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I think the Suisin INOX honyaki gyuto (either 240 or 210) ought to be on the list. I know that many will say that it is overpriced, but it still was/is a a groundbreaking (and very, very well made) knife, especially if you happen to like lasers.

I also think the Kaeru gyuto from JNS ought to be there. It’s a knife that a lot of the pro cooks around here use, and with good reason
 
Carl Kotte said:
Pretty good? It should be great! Care to improve it? And no, 48 is an absolute must.
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I thought they were supposed to be exceptional knives. Are you sure you want to say her work is exceptional?
 
Ok, so just to put this to bed, I did suggest Chelsea Miller as a joke, offering a tongue in cheek explanation stemming from the facts that

1) we had like an entire thread about her recently (or at least a multipage tangent), indicating that her knives are surely remarkable, in that they offend most of our sensibilities and are very expensive, and

2) noone on the thread had actually tried her knives, so hey, if we’re suggesting things to try, here’s something that would make a difference in the KKF community. ;)

But this isn’t really worth dwelling on for more than one jokey post, so maybe we could remove her and quell the controversy?
 
ian said:
Ok, so just to put this to bed, I did suggest Chelsea Miller as a joke, offering a tongue in cheek explanation stemming from the facts that

1) we had like an entire thread about her recently (or at least a multipage tangent), indicating that her knives are surely remarkable, in that they offend most of our sensibilities and are very expensive, and

2) noone on the thread had actually tried her knives, so hey, if we’re suggesting things to try, here’s something that would make a difference in the KKF community. ;)

But this isn’t really worth dwelling on for more than one jokey post, so maybe we could remove her and quell the controversy?
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No one removes Chelsea Miller!
 
Carl Kotte said:
No one removes Chelsea Miller!
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Why are you so set on Chelsea Miller. I havent heard a single person say she makes great knives. Ive heard people say they like cut brooklyn knives. Perhaps, you need to add kamikoto knives on to the list.
 
Jville said:
Why are you so set on Chelsea Miller. Ive heard people say they like cut brooklyn knives.
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Cut Brooklyn do stock removal from 52100, 1095 and AEB-L.
Chelsea grinds her knives from farriers rasps.
But both are from Brooklyn and charge a lot of $$$...
 
parbaked said:
Cut Brooklyn do stock removal from 52100, 1095 and AEB-L.
Chelsea grinds her knives from farriers rasps.
But both are from Brooklyn and charge a lot of $$$...
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I wasnt trying to equate the two makers together. Although since i said them together i could see it coming off that way. I was mentioning it because i thought the list was comprised of knives that were supposed to be great through personal trials. I havent used either, so it wasnt an attempt to have cut on the list. I was just saying if it was somebody that at least there has been talk, experience, familiarity with their knives.
 
OK, two things, but first of all thanks to everybody who has contributed so far! The KKF community is great.
1. So with a few exceptions this list has turned into a Maker’s/Manufacturer’s list. The original idea was to compile a list of notable knives to try before you die - and even though some makers do everything well, there might be reason to impose further precision (I think it was @Xenif who suggested we should follow the convention:) 1 Brand/maker, 2 line/steel, 3 knife type, 4 length (or some improved version thereof).
2. As soon as we get a comprehensive enough list, I (or someone else) could put together a vote of some kind. Each participant gets to tick x boxes (number not yet decided) of knives, and the 100 knives who get the most votes get to be on the final list.

These are suggestions. Let me know what you think! All best!
 
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Also, and for the slightly less encyclopedia brained amongst us, would it be possible to avoid abbreviations and nicknames in this thread? Especially when discussing super knives and from Japanese makers for somebody like myself it's not always clear who the maker is. Sorry if this comes across noobish, but learning takes time.


Carl Kotte said:
OK, two things, but first of all thanks to everybody who has contributed so far! The KKF community is great.
1. So with a few exceptions this list has turned into a Maker’s/Manufacturer’s list. The original idea was to compile a list of notable knives to try before you die - and even though some makers do everything well, there might be reason to impose further precision (I think it was @Xenif who suggested we should follow the convention:) 1 Brand/maker, 2 line/steel, 3 knife type, 4 length (or some improved version thereof).
2. As soon as we get a comprehensive enough list, I (or someone else) could put together a vote of some kind. Each participant gets to tick x boxes (number not yet decided) of knives, and the 100 knives who get the most votes get to be on the final list.

These are suggestions. Let me know what you think! All best!
Click to expand...
 
Carl Kotte said:
So, here is the spectacular list you have been waiting for. Or not really. For a list promising to contain 100 remarkable (or notable) knives, it is surprisingly short at the moment. Let us consider it a work in project. Please add, correct, improve, etc. etc.

