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Post by razorseal on Nov 20, 2018 0:25:33 GMT
Hey guys, I'm new here and not very experienced in cooking, or cooking knives... I do have decent knowledge on sword style blades which I think this is a cool gift idea. Wife enjoys and loves cooking, and does like better equipment for cooking... However she doesn't have a good cooking knife (we have your regular ja henckels knife set). So me always trying to get her unique gifts for christmas, I thought about a very nice chef knife (about 7 inch long). She was just talking about how her mom wants a cutco and she might get her one of those, so I know I'm on the right track. She thinks those are very good knives and my research has told me otherwise... so when I present her with what I get, I want to explain her why what she got her mom is so inferior to what I got her... now that the story is out of the way, I'm looking for suggestions on what chef knife to get her. my budget is 300-400 dollars for the knife. I have been looking at this one - www.etsy.com/listing/645011801/775-chef-knife-hand-forged-from-80crv-2?ref=shop_home_active_4and also this one... www.etsy.com/listing/560712027/carbon-steel-7-blade-chef-knife-with?ref=shop_home_active_16Not sure if you know who that smith is, but he's a smith that has been on Forged in Fire, winning 1st place 3 times and coming in 2nd twice. Pretty good from what I've heard of him. Not sure if he's on here. (I found him here actually while looking for custom smiths) So any suggestions you can point me to? I would think 300-400 dollars is a decent budget for a chef's knife. Let me know!
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stormmaster
Member
I like viking/migration era swords
Posts: 7,647
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Post by stormmaster on Nov 20, 2018 0:33:17 GMT
dragonbreathforge is really high quality and Matthew in particular is awesome, I really like the silver inlayed knife as it just makes it that much more unique and u wont be disappointed with them, they are up there in quality
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stormmaster
Member
I like viking/migration era swords
Posts: 7,647
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Post by stormmaster on Nov 20, 2018 0:35:16 GMT
make sure to pat dry the knife after ever use as it is carbon steel and lightly oil it if u dont use it daily
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Post by razorseal on Nov 20, 2018 1:09:13 GMT
make sure to pat dry the knife after ever use as it is carbon steel and lightly oil it if u dont use it daily Yup, I will explain that to her. This thing is to be used, then dried and put away with very light veg oil on it. now what is the diff between his 80crv2 and the 1080 steel? I know 1080, but not familiar with the 80crv2. sounds like some battery lol. I'm gonna see if I can call him tomorrow and order it. Also will ask if he can maybe custom one with her initials on the steel or handle.
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Post by Cosmoline on Nov 20, 2018 1:24:00 GMT
I strongly recommend SHUN knives. One of those is worth a box of lesser blades. They are my kitchen katanas ;-) You don't need to pamper them but they cut extremely well and hold an edge. They are a step down from the custom blades you are looking at, but they can be thrown in the dishwasher and abused.
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stormmaster
Member
I like viking/migration era swords
Posts: 7,647
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Post by stormmaster on Nov 20, 2018 1:32:20 GMT
make sure to pat dry the knife after ever use as it is carbon steel and lightly oil it if u dont use it daily Yup, I will explain that to her. This thing is to be used, then dried and put away with very light veg oil on it. now what is the diff between his 80crv2 and the 1080 steel? I know 1080, but not familiar with the 80crv2. sounds like some battery lol. I'm gonna see if I can call him tomorrow and order it. Also will ask if he can maybe custom one with her initials on the steel or handle. 80crv2 is similar to 5160, 1080 is perfectly fine steel as well and it just depends on your preferences
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Post by WVfishguy on Nov 20, 2018 2:06:08 GMT
With all my carbon steel blades, I rinse off with 90% rubbing alcohol, dry it, and oil it. The alcohol will penetrate small spaces you can't get to, combine with water and evaporate. And it kills (some) germs.
