Need kitchen knife recommendations!

[JuPaul]

I come to the experts for advice...my husband wants a new set of kitchen knives for our cabin and gave me the green light to pick them out. We've got a set of Global knives at home that he picked, but I don't love the all one-piece construction, and I'm not sure I want another convex ground set. So, looking for a small set in the kinda middle $200-300 price range, ideally with at least a paring knife, a small chef's knife, and a large chef's knife.

Any suggestions?

In a perfect world, I'd buy the Spyderco Murray Carter Superblue knives and call it a day, but they're more than hubby wants to spend. So I've been looking at Shun, Boker, Henckels, but I have no idea which brands to trust. I'm also not as familiar with the common kitchen knife steels like X50CrMoV15, VG-Max, MBS-26. How do they compare with BD1N, VG-10, and Superblue on the spyderco kitchen knives?

Thanks for any help or advice!

[SG89]

Shun classic, j. A. Henckels, victorinox, I don't like matched sets bc i prefer certain brands over others in different knife types

[jpm2]

A lot of people like Victorinox kitchen knives. We have a few of the fibrox line.

[TomAiello]

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.

[Karl_H]

I would suggest checking out Chefknivestogo.com. Similar super blue offerings to the Murray Carter collaboration, but with more options and cheaper prices.

I just bought a Hap-40 Bunka from them (https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kohabu17.html).

[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.

Thank you! Really helpful info. We're at our cabin a lot, and do quite a bit of cooking there, but as you say, other random people join us out there a lot (or they did before all this craziness), so we probably don't want anything too high end or non-stainless.

[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?

[The Mastiff]

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

Hello Julia. It should have better wear resistance than Aus8. It's a modified 440C and has wear resistance more like VG 10 or 154cm than Aus8. It is a little less chippy than 440C as well so it's a fairly good stainless for such chores. Not bad sharpening too.

Joe

[JD Spydo]

Shun classic, j. A. Henckels, victorinox, I don't like matched sets bc i prefer certain brands over others in different knife types

Yeah I'm kind of that way myself. I have a real potpourri of kitchen/culinary knives that I've gathered at thrift stores, garage sales and on Bladeforums over the years. I've got everything from Wustof, J.A. Henckels, Boker, Ontario, Victorinox. I've also got 3 fillet knives I like including my dearly beloved Spyderco Catcherman in full SE.

If you need to buy a complete set just to save time I would recommend Wustof. They are a German made knife with impeccable quality. I would even try to buy them from a culinary supply outlet like Ambrosi Brothers, or better yet there is a great internet dealer that is known as the "Knife Merchant" ( www.knifemerchant.com) and I've had great luck dealing with them over the years.
There is one other German company that I have high regard for and that is F. Dick and their website is ( fdick.de) . Let us know what you decide on.
Oh one other note>> Spyderco has had a really nice array of kitchen knives over the years but many of them are discontinued. Anything with Spyderco's name on it I've had really good results with as well.

[Doc Dan]

I have a set of Forschner knives (made by Victorinox). I bought them because a chef showed me an article comparing such knives for chefs and for the money they rated the best. I use the Spyderco paring knife and a couple of Spyderco ZCut paring knives and I’m happy. The Forschners have thin slicey blades.

[James Y]

I do all of my own cooking. The only knives I use in the kitchen are made by Victorinox. They have the nylon (Fibrox?) handles. I own five of them: A 7” santoku; two paring knives (one plain, one serrated), a small hooked fruit knife, and a blunt-tipped serrated utility. I use the santoku and the pairing knives the most, followed by the fruit knife. Of the two paring knives, the serrated one is especially amazing. I don’t own a complete set or anything, just the knives I use. The most expensive one, the santoku, only cost me about $40 at a cooking supply store some years ago.

They aren’t sexy or anything, but I love Victorinox knives, and they are easy as pie to maintain. When the edges start to lose their bite, it literally only takes a few seconds to restore the edge on my Sharpmaker. The blades are super-thin and cut extremely well.

Jim

[TomAiello]

Another inexpensive brand that cuts well just based on edge geometry is Opinel.

[benben]

I'm a huge fan of Shun, I only have two of them but between the two they get 90% of the kitchen duties. On vacation last month in Sevierville I went to SMKW twice, Sal's line of high end kitchen knives are super nice, I got to handle 3 or 4 of them and was more than impressed!

