with VG-Max are VG-10 blades. Let me know if I'm wrong.

[ameliasolis]

I'm looking for a good kitchen knife set that is not too overpriced. I'm not looking for any crazy features, just good, solid knives that stay sharp and are easy to sharpen when needed.