Curating a Home User's Collection

[timebard]

I want to put out a broad, open-ended question: how do you think about which knives and how many belong in your drawer/block/mag strip for home use?

I recognize that there are plenty of people here who have just one or a two nice knives, and conversely the serious collectors with closets full of Katos, drawers full of Dalmans, and more funds in the hobby than in my 401k. And there's plenty of pros who have specific needs for getting work done. But what I'm interested in is the home cooks somewhere in the middle, with enough quality knives to qualify as a collection but not so many that you don't have to think about what role each piece plays. Whether the constraint is money, storage space, or spousal disapproval, how do you approach deciding what to buy/keep and what to pass on/sell?

 

[@ftermath]

I’ve tried many of the popular knives discussed here over the last few years including high to lower middle class Japanese knives and some highly sought after western makers. I know two things for certain. (1) My views on knives today will not be the same as my views tomorrow. (2) Today - as a home cook - the gyuto is the only knife that I feel warrants the time and and money many of us (home cooks that is) dedicate to this hobby. I use my gyuto more than any other knife and it took a lot of trial and error and money to find what I feel works best for me. In a gyuto, I consider performance (how well the knife moves through produce), edge geometry, cross-sectional geometry, edge retention, handle comfort, corrosion resistance, fit and finish, and more. I would gladly spend $1.5k on the right gyuto if that’s what I needed to spend to get the knife I want. This is the knife that makes prep work enjoyable and when prep work wasn’t enjoyable, I didn’t cook.

Outside of my gyuto I now have a 10” Mac Pro slicer, 6” utility, and paring knife. I’ve spent time polishing their spines and choils but otherwise, they are average run of the mill mass produced knives. They get sharp and stay reasonably sharp for a while. I also have a victorinox fibrox stiff boning knife. These are all great knives but they don’t require the same complex considerations as the gyuto because I don’t need to worry about things like food release on my boning or paring knife.

Every knife I have was pretty carefully selected and gets used. I do admit that having matching knives outside of my gyuto had some influence on my decisions but it was not the primary factor. I have had and could still have much nicer versions of all these knives but from a practical performance standpoint, these fit my preferences and I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything.

That being said, I still enjoy buying and trying new knives. Sometimes my tastes change following an experience and sometimes my existing tastes are simply reaffirmed.

 

[tostadas]

For my home collection, I'm always trying to optimize my set, which is limited by storage capacity. I think I would be thrilled with simply a chinese cleaver for 90% of things, and a 5" victorinox for everything else like small fruits.

However, gyutos are also a lot of fun, so I like having one big tall one in 240-250 that can handle big weekend prep days. And to supplement it, I like stainless 180 and 150. I keep a sturdy 210 stainless beater that can be used for things like avocados, or small prep where I may not have time to immediately wash the knife. And a kinda special one that I never intended on keeping for long, but has found a spot in my normal rotation is the Munetoshi butcher. With all of those, I have 1 remaining spot in the drawer which is reserved for new stuff to try. If it ends up performing its role better than something else in the rotation, then it may bump out the other knife for a permanent spot.

It's just too fun though to try out new knives, so I don't think I'll ever settle on a final set. So I'm just enjoying the experience.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

For the most part, I have two mag strips, each holding around six knives. One is in a convenient spot and the other less so. Knives in the current frequent-use rotation go on the convenient strip, knives I'm on the fence about or some "specialty" knives (suji, 8" Wusthof chef for heavy tasks, etc.) go on the other one. If I realize that a knife has been on that second strip for some time without being touched, it is likely to go back into it' box.

I have a few others scattered about in places but the two strips are the primary use stuff.