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Post by razorseal on Nov 20, 2018 6:45:26 GMT
So I also posted this in a chef forum and I was told that this length of a blade should be 1095, and not 1080. 1095 also takes more skill and that could be why this smith isn't using it. They also pointed out that he is a ABS and not master smith and that this might not be forged, but cut then sharpened. I was told to check out Richard Furrer and his wootz stuff. Also was told to look at Wakui Gyuto which is hand forged by a master smith.
again... I'm doing research and don't need to get anything by today's end or anything. I would love wootz steel and go upto 500 dollars, if you can recommend anyone.
I understand this is probably overkill, but it's something nice for the wife and I have the funds to spend it.
that being said, I'm going to get baltimore knife sword build me a sword as well. I'm ending 2018 with a bang LOL
Thoughts on that guys?
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stormmaster
Member
I like viking/migration era swords
Posts: 7,647
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Post by stormmaster on Nov 20, 2018 7:32:18 GMT
It's actually based on what steel the Smith prefers to use and how they temper it that matters more then the steel itself, u might want to ask the smith if it was forged or stock removal but honestly it does not make much of a difference with the high quality of steel we get nowadays and I think his price is fair, if u asked him to make u one from 1095 he probably could make a completely custom one
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Post by Adrian Jordan on Nov 20, 2018 7:47:13 GMT
I'm not sure why that particular length would dictate whether it should be 1080 or 1095, that seems odd to me. I can understand recommending 1095 over 1080 since it would be harder and keep an edge longer than 1080, assuming that they were both given ideal heat treatments for their intended use. I also don't think that the makers use of 1080 denotes a lack of skill, just a preference. Lots of Journeymen-level makers make some really incredible stuff, so I'd not turn my nose up at him just because he isn't a Master rated smith yet. Forum member Mikeeman is a smith that does a lot of work with kitchen knives, you could ask him about it and he'd probably have better answers than I could give. He also might be able to make you something in your budget that you could order custom.
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Post by Timo Nieminen on Nov 20, 2018 8:04:50 GMT
Sure, they might be stock-removal knives rather than forged knives. Does that matter to you? If so, don't get them. 1080 and 80CrV2 are far from top-of-the-line steels for kitchen knives. If you want something unique, and are willing to pay a large premium for that uniqueness, and you like these knives, they might be OK. Personally, I'd want to know their weight. The 80CrV2 knife at least has a photo showing the choil end-on (and therefore showing you the grind), and it looks OK. I wouldn't buy these. Not-great steel, too many unknown details, and I can get a better performing knife for 1/3 the price (maybe less). I don't place enough value on "unique" to pay that much more for what is likely to be worse performance than a much cheaper off-the-shelf knife. Also was told to look at Wakui Gyuto which is hand forged by a master smith. If you go Japanese, there are many excellent options. A 180mm Wakui gyuto would be an excellent options: www.knivesandstones.com/wakui-gyuto-180mm-white-2-stainless-clad/ and there are many other great choices. Some that I'd consider in that length: www.chefknivestogo.com/haaswagy21.htmlwww.chefknivestogo.com/kavgnagy18.htmlwww.chefknivestogo.com/kosldgy18.htmlwww.chefknivestogo.com/makivggy18.htmlIf buying for myself, I'd cheap out as far as fit & finish goes, and get something sub-$100, like: www.ebay.com/itm/Japanese-GEKKO-Blue-Steel-No-2-Kurouchi-Bunka-Knife-170mm-1614/372496282707www.ebay.com/itm/Japanese-GEKKO-White-Steel-No-2-Kurouchi-Gyuto-Chef-Knife-180mm-C1-Handle-1502/372481013915
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Post by Sir Thorfinn on Nov 20, 2018 15:34:35 GMT
I have a couple Shun knives, and LOVE them. And I am a total knife steel nerd. I've grossly over paid for a few (non-Shun) that I ultimately was disappointed with, but Shun seems to be best bang for the buck. Look for their blue or white steel blades, and pick whichever you think she'd like
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Post by razorseal on Nov 20, 2018 17:40:37 GMT
Timo, thanks for that! I like that Kato Nashiji Suminagashi Gyuto and the Masakage Kiri VG-10 Gyuto. I guess I'm leaning towards damascus/folded style stuff for the aesthetics too. While doing my research I also just ran into Bob Kramer Damascus SS chef's knife too. it's western which means she'd be familiar with it. It's also double these japanese gyutos we've been looking at... Doing research on that one now.
