Hi Guys,
As suggested by a member in another thread. I'm going to make a post here to see if I could get some of your help in deciding which knife to get. I've done some research and it sounds like I can get a significantly better knife with a $150-$200 budget versus spending $100 so that's the amount I'm going with.
I've been seeing the Kanehide PS60 Gyuto getting mentioned a lot so that is the starting point for my decision making process. It fits well within my budget of $150 and I love the brown wooden handle. If you have a suggestion for a knife maybe it would be great to compare it with the Kanehide to see how it's better/worse?
Here's the questionnaire!
LOCATION
What country are you in?
Canada, but could easily get the knife from the US as well as I travel there frequently.
KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in (e.g., chefs knife, slicer, boning knife, utility knife, bread knife, paring knife, cleaver)?
Chef's knife
Are you right or left handed?
Right handed
Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?
Western handle as that's what I'm used to, might get a cheaper one with a Japanese handle down to road to see if I like them.
What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?
Open to either 210mm or 240mm but leaning towards 240mm. Any suggestions here as the only experience I've had is an 8" henckels?
Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)
Stainless steel as I prefer less maintenance. I also might be occasionally sharing the knife with my wife who might be more careless with the knife than I would. If there is a big advantage with getting non-stainless steel that I wouldn't mind it.
What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
I really just want to spend $150usd because that's already $200cdn+ after conversion to Canadian with the recent exchange rate. If there's a strong reason to spend more I'm open to going upwards to $200usd
KNIFE USE
Do you primarily intend to use this knife at home or a professional environment?
Home cooking only
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.)
Slicing and chopping vegetables. Slicing meats.
What knife, if any, are you replacing?
A 8" chef's knife as part of a $200 Henckels 11-piece set.
Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.)
Don't have a particular grip I use
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.)
Push cut, slice, chop
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.)
Everything! My current knife is crap. I want a sharper knife and I'm lazy so would want a knife to stay sharp without much maintenance
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)?
Like western style handles that shows some wood grain pattern but this is not a must. Preferably not a knife that would show rust.
Comfort (e.g., lighter/heavier knife; better handle material; better handle shape; rounded spine/choil of the knife; improved balance)?
Doesn't matter. Haven't used enough knives to know what I'd like so whatever is popular works for me.
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)?
Want to use the knife out of the box (it's possible for people to buy a knife and it's not use-able right away? lol). Low maintenance is pretty important to me. I will eventually get into sharpening the knife myself so I guess easy to sharpen would be pretty important as I've never sharpened a knife before.
Edge Retention (i.e., length of time you want the edge to last without sharpening)?
Initially I wouldn't want to sharpen the knife myself. So maybe take it to a shop to sharpen once or twice a year? Eventually I'll sharpen it myself but still wouldn't want to have to do more than once every 2-3 months
KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.)
Willing to invest in a new board that works well with the knife. Definitely prefer a wood or bamboo board when I buy though.
Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.)
Not at the moment. As I've mentioned above I would eventually want to do it myself though
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
Thanks in advance!
As suggested by a member in another thread. I'm going to make a post here to see if I could get some of your help in deciding which knife to get. I've done some research and it sounds like I can get a significantly better knife with a $150-$200 budget versus spending $100 so that's the amount I'm going with.
I've been seeing the Kanehide PS60 Gyuto getting mentioned a lot so that is the starting point for my decision making process. It fits well within my budget of $150 and I love the brown wooden handle. If you have a suggestion for a knife maybe it would be great to compare it with the Kanehide to see how it's better/worse?
Here's the questionnaire!
LOCATION
What country are you in?
Canada, but could easily get the knife from the US as well as I travel there frequently.
KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in (e.g., chefs knife, slicer, boning knife, utility knife, bread knife, paring knife, cleaver)?
Chef's knife
Are you right or left handed?
Right handed
Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?
Western handle as that's what I'm used to, might get a cheaper one with a Japanese handle down to road to see if I like them.
What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?
Open to either 210mm or 240mm but leaning towards 240mm. Any suggestions here as the only experience I've had is an 8" henckels?
Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)
Stainless steel as I prefer less maintenance. I also might be occasionally sharing the knife with my wife who might be more careless with the knife than I would. If there is a big advantage with getting non-stainless steel that I wouldn't mind it.
What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
I really just want to spend $150usd because that's already $200cdn+ after conversion to Canadian with the recent exchange rate. If there's a strong reason to spend more I'm open to going upwards to $200usd
KNIFE USE
Do you primarily intend to use this knife at home or a professional environment?
Home cooking only
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.)
Slicing and chopping vegetables. Slicing meats.
What knife, if any, are you replacing?
A 8" chef's knife as part of a $200 Henckels 11-piece set.
Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.)
Don't have a particular grip I use
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.)
Push cut, slice, chop
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.)
Everything! My current knife is crap. I want a sharper knife and I'm lazy so would want a knife to stay sharp without much maintenance
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)?
Like western style handles that shows some wood grain pattern but this is not a must. Preferably not a knife that would show rust.
Comfort (e.g., lighter/heavier knife; better handle material; better handle shape; rounded spine/choil of the knife; improved balance)?
Doesn't matter. Haven't used enough knives to know what I'd like so whatever is popular works for me.
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)?
Want to use the knife out of the box (it's possible for people to buy a knife and it's not use-able right away? lol). Low maintenance is pretty important to me. I will eventually get into sharpening the knife myself so I guess easy to sharpen would be pretty important as I've never sharpened a knife before.
Edge Retention (i.e., length of time you want the edge to last without sharpening)?
Initially I wouldn't want to sharpen the knife myself. So maybe take it to a shop to sharpen once or twice a year? Eventually I'll sharpen it myself but still wouldn't want to have to do more than once every 2-3 months
KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.)
Willing to invest in a new board that works well with the knife. Definitely prefer a wood or bamboo board when I buy though.
Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.)
Not at the moment. As I've mentioned above I would eventually want to do it myself though
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
Thanks in advance!
