# kitchen knife recommendations



## tocqueville (Nov 15, 2009)

My wife dropped a hint about the inadequacies of our current set of knives, so I was thinking that maybe I could start by getting her one really awesome knife. Any recommendations regarding general kind (i.e. size, form, etc.) and brands?

I know absolutely nothing about knives other than that they are best sharp and should not be thrown at people.


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## SG_67 (Mar 22, 2014)

The biggest consideration is comfort with use. At some level, all are made with excellent steel so don't be fooled by marketing gimmicks about forging techniques. For day to day use in a home you'll be fine. Japanese knives are good, but they are more brittle then say Wusthof knives. 

For what it's worth, we have the Wusthof Gran Prix set with one shun knife. We've had them for about 13 years and are very happy with them. And my wife is a great cook!


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## Langham (Nov 7, 2012)

If you can get a knife made in Sheffield I think that should serve quite well. The thing to avoid is high carbon stainless steel knives - they are very hard to keep sharp. I'm not too keen on Sabattier knives - the handles are rather brittle.


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## justonemore (Jul 2, 2009)

How skilled are you in the kitchen and how much are you willing to pay... There are a lot of great knives on the market.. The top hospitality school here gives their students a set by Swiss maker Wenger. I have seen Victnorex used in pro kitchens. High cost knives such as Henckels or Wusthof classic lines are usually highly prized. The newest fad are Japanese blades which can also run hundreds of dollars per knife. Comfort and skill will play highlz into the topic. Go to a decent knife store and handle the different names available.


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## SG_67 (Mar 22, 2014)

I think many of the retailers and manufacturers have honed (no pun intended) in on a market for high end Japanese knives.

They're marketed as the end all be all and while Japan does have a time honored tradition of manufacturing steel blades, I'm not looking to slice off my opponents head; simply to slice a tomato and in the process avoid slicing off _my_ fingers.

I honestly cannot tell the difference in quality or function between our Wusthof knives and the one Shun blade that we have. We only bought it because I needed a Santoku blade.

Also, be wary of ceramic blades. They're incredibly expensive and although they do hold an edge for years, are extremely brittle and prone to breaking if dropped.


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## justonemore (Jul 2, 2009)

When I cook, I use my set from Wenger. When I desire to create, I use my set from Wusthof. I own nothing made of ceramic and am unable to speak as to thier quality. Again, much will depend on your comfort and the style you portray in the kitchen. If you aren't used to honing your blades , treating your knives as tools, respecting & maintaining them, then there is no real advantage in buying expensive knives over a basic set that handles well and feels good in your hand...


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## quiller (Dec 25, 2010)

If you don't mind spending a little money ,check vout the Ken Onion designed Shun kitchen knives.High quality ,very sharp,and very well designed.


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## justonemore (Jul 2, 2009)

As to types... 

Here a bread knife is mandatory. From my experience Continental Europeans have a bit of a fetish when it comes to bread baked daily & it is mainly sold whole versus sliced.

A long chef's knife of around 9 inches is needed for chopping and cutting larger quantities (picture slicing a zucchini cut into 4 lengthwise at the same time). . I made a tatar sauce tonight that called for pickles, capres, onions, & fresh parsley. Long wide blades are best for this. 

A shorter chef's knife of 6 inches should provide for trimming meats & preparing vegetables in general

A 6 inch Utility knife is good for medium size jobs that call for a longer thinner blade

2 small 3-4 inch pairing knives (1 serated, 1 unserated). These are good for detailed cutting. I.e. making the initial slices into an onion before chopping it. Peeling apples, etc. Cutting tomatoes. Thinly slicing things such as garlic. 

Speaking of peeling. A good peeler is essential for larger tasks (i.e. potato and carrots with roasts).

I'll try to expand on this a bit later & provide some example photos but I'm stuck on the cell phone versus the desktop.


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## 32rollandrock (May 1, 2008)

No good if it's a gift, but it is amazing how many high quality knives end up in thrift stores. I usually forget to look, but I do have a couple, particularly a Henckels that I like very much. A friend who is more diligent (and a better cook than myself) has an incredible assortment. I figure it's a matter of someone dying and whoever ended up with it got frustrated because it got dull (no doubt after being used to slice open cardboard boxes or somesuch). Almost every thrift store keeps a big box of donated knives, 99 cents or so apiece, out of reach of kids near the cash register.

Regardless of source, a good knife makes such a difference.