 

[Brian Weekley]

Very good question. I am open to trying new things and generally like to find out for myself about particular knives or makers. I am strongly influenced by the thoughts and recommendations of a few members on KKF. There are a few members on KKF who are very knowledgeable and prepared to share their knowledge if you’re prepared to listen. I am generally open to buying their knives when offered to me. I am particularly open to purchases from working chefs. I like to try and see what may have drawn them to a particular knife or maker. I am also drawn to purchase multiple knives from makers that I like. Lately this has involved trying to accumulate “sets” from preferred makers … generally a couple of gyutos, a suji, nakiri and petty. I have purchased a few “unicorns” that probably won’t be used by me. I have a young son who shares my interest in knives and sharpening. These knives are his. Imagine if thirty or forty years ago your dad had accumulated a collection of what were unicorns at the time. One can easily see that the value would now be sufficient to pay for a university, or some useful education. A significant part of a first house perhaps.

Selling is much more difficult for me. I view my knives as members of my family. Generally I’ve bought them for a reason which is still valid. I often regret selling the knives that I’ve sold. That said, I know I must strive to do better at selling. I’m again at a point where I’m becoming reluctant to add to my collection because of the number of as yet unused knives I have. I’ve curated another 25 knives which will soon become the second half of my fifty for one sale … maybe!

 

[KitchenCommander]

I really like Gyutos. My first round of buying ended up settling around 7 gyuto/chef knives, zero sujis, one Cleaver, and one petty. That is just nicer knives, not counting all my random "old dirty carbon" knives that kick started the kitchen knife bug. Those only get occasional use. That satisfied me for about 4-5 years and I moved on to other hobbies for a while. I felt 7 chef knives ranging from 165-250mm gave me enough selection and variety to keep me happy for a good while. I came around again middle of last year and now I have picked up a 170 Nakiri, 210 Gyuto, 240 Suji, 180 Santoku, and have a 180 Stainless Gyuto on my birthday list. I have been really interested in the 180mm size range, having nothing in that range previously. I like my two 165's but I got the itch to try something in between 165mm and 210mm. 210 is by far my most used knife length, having now 4 210mm Gyutos all in different styles/grinds. I'm also looking closely at something 210-240 with a workhorse grind, which I have not tried yet.

I could be happy with about 6 Gyutos 165-250 in length. Then add a couple petties, a 240/270 suji, maybe my CCK 1302 for fun and I would be set. Nakiri I could take it or leave it. Say 10 knives in total would be the point in which I say "I probably have enough knives to cover my potential uses with some variety for enjoyment". Though that has never stopped me in the past. At 20 higher end knives I'll have to start thinking about a one in / one out policy depending on storage.

Even with about 8 knives in current rotation, I have a hard time rotating through them fast enough to really connect with each knife. Only cutting 1 onion and a couple carrots or some squash or broccoli does not really put any of these knives through the paces. Though I have the rest of my life to do that .

 

[riba]

My collection is kinda limited to fits on my magbloks as they should be easy to grab and use (i have very few knives in storage).

I often scratched an itch, triggered by discussions on KKF.
Strangely enough I have been itch free for a while and feel happy with what I have.

 

[stringer]

I'm primarily a home user nowadays. I've barely touched my "work" kit since I got laid off at the beginning of the pandemic. I'm managing a small cafe now. Which means I spend much more time on a laptop than chopping. I still do a little bit of prep but all that I have brought back into service is a couple Kanehide gyutos and a petty. So I've been struggling with what to do with my stuff. I don't have any use for it but I don't want to give it up. So most of them live on mag strips in my basement. Ready to rock and roll for the occasional special event or to show off when I'm doing culinary lessons.

I usually preferred 240 gyutos at work. But I have more space at home now than any place I ever worked. So I find my home kit gravitating toward the large size. My home drawer right now has a 300mm vintage American chef knife, a 270 HSC gyuto, and a 250 Shi.han gyuto. Along with my Tosa Nakiri, an eBay Chinese cleaver, a Henry Hyde double concave petty, a couple parers, and a 180 stainless gyuto and a serrated knife that belong to my wife.

