Which knife should I buy?

Hi everyone,

Looking for a new kitchen knife, both super sharp and easy to maintain in terms of cleaning and care. Here are my questionnaire answers. Thanks in advance!

What type of knife(s) do you think you want?
All-purpose kitchen chef knife

Why is it being purchased? What, if anything, are you replacing?
Cutco chef knife

What do you like and dislike about these qualities of your knives already?
Aesthetics-No strong opinion here
Edge Quality/Retention-Nothing to compare to, seems ok
Ease of Use- Easy to clean
Comfort-Nothing to compare to, seems ok

What grip do you use?
Current is riveted plastic, but open to anything

What kind of cutting motion do you use?
Downward and away

Where do you store them?
In wood knife block

Have you ever oiled a handle?
Nope

What kind of cutting board(s) do you use?
Bamboo

For edge maintenance, do you use a strop, honing rod, pull through/other, or nothing?
Whetsto

Have they ever been sharpened?
No

What is your budget?
$100 - $500, but looking for best bang for buck

What do you cook and how often?
Asian, western, BBQ about 4x a week

Special requests(Country of origin/type of wood/etc)?
No preference

Welcome!
:ntmy:

My bang for the buck(and by that I mean cheapest good knife setup):
Artifex Chef's knife($70)
Idahone ceramic rod to go with it ($25)

If you want highest unit-ratio of knife quality to price within your budget, I'd say it's probably Marko Tsourkan's 240mm Gyuto. He hates it when people say that, but it is a great price for a knife that is about as nice as I would ever want one to be. I do believe there is a decent queue to get one though.


You'll get plenty of other suggestions.

BurkeCutlery said:

Welcome!
:ntmy:

My bang for the buck(and by that I mean cheapest good knife setup):
Artifex Chef's knife($70)
Idahone ceramic rod to go with it ($25)

If you want highest unit-ratio of knife quality to price within your budget, I'd say it's probably Marko Tsourkan's 240mm Gyuto. He hates it when people say that, but it is a great price for a knife that is about as nice as I would ever want one to be. I do believe there is a decent queue to get one though.


You'll get plenty of other suggestions.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the prompt reply BurkeCutlery. What Kind of steel do you recommend for the Tsourkan knife based on easy maintenance and cleaning?

How much are these knives, I'm browsing his site and see no mention of price so I'm assuming its on the upper end of my range.

Thanks!

You probably are going to want to strop, rather than steel, one of Marko Tsourkan's knives. They are made of 52100 steel and are hard enough that their edges will rarely roll. A strop, ideally with a little bit of Chromium Oxide compound, will remove microscopic bits of fatigued metal and leave your edge screaming-sharp.

To answer your other questions, yes they are at the top of your price range, and you will probably have to wait unless you can snag one of his "stock" knives, which he sells occasionally.

Other options for bang for your buck and ease of maintenance are Fujiwara's FKM stainless knives, which cut really well and cost less than $100. If you're willing to spend twice that, talk to Jon Broida, owner of Japanese Knife Imports on this forum, about his Gesshin Ginga lineup.

Good luck with your search!

heldentenor said:

You probably are going to want to strop, rather than steel, one of Marko Tsourkan's knives. They are made of 52100 steel and are hard enough that their edges will rarely roll. A strop, ideally with a little bit of Chromium Oxide compound, will remove microscopic bits of fatigued metal and leave your edge screaming-sharp.

To answer your other questions, yes they are at the top of your price range, and you will probably have to wait unless you can snag one of his "stock" knives, which he sells occasionally.

Other options for bang for your buck and ease of maintenance are Fujiwara's FKM stainless knives, which cut really well and cost less than $100. If you're willing to spend twice that, talk to Jon Broida, owner of Japanese Knife Imports on this forum, about his Gesshin Ginga lineup.

Good luck with your search!

Click to expand...

Can anyone comment on how Fujiwara's knives compare to the ******** Artifex knives?

The Fujiwaras are softer, and Japanese-made. They have integral bolsters, which some people(myself included) find more comfortable. I like the edge-holding of the Artifex, the appeal for me is that it is a really good piece of steel, made in the states. Handle is just an acceptable handle, though I haven't used the new(seemingly improved) design. The tip is a bit higher(IIRC) on the Fujiwara, but the profiles are comparable. Neither has a mind-blowing grind.

If you want a Japanese knife, Japanese Knife Imports is my default re-direct for real Japanese products that are true to form and reliably good.

I wouldn't hone one of Tsourkan's on a rod unless you really knew what you like in an edge, or are a professional cook. Stropping is the way to go with those. I also think you might be better served with a less designer knife, since it is your first foray into good knives, unless you are the type to test the water by jumping in the deep end.

What is your opinion on carbon knives, in other words how do you maintain/clean your knives currently?