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## MaxBuck (Apr 4, 2013)

justonemore said:


> A long chef's knife of around 9 inches is needed for chopping and cutting larger quantities ...
> 
> A shorter chef's knife of 6 inches should provide for trimming meats & preparing vegetables in general


I have a fine Wuesthof 6-inch chef knife, and a cheaper Chicago Cutlery 9-inch. The 9-inch knife gets nearly all the work.

I should mention that the Chicago Cutlery knife is far easier to sharpen, and keeps its edge remarkably well (granted, I don't use it on bones or anything likely to have silica content, like unwashed produce). The Wuesthof is a ***** to get sharp enough. Great balance, though.


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## Bohan (Sep 16, 2013)

It depends what kind of sharpener you have or are willing to get. If the answer is "none" then you're better off with a serrated knife than a fine edge knife. If you're willing to sharpen the knives when they get dull, you can use a hand held diamond sharpener (must be oval shaped if knife is serrated) or for much better results use an electric sharpener (only if knife is not serrated). A sharpening steel won't sharpen a dull knife. If willing to sharpen and you have a serrated knife, make sure the serrations are normal sized and not the tiny ones that some "never needs sharpening" knifes have. OTOH, somewhat smaller than average serrations are good for my oval diamond sharpener because it's not a true oval - the narrow edge is much narrower than ideal for most serrated knives. Make sure knives have a full tang (the blade metal goes fully through the handle). I've had steak knifes without full tangs break on me. The last time it happened was about a year ago when I was skinning a pineapple with a cheap steak knife. If you're getting your wife just one knife then I guess it should be one that she can chop with, which means normal serrations aren't good because of the gaps when the knife is against the cutting board.


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## Gurdon (Feb 7, 2005)

We have accumulated a variety of kinves over the years. I favor carbon steel versus stainless for the reasoons stated. Recently I have bought a couple of Japanese knives from a business called, I think, Japan Woodworker in the Bay Area. They list some very expensive ones but also knives at reasonable prices.

The Japanese knife I use most often is one shaped like a cleever, but it's intended for slicing vegetables into very thin slices.

I agree with justonemoer's suggestion of a bread knife. In addition to vinyards, our new house is close to a couple of excellent bakeries. I get fresh bread almost every day they are open. It is a relatively inexpensive indulgence and adds a pleasant dimension to daily life.

You might think about sharpening stones. I use oil stones for knives of European and US manufacture and water stones for the Japanese blades. I presume one could use water stones on all the knives. Knife sharpening is part of having good knives. I enjoy doing it. I have used a wet grinding wheel intended for woodworking tools for sharpening the household knives but it is not readily accessible.

Hope this is helpful.
Gurdon


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## justonemore (Jul 2, 2009)

I'll second MaxBuck in the thought that the 9 inch chef's knife gets most of the work. As I've seen plenty of women expertly handle them, I'm not sure it really matters, but larger heavier knives may be a bit unwieldy for smaller people with small hands, perhaps.....

These gents did a pretty decent job of picturing and explaining the different basic knives....
https://a-single-serving.com/2011/10/11/kitchen-knives/

Basic knife dissection...

https://imageshack.com/i/n6s8809j

Although I would prefer the chef's knife to be a bit longer, This basic set is almost perfect.....

https://imageshack.com/i/na9qtaj

8 inch chef's knife

8 inch bread knife...(Depending on personal need of course).

3.5 inch pairing knife

Oh. I also like to have a 6 inch utility knife for medium sized jobs...

https://imageshack.com/i/n61jtkj
Of course as others have mentioned, it is easy to find yourself with a drawer full of odds and ends....The 6 inch chef's knife, while hardly the most used, does come in handy every now and then.

Now that you have the basics down, you will need to decide on build, weight and balance. Here is an ad showing the basic differences between 2 lines in the Wustof collection...

https://imageshack.com/i/n8qgg0j

While I have no direct experience with the brand, I have seen Global used by a lot of pros. Just a glance should show you that the weight and balance of these is going to be quite different from the 2 previous Wustof examples...

https://imageshack.com/i/n8cps5j


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## SG_67 (Mar 22, 2014)

The set of 3 Wusthof's posted by justonemore should accommodate about 90-95% of what is needed in the average kitchen. I would throw in a honing steel and a pair of kitchen shears.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

The knives that the wife and I use most frequently in the kitchen are a set of Calphalon Katana Series of blades, made from Japanese steel and presenting the appearance of Damascus creations...which, alas, they are certainly not. However they are very sharp and keep an edge noticeably better than any of the other knives we have used. As I recall the purchase price was a very reasonable $479 for the set.