 

[Reptyle]

There are a few things constraining my collection:
My budget
My wife
Space
Number of hands


I was getting by with a shun santuko and a Mac pairing for a number of years before making the plunge. Now I just get excited to try new makers, which in turn primarily dictates which knives I buy. This list in turn is highly influenced by the folks here and my personnel taste.

I've tried to minimize overlap, (so that I get more chances to use my knives and to prevent my wife from commenting) but haven't been entirely successful. I've come to realize though, it just gives me options!

For me, my collection is functional art. They inspire me to cook (particularly more vegetables), makes prep a joy, and makes me smile when I see them. I try to have a variety of sizes, shapes, steels etc, but my collection largely reflects my desire to try various smiths.

One day I will whittle down and fine- tune my collection, but I'm not there yet. Selling is hard, and I don't want to regret anything. If/when I do, I will likely sell what I have and commission a few heirloom pieces.

 

[user 16756]

whatever the number you "need" is it's probably lower than anything that would count as a collection.

1 thinly ground cutter, 1 beater for frozen foods or the like, and a bread knife probably is enough to get by even if not ideal

 

[stringer]

 

[KingShapton]

I view my knives as members of my family. Generally I’ve bought them for a reason which is still valid. I

 

[stringer]

The stuff I don't use at home is mostly specialty items. Bone cleavers, deba, yanagiba, sujihikis, butchering knives, Western slicers, oyster and clam knives, etc.

 

[Heckel7302]

I'm relatively new to high end knives, got my first one just over a year ago. As soon as I got my first one I knew I'd be building out a collection. I'm up to 8 now, with a 9th in process. With the 9, I will have ticked about every box I wanted to.

As a newby to these knives, my goal was to curate a collection that would give a wide range of region, grind, steel, and shape. I wanted to try a little of everything to see what I would jive with the best. In time I may end up selling some that I don't particularly love and replacing with others that more suit my cutting style, but time will tell. Here's all the boxes that got ticked:

Shapes
270 suji, 240 gyuto (x2), 210 gyuto (x2), Nakiri, Bunka, Honesuki, Petty

Steels
White #1, White #2, Blue #1, Blue #2, AS, R2, VG10

Regions
Sanjo (3), Sakai (2), Echizen (2), Other (2)

Finishes
Migaki, KU, Tsuchime, Nashiji, Suminagashi

I've actually got a very long detailed post about my first year of knife obsession in the works. I had some major life events lately that have gotten in the way of finishing it, but I'll get it up sooner or later.

 

[BillHanna]

There are a few things constraining my collection:
My budget
My wife

Hello, Comrade

 

[Pie]

I have no need for as many knives as I have, but they all serve either a purpose or some sort of sentimental value. There is definitely some overlap in the maybe 15-20 I currently own. The 240+ mm gyutos seem to be the biggest data point in the collection, a comfortable size to use, and if the task is too big just grab a bigger one. Really if I had to, I could get away with a couple gyutos - one for hard product, one for general use, a smaller knife (Takeda bunka) and a good sujihiki, currently Takeda also.

I try to collect knives that are as different from each other as possible, hence my preference for wedgy, ultra food release Takedas, a completely different experience than say the chunky Mazaki gyuto I beat on daily. Different again from the kono MM.

As a home cook, practicality becomes a limiting factor because really do you need 4 knives for one prep? Probably not. But it’s fun. Im just trying to stay away from the running-out-of-space or I-chipped-my-$3k-honyaki types of fun.

 

[esoo]

Buy knives. Try knives. Sell any knife that doesn't make you happy. I've sold knives for reasons from the profile being wrong, the handle being to big or the knife being too expensive. For a knife to stay in your collection it should give you a reason (even if it is irrational)

For example, several years ago I had the ZKramer 10" Carbon. I sold it (as I wasn't using it much and was asked nicely). I bought another knife to replace it at the length, didn't like it, tried again and didn't like it again. Finally in 2020, I managed to rebuy one (as they are not sold in Canada anymore), and it now will never leave my rack. It is the best knife but for me it fill a certain purpose better than any other knife I've handled. And I know that feeling is irrational.