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Post by Cosmoline on Nov 20, 2018 21:14:30 GMT
I have a couple Shun knives, and LOVE them. And I am a total knife steel nerd. I've grossly over paid for a few (non-Shun) that I ultimately was disappointed with, but Shun seems to be best bang for the buck. Look for their blue or white steel blades, and pick whichever you think she'd like :) I've had the same experience.
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Post by Timo Nieminen on Nov 20, 2018 21:35:49 GMT
My experience with Shun is that they're good knives, but far from the best bang for the buck. They're big-brand knives, and you pay a big-brand tax as a result. It's possible to get similar performance (and sometimes similar pretty-pretty) for half the price, while staying with Japanese knives (similar Chinese-made knives are often quite cheap, but heat treatment and quality control are not so reliable - 1/4 the price of Shun for potentially the same performance).
They can be excellent bang-for-the-buck compared to high-end Western knives. Reliable and consistent F&F, and, reportedly, excellent warranty and support.
Heavy handles, compared to traditional Japanese knives (at least, for the Shun Classic).
I didn't know that they did a white line. Which knives?
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Post by bebut on Nov 20, 2018 22:26:52 GMT
Not all Henckels are the same. We had a full set of Henckels/Spain for decades and were quite happy with them till I picked up some Four Star at a thrift shop and sharpened them up. Amazing difference! We use the Four stars and my Tojiro nakiri daily but hide them when we have paid help or relatives over.
And different strokes for different folks, we have a full set but we both use an 8 inch slicer, a santoku, or the nakiri for just about everything.
I gave a pair of Shun traditionals to a relative who was dazzled by the feel and quality, but said they were too nice to use. I hope he has used them by now.
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Post by razorseal on Nov 20, 2018 23:19:28 GMT
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Post by Timo Nieminen on Nov 20, 2018 23:53:55 GMT
You won't go wrong with a Shun. Good knives. The Hiro you link looks good. The Classic line is also good. You pay extra for the Shun name, and for support and warranty (which can be useful!), and you pay extra for looks that don't add to the raw function, but they're still good knives. The Shun Hiro paring knife is a pretty knife, and less than twice the price of the Yaxell you link (both of which cost more than I'd pay for a paring knife). For smaller Japanese knives, don't just look at paring knives. Look at petty knives: www.chefknivestogo.com/petty-knives.html
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Post by Croccifixio on Nov 21, 2018 13:43:20 GMT
Matthew Parkinson is taking his ABS mastersmith test right now and I'm 99% sure he's going to pass.
That said I'd actually go to one of the kitchen knife specialists like Mikeeman or if you want high end, a Murray Carter or something
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Post by Sir Thorfinn on Nov 21, 2018 14:58:18 GMT
My experience with Shun is that they're good knives, but far from the best bang for the buck. They're big-brand knives, and you pay a big-brand tax as a result. It's possible to get similar performance (and sometimes similar pretty-pretty) for half the price, while staying with Japanese knives (similar Chinese-made knives are often quite cheap, but heat treatment and quality control are not so reliable - 1/4 the price of Shun for potentially the same performance). They can be excellent bang-for-the-buck compared to high-end Western knives. Reliable and consistent F&F, and, reportedly, excellent warranty and support. Heavy handles, compared to traditional Japanese knives (at least, for the Shun Classic). I didn't know that they did a white line. Which knives? Premier line I think. My blue steel one that I just love is a Shun VG0015 Blue 9" Slicing Knife. For the record though...my *go-to* kitchen knife is a Shun DM0743 Classic Gokujo Boning and Fillet, 6-Inch. That particular line has a good weight, and fits my hand quite nicely, though I think the line is made for right handed folks. Good stuff...
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