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## tocqueville (Nov 15, 2009)

Thanks, guys. Any more recs for shatpeners? We own a steel one but i dont know the first thing about sharpening.


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## Shaver (May 2, 2012)

justonemore said:


> While I have no direct experience with the brand, I have seen Global used by a lot of pros. Just a glance should show you that the weight and balance of these is going to be quite different from the 2 previous Wustof examples...
> 
> https://imageshack.com/i/n8cps5j


I enjoyed the use of a set of Global knives for several years and they are very fine instruments indeed.

Something like this Minosharp Universal is ideal for keeping the blades in optimal condition - another chore to add to your Sunday morning routine.


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## SG_67 (Mar 22, 2014)

There are sharpeners and honers. 

The honing steel merely restores the edge. At least 1-2 times per year, or depending on how much the knife gets used, you will need a sharpener. I have a brand called "chef's choice" and am very pleased with it. 

Also, keep in mind the cutting surface. Plastic cutting boards tend to dull knives very quickly. I would recommend wood. It takes a bit more work to properly care for it, but it will save your knives in the long run.


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## RogerP (Oct 31, 2012)

As a long time custom knife aficionado, my experience has been almost exclusively in the hand-made field - and then mostly in he categories of high end field and combat knives. My own kitchen cutlery is fairly modest. One exceptionally talented Master Bladesmith whom I know personally does offer a range of exceptional kitchen knives that arguably fall within the heirloom category. Probably shockingly expensive to anyone accustomed to mass produced factory knives. But if only for the sake of knife porn:

www.BurtFoster.com

I do have one large damascus knife of Burt's - but it won't be dicing onions any time soon.  A smaller one has been a frequent hunting companion and has seem ample hard use.


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## Gurdon (Feb 7, 2005)

RogerP,

Beautiful knives. How and with what do you sharpen them?

Gurdon


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## RogerP (Oct 31, 2012)

Gurdon - none of those knives are mine. My kitchen knife set is very modest - carbon steel blades that are fairly soft and easily sharpened on the rod that accompanied the set.

My large Burt Foster Damascus piece is a safe queen - not a using knife:

For my hunting and general utility knives, I use a pair of flat stones (one medium-coarse, one fine) followed by a strop. I don't have details on the stones - they are simply what the bladesmith who taught me how to make knives happened to use:

I can wholeheartedly recommend this fellow for putting an edge on a knife that quite frankly scares the living crap out of me:

https://www.knifesharpeningseattle.com/

Some good general info on his site as well.


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## justonemore (Jul 2, 2009)

RogerP said:


> Gurdon - none of those knives are mine. My kitchen knife set is very modest - carbon steel blades that are fairly soft and easily sharpened on the rod that accompanied the set.
> 
> My large Burt Foster Damascus piece is a safe queen - not a using knife:
> 
> ...


Very Nice RogerP. I checked out a few of the sites you mentioned and the makers are indeed exceptional. My only problem with having a $700 "military knife" is that I hate leaving them stuck in my victim's ribcage while having to move onto the next target. lol.

https://imageshack.com/i/nftik6j

Just a question.... but... You normally state that you belive that items are to be used in the manner that they are designed for. May I ask where you draw the line between useable versus "museum" pièces? Do you have any nice shot guns that you refuse to use "in the field"? Although a different subject overall, do you have any shoes/clothing that you deem too important/nice/historical, etc. as not worthy of wearing vesrsus being a showpiece?

My thoughts being that while Wusthof is certainly a mass manufactured item, should I destroy one, i wouldn't be bothered by having to replace one. Should I drop one of the beauties you've shown, it wouldn't be a matter of replacement versus a matter of "could I actually ever replace such an item"...

Blade sharpness... I was doing a cooking class here in Lausanne with our top rated 5* hotel (the Beau-Rivage Palace). We needed a specialty knife that the chef had locked away in his knife drawer. Just by reaching in, my finger hit the blade of one of the oldest and ugliest knives I have ever seen. The injury took about a month to heal (and I should have gone to a pro versus treating it moi-même). A scalpel has nothing over some of the knives used by experienced pro kitchen staff.