On the other hand, I've got a knife that I love for many reasons. I've used it a fair amount in the last few months since I got it and it is a joy to use. Then at Christmas, I was quickly trying to chop something up and I've now realized that grind is way right side biased. I'm trying to put that to reconcile that - as I want a knife exactly like it as it joyous, but I want it with a left hand bias. Trying to decide what to do - does it stay or go for something that will be more biased to me being a lefty.

 

[Brian Weekley]

Buy knives. Try knives. Sell any knife that doesn't make you happy. I've sold knives for reasons from the profile being wrong, the handle being to big or the knife being too expensive. For a knife to stay in your collection it should give you a reason (even if it is irrational)

For example, several years ago I had the ZKramer 10" Carbon. I sold it (as I wasn't using it much and was asked nicely). I bought another knife to replace it at the length, didn't like it, tried again and didn't like it again. Finally in 2020, I managed to rebuy one (as they are not sold in Canada anymore), and it now will never leave my rack. It is the best knife but for me it fill a certain purpose better than any other knife I've handled. And I know that feeling is irrational.

On the other hand, I've got a knife that I love for many reasons. I've used it a fair amount in the last few months since I got it and it is a joy to use. Then at Christmas, I was quickly trying to chop something up and I've now realized that grind is way right side biased. I'm trying to put that to reconcile that - as I want a knife exactly like it as it joyous, but I want it with a left hand bias. Trying to decide what to do - does it stay or go for something that will be more biased to me being a lefty.

To me this is the whole point. It’s personal …all personal. The only person who counts is yourself. Take advice and use the experience of others if you like but when it comes down to it the only judge of right and wrong in knives is yourself.

 

[KingShapton]

To me this is the whole point. It’s personal …all personal. The only person who counts is yourself. Take advice and use the experience of others if you like but when it comes down to it the only judge of right and wrong in knives is yourself.

Exactly, that goes for knives as well as stones.

 

[WildBoar]

My approach to thinking about knife acquisitions it is to not overthink it. If money controls it, then let that be your guide. If the wife controls it, then let that be your guide to get a new wife. If the gimp caged in Stringer's basement controls it, make sure the windows are all covered and soundproofed.

 

[timebard]

There are a few things constraining my collection:
...
Number of hands

 

[timebard]

For my home collection, I'm always trying to optimize my set, which is limited by storage capacity. I think I would be thrilled with simply a chinese cleaver for 90% of things, and a 5" victorinox for everything else like small fruits.

However, gyutos are also a lot of fun, so I like having one big tall one in 240-250 that can handle big weekend prep days. And to supplement it, I like stainless 180 and 150. I keep a sturdy 210 stainless beater that can be used for things like avocados, or small prep where I may not have time to immediately wash the knife. And a kinda special one that I never intended on keeping for long, but has found a spot in my normal rotation is the Munetoshi butcher. With all of those, I have 1 remaining spot in the drawer which is reserved for new stuff to try. If it ends up performing its role better than something else in the rotation, then it may bump out the other knife for a permanent spot.

For the most part, I have two mag strips, each holding around six knives. One is in a convenient spot and the other less so. Knives in the current frequent-use rotation go on the convenient strip, knives I'm on the fence about or some "specialty" knives (suji, 8" Wusthof chef for heavy tasks, etc.) go on the other one. If I realize that a knife has been on that second strip for some time without being touched, it is likely to go back into it' box.

I could be happy with about 6 Gyutos 165-250 in length. Then add a couple petties, a 240/270 suji, maybe my CCK 1302 for fun and I would be set. Nakiri I could take it or leave it. Say 10 knives in total would be the point in which I say "I probably have enough knives to cover my potential uses with some variety for enjoyment". Though that has never stopped me in the past. At 20 higher end knives I'll have to start thinking about a one in / one out policy depending on storage.

