My wife recently informed me that we have had the same crappy knives for the past 50 years and she would like to have one really good kitchen knife in her lifetime. I guess that’s not too much to ask. So, what will it cost me, where will I look and how will I recognize a “really good kitchen knife”? I think I’m looking for a larger knife…chef’s knife, I guess. Any help will be appreciated.
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I collect pocket knives and haven’t really put a lot of thought into kitchen knives over the years… But many of the principles are the same.
Quality design and quality steel are going to be where you focus on your purchase… I which I had some recommendations for you, but I don’t. I will say they DON’T have to be super expensive to be good knives.
You’re going to want to look for things like a distal taper when you look down the spine of the knife - thicker at the handle and gradually thinning to the tip. You’ll want something that is ground fairly thin at the edge - geometry beats steel & sharpness, especially over the life of the knife. A grip that fits the hand when you’re in your “cutting position,” not just something that feels good when you’re holding it like a sword - be sure to consider how it feels when you’re choked up on the handle with your thumb & forefinger pinching the blade, like doing lighter, more precise cutting.
Maintenance - this will be a huge change for ANY knife if you’re not already familiar with it. You don’t need to regularly run it on stones, hone it or even strop it all the time if you learn how to set a good edge bevel and can maintain it regularly with light passes on a steel or a ceramic rod. Too thin and it will dull and/or chip easily, too thick and it will require more work for routine cutting tasks.
Again, sorry I don’t have any solid recommends - I use cr@p kitchen knives and I’m always balancing my sharpening & maintenance thanks to some hammer-fisted folks in the house who think my knives are pry bars…
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Such a huge range to choose from.
The large German/US type are usually softer steel. And heavier in the hand.
The Japanese “lower” priced brands are thinner and lighter.
And sharpened to a finer angle. The edge won’t stand up to hard use on a plastic cutting board.
Also take into consideration how it’s going to be sharpened.
Global has some reasonably priced knives.
Take a look at
My wife likes the 7" Santoku Knife.
All the Best,
Jeff
I don’t consider myself a knife noob, but I do own and appreciate a variety of good knives both culinary and carry, and sharpen them myself, mostly on whetstones and steels.
Our house’s favorite brand of kitchen knives is Shun. They are expensive, and you get what you pay for. We just recently picked up their drop-handle bread knife, and it’s nothing short of jaw-dropping. We have maybe 10 high quality kitchen knives, and the three Shuns we have see 90% of the use. I would eventually like to replace all our kitchen knives with 4-5 Shuns.
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Also consider the steel.
The harder tempered - like VG-10 will be harder to sharpen but once there hold a wicked edge.
Many of the sellers list the knife hardness.
The gold standard are Henckels. Many variations.
If you want a set for life you are looking at $1000 or more.
Many people think they want the best until they see the price.
In NL scientists warn about microplastics (in our body) and plastic soup (in the oceans).
They discovered that make-up and plastic cutting boards are a source of micro plastics.
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Do you have a price range. Good Gyuto (their version of a chef’s knife) or European chef knives can be had for from $20 to a few thousand dollars. All depending on how they are made, who makes them, handle type, blade steel, etc.
So how much do you want to spend?
What size would you want? The Gyuto and Chefs Knives come in a variety of lengths. I find the 210 mm Gyuto to be fine, but many love the 240 mm length. So what will be the main things you use it for?
I personally like the Gyuto style knives better. They are lighter and thinner. I think, easier to handle. Personally I am not a fan of the Henckels. But really I have only used some of their less expensive lines.
This might be a place to start:
It is not very expensive, you won’t get the fancy wood handle (I like the G10 better for durability and its ability to be cleaned better). But you will get a knife with a good design made from a good steel. at 63 HRC (Hardness, Rockwell C) it will hold an edge for a long time. They come out of the box very sharp. If nothing else, it may be a starting point to determine what you are actually looking for, without spending hundreds of dollars.
BTW, I have two of the Artifex Gyotos (210mm). One in the BD1N and on in M390. Unfortunately they don’t seem to have the M390 knife anymore. If they did, I would recommend it. But the BD1N is not far behind. Good knives to get into the higher end cutting experience without breaking the bank.
BTW, look around their site. They carry lots of knives and have good descriptions of them. Look under the resources category for some good info…or check their forums.