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## RogerP (Oct 31, 2012)

justonemore said:


> Just a question.... but... You normally state that you belive that items are to be used in the manner that they are designed for. May I ask where you draw the line between useable versus "museum" pièces? Do you have any nice shot guns that you refuse to use "in the field"? Although a different subject overall, do you have any shoes/clothing that you deem too important/nice/historical, etc. as not worthy of wearing vesrsus being a showpiece?


That's a very fair question - and one that requires a bit of context to fairly answer.

I have been fairly immersed in the custom knife field for about 30 years. I am an avid knife collector, user and writer (several published articles in Blade Magazine and the Knives Annual).

Every knife that I own, from the least expensive to the most expensive is entirely useable. No matter how fancy, they are all properly made in terms of heat treatment, blade and edge geometry and functional ergonomics. And as far as I am concerned, if it's not sharp, it's not a knife. It's a paperweight. So all have e keen edge and stand ready for use.

But not all are in fact used.

Why? A combination of two fctors: 1) using custom knife immediately diminishes its resale value, and 2) I have all the using knives I need. The "safe queens", then, tend to fall at the more costly and/or more rare end of the spectrum. There is no need to diminish the value of a $2-5k museum quality Bowie knife by using it to clear a trail. From my favourite makers, I have often requested simple, basic working pieces to accompany the investment grade collection knives. One for blow, one for show, so to speak. Though both will be equally capable of performing the tasks for which they were designed. Add to that my small assembly of knives that I have made - all of which I do use - and really, it's a question of selecting from multiple options which knife or pair of knives will accompany me on a hunting or camping trip. Given that my excursions into the bush are somewhat infrequent, I already have more working knives than I can put to regular use.

For example - this knife was the most expensive (by a good margin) in my collection. I recently sold it at a profit. That would not have happened if I had used it:

This knife - while not inexpensive in absolute terms - is one that I have put to all manner of use from trail maintenance to coconut-chopping. I'll never sell it and don't care much about diminished value.

My apologies to the OP for straying more that a short distance from the path of kitchen knife reommendations. :redface:


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## justonemore (Jul 2, 2009)

As usual, you have responded in a manner more than expected. While It is actually my fault for bringing an "off topic" question into the thread, I still enjoy your answer. While I don't consider myself as a "follower", your style continues to be one that I feel should be emulated by the modern "gentleman". Should I have a "next life", I would have no complaints in following your excellent examples (be it legal expert, hunter, knife expert, clothing expert, shoe expert, etc).


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## tocqueville (Nov 15, 2009)

RogerP said:


> My apologies to the OP for straying more that a short distance from the path of kitchen knife reommendations. :redface:


Stray away, RogerP. Gads, those are beautiful knives, although I see them as being beautiful to a point of absurdity, much like some of the purely ornamental Renaissance armor I've seen in museums, or haute horlogerie with insane complications that have no practical value. Which doesn't mean I can't appreciate the beauty.

What is that last knife you've shown, the one that you actually use?


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## MaxBuck (Apr 4, 2013)

As to the question of sharpening, the guy I know whose knives are consistently the sharpest uses finishing sandpaper. He wets the sheet to get it to adhere to his workbench surface, then uses it in the same manner a sharpening stone would be used. He starts with perhaps a 300-grit and works his way sequentially to ultrafine grit like 1000 grit.


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## RogerP (Oct 31, 2012)

tocqueville said:


> Stray away, RogerP. Gads, those are beautiful knives, although I see them as being beautiful to a point of absurdity, much like some of the purely ornamental Renaissance armor I've seen in museums, or haute horlogerie with insane complications that have no practical value. Which doesn't mean I can't appreciate the beauty.
> 
> What is that last knife you've shown, the one that you actually use?


But the great thing about these is that their beauty does not compromise their ability to function at all.

The last knife shown is a forged integral camp knife made by Russ Andrews, MS. The maker is ex-military and this particular design was inspired by Filipino Bolo knives that he has used in the past.

Here are a few other working blades:

Burt Foster, MS:

Yours truly (this pair was the first I ever made):

Simple but fantastic camp knife made by my friend and wingshooting pal, Matt Gregory:

Desk knife with matching stand by Dave Kelly - this one lives at the office:

The "Mojo" camp knife that was the subject of the step-by-step thread, made by Dan, Matt and myself:

A fantastic little scalpel of a utility knife by Nick Wheeler, JS:

Dan Farr, JS - my bladesmithing instructor - this is one of my fave wingshooting knives:

All of these knives have seen use - as I mentioned above, I am quite spoiled for choice when it comes to selecting a field or general utility knife. No need to scratch up the fancier pieces - though they will cut just as well.


