Newbie knife advice please

Good evening,

I was happily looking for recommendations for a knife for my mother-in-law when I've stumbled across this site. I have a small set of Zwilling knives and I thought I had researched the purchase appropriately but having read this site I realise i've been negligent and need to some new ones!!

Please could someone advice me on the best knives I can purchase

I'm in the UK.

KNIFE TYPE
Interested in a chef’s knife & a paring knife.

Right handed.

Western handle.

Do you require a stainless knife? I guess so.

What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife? £150 for both knives.

KNIFE USE
Home use.

slicing vegetables, chopping vegetables, mincing vegetables, slicing meats, filleting fish, trimming meats.

What knife, if any, are you replacing? Chef and paring knives (Zwillng, not sure which range).

Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? Hammer and finger point.

What cutting motions do you primarily use: Push-Cut, Chop, Slice and Walk.

What improvements do you want from your current knife?

Better edge retention & durability. My knives have got lots of nicks in the edge now...


KNIFE MAINTENANCE
I use mostly plastic chopping boards but I do have a couple of wooden ones too.

Do you sharpen your own knives? Yes

Thanks in advance for your help!
Rach

I'm sure that there will be folks along shortly who can help you with the knife advice.

Welcome Rach

As you're in the UK, have a look at JCK,
japanesechefsknife.com
with their flat shipping rate of US$7, and convenient custom declaration.
With your budget, if you insist on having both stainless, I would have a look at the Misono 440 series, and the Hiromoto G3. Expect the Misono to have a much better Fit&Finish, and the Hiromoto the better steel.
Welcome to KKF, Rach!

Looking over your post I see that you mention you want better edge retention and durability but you mention in the same sentence that your edges have lots of nicks in the edge. What are the nicks from? Japanese knives hold a sharper edge longer but they are also more delicate. The steel that allows them to be thinner and sharper is also more brittle because it is significantly harder. It is a bit of a trade-off. If you want the benefits of Japanese steel some of the practices you are going to have to follow include no cutting frozen or semi-frozen foods, no hacking into bone, possibly no cutting into very hard veggies, no using glass cutting boards, no dishwasher, etc. If the nicks in your present knives come from these practices and you don't plan to change them then Japanese knives might not be the best tools for you. That being said if you decide they are for you them you would be hard pressed to find a better place than JCK (mentioned above). Good luck!!

As tripleq points out, you may have to relearn your knife skills for use with harder steel knives. I did that a few years ago, and it was well worth it.

I just this paring knife yesterday, and it's pretty good so far: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Classic-Gif...423?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4aa71ed077

Cheap enough to leave more budget for your main knife.