Best kitchen knives?

[VUPDblue]

I have a set of Chicago Cutlery that I got back in about 2003 that I have been using faithfully for over a decade now and I think it's time to replace them. The ones I have are wooden handled knives and I don't really have any complaints about them other than the wood is much worse for wear than I would like so I am in the market for my next set. Considering that I expect to get a decade or more worth of use out of them, I don't mind paying for good quality knives. So, what are some brands I should be looking at?

 

[grunt soldier]

The best in my opinion for the money are the shun kitchen knives. They can be had for reasonable price. However for the money the esee/Becker kitchen knives are awesome. They aren't the best blade steel and might require a few more touch ups on the edge than the shuns but you can score a set for like 55-60 dollars. Knifelady had them on sale not to long ago for around that. 4 knives. Nice handles good thin grinds. Great warranty. Hard to beat for the money IMO and this is coming from me with a ton of custom kitchen knives where each one costs more than the whole esee set.

 

[chezuki]

These are simply badass.

Shun Cutlery

Also, Henckels and Wustoff make some great kitchen knives, but beware of the lower end ones you may find at Walmart or Meijer.

J.A. HENCKELS INTERNATIONAL

WÜSTHOF - HOME

 

[hoosierdaddy1976]

henckles

eta i see chezuki beat me to it. and he is right, the lower end ones you won't be happy with.

p.s. my chicago cutlery set is about 14 years old and still going strong.

 

[chezuki]

The best in my opinion for the money are the shun kitchen knives. They can be had for reasonable price. However for the money the esee/Becker kitchen knives are awesome. They aren't the best blade steel and might require a few more touch ups on the edge than the shuns but you can score a set for like 55-60 dollars. Knifelady had them on sale not to long ago for around that. 4 knives. Nice handles good thin grinds. Great warranty. Hard to beat for the money IMO and this is coming from me with a ton of custom kitchen knives where each one costs more than the whole esee set.

+1 on Shun, but as someone who used knives professionally for many years, I cannot recommend the "ESEE" branded knives. I used them very briefly when a co-worker picked up a set and they did not hold up well at all. They are almost identical to the generic cheapo NSF commercial kitchen knives you can pick up from GFS or Ed Don.

 

[findingZzero]

Cutco. $99 for a serrated bread knife. I had to buy them. My daughter was selling them. Great quality. This is the other daughter, not the one that walked away from the head on you responded to.

 

[jbombelli]

Another vote for Shun.

 

[sheriff125]

shun here too. have found some good deals on ebay. i would recommend just buying the ones you will use not a set.

 

[Limpy88]

Shun
Global
Wusthof
Henkel's. single man made brazil, double man made in Germany.
MAC

Those are mass produced name that professionals kitchens use.
But there are a ton custom Japanese knives that surpass those, not much more cost or same as the above.

Such as this
Blacksmith TAKEDA from Japan

Takeda shop has been in business since the 1920's. I met Shosui Takeda at blade show. His knives were so light compared to the others listed.

 

[Bapak2ja]

Cutco. $99 for a serrated bread knife. I had to buy them. My daughter was selling them. Great quality. This is the other daughter, not the one that walked away from the head on you responded to.

Ours are now on their 43rd year. Were sent back for free sharpening in 1995. Still cutting tomatoes without a hitch.

 

[grunt soldier]

+1 on Shun, but as someone who used knives professionally for many years, I cannot recommend the "ESEE" branded knives. I used them very briefly when a co-worker picked up a set and they did not hold up well at all. They are almost identical to the generic cheapo NSF commercial kitchen knives you can pick up from GFS or Ed Don.

I have had mine for over a year now and they are very solid knives for the money imo. I use knives daily also and these blades get used for about 2 meals a day. and they have been great for my wife (she uses them as she doesn't like to hand wash knives so she can't use my shuns)`. I run them on the steel and strop twice a week. and that's with them going through the dishwasher. are they shun's? hell no but they also cost nothing either.

 

[Snapdragon]

I splurged on the high-end Henckels, and I've never been sorry. It's a PITA not to be able to put them in the dishwasher, but worth it.

My set is similar to this one Zwilling J.A. Henckels Twin Four Star II Knife Block Set, 13-piece | cutleryandmore.com

 

[chezuki]

I have had mine for over a year now and they are very solid knives for the money imo. I use knives daily also and these blades get used for about 2 meals a day. and they have been great for my wife (she uses them as she doesn't like to hand wash knives so she can't use my shuns)`. I run them on the steel and strop twice a week. and that's with them going through the dishwasher. are they shun's? hell no but they also cost nothing either.

Coming from commercial kitchens, that's what I use as a reference. Those did not hold up to that kind of use. It's kind of like choosing a rifle, you don't intent to go to war with it, but it's nice to know the one you choose would handle it if you did.

1 high-end 8" Chef's knife or Santoku will do 95% of any knife work a home cook is likely to perform. I'd choose a 8" Shun over a full set of most knives.

VUPD said he doesn't mind paying for good quality, so I'd recommend doing just that one piece at a time starting with what's most useful.

 

[Snapdragon]

^^ What Chez said... I use my 8" chef knife and my 3" paring knife 95% of the time.

 

[Rookie]

I'll third Chezuki. I use a 7 inch santoku for almost everything. The only other knife that gets use is a 12 inch scimitar knife. My Santoku is a Henkel four star that I've had for twenty years.

I've also used Kasumi which makes titanium coated Santokus. Very nice knife, but I always end up going back to my Henkels.

 

[Fargo]

I use an 8 inch Shun Chef's knife for 90% of my cooking. Keep an eye open on WOOT.com as they have them on there with a good discount pretty regularly.

 

[Hexlobular]

I've been using Kyocera ceramic knives for vegetables and the like. The blades stay sharp for years as long as you keep them away from hard objects, like meat with bones. For tough stuff, I'd stick with a good Santoku; they're probably the most versatile out there.

 

[PoolQs]

Here is a report on some of the knives mentioned: Chef's Knives Rated - Equipment & Gear - Cooking For Engineers
This is a good article and worth reading all of it. I have been in the restaurant biz for over 30 and owned just about
every brand of knife. I personally like the Mac and the Miyabi over the Shun's.

If you are looking for a custom made set: blade steel, handle material, pins, bolsters, edge geometry, etc. I do build
custom chef knives. I am currently working on 2 sets for 2 country music personalities to be finished soon. Here are
the current designs that they specified:

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If you have any questions about production or custom chef knives, feel free to contact me via PM.
Best of luck on your hunt, Troy

 

[88GT]

I got a set of Henckels in 2002 as a wedding gift. They are still as good as Day 1, and they get regular use. Not all of them, but there are some that get used almost every day. I can't say they are better than others as I haven't been able to compare, but 12 years and as good as the day I opened them.

 

[actaeon277]

I also liked Cutco.
I bought a full set. Been using them over 10 years, maybe more.