Which knife as a gift for mom?

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flvinny521

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She has a drawer full of crappy chef's knives that I was going to sharpen for her, but I'd rather get her a nice knife to replace them. She's doesn't cook frequently, and this will likely be the only knife she uses, so I was leaning towards a Global G-2 as a good all-around performer. I also saw a recommendation for the SX-2 Granshe. I'm looking to spend $100. I also have Amazon Prime so the free shipping there would be a nice perk, but overall, it's not that important.

LOCATION
What country are you in?
USA. Need delivery by Christmas; I don't mind buying from a reputable dealer in Japan or Europe.

KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in (e.g., chef’s knife, slicer, boning knife, utility knife, bread knife, paring knife, cleaver)?
Chef's knife

Are you right or left handed?
Righty

Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?
Doesn't matter, just needs to be comfortable for a non-chef, relatively small woman's hand

What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?
210-240mm probably

Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)
Yes

What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
$125, preferably $100 plus shipping


KNIFE USE
Do you primarily intend to use this knife at home or a professional environment?
Home

What are the main tasks you primarily intend to use the knife for (e.g., slicing vegetables, chopping vegetables, mincing vegetables, slicing meats, cutting down poultry, breaking poultry bones, filleting fish, trimming meats, etc.)? (Please identify as many tasks as you would like.)
Unknown

What knife, if any, are you replacing?
N/A

Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.)
Unknown, I'll be happy to teach her if anybody has a recommendation

What cutting motions do you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for types of cutting motions and identify the two or three most common cutting motions, in order of most used to least used.)
Unknown, same as above

What improvements do you want from your current knife? If you are not replacing a knife, please identify as many characteristics identified below in parentheses that you would like this knife to have.)
N/A

Better aesthetics (e.g., a certain type of finish; layered/Damascus or other pattern of steel; different handle color/pattern/shape/wood; better scratch resistance; better stain resistance)?
Stain resistance and as little maintenance as possible

Comfort (e.g., lighter/heavier knife; better handle material; better handle shape; rounded spine/choil of the knife; improved balance)?
Unknown

Ease of Use (e.g., ability to use the knife right out of the box; smoother rock chopping, push cutting, or slicing motion; less wedging; better food release; less reactivity with food; easier to sharpen)?
Simplest knife for a beginner who won't be researching or practicing

Edge Retention (i.e., length of time you want the edge to last without sharpening)?
As long as possible


KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.)
Wood only, I believe

Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.)
No

If not, are you interested in learning how to sharpen your knives? (Yes or no.)
No, I'll do them for her when necessary, but it would be probably years in between. I'm also very much a beginner.

Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives? (Yes or no.)
No
 
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You better sharpen -- and thin... -- one of her existing knives. Are you sure she will ever use a knew one, or rather keep it respectfully in the box and never actually use it??
I must admit that the Global G-2 is a great knife, in fact, with the little GS-5 the only Global I like. But its handle nor appearance are made for everyone, and edge retention is not exactly their strongest point.
Our expectations about knives and their sharpness are far away of that of normal people. And a lot of people are used to their own utensils and won't easily accept any interference into that domain.
 
You better sharpen -- and thin... -- one of her existing knives. Are you sure she will ever use a knew one, or rather keep it respectfully in the box and never actually use it??
I must admit that the Global G-2 is a great knife, in fact, with the little GS-5 the only Global I like. But its handle nor appearance are made for everyone, and edge retention is not exactly their strongest point.
Our expectations about knives and their sharpness are far away of that of normal people. And a lot of people are used to their own utensils and won't easily accept any interference into that domain.

Well, she did approach me during my Thanksgiving visit about sharpening them for her, and she planned to keep the best one or two and get rid of the others. After looking through the pile, there aren't really any that are even passable, and I know that if I give her a new knife, she'd use that and just keep one other as a backup.
 
Tojiro DP series seems to be popular for this price range.
Also you might be able to get Mac Pro santoku around this price range if you look around.
Shun might be an option as well, easy to find.
 
You're better off with a Carbonext, Hiromoto G3 or a Misono Moly or 440, all with JCK, japanesechefsknife.com
All will outperform the Tojiros and Shuns, who both suffer from a poor heat treatment.
But a Misono Moly is of all those the most forgiving which makes sense with a novice.
 