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## justonemore (Jul 2, 2009)

RogerP, do you carry any of those for daily activities (outside the field)? To carry with a suit? Is it legal to do so in Canada? While I'm sure it's a laugh compared to your collection, I have to admit that I the knife I usually carry for "whatever", is a rather "plain and normal" Victorinox Swiss Army Knife that my wife (then girlfriend) gave me 12 years ago (when I first started dating my "Swiss miss"). Obviously it's just a "toss it in the backpack" type of thing & sees little use (other than cutting band-aids for the kids. lol).

Quick story.... I was visiting the Eiffel Tower with my wife and oldest daughter (4 y.o. at the time). We waited hours in line of course, and I never saw anything that mentioned knives weren't allowed (had I seeen anything I would have run back to the hotel while my wife waited in line). The security guy wanted me toss my Swiss Army Knife (they had a box full of "forbidden items"). I refused of course, went outside, and tossed it on top of the air unit. At 6'5", I was more than happy to reclaim it after my visit (although security was less than happy to have noticed my "little trick")... Needless to say, I am quite apprehensive about carrying it anywhere anymore, even though I understand that such a knife is easily replaceable. Could you imagine the same situation with one of your custom jobs?

https://imageshack.com/i/nalwhaj


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## tocqueville (Nov 15, 2009)

justonemore said:


> RogerP, do you carry any of those for daily activities (outside the field)? To carry with a suit? Is it legal to do so in Canada? While I'm sure it's a laugh compared to your collection, I have to admit that I the knife I usually carry for "whatever", is a rather "plain and normal" Victorinox Swiss Army Knife that my wife (then girlfriend) gave me 12 years ago (when I first started dating my "Swiss miss"). Obviously it's just a "toss it in the backpack" type of thing & sees little use (other than cutting band-aids for the kids. lol).
> 
> Quick story.... I was visiting the Eiffel Tower with my wife and oldest daughter (4 y.o. at the time). We waited hours in line of course, and I never saw anything that mentioned knives weren't allowed (had I seeen anything I would have run back to the hotel while my wife waited in line). The security guy wanted me toss my Swiss Army Knife (they had a box full of "forbidden items"). I refused of course, went outside, and tossed it on top of the air unit. At 6'5", I was more than happy to reclaim it after my visit (although security was less than happy to have noticed my "little trick")... Needless to say, I am quite apprehensive about carrying it anywhere anymore, even though I understand that such a knife is easily replaceable. Could you imagine the same situation with one of your custom jobs?
> 
> https://imageshack.com/i/nalwhaj


I used to travel everywhere with one of those, especially back in my college days. That very model. One of the most useful things I've ever owned. Such a shame one can't do that any more.


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## justonemore (Jul 2, 2009)

tocqueville said:


> I used to travel everywhere with one of those, especially back in my college days. That very model. One of the most useful things I've ever owned. Such a shame one can't do that any more.


Indeed. The modern idea of a "weapon" has become a bit absurd in my thoughts. What made the situation even worse is that I actually had it packed in with a small medical kit( thank goodness they didn't try to confiscate the tweezers. lol).


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## tocqueville (Nov 15, 2009)

A tangent, but what the heck:

I've been reading a Japanese oral history of WWII (it's not pretty), and one of the contributors, an officer who did military intelligence in China, was an enthusiastic practitioner of the Japanese art of cutting off heads. He said he had two swords. One was the standard government-issue sword, and another was a 16th century sword he inherited. He complained that the government sword would lose its edge after taking off one head, so he would have a hard time with the second head and make a mess of things (a hack job, I guess you could say). But the 16th-century sword could take off a dozen heads without demur, an assertion that he could back up with actual experience. The Japanese weren't particularly interested in winning hearts and minds. Setting aside the horror, are there blades today that match in quality something a Japanese smith could make in the 16th century? Can we do better know, given our superior metallurgical knowledge?