A hundred dies to knife before you fry – in something like an alphabetical order.


1. Blenheim Forge

2. Blok Knives

3. Bloodroot

4. Jim Burke

5. Murray Carter Funayuki

6. Catcheside Gyuto

7. CCK a) Carbon Kau Kong Chopper, b) 1303

8. Comet Honyaki

9. Robin Dalman Gyuto S-Grind

10. Doi

11. Fingal Ferguson

12. Teruyasu Fujiwara Denka

13. Gengetsu Gyuto

14. Gesshin Ittetsy Honyaki Gyuto

15. Grimm Knife Company

16. Gude Bread Sword

17. HHH

18. Halcyonforge Gyuto

19. Ashi Hamono Ginga

20. Harner

21. Hazenberg

22. Heiji Semi-stainless

23. Tsukasa Hinoura

24. Ikea Briljera

25. Ikeda Mizu Honyaki

26. Mario Ingoglia

27. Jikko Akebono Gyuto 240

28. Kagekiyo Blue # 1 Gyuto

29. Benjamin Kamon

30. Kato a) STD Gyuto, b) Yoshiaki Fujiwara, c) Sujihiki

31. Kikuishi

32. Kippington

33. Kochi a) Stainless clad, b) V2

34. Konosuke Fujiyama (preferably old, and wide bevel) or Gyuto 240 White Steel # 1

35. Shibata Kotetsu

36. Bob Kramer

37. Kumagoro Honyaki

38. Tilman Leder Inox

39. Andrea Lisch

40. David Lisch

41. Mac Pro Series

42. Dave Martell

43. Masahiro

44. Masamoto KS

45. Masashi SLD

46. Matsubara

47. Maumasi

48. Chelsea Miller Gyuto

49. Misono Dragon

50. Mizuno Honyaki

51. Munethoshi a) Cleaver, b) Gyuto, c) Butcher

52. Murata Blue # 1

53. Don Ngyuen

54. Opinel

55. Dan Prendergast

56. Brian Raquin a) Gyuto, b) Mini cleaver/Big Nakiri

57. Michael Rader

58. Sabatier a) Nogent handled pre 1939, b) Old carbon

59. Sakai Takayuki Ginsanko

60. Takeshi Saji

61. Shigefusa Gyuto

62. Takamura Pro Gyuto

63. Takeda Gyuto

64. Tanaka a) Blue Steel # 2, b) Gyuto

65. Tesshu

66. Togashi Honyaki Blue Steel Gyuto

67. Tosagata Bunka

68. Toyogama

69. Toyama a) Iron Clad, b) Guyto 270, c) Nakiri 210

70. Tsourkan

71. Shinichi Watanabe a) Kasumi Guyto, b) KU Gyuto, c) Nakiri

72. Xerxes

73. Yoshikane Black Damascus SLD

74. Zwilling Kramer
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Time to win the lottery or get the credit card out, ladies and gents.
 
DisconnectedAG said:
Also, and for the slightly less encyclopedia brained amongst us, would it be possible to avoid abbreviations and nicknames in this thread? Especially when discussing super knives and from Japanese makers for somebody like myself it's not always clear who the maker is. Sorry if this comes across noobish, but learning takes time.
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This point about abbreviations is very good! It is much appreciated if you spell out the complete name, line, etc etc! All best!
 
Is this drive to produce a ranked list contrary to the KKF mission? I seem to remember someone proposing a “buying guide” at some point, and there being considerable opposition. I’m not sure we want to encourage everyone to first go buy knife #1, then knife #2, etc... Not sure that’s fair to the makers, since there would be a lot of factors involved in the ranking that aren’t necessarily related to quality (e.g. availability, buzz). I’m on board with a top 100 list, since there are so many, but ranking it makes it seem inaccurately definitive, and may encourage buying practices we want to avoid.
 
ian said:
Is this drive to produce a ranked list contrary to the KKF mission? I seem to remember someone proposing a “buying guide” at some point, and there being considerable opposition. I’m not sure we want to encourage everyone to first go buy knife #1, then knife #2, etc... Not sure that’s fair to the makers, since there would be a lot of factors involved in the ranking that aren’t necessarily related to quality (e.g. availability, buzz). I’m on board with a top 100 list, since there are so many, but ranking it makes it seem inaccurately definitive, and may encourage buying practices we want to avoid.
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Good point! I was not aware of that, and I did not mean to suggest anything that was against the rules. I am happy to retract and go for a non-ranking list.
 
A ranked list doesn’t make that much sense anyway because people’s priorities differ. Alphabetical order would do, I think.
 
I think I would prefer to see a list of knives that have opened peoples eyes. I would prefer stories of good first hand experiences. We would see more good comments on more common knives and less about knives that only a few can use.

