I need a new 210mm chef/gyuto, a paring knife, and a 5.5-6.5" Santoku. Those are the knives I use, and I'd like to get some awesome ones that I can buy for the rest of my life and never have to think about again.
I'd rather stay away from softer German knives and lean towards Japanese.
Should I:
1) Shun Classic - $$325 - owned by KAI with a lifetime warranty, so if anything ever happens, they're replaced. I've read heat treat and the knives in general leave a bit to be desired for the price and are generally a bit overpriced. The main reason to go this route is the no questions warranty.
2) Tojiro DP - $155 - Pretty well regarded as the best entry level Japanese knives and an awesome bang for the buck. Not as pretty as the higher end stuff or Shun, but at least on par if not exceeding Shun in regards to performance and heat treat.
3) Masamoto, Tanaka, Kohetsu, Masakage, Kurosake, or other high end Japanese... - $500ish - Pretty much top of the line stuff. But I'm having a really hard time justifying this. I'm not a professional chef, and I'm struggling to see what these would do that the Tojiros wouldn't.
I'd rather stay away from softer German knives and lean towards Japanese.
Should I:
1) Shun Classic - $$325 - owned by KAI with a lifetime warranty, so if anything ever happens, they're replaced. I've read heat treat and the knives in general leave a bit to be desired for the price and are generally a bit overpriced. The main reason to go this route is the no questions warranty.
2) Tojiro DP - $155 - Pretty well regarded as the best entry level Japanese knives and an awesome bang for the buck. Not as pretty as the higher end stuff or Shun, but at least on par if not exceeding Shun in regards to performance and heat treat.
3) Masamoto, Tanaka, Kohetsu, Masakage, Kurosake, or other high end Japanese... - $500ish - Pretty much top of the line stuff. But I'm having a really hard time justifying this. I'm not a professional chef, and I'm struggling to see what these would do that the Tojiros wouldn't.
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