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## RogerP (Oct 31, 2012)

justonemore said:


> RogerP, do you carry any of those for daily activities (outside the field)? To carry with a suit? Is it legal to do so in Canada? While I'm sure it's a laugh compared to your collection, I have to admit that I the knife I usually carry for "whatever", is a rather "plain and normal" Victorinox Swiss Army Knife that my wife (then girlfriend) gave me 12 years ago (when I first started dating my "Swiss miss"). Obviously it's just a "toss it in the backpack" type of thing & sees little use (other than cutting band-aids for the kids. lol).
> 
> Quick story.... I was visiting the Eiffel Tower with my wife and oldest daughter (4 y.o. at the time). We waited hours in line of course, and I never saw anything that mentioned knives weren't allowed (had I seeen anything I would have run back to the hotel while my wife waited in line). The security guy wanted me toss my Swiss Army Knife (they had a box full of "forbidden items"). I refused of course, went outside, and tossed it on top of the air unit. At 6'5", I was more than happy to reclaim it after my visit (although security was less than happy to have noticed my "little trick")... Needless to say, I am quite apprehensive about carrying it anywhere anymore, even though I understand that such a knife is easily replaceable. Could you imagine the same situation with one of your custom jobs?
> 
> https://imageshack.com/i/nalwhaj


It's a bummer that society has become so knife-paranoid - even though most people don't get through the average day without using one at some point.

I do carry this little slipjoint folder daily. It's pretty enough that even the ladies like it, and small enough not to alarm the sheeple. But really, what rational person would be alarmed by a Swiss Army knife for crying out loud? I have one in the saddle bag of my bicycle. Just a great little tool.

Tocqueville - short answer - yes - today's bladesmiths can indeed produce blades equal or better than the storied Japanese blades of yore. In fact, there are a number of present-day Japanese bladesmiths who maintain the traditional construction methods and create superb blades that can cost a good deal more than an entry level car.

There is one Canadian bladesmith by the name of Stuart Branson who has developed a real passion and expertise for crafting the Japanese blade. He made the large tanto below for me. The tsuba (guard) is actually an antique Japanese piece from the Edo period.


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## Gurdon (Feb 7, 2005)

I carry my Victorinox-made Dutch Army knife almost all the time. When flying to Europe with just carry-on luggage, I buy a nice Swiss army knife on arrival and at the end of the trip mail it to a friend or one of my offspring. 

Airline security is inane. Once, departing from Paris with one of my sons they confiscated a carabiner he used as a key ring. The flic (slang equivolent of fuzz) said it could be used as a weapon. 

Gurdon


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## dwebber18 (Jun 5, 2008)

A couple of years ago I realized the inadequacy of my current kitchen knives and started researching some new ones. I ended up with a 8" chef's knife, a Santoku and a pairing knife. The brand I decided on was Bu-Rei-Zen from epicedge.com. These knives are phenomenal out of the box and they also sharpen up quite well. I find myself sharpening them more than my older Henckel knives, but they take an edge well. I probably sharpen them more because they can be so crazy sharp I notice when they are only normal sharp. The knives I purchased are American style so they are sharpened to the same bevel on both sides of the blade. They also can not be honed using a honing stick, but they must be sharpened on a wet stone that I also got from them and is pretty easy to use with some practice.


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## Shaver (May 2, 2012)

Gurdon said:


> I carry my Victorinox-made Dutch Army knife almost all the time. When flying to Europe with just carry-on luggage, I buy a nice Swiss army knife on arrival and at the end of the trip mail it to a friend or one of my offspring.
> 
> Airline security is inane. Once, departing from Paris with one of my sons they confiscated a carabiner he used as a key ring. The flic (slang equivolent of fuzz) said it could be used as a weapon.
> 
> Gurdon


Airline security is worse than inane. In no other environment could some snot nosed little jerk-off, making minimum wage, give you sh*t that you absolutely have to eat - for any dissent is met with maximal punitive measures.


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## RogerP (Oct 31, 2012)

Some asked earlier about sharpening. I came across this demonstration video from a friend of mine - Nick Wheeler - doing a sharpening demonstration on a large bowie blade. Other than a different mix of stones, this is the method I use. He spends the first nearly three minutes apologizing (sharpening is like religion to some and they can fly right off the handle when someone does it differently than they do) so skip that, but do watch the cutting test at the end.

By the way, the blade he is sharpening is one I have on order.


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

Priorities

1. comfort of use
2. sharpness

The fact is that a lot of the very sharp knives are very uncomfortable in the hand, often because they are made from one piece of steel & because they are too heavy.

The best kitchen knife in my experience has a wooden handle with a traditionally made blade with tang inserted into the handle.


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