Present for my mother

Hi, I am looking for a new knife for my mother.

LOCATION
What country are you in?
Italy

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?
Right

Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?
Western handle

What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?
~20cm

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

What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
120 €


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.)
slicing vegetables, chopping vegetables, mincing vegetables, slicing meats, cutting down poultry

What knife, if any, are you replacing?
no replacement

Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.)
Hammer Grip, 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.)
Slice, Rock Chop, Push-Cut

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.)


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)?
possibly some cool pattern of steel

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)?


Edge Retention (i.e., length of time you want the edge to last without sharpening)?
~3 weeks


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

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

Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives? (Yes or no.)
Yes


SPECIAL REQUESTS/COMMENTS

I am not a knife enthusiast and neither is my mom. She has being using some crappy cheap knife until now and I want to buy her a good quality knife. Sharpening is not an issue, we can take it to a professional or I can learn how to do it myself. Thanks!

I expect the smart members here can give you a few suggestions for your Mom.
Welcome to the forum.

I propose a Sakai Takayuki 210mm chef knife, even with Damascus pattern! Well-known maker, great value for money.
Link is for a seller in Canada but you can surely find it elsewhere and save on shipping.

https://www.paulsfinest.com/Sakai-T...ef-s-Knife-210mm-8_3-7395.html?category_id=59

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

Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives? (Yes or no.)
Yes

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present for your mother:

A microbevel

Unless your mother is familiar with and really wants a Japanese Chef's knife, I would suggest a German or French pattern chef's knife. I like Wusthof a bit better than Henckels but, both are generally very similar in their premium forged Chef's knives. Sabatier (sp?) is a French brand that might work as well if you want a 'flatter' profile with the tip closer to the cutting board than the German knives.

I'm not sure what Henckels 4 and 5 star or Wusthof Classic run in Italy (or the EU) but, where I live they can be purchased for ~$100 as an 8" (~20cm) Chef's knife. This length is very popular so, they generally can be found on sale less than normal retail where I shop.

deskjockey said:

Unless your mother is familiar with and really wants a Japanese Chef's knife, I would suggest a German or French pattern chef's knife. I like Wusthof a bit better than Henckels but, both are generally very similar in their premium forged Chef's knives. Sabatier (sp?) is a French brand that might work as well if you want a 'flatter' profile with the tip closer to the cutting board than the German knives.

I'm not sure what Henckels 4 and 5 star or Wusthof Classic run in Italy (or the EU) but, where I live they can be purchased for ~$100 as an 8" (~20cm) Chef's knife. This length is very popular so, they generally can be found on sale less than normal retail where I shop.

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I'm sure a German or French knife is just fine for my mother but they look so ordinary. I was looking for something that looks and feels special. I like the Sakai Takayuki but I only found a dealer that sells it in Italy for 177€ which is out of budget.

teodargent said:

I'm sure a German or French knife is just fine for my mother but they look so ordinary. I was looking for something that looks and feels special. I like the Sakai Takayuki but I only found a dealer that sells it in Italy for 177€ which is out of budget.

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I went down this road with my mother and bought her a mid-grade Santoku. She would not use it becase it was "TOO SHARP". She was basically afraid to use it. A Henckels or Wusthoff would have been a much better choice.

I get the 'bling' factor and eye appeal but, it is important to buy the knife that SHE will want to use. Letting a personal preference creep in can, as in my case, result in a gift that doesn't get used like you might hope. If that Santoku had Damascus cladding, it would have never left the factory box and would have just sat there like a piece of jewelry in a jewelry box.

Tanaka VG10 damascus 190 gyuto from metalmaster ticks all the boxes for just 70 $. Sensational cutter regardless of price. MM just got a new batch and you need think fast because they'll be gone in a couple of weeks. Though the shipping takes between 1-4 weeks.

JaVa said:

Though the shipping takes between 1-4 weeks.

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This can be a problem. How about this one: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B014CA7N3K/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 ? I can't find much info, someone says it's the same as the Sakai Takayuki just branded differently.

I don't know that maker, but it looks very similar to the Sakai and it is the same steel. PRobably mostly machine-made but this is what you get at that price. WIth VG10 steel, you get resonable performance, higher hardness than german steel, but with low maintenance because classified as a semi-stainless (my gf uses only my japanese vg-10 knife).

teodargent said:

How about this one: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B014CA7N3K/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 ?

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Nevermind. The shipping for that one also takes weeks. I think I need to raise my budget or just go for a Wusthof.

Recent Wüsthofs I've seen came with a fat burr or wire-edge and needed sharpening right out of the box. And severe thinning behind the edge. No fun.
These come with a correct geometry, a decent edge and the better steel -- at the same price as a Wüsthof:
https://www.knivesandtools.de/de/pt/-sakai-takayuki-grand-chef-kochmesser-21-cm.htm

This may be Déclassé as a gift, but...it's italian...

I gave my Mom a mediocre Japanese style knife (VG10) with an upgraded handle and she was afraid of how ‘sharp’ it was. So, I’d rather go with what she is comfortable with.

Stefan

What a knife nut wants and what their mother will enjoy using are two different things in most cases.