Looking to Purchase a New Knife

Hello everyone! I'm looking to buy a new knife and was hoping to get some advice from knowledgeable folks!

What type of knife(s) do you think you want?

Basically an all-purpose one for mincing, slicing things like onions, garlic, vegetables, seafood, and meat (pork shoulder, etc. no carving or any butchering).

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

I'm replacing an extremely cheap knife that is too dull and hard to use

What do you like and dislike about these qualities of your knives already?
Aesthetics- Don't mind the looks (it can be ugly), as long as it's good.
Edge Quality/Retention- The knife I have is really dull
Ease of Use/Comfort- The grip is not very nice, I have a small hand and the handle just doesn't fit well

What grip do you use?

Pinch grip

What kind of cutting motion do you use?

Rocking

Where do you store them?

Drawer. I know this is wrong if anyone has suggestions for this, I'd love to hear it as well!

Have you ever oiled a handle?

No

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

Plastic

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

Nothing. If possible, I'd like something that can be maintained as easy as possible. I wouldn't mind honing from time to time but I'd rather not have to sharpen them myself. Again, if you have suggestions regarding this, I'd like to hear about it as well!

Have they ever been sharpened?

No.

What is your budget?

About $100 for the knife. A little over is ok.

What do you cook and how often?

A mix of stuff but mostly Asian food. A lot of stir fries. Cook almost everyday (Yes, it took me this long to realize I need a better knife).

Special requests(Country of origin/type of wood/etc)?

None here.

Thanks! I understand that this might be a bit vague, I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to knives. If you have any questions or clarifications needed, please ask.

Greetings! A new knife will get dull as well, so may want to at least consider a sharpening plan.

Welcome to KKF.

Welcome to the forums!!

Welcome and good luck in your search!

Welcome, I don't think anyone will recommend any thing at that price until you start thinking about sharpening. In that case you would want to budget for a good set of stones. If you like cooking as much as you say, you will also love how a great knife will cut for you. You also can send them out a couple times a year for sharpening if you are a home user. But then again you will only be happy with what you have for a short time.

I am not a Cleaver guy, but my gut says that you prob. should look at a vegetable cleaver. Or even a Nikkiri, which is kinda a small cleaver.

^ what he said...

I would recommend a cleaver, like CCK or an Asian market carbon dealy, and a good combo stone to start. The CCK is a great cleaver, 40$, is ridiculously easy to sharpen, and takes a wicked edge. you could pick both up for around 100/120$. And with the amount of veg you say you cut, it would be a good option to look into. Just my $.02

~joe

Cleaver makes sense with the budget and variety of food cut, but they are not for everyone. If you are looking for a nice entry level gyuto then you could go with a Fujiwara FKM (Stainless Steel) and have one delivered for less than a $100 from Japanese Chef's Knife. You need to figure out the size, many here would likely suggest a either a 210mm or 240mm though this would be based on your comfort level and the amount of space you have to work. Again, this knife just like others will dull with use, though since it is not as hard as many J-blades you could probably get away with a honing rod for short-term upkeep. My suggestion would be to get an inexpensive dual-sided stone such as a King 1k/6k and watch Jon's (Japanese Knife Imports) videos on double edge sharpening. Learning to sharpen is 1)intimidating at first 2)not that difficult 3)extremely rewarding and top all that off with the fact that you already have a good knife for practice.

Oh yeah, and I also enjoy using my cleaver (large CCK) and nakiri as well, but overall my gyuto's get much more use.

The plastic cutting board will have to go at some point too..

it has begun :devilburn:

Since you are getting tons of info you didn't ask for I'll chime in. Have a look at the Suisin INOX line. I think you'd do well to try a 210mm or 240mm Gyuto. Might be a little more than the $100 you mentioned but you'll have a knife that will serve you well for a long time.

I like the cleaver suggestion but either way I'd start with a few stones and a Maple cutting board. If you have a tight budget you can find Mple boards on Overstock.com at a fair price. Google up a coupon code if you can because they usually have some offer going.
The Kagayaki originals that Koki has @ JCK should fall right in your budget as well.

Dave