But think of edge retention. You dont want to give her a carbon knife that has to be sharpened frequently. I honestly think you should think about getting her gesshin stainless, gonbei series, or even dt in aebl of you really love your mom lol. Basically go stainless or even stainless clad like the kohetsu 210mm on the site we dont speak of.
 
I second a Misono. The 440 was my first Japanese knife and I loved it. If I didn't frequent this forum so often and see all the pretties, I would have kept it. Bad influences here :lol2:
 
I second a Misono. The 440 was my first Japanese knife and I loved it. If I didn't frequent this forum so often and see all the pretties, I would have kept it. Bad influences here :lol2:
Are you sure it weren't exactly these same "influences" that led you to the Misono??
 
Tojiro DP series seems to be popular for this price range.
Also you might be able to get Mac Pro santoku around this price range if you look around.
Shun might be an option as well, easy to find.

Thanks for the advice, I'll add these to the research list!

You're better off with a Carbonext, Hiromoto G3 or a Misono Moly or 440, all with JCK, japanesechefsknife.com
All will outperform the Tojiros and Shuns, who both suffer from a poor heat treatment.
But a Misono Moly is of all those the most forgiving which makes sense with a novice.

Hmm, all knives I know nothing about, I'll look into these as well!

But think of edge retention. You dont want to give her a carbon knife that has to be sharpened frequently. I honestly think you should think about getting her gesshin stainless, gonbei series, or even dt in aebl of you really love your mom lol. Basically go stainless or even stainless clad like the kohetsu 210mm on the site we dont speak of.

I would be drawn toward something with excellent edge retention... I'm not here frequently enough to know of this unspoken site, but I'll look around.

I second a Misono. The 440 was my first Japanese knife and I loved it. If I didn't frequent this forum so often and see all the pretties, I would have kept it. Bad influences here :lol2:

Two votes for Misono: top of the list!
 
Here's my $.02...I would go with a Shun classic. As someone earlier stated you can pick it up locally and the D-Handle is more comfortable and sleek than a Global. And the fact that she may not treat this knife as we do ours, you gotta remember they offer lifetime sharpening should you not be able to do it for her. She's not gonna need a laser and to tell you the truth...as far as edge retention...my 8" Shun Classic (which I use as my 'beater' knife) holds up agains both my Nenox and my Suisin IH.
 
I think I've narrowed it down to the Fujiwara FKM (which I found frequently recommended as the best starter knife) and the CarboNext, both 210mm. Is the CarboNext worth the extra $30 knowing that it will be used by an inexperienced hand and sharpened infrequently?

Maybe the Misono is still in the running too... I had ruled it out being in the middle of the prices, but maybe that's the reason I should consider it more seriously.
 
As it is a gift to your mom you may consider more than a lot of knifenuts the factor of Fit&Finish, which is OK with the Fujiwara and the Carbonext, better than one would expect at this modest price level, but really nice with the Misono. You may take into account as well that the Misono comes with a decent edge, and to my experience and hearsay, both others are unpredictable, somewhere between almost unusable and fair.
 
Korin is having a 15% off knife sale and they do the initial sharpening for free. I don't know what style your mom likes but most ladies prefer the santoku. It seems to be less intimidating than a gyuto.
 
Korin is having a 15% off knife sale and they do the initial sharpening for free. I don't know what style your mom likes but most ladies prefer the santoku. It seems to be less intimidating than a gyuto.

Real ladies use CCK knives!
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What is the cleaver on the top used for?
 
What is the cleaver on the top used for?

Choppin' though bones, near as I can tell! Here's the description from KF of that image:
"The knife at the top is something I am going to call a bone hatchet from here on out. It has a 300mm blade and weighs more than the other 2 combined (3 lbs?). The spine goes from 8mm at the handle to 9mm at the nose. It's sharpened more like a hatchet, and is extremely nose-heavy. If it gets sharpened up I think it could take the leg off a rhino.
The middle knife is a butcher's cleaver, literally called a pork knife in Chinese. Blade is 265mm, with a 7mm spine that tapers to a point at the tip. Interesting all around meat knife.
The bottom knife is a 285mm pig sticker for bleeding pigs. I, however, think it would make a decent heavy gyuto. The tip is quite thin, and the spine is 5mm at the handle."
 
LOL, only to those who have something impressive :lol2:
 
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