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jacbo3003

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Hi,this is my first post on forum. I have researched a bit and have a few ideas on what I am looking for and would like a little guidance.


From the questions in the sticky post:
What type of knife(s) do you think you want?
240mm wa-gyuto for me, ~180mm Santoku my signifigant other really wants (western handled), A petty knife , and one of those cheap victorinox paring knives which I hear about but am unsure which model
Why is it being purchased? What, if anything, are you replacing?
Replacing various Chicago cutlery in a knife block (was free)
What do you like and dislike about these qualities of your knives already?
Aesthetics- look cheap
Edge Quality/Retention- crap edge
Ease of Use- serrated and dull make for a terrible cutting experience
Comfort- no complaints
What grip do you use? pinch grip
What kind of cutting motion do you use? for the most part push-cutting but occasionally pull
Where do you store them? knife block, but I'm throwing that out as soon as new knives come in. I will probably get a magnetic block of some sort
Have you ever oiled a handle? no, but I'm willing
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? nothing, all blades are serrated junk
Have they ever been sharpened? no
What is your budget? ~450-500, cheaper is better for me but I want to have something that will last, with good f&f
What do you cook and how often? vegetables, meat, fish, fruit occasionally
Special requests(Country of origin/type of wood/etc)?

like I said above I have done a little research and this is what I am thinking. Just need a little direction or hand holding, lol.

Hattori HD or FH series
CarboNext
Gesshin Ginga gyuto 240
or I can just pick a JCK knife set

How do the two lines of Hattori compare to each other, and the CarboNext?
What would you all reccomend for a first time knife buyer? I will be new to the wa handle style on the Gesshin. I will also be new to sharpening.
 
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After thinking it over I think I may be going with the following:

Hattori HD : 170mm Santoku, and 135mm Petty

CarboNext: Gyuto 240mm

Victorinox: 3 1/2 " parer

and a set of sharpening stones. I guess the Gesshin will have to wait. How does this sound?
 
That's a good budget setup.
A smart place to start.
 
Welcome to the forums.

The Hattori Forum series have been out for a while, and there is a wide variety of opinions on their performance. The forum series, works very well for my cutting style. I prefer a knife that is not too thin or thick. The forum series strikes a nice balance, between the two. The handle is probably the most comfortable one, on a production knife. The steel sharpens easily and takes a good edge. More then likely, its the great handle, that makes the Hattori feel very natural to use. As much as I like the Forum series, others have commented that they don't care for the profile, or the way the knife cuts. It all comes down to personal preference.

The Carbonext has a reputation for being one of the best values on the market. It is a lot of knife for the money.

The knifes you are looking at would be a good set for the home kitchen.

Jay
 
Would be a good combo, if only to begin to introduce yourself to the world of quality knives
 
Sound good but why do you need Gyuto and Santoku? maybe it is better to get a nikiri instead of Santoku.
 
Sometimes, phrases are used such as "good for a home cook", that might be off putting to a new member. The assumption being that if a knife is not good in a pro setting, then somehow it is lacking. Restaurant kitchens have to follow a number of regulations. Sanitary cutting boards are tough on edges. A cook in a pro kitchen is concerned about getting through large amounts of prep work as fast as possible. They also have to deal with co-workers borrowing, abusing, and stealing their knives. A home cook doesn't have to worry about these issues, so they can use any style of knife.

The Santoku your significant other wants, is a good home knife. Its size makes it an easy and nimble knife to use. The wide blade works well for scooping up food. A cook in a pro kitchen, would not want a Santoku, its small size, is a draw back in prepping large amounts of veggies. The big criticism of the Santoku is its wide tip. On veggies, who needs a needs a tip? Meats, need an agile tip, to follow the curves of bones and muscles. Most pro cooks will use a petty to prep meat.

One of your requirements was a knife with good fit and finish. The Hattori Forum knives are one of the top knives, if not the best, in fit and finish. It would probably take a custom knife to surpass a Hattori KF. The handle is easily one of the best out there. A well designed handle makes a real difference in how a knife performs.

A criticism of the Hattori KF, is that it doesn't cut as well as other knifes in its price range. How well a knife cuts is very subjective. Among the gyutos, sujihikis, and cleavers, that I own, I am unable to detect a noticeable difference between them and the Hattoris. The Hattoris as far as I can tell in performance are in the same league as knives costing twice as much.

A common misnomer is a knife that costs twice as much, well perform twice as well. A more expensive knife may have a better grind or fit and finish, but its performance increase may be only 5 - 10 percent over the less expensive knife. Which is a significant increase, but is it worth it? Only the buyer can made that decision.

I haven't used a Carbonext, but they are well regarded on the forum, so I would not hesitate to purchase one. I will probably pick up a sujihiki, from this line, in the next few months.

Jay
 
I seem to remember some discussion as to whether or not the Carbonext were being shipped with a very good/sharp edge, most here would not mind but if you are new to sharpening it may be something to research a bit.
 
Thank you all for the warm welcome, and your insights. I pulled the trigger and ordered a CarboNext 240mm Gyuto, Hattori HF 170mm Santoku, Hattori HD 135mm Petty, and lastly a 3 1/2" victorinox parer. Yeah my wife wanted the Santoku otherwise I would've skipped over getting it. I think I will be sending any of the knives that don't have a good out of box edge to get sharpened, and then buying a few stones so I can try and maintain the edges from there.
 
Down the rabbit hole with another one!

Congrats.
 
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