In other words, I would like to see a list of good tools. Instead of a list of what “investors or art critics” think would be of value.

So my criteria would require that the poster has actually used the knife that they propose - I don’t mean “BNIB with only a few test cuts” type of use either.
 
Midsummer said:
I think I would prefer to see a list of knives that have opened peoples eyes. I would prefer stories of good first hand experiences. We would see more good comments on more common knives and less about knives that only a few can use.

In other words, I would like to see a list of good tools. Instead of a list of what “investors or art critics” think would be of value.

So my criteria would require that the poster has actually used the knife that they propose - I don’t mean “BNIB with only a few test cuts” type of use either.
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I see your point - there are a few, but not many, tools at the moment and they are in the minority. Feel free to add though. Nothing is settled yet!
 
Midsummer said:
I would like to see a list of good tools. Instead of a list of what “investors or art critics” think would be of value.
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The investors and art critics kill/ruin every thing...
by making 'lists' you are just enabling them :(
 
ian said:
Is this drive to produce a ranked list contrary to the KKF mission? I seem to remember someone proposing a “buying guide” at some point, and there being considerable opposition. I’m not sure we want to encourage everyone to first go buy knife #1, then knife #2, etc... Not sure that’s fair to the makers, since there would be a lot of factors involved in the ranking that aren’t necessarily related to quality (e.g. availability, buzz). I’m on board with a top 100 list, since there are so many, but ranking it makes it seem inaccurately definitive, and may encourage buying practices we want to avoid.
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Good point.
Michi said:
A ranked list doesn’t make that much sense anyway because people’s priorities differ. Alphabetical order would do, I think.
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Good solution.
HRC_64 said:
The investors and art critics kill/ruin every thing...
by making 'lists' you are just enabling them :(
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Good point.
 
One comment though before a tangent turns into a topic of its own. First, I have never proposed a buyer’s list and it has not been my intention to do so either. Secondly - and maybe I should have been much more clear on this point - I have not suggested a ranking. I never wrote that there should be a ranking; what I suggested was that there be some sort of vote concerning what gets to be on the final list (the list itself could still be in alphabetical order, and, more importantly, the distribution of the votes could be concealed or not presented). The only reason to have a vote, after having collected a lot more specific suggestions concerning specific knives, would be to make sure we had a list of knives rather than makers/brands. As someone said early on (was it ian?) a list of 100 makers pretty much should add up to a list of every maker/brand that has been spoken of positively on KKF. That was not exactly what I had in mind, although such a list could also - I admit - be interesting.
 
Midsummer said:
In other words, I would like to see a list of good tools. Instead of a list of what “investors or art critics” think would be of value.
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I think I read this part in a rush and did not think it over properly. Now that I do, I find it very hard to see what you are picking up on. As far as I can tell, value has not been discussed at all (and certainly not investment value, which does seem to be what you are talking about). Many high-end knives have been mentioned, but that does not mean that they have been put there by (the equivalences of) art critics. I would guess that interest in high-end knives is one of the things that bring many to KKF, but that does not reflect the whole spectrum of knife enthusiasts here. Insofar something is missing (and there ought to be) just add!
 
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Carl Kotte said:
I think I read this part in a rush and did not think it over properly. Now that I do, I find it very hard to see what you are picking up on. As far as I can tell, value has not been discussed at all (and certainly not investment value, which does seem to be what you are Tallinn about). Many high-end knives have been mentioned, but that does not mean that they have been put there by (the equivalences of) art critics. I would guess that interest in high-end knives is one of the things that bring many to KKF, but that does not reflect the whole spectrum of knife enthusiasts here. Insofar something is missing (and there ought to be) just add!
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Well said. Yeah, I have fancy shmancy knives that are out of some people's budgets. That being said, I will be the first to admit that these aren't six times "better" than a Wakui, Yoshikane or other more budget-friendly option. In fact, when people ask me for advice, I steer them in the direction of many of the more economical names mentioned above.
 
Thanks Carl for compiling the list. The burke in my earlier post was “Bill Burke,” not “Jim”

Also, I would second Yoshikane SLD (great cutters and nice blade geometry overall) and would add Bill’s daughter Jessica Burke; though she isn’t a full-time maker right now, her knives are really wonderful. Bhakti Sa, a former apprentice of David Lisch, also belongs on this list; while his damascus isn’t as complicated or interesting as LIsch’s, his forging is terrific, his fit and finish beautiful and his blade geometry performs at a very high level.

I too would be interested in hearing why folks like a particular maker’s knives enough to put them on the list; since we can’t all experience everything first hand, it’s great to hear from those who have had positive experience with a given knife/maker.
 
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