Buying My Best..and Last..Knife Set - Help Me Spend My Money Please 🙄

[JCBBQ]

My recommendation: buy one. A really kick ass special knife tha you’ll use almost all the time. Maybe a sweet Japanese knife. I’ve got a lot of decent knives but end up using my "French chef" blade most of the time. I have an electric sharpener that makes them all amazing. Next knife I buy’ll be something unique.

Have fun with this decision.

[Attjack]

What sharpener do you use?

[JCBBQ]

Attjack Chef's Choice

[MBMorgan]

John, I've been using Wustthof Trident Classic for many years (40+) and still love them. I use them daily (esp. the chef's knife), hone/steel them before and after every use and sharpen them myself about once a year, whether they need it or not (not, mostly). That said, you should choose what is most comfortable for you ... not what anyone else (including moi) says we use and therefore so should you. Clearly, I think that Wusthof is an excellent choice ... "even" a block set. If you decide to buy a "standard" (what ever that is) block set, be prepared to add a few specialty blades ... like a good serrated knife, a boning knife, a long slicer, cleaver, etc. BTW, blocks are NOT hard on blades as long as they rest either on their sides or their spines. Good knife hunting, amigo ...

[texastweeter]

Preach. I prefer the henkles pro myself, but own a wusthof that was my primary for years.

[Panhead John]

Thanks Mike. Yes, I’ve always placed my knives in the block upside down, just being cautionary. Even if not, it’s not like you’re dulling the blade.

[Panhead John]

Thanks everyone but I want a block set, all matching knives from the same mfgr. That particular Wusthoff set has most everything I use. I’ve also got a smallish kitchen and I want everything right there in one spot on my counter. I also store my knives in the block, cutting edge up, as to not dull them so quick. There’s also 2 additional slots in the block, so if I buy another Wusthoff knife not included, I can store it there.

[texastweeter]

Is there a place you can go and handle the blades yourself. See how they fit in your hand?

[Panhead John]

Don’t know…..I’m gonna check it out and see if I can see them in person first. If not and I get them, won’t be a problem returning them through Amazon.

[Chuck in Charlotte]

I'll throw in my two cents, since I was in exactly this place a year ago. I'd recommend going somewhere you can hold several knives and compare them. Even if you don't like any you try, it tells you a lot about what weight, bolster, handle composition and shape you like. For a months I held a knife here and a knife there, but I never realized how different they were until I compared them back-to-back-to back.

[Panhead John]

Great suggestion, thanks.

[surfdog]

+1 When I first saw Global knives, I HAD to have one. I got one of their chef knives. Try as I might, I never really liked it. I think it’s because I’m so used to my heavy German knives. But I got it without holding one first through a mail order co. Returning it seemed like a hassle plus they had a restocking fee as I recall. So there it sat untouched & unloved. A friend’s wife picked it up one day and thought it was the bees knees. Go figure. So merry Christmas to her. LOL

[jfmorris]

If you want all knives from the same place, and a block, take a hard look at Misen. Note that no block set includes a slicer, so you will still have to keep that separate, but their wood block, sold separately, will accommodate their 3 or 5 peice set plus their kitchen sheers. If you can live with the steak knives not being on the counter all the time (who needs those out all the time?), it looks pretty sharp. They sell the knives in black as well as the blue shown.

I like this color:

https://misen.com/products/knife-sto...39516439281745

One you get the block and 3 to 5 of their Japanese steel knives, and kitchen shears, you will still have money left over to order some of their carbon steel, a big dutch oven, etc....

EDIT:

I wanted to include some text from the Misen page. Note that I do NOT own their knives, but do own several of their other cookware items, and really am impressed with their stuff:

You don’t need a bulky 15-piece set. With just a few high-quality knives, you can tackle almost any cooking task your heart desires.

Our sets come in three or five pieces. Each knife is made from premium high-carbon stainless steel, and is thoughtfully designed to feel good in your hand and last a lifetime.