Depends on the price
Look at Mercer genesis 10" or 6" chefs knife on Amazon about $60
Bradford knives also has a great one at $250
This is for life, and I mean you, your kids, and so on.
The German knives run about 56-58 Rockwell.
Easy to sharpen and tough.
The harder Japanese blades can get into the 62ish Rockwell.
Care must be used to not chip the edge.
As someone who has many feet of the twins (Henckels / Wusthof ) I find the thinner harder knives better suited for slicing.
Heavy cutting/chopping I go for the fatherland.
Now Americas test kitchen has some thoughts and reviews
ATK Product Reviews | Kitchen Equipment Reviews | America’s Test Kitchen (americastestkitchen.com)
All the Best,
Jeff
I’d stick with Henckels or Wüsthof.
Got both. Think my H is the conventional chef’s knife, and the W is a sudoko shape.
Good stuff, but not overly pricey.
'Though I gotta confess, when I’m going to be mincing on a ceramic plate or doing other abusive stuff to the blade, which is often, I go for the cheapie knives which are filet-knife thin, so I just give 'em a few more drags through a sharpener and not suffer physical pain doing so.
Goggled them: Kiwi. 8bux for a paring knife
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005ASPSU4/
Cheap crap, thin flimsy blades, raw unfinished wood handles, but happily suffer abuse and keep on coming back for more. And because the blades are so thin, they sharpen up like a razor.
Oh! Found the other one I got, a Kuma. A bit lighter than my other Good Knives, nice and sharp and keeps its edge nicely, too
It’s a pointier blade, more like a dagger, so has a different feel when cutting if you’re used to a more rounded blade.
I like them all, but I usually just use the same one I’ve was using last, and right now that’s usually the cheapie. Just sliced pepperoni on a Corelle plate, so… yeah.
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Also consider how tall the blade is. Some like a taller profile.
LB, we keep two sets - the nice ones and the dishwasher knives.
Often the dishwasher knives are the choice for the reasons you mentioned.
These things are the just awesome for general tasks and survive cutting against a plate. For 10 bucks a pop - can’t beat them.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005LRYEJU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
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Usually by now someone will mention carbon steel knives.
The favorite quote is
“The can be sharpened on the back side of a plate”
That came from Silence of the Lambs… 
The harder Japanese knives can whittle the steel off a German knife.
Well Almost…
Before you go down the road of thinking that more money equals better in a kitchen knife, there are a lot of things to consider. I have been down that road and back a few times.
Those expensive Japanese knives are pretty but they tend to not be stainless which is now a no go for me in a kitchen knife. Non stainless not only is a pain to care for but they can dull when the edge rusts. They can also impart metallic flavor to foods especially acidic foods like tomatoes or citrus. They can also leave grimy residue on your food. I used to be a HUGE fan of carbon steel but I’m just about over it. Modern stainless is so good, there is no need to deal with the carbon steels and their shortcomings.
I have an expensive Japanese petty knife that came insanely sharp but it has chips in the blade from light use. I think it chipped cutting vegetables. They are way too hard.
My advice is get a victornox Fibrox chef’s knife for $40. Or even cheaper, the Mercer 8” rubber and plastic handle chef knife for $25. I have lots and lots of kitchen knives and I love my Mercer. I think the Vixtronox is slightly better but both are amazing deals and are more comfortable than smooth hard handle knives.
As a side note, it sounds like your knives are just dull. All knives will go dull and if you sharpen them, they will be good as new unless they are really low quality knives.
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This is a good place to start.
Also as Speedsix says I wonder how sharp your current set is.
Most towns have a knife shop that offers sharpening services.
Surprisingly cheap. Like $5 a blade.
All the best,
Jeff
The Mercer comes in various colors. Make sure you get the one with the soft rubber inserts on the handles not the full plastic handle. It’s very light and comfortable and I feel it’s safer because when your hands are wet it doesn’t slip like most other knives.
Yeah, they are cheap but these are the knives you will find in professional kitchens a lot of times because they are really good for the money and are designed to be used. Out of all my kitchen knives, these get the most use. I grab the Mercer 9 out of 10 times because of its balance and sure grip. It’s not a super steel but occasionally honing it keeps the edge sharp enough. You don’t need a razor edge most of the time. It can be razor sharp but it doesn’t need to be.
Those Victorinox knives are fantastic!
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