Sabatier as a starting set

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user 4613

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Hello everyone!

My first post on the forum and my first question about knives! Just as heads up, i know very little about knives. Lots to learn and lots to cover.

I'm about to graduate with a Masters degree (fingers crossed, dissertation is still in the making), get away from the university and plundge into the adult life. Massive student loands included, of course. During my studies one thing i figured out was that i love to cook. It was a struggle to actually cultivate the passion and not loose hope in humanity when all the knives i came accross in dorms and rented accomodations were as sharp as the spoon in the drawer next to it. I will be honest, it did put me off from even trying to make something interesting several times. I would get 'hooked' again thanks to pure luck and some inspiraton from a few friends.

Back in 2013 i decided to get something more usable and bagged a set that included a "Ethos Hell's Kitchen II Chef's Knife". Sharp to begin with, it soon started to loose its edge and while it is still far better than what an average student uses, it still chipping away my sanity as the time goes by. I'm also not a big fan of the substantial flex that the blade posseses.

Now that i am out of the clutches of the higher education (but instead in the clutches of the bank), i decided i need to invest whatever money i can spare into a half-decent knfe set to keep my spirits up throgh cooking. Tthis would be my first set to so I am unlikely to be able to tell high quality blades from above average ones (although I will use Ethos knife as the bottom-of-the-barrel benchamark).

Whilst i am open to suggestions, in particular i wanted to know if anyone can tell me if this (Sabatier X45) is something that would be a good starting point. I know Sabatier is a well respected brand, but I was always told to be weary of cheap sets. This one though seems to be higly discoutned rather than cheap.

Any thoughts?
 
Welcome.

I (and most others here) will discourage the purchase of a "set" of knives. The set you linked to included a very small chef, a paring and then a utility knife of some sort, a slicer and a bread knife. Suggest that you don't need, prob won't use and may not want the latter three. A good chef knife would on the other hand be an excellent start. I like Suisin Inox Western for new home cooks, other's will have different preferences.

If you fill out the questionnaire in below link you will receive some suggestions tailored for your responses: http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/s...hich-Knife-Should-I-Buy-quot-Questionnaire-v2

Note that Sabatier is not necessarily a brand name and does not always mean quality. As I understand it the French trademark/copyright laws are such that anyone can sell knives labeled as Sabs,

Hope this helps.
 
Just from the price this would seem like some Chinese cr..p bearing the name Sabatier. The better respected Sabatier, if this is what you want, are K Sabatier and Elephant 4 stars, both available to purchase in the UK (I assume that's where you're from ?), you will pay however £40-50 and more for one knife. I suppose that once you get to that price level or a bit higher many people here will direct you to some good entry level Japanese brands, like Carbonext.
 
They're garbage. Forget getting a set, get a gyuto.

If you are after a nice starter knife, JCK in Japan will send you a 210mm Kagayaki VG-1 gyuto for less than 60 quid, delivered to your door in less than a week.
 
What the others say with regards to the set and getting a decent gyuto.
You also need to think about keeping your knife (knives) sharp. Think about getting a stone, around 1000 grit to start with, and start reading threads on sharpening and watching videos.
You may be a bit intimidated to start with but should pick it up fairly quickly.
 
They're garbage. Forget getting a set, get a gyuto.

If you are after a nice starter knife, JCK in Japan will send you a 210mm Kagayaki VG-1 gyuto for less than 60 quid, delivered to your door in less than a week.

Although it looks like a quality piece, anything at that price bracket is a bit out of reach for me at the moment. Guess getting the questionaire out there to find something more budget friendly is the best option at the moment. Thanks for the ideas though, folks!
 
Eden Classic VG10 is good value at 32 quid.

Other than that , i'd suggest that Victorinox is the best budget option, by some distance.

Just about anything else is going to be poor.
 
You really only need one good 8 or 10 inch chefs knife. Save up a few more bucks and get something a little better. It's better to wait a little longer and have something substantially better than just trying to get by on the cheapest route.
 
Actually from the sound of it, you need to get a waterstone or two and learn to sharpen your knives first rather than putting money of a better knife. All knives, even the best ones, will eventually get dull. What are you going to do if you don't know how to maintain them? Keep buying new ones? Start with something like a Gesshin 400 or Shapton Glass Stone 500 grit stone and finish with a Shapton Pro 2000 grit or equivalent and you can get your current knife sharper than new.
 
Import expensive stones? Frankly bizarre advice when the OP is on a budget.

Eden webshops combo stones are a good start, they are less than £20.
 
I think the op needs to know that it simply doesn't pay to skimp on the essentials...100$ for the knife, 50$ for the stones be it combo or single. Its just a better value in the long run. Maybe somebody has a beater VG10 or better that they could sell the op for a reasonable price.
 
Hi Helba,
Seems like you should have a bit of a think about whether you want a nicer knife, which will end up as dull as your spoons in the not too distant future, or invest in a stone to start with so that the knives you have can stay sharp until you can afford a nicer knife :)
Umberto is quite correct that the better quality knife and stone is the better investment in the long term, but if you don't have the budget it's a moot point.
I would go with Mr Badgers suggestion and check out the £20 stone.
As always, it's your choice :)
 
I hadn't noticed the OP was from UK and he didn't mention a budget. If he were to buy one good entry level Japanese chef knife, it would cost about as much as two Shapton stones you can get from ebay.
 
Import expensive stones? Frankly bizarre advice when the OP is on a budget.

Eden webshops combo stones are a good start, they are less than £20.



Sorry. I forgot to mention I am, indeed, from UK. While i totally agree with the idea of spending more and getting one good item, rather than buying a bunch of rubbish knives, i think Wing and Tim were spot on. Regardless of how good the knife will be, i have virtually no experience of taking care of them. I think getting a wetstone and learning to use it well is the first port of call for me and the Eden whestones seems a good starting point. I'm sure Shapton makes Eden look far less capable, but for someone learning to sharpen knives from the ground up, this might be a good initial investment. Once i manage to get a grip on how to use a whetstone well, I can look into the V10 range, which won me over with looks alone (I know, not a good idea to go by looks. But that is why i heed your advice, people!) :D

Thanks for the advices, everyone!
 
Forget what everyone says. The say, your best option on a budget......

Get the Ginsu Knives.

"IT SLICES!! IT DICES!! IT GETS GIRLS NAKED IN SECONDS!! IT GETS MEN TO LAST 20% LONGER IN BED!!

NEVER NEEDS SHARPENING!! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!! CALL NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
 
I doubt the OP was looking specifically for Sabs, just any decent knife ...


I agree with learning to sharpen first though. As for the knife, I'd consider a Victorinox chef's knife or the IKEA Slitbar (the long one, the short santoku like one is horribly disbalanced). the Slitbar is actually pretty good. The Gynnsams might be worth looking at too, I have only held them a bit so far.
 
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