It’s not just our knives that are thoughtfully designed — we carefully curate our knife sets to ensure that you have every knife you need, and nothing you don’t.

You can also buy their knives individually. Right now it appears the 5 piece sets are sold out unfortunately.

[Polarbear777]

Blocks don’t include slicers probably because a good one is 12” or longer and usually too long for the block. I keep mine in a sheath in a drawer.

[jfmorris]

Polarbear777 that makes sense. I keep my slicer in an edge guard in a drawer as well, with my 14" steel.

[texastweeter]

My slicer stays in the guard in my roll.

[Steve B]

I really like my Dalstrong Shogun series of knives. Have had most of them 3+ years now and they hold up good. But you do need to maintain them regularly. I use this honer from A.G.Russell and this is my knife rack

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

I know Wusthof is technically a superior brand... but in the price range of the block set posted I would guess the Dalstrong version is better quality.

[Panhead John]

Nice Steve! Very impressive.

[Steve B]

Thanks John.
I still can’t believe my wife let me have that knife rack on the counter. Guess it was a give and take deal as we did our reno this past year.

[ecowper]

John, I own that exact set of Wusthof minus the steak knives and the block. I keep my knives in a drawer that has magnet strips in it to keep the knives stable and not knocking into each other. I absolutely love these knives. The 8” chef knife and 7” Santoku are both superb. The utility knives are great daily work tools. I can’t recommend the Wusthof enough. I don’t personally care about the bread knife, not something I regularly need. I also don’t care about the steak knives, we have a great set of steak knives.

I’ve had the Wusthof’s for 8 or 9 years now. These are definitely lifetime knives if you take care of them.

A couple pieces of advice.

1. Toss the steel, unless you want it to look nice in the block. Get a good ceramic honing rod instead. Way better, doesn’t damage your edges like a steel.
2. Get a good sharpening system if you don’t have one already. I have the Edge Pro Apex.

I also have a set of Kamikoto (Santoku, Nakiri, and Utility) that I use for significant chopping sessions.

PS the Wusthof Classic chef’s knife is loved by a lot of professional chefs for a reason. :-)

[RonB]

No knife advise - you have enough to make your head spin, and it sounds like your mind is already made up anyway. However, I do agree with a ceramic honing rod. It will not only straighten the edge, but it is made from a very fine abrasive ceramic and will actually improve the edge.

[Panhead John]

Eric, yeah, right after I posted this, I compared the lengths of the Wusthoff to what I currently have, and I do want the longer Santoku and Chefs knife as well.

[ecowper]

Panhead John you absolutely want the 8” chef knife and the 7” Santoku ….. they are the greatest knives I’ve ever had

[RonB]

These will match your fine china:

https://smile.amazon.com/Party-Bargains-Disposable-Cutlery-Color/dp/B006R9J5UO/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=29FCWMTH83X6V&keywords=plastic+knives+and+forks&qid=1641168505&sprefix=plastic+knives+an%2Caps%2C66&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUE1Wk1UVzdERzVHS1YmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA2OTcyNzBRVjdJNlFVQTZBOTUmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDI1MjUxMFRVQlBXQ01MQU1WMCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

[klflowers]

Sounds to me like you know what you want, and these guys are trying to talk you out of it. That is a big first on AR. I am going to encourage you to go with what you want. I don't have a Wustoff knife, I had a Chicago Cutlery set bu now I have a 8" Victorinox chef's knife, a couple of Hammerstahls, and a couple no name knives residing in the Chicago Cutlery block.

One company that you may want to look at is Cutco. They sell sets, and the knives are quality. Whenever I upgrade, I will probably go with them.

https://www.cutco.com/products/thumbnail.jsp?shop=knife-setsm

[ssandy_561]

I’ve had a Cutco set for 30 years. I love them. I might be a bit biased because they are made in the town I grew up in and I worked there for two summers while in college. All their knives are American made by American workers. They will always sharpen them for free (You just have to ship them to them and then pay for return shipping). Also they will sell you a replacement knife at half price if you ruin a knife by being a dumbass. I melted one of my handles on my grill a while ago.

