Opinion Needed: Kitchen Knife Set (Budget $150)

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sleekay

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Hi everyone.

Wondering if I could get some opinions.

I would like to get a good kitchen cutting knife set (minus scissors if possible).
I'm looking for a set of knives for cutting meat, fruit, regular kitchen duties (I'm not looking for eating knives).


My budget is $150 - does anyone have any recommendations?



Thanks so much - it's appreciated!
sleekay
 
The first thing your gonna hear is to spend the money on one, maybe two good knives, that's all you will need to do what you want to do, and you will be able to buy good knives that will far out perform anything you will find in a set for the money your looking to spend.
 
I agree with The Hekler. Get a decent 210 or 240mm Gyuto and a 150mm petty and you should be good for most of the tasks in the kitchen. A Carbonext 150mm petty is $70 and the 210mm gyuto is $105, so it's a little over your budget, but that may be a way to go. Also, Fujiwara has their stainless series FKM or carbon series FKH: 150mm petty is $44 and the 210mm gyuto is $75, $83 for the 240mm gyuto in stainless. Another option is an Artifex, either 210mm or 240, or a Tojiro DP Gyuto and Petty. Most blades in a knife set don't get used. The gyuto will take care of the slicing tasks, whether it is veggies or proteins. The petty will take care of most smaller tasks, finer cutting, etc.
 
Taz575 said:
I agree with The Hekler. Get a decent 210 or 240mm Gyuto and a 150mm petty and you should be good for most of the tasks in the kitchen. A Carbonext 150mm petty is $70 and the 210mm gyuto is $105, so it's a little over your budget, but that may be a way to go. Also, Fujiwara has their stainless series FKM or carbon series FKH: 150mm petty is $44 and the 210mm gyuto is $75, $83 for the 240mm gyuto in stainless. Another option is an Artifex, either 210mm or 240, or a Tojiro DP Gyuto and Petty. Most blades in a knife set don't get used. The gyuto will take care of the slicing tasks, whether it is veggies or proteins. The petty will take care of most smaller tasks, finer cutting, etc.
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+1; also I think it would be a wise decision to get some sharpening paraphernalia. An expensive knife is no better than a cheap knife when both are dull
 
Welcome sleekay!

Agree with what others have said, aside from that I know nothing about any sets. A gyuto (chef's), a petty or paring knife, and possibly a bread knife would be what most people would need to cut most everything they would ever cut.

Good luck!
 
Your choice also depends on what you use the most often. If you mainly use the chef knife, go for a good one and get a junky petty knife. Of you do more small work, get a better petty knife than a chef. It also depends how you take care of your knives. If you really careful, you could get a tojiro shirogami 210mm Gyuto for $60, and a petty for 40. But they are carbon steel, which can rust if left dirty.

Also about sharpening. It really depends on how sharp you want them. if you would rather spend more on knives, you could get them sharpened at a local store (yes i know, most of us [me included] would rather get a stone and do it ourselves) but you only need to do it a couple of times a year depending on how much you cook and it is not that expensive. Then you can save up for a good stone. Or you can use the wicked sharp method for very little upfront money (please practice with junky knife if you use the wicked sharp or a stone method).

My personal preference would be to get either a CarboNext or a Inazuma or Gekko gyuto 210mm and get a cruddy petty knife and a DMT fine diamond stone. That would put you in the range of about 150. But then i mainly use my chef knife for everything and if i need to peel something i use my peeler.

Please note: This is only after reading different forums. I'm still trying to decide on a knife to buy. I don't have any of these yet. So i can't give you direct feedback
 
I know this is going to sound like a recording, but, call Jon at JKI.
 
My vote would be for a good paring (Victorinox?), a 6-inch petty or boning knife and a 8-10 gyuto or chef knife. I'm not sure why bread knives are usually on these lists given how seldom I eat unsliced loaves.
After that, sharpening equipment and more sharpening equipment. People that send their knives out for sharpening work with semi-dull blades most of the time.
 
People use bread knives for stuff other than bread! The Tojiro is a great multi tasker, slicing bread, tomatoes, watermelon, skinning fruits, etc very well. It can also almost double as a Sujihiki for slicing tasks.
 
Taz575 said:
People use bread knives for stuff other than bread! The Tojiro is a great multi tasker, slicing bread, tomatoes, watermelon, skinning fruits, etc very well. It can also almost double as a Sujihiki for slicing tasks.
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So is the Forschner...and it is less expensive...but there again, why not just use a good sharp (non-serrated) knife for such things?
 
What I say:
Get an Artifex, a cheap paring knife or two, and a Bester 1200 waterstone.

What I did:
Got a CCK 1303 Chinese cleaver ($40), a Tojiro ITK 130mm petty ($30), a heavier-duty JiangMen carbon-steel Chinese cleaver from the local thrift store ($2), a Fujiwara FKM 150mm petty ($46), a set of three waterstones ($150) and an Idahone ceramic rod ($29). So, $118 for knives and $179 for sharpening stuff.

But then, I really like carbon steel and Chinese slicer-cleavers, and don't mind ugly handles! And the sharpening stuff will keep me in good stead whatever knives I might get down the road.
 
The ITK did better on the watermelon, pineapple and breads/rolls than any of my other knives. It has also held its edge very well, too. For the price, it's a great knife! I have played with Forschners years ago and wasn't impressed by their edge holding. I also like the wavy serrations as opposed to the pointy serrations. I hate serrated knives and have used a couple different types of bread knives and the Tojiro ITK blows them all away! As much as I don't want to like the knife, I can't help myself and end up liking it!
 
Get nice furoshiki, and learn how to beautifully wrap your tools wit it :) Furoshiki will be a cheaper but functional option!
 
That would be awesome if you could show us how to do that properly! Maybe a DVD or a class or something? I think that would be really cool.
 
Thanks so much for all the feedback and posts! Very appreciated! Now, to figure out which knife to buy! And yes, you all convinced me not to buy a set, but to get one chef's knife and possibly a sharpening stone with my $150!

Very appreciated!
sleekay
 
Cool, what knives are you considering for your first purchase?
 
Post back when you make a buy. Would love to hear what you purchased and your thought on it.
 
I just bought the Tojiro DP three knife set, in states available for 139, or 199 with bread knife.

Lots of knife for such a price.

Plenty of funky grinding on them but nothing serious
 
Sleekay welcome.

You just had two and a half pages of some great knife recommendations and vendor referrals by folks that have been into this for... years.

Sorry and unless I missed it, that Wushof wasn't one of them. :D
 
OK, just in case you missed it, I'd call Jon at JKI first...he can likely get you something better for the same money...
 
sleekay said:
What's a victorinox?
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AKA Forschner...made in Switzerland. Profile is similar to Wusthof...comes with rosewood or non-stick handle (can't remember the name of the black handles though they are what I have) and is NSF approved. You can find them in your local restaurant supply or even Amazon. Good bang for the buck knife...many don't care too much for the profile, but if you like the Wustie, it is similar. Might be a good knife to learn sharpening skills if needed--could get by with single stone.
 
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