rernst
New Member
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2015
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Hey all, just some quick background before I get into the questionnaire. I'm very new to the "serious" world of kitchen knives. A year or two ago I bought a three piece "classic ikon" set from wusthof. These were the first knives I had ever spent any sort of money on. They were very sharp for me for about 8 months, but then they started getting more and more dull. So I bought the book "An Edge In the Kitchen" from Amazon hoping to learn about kitchen knives in general, as well as how to sharpen my wusthof knives.
I'm about halfway through the book, haven't gotten to the sharpening part yet but I have realized that I need to add a new knife to my collection. The Wusthof set I bought came with a 6" chefs knife, which I have learned is entirely inadequate, especially for my size (6'1" with large hands). So I have decided I need to add a 240mm gyuto to my collection.
I began doing some research and realized that the kitchen store japanese knives appear to be overpriced and I can probably get something much better if I looked at some non-big-brand knives. I started trying to do this research on my own and realized there were just way too many choices and it would take me ages to sort through all the options. Then I found this forum and I'm hoping you guys can help me out.
My girlfriend has offered to buy the knife for my birthday, but I don't want to ask her to spend more than 200. Less would be better, with $150 being the sweet spot probably. I have a separate personal budget for sharpening gear, but probably don't want to spend much more than $100 if possible, at least at first :biggrin:.
LOCATION
What country are you in?
USA
KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in (e.g., chefs knife, slicer, boning knife, utility knife, bread knife, paring knife, cleaver)?
Chefs, gyuto specifically
Are you right or left handed?
Right
Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?
Not sure, only ever used Western, but I like the look of the Japanese handles.
What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?
240mm
Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)
No
What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
$200
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.)
Mainly slicing vegetables and meats. No bones though.
What knife, if any, are you replacing?
6" Wusthof Classic Ikon Chefs Knife
Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.)
Pinch Grip
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.)
Rocking, slicing
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.)
Well obviously I want it to be longer than 6" and harder than the German steel. I'm interested in trying a carbon steel knife for the ease of sharpening. I like the look of damascus or layered steel but it is not a requirement.
KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.)
synthetic
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.)
Yes.
Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives? (Yes or no.)
Yes.
SPECIAL REQUESTS/COMMENTS
If you make a suggestion I would also greatly appreciate it if you include an idea of where I could purchase it too, as long as this is allowed on these forums.
Let me know if you need any other info!
Thanks in advance!
I'm about halfway through the book, haven't gotten to the sharpening part yet but I have realized that I need to add a new knife to my collection. The Wusthof set I bought came with a 6" chefs knife, which I have learned is entirely inadequate, especially for my size (6'1" with large hands). So I have decided I need to add a 240mm gyuto to my collection.
I began doing some research and realized that the kitchen store japanese knives appear to be overpriced and I can probably get something much better if I looked at some non-big-brand knives. I started trying to do this research on my own and realized there were just way too many choices and it would take me ages to sort through all the options. Then I found this forum and I'm hoping you guys can help me out.
My girlfriend has offered to buy the knife for my birthday, but I don't want to ask her to spend more than 200. Less would be better, with $150 being the sweet spot probably. I have a separate personal budget for sharpening gear, but probably don't want to spend much more than $100 if possible, at least at first :biggrin:.
LOCATION
What country are you in?
USA
KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in (e.g., chefs knife, slicer, boning knife, utility knife, bread knife, paring knife, cleaver)?
Chefs, gyuto specifically
Are you right or left handed?
Right
Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?
Not sure, only ever used Western, but I like the look of the Japanese handles.
What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?
240mm
Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)
No
What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
$200
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.)
Mainly slicing vegetables and meats. No bones though.
What knife, if any, are you replacing?
6" Wusthof Classic Ikon Chefs Knife
Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.)
Pinch Grip
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.)
Rocking, slicing
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.)
Well obviously I want it to be longer than 6" and harder than the German steel. I'm interested in trying a carbon steel knife for the ease of sharpening. I like the look of damascus or layered steel but it is not a requirement.
KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.)
synthetic
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.)
Yes.
Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives? (Yes or no.)
Yes.
SPECIAL REQUESTS/COMMENTS
If you make a suggestion I would also greatly appreciate it if you include an idea of where I could purchase it too, as long as this is allowed on these forums.
Let me know if you need any other info!
Thanks in advance!