[SheilaAnn]

@klflowers

Then wouldn’t Panhead John get new knives all the time?

[Troutman]

What’s wrong with the Henckels? Seriously. I bought the same block set as you describe about 40 years ago. I like German stainless, holds a decent edge and fairly easy to sharpen. I still use my 8” chef as my daily driver, I work the hell out of it.

I’m also in the buy your specialty knives separately and don’t spend a ton of money. I own a couple of razor sharp Japanese knives and am afraid to use them, opting instead to grab my good old Henckel chef knife.

I suggest you invest in a good knife sharpening system rather then get all wide eyed over expensive knives.

But then what the hell do I know?

[ecowper]

A good knife sharpening system is absolutely essential. A good honing rod, as well. German stainless is really good stuff. I do have some Japanese knives, which I use for special scenarios, especially cutting a LOT of vegetables. Other than that, my daily driver is the 8” chef’s knife. I actually like it so much that I bought a second one so that I have it handy rather than having to clean the first one when moving from meat to veggies.

[Old Glory]

Don't buy a set. Buy upgrades of the knives you use most. Start with a chef's knife, Boning Knife, Paring Knife, Slicer, and Bread Knife.

I suggest Japanese steel over German. A Gyuto or Santoku. Nothing cuts like a high quality Japanese knife. This is the gateway to MKS.

Yu Kurosaki Raijin Cobalt Special Steel Hammered Gyuto Japanese Knife 240mm

https://www.japanny.com/products/yu-kurosaki-yu-kurosaki-raijin-cobalt-special-steel-hammered-gyuto-japanese-knife-240mm-with-walnut-handle

Koutetsu Battleship 195MM - Out of Stock but my favorite knife right now

https://www.districtcutlery.com/kotetsu-battleship-195mm/

Ryusen Fukakuryu Gyuto 210mm

https://knifewear.com/products/ryusen-fukakuryu-gyuto-210mm?variant=40048977182894

Ryusen Blazen Ryu Wa Gyuto 210mm

https://knifewear.com/products/ryusen-blazen-ryu-wa-gyuto-210mm?variant=40048976625838

Shiro Kamo Orca R2 Wa-Bunka 220mm Deluxe

https://www.japanische-kochmesser.ch/1-3-Lagen-Messer/Shiro-Kamo-Orca-R2/Shiro-Kamo-Orca-R2-Wa-Bunka-220mm-Deluxe::4548.html

MAK 8 Inch Chef

https://www.cutleryandmore.com/mac-professional/hollow-edge-chefs-knife-p18060?gclid=Cj0KCQiAt8WOBhDbARIsANQLp95RWuQfDkMVNVryZr_K6QMl0zFiRGPzzHXH92tuUMqkaDIDjoO_NxsaAmW1EALw_wcB

[Polarbear777]

I have the Kuhn rikon clear knife block and a mix match if different things. I use a chefs knife 50% of the time, boning knife and bread knife each 10% and the rest is a pairing knife. I don’t use anything else.

fan of dahlstrong good steel (aus10) in their gladiator series.

they have sets at dahlstrong. Good steel will cost you but not as much as a brand name in some cases.

https://dalstrong.com/collections/quantum-1-series/products/quantum-1-series-5-piece-knife-block-set

[Polarbear777]

I should mention that my dahlstrong chef and my misen chef (the new one with upgraded steel) are my main knives. I usually chose them over the shun chef I have.

feel in your hand matters so see if you can try some locally.

[Debra]

We have used these for years and love them.
In fact we just purchased a set for our Son for Christmas.

https://www.newwestknifeworks.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAt8WOBhDbARIsANQLp97nwtfdcZK4QePxEc06HPi6tczIrCoe5LJuhemr8c_bcG7lWVRXmNQaAsPzEALw_wcB

[Polarbear777]

Also I like a 10” or even longer chefs knife because I can keep more of it touching the board even when cutting tall items. Helps with both speed and safety.

many sets give you a short chefs knife so watch out for that.