I want this one next!
https://www.spyderco.com/catalog/detail ... Petty/1825

[JuPaul]

Thank you everyone! We decided to go with the Shun Classic knives. I'm comfortable with vg-10 steel (vg-max, in this case), and my husband and I both liked the blade shapes and overall style. Got the paring knife, the 6" utility, and the 8" chef's knife.

At some point, though, I'm going to spring for one of the Spyderco Murray Carter knives for our kitchen at home. The Funayuki is probably my favorite - just about my ideal size and shape for an all-around kitchen knife.

[benben]

Thank you everyone! We decided to go with the Shun Classic knives. I'm comfortable with vg-10 steel (vg-max, in this case), and my husband and I both liked the blade shapes and overall style. Got the paring knife, the 6" utility, and the 8" chef's knife.

At some point, though, I'm going to spring for one of the Spyderco Murray Carter knives for our kitchen at home. The Funayuki is probably my favorite - just about my ideal size and shape for an all-around kitchen knife.

You're going to love the Shun's! No Santoku?? My 5.5" Shun Santoku is a knife I'd have a hard time living without now!

[JuPaul]

Thank you everyone! We decided to go with the Shun Classic knives. I'm comfortable with vg-10 steel (vg-max, in this case), and my husband and I both liked the blade shapes and overall style. Got the paring knife, the 6" utility, and the 8" chef's knife.

At some point, though, I'm going to spring for one of the Spyderco Murray Carter knives for our kitchen at home. The Funayuki is probably my favorite - just about my ideal size and shape for an all-around kitchen knife.

You're going to love the Shun's! No Santoku?? My 5.5" Shun Santoku is a knife I'd have a hard time living without now!

Yeah, my husband wanted the utility knife in that size range over the santoku, but I'd definitely consider adding that one or the 6" chef's knife down the road. They all look like excellent knives - it was hard to pick only 3!

[TomAiello]

Let us know what you think of VG-Max. I've been very pleased with my Shun knives, but I've never tried their VG-Max.

[benben]

Thank you everyone! We decided to go with the Shun Classic knives. I'm comfortable with vg-10 steel (vg-max, in this case), and my husband and I both liked the blade shapes and overall style. Got the paring knife, the 6" utility, and the 8" chef's knife.

At some point, though, I'm going to spring for one of the Spyderco Murray Carter knives for our kitchen at home. The Funayuki is probably my favorite - just about my ideal size and shape for an all-around kitchen knife.

You're going to love the Shun's! No Santoku?? My 5.5" Shun Santoku is a knife I'd have a hard time living without now!

Yeah, my husband wanted the utility knife in that size range over the santoku, but I'd definitely consider adding that one or the 6" chef's knife down the road. They all look like excellent knives - it was hard to pick only 3!

Just looked up the 6" utility knife, looks like it'll be very useful! My wife just bought me the classic 4" paring knife, I just thought my Santoku was sharp......that paring knife is a razor, so careful!

[JuPaul]

Thank you everyone! We decided to go with the Shun Classic knives. I'm comfortable with vg-10 steel (vg-max, in this case), and my husband and I both liked the blade shapes and overall style. Got the paring knife, the 6" utility, and the 8" chef's knife.

At some point, though, I'm going to spring for one of the Spyderco Murray Carter knives for our kitchen at home. The Funayuki is probably my favorite - just about my ideal size and shape for an all-around kitchen knife.

You're going to love the Shun's! No Santoku?? My 5.5" Shun Santoku is a knife I'd have a hard time living without now!

Yeah, my husband wanted the utility knife in that size range over the santoku, but I'd definitely consider adding that one or the 6" chef's knife down the road. They all look like excellent knives - it was hard to pick only 3!

Just looked up the 6" utility knife, looks like it'll be very useful! My wife just bought me the classic 4" paring knife, I just thought my Santoku was sharp......that paring knife is a razor, so careful!

I think my husband is most excited for the paring knife - he can't eat an apple without one. I will warn him! He loves the blade profile like on the utility for meat prep, though, and our smoker is his favorite toy, so he does a lot of that. I tend to like the chef's knives and santoku-style profiles best.

[TomAiello]

> 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.