As a newby to these knives, my goal was to curate a collection that would give a wide range of region, grind, steel, and shape. I wanted to try a little of everything to see what I would jive with the best. In time I may end up selling some that I don't particularly love and replacing with others that more suit my cutting style, but time will tell.

Really if I had to, I could get away with a couple gyutos - one for hard product, one for general use, a smaller knife (Takeda bunka) and a good sujihiki, currently Takeda also.

I try to collect knives that are as different from each other as possible, hence my preference for wedgy, ultra food release Takedas, a completely different experience than say the chunky Mazaki gyuto I beat on daily. Different again from the kono MM.

Thanks for all the perspectives on what a manageable working set looks like!

Part of me really likes the concept of a small, focused set with no or little overlap and just one or two rotating slots... the problem is sticking to rotating out the wildcards, especially after impulse buying a great deal from BST. Hence, for example, having four 210s right now despite not really using 210s much...

If I was disciplined about triming down, keeping one each of 240-250, 225-230, and 180-190 gyutos plus a cleaver and petty would be the core of the set, I think. (A 210/8" beater gyuto/chefs, paring, bread, and boning knives are in the mix too but I'm not so particular about what they are.) I've got a suji and it was such a nice deal I'll probably never sell it, but half the time I just use whatever gyuto I have out (or want to build patina on) to slice meat, so it really could stay or go.

 

[KitchenCommander]

but half the time I just use whatever gyuto I have out (or want to build patina on) to slice mea

I routinely choose my knife based on which I want to put more patina on, or whatever is newer. Right now my newest knife happens to be iron clad white 2 which needs some patina on. So it’s seeing the most action.

I don’t mind some overlap in size, as long as there is a bit of difference in shape, grind, or steel.

 

[mpier]

I have a knife block and a drawer full of stainless steel knives, probably around 35 of all different shapes and sizes. None of them are very expensive and they are from several different makers, some are gifted and some were bought before I started down the rabbit hole. All these knives are used by the family and with the older kids still hanging around there is always something going on in the kitchen. This makes me happy because I’ve always got knives to freshen up or sharpen.

I have 8 Japanese style knives that I use stashed in an upper cabinet and tucked away in there boxes. With the exception of my youngest daughter who seems to really get it they are rarely used by anybody but myself. I usually do the cooking on the weekends and sushi every other weekend so I have 4 Gyutos of various lengths 1 yanagiba 1 sujihiki 1 nakiri and 1 santoku. It’s definitely more than I need but less than I want. I pretty much just try to rotate them unless I have a specific activity that weekend that calls for a specific knife or two.

 

[blokey]

Still single digits at these point, hopefully stay this way for the sake of my wallet.

 

[JAKsQandBrew]

I have what I consider 3 classes of knives.
1st is sentimental knives - first knife I got in cooking school, Shun Kramer gyuto I got for my wedding, etc. Some I like and use, but most just sit there. I'd never sell
2nd is functional knives. Some are beaters, some are nicer. All get used, sharpened often and could be sold if i found a replacement.
3rd are the ones I like. Most get used, but some only for special occasions. I wouldn't sell any of them.

 

[toddnmd]

I try to have a mix (mostly) in several ways:
About half Japanese makers, about half Western
Roughly half are carbon, the other half are stainless or semi-stainless
I have a bunch of different core steels within each of those groups.
I try to have mostly different makers. There are a few exceptions, but I justify it more easily if they at least come from different lines.
225-230 gyutos are my sweet spot, so I've got more of those than any other length, with a few nice 240s thrown in. And a couple around 180
I've got a handful of rare/special knives that get only occasional use. Perhaps that will change over time.
I've got a few western handles, but overall prefer wa. I like different kinds of wood, so adding a custom handle in a cool wood is another way to make things stand out.

 

[brimmergj]

Currently at 9 higher end blades and an 8" German beater. They're all good performers and I'm happy with my small collection currently. Excluding my first nakiri which was beaten out by a Morihei/TF and a Fujin AS which doesn't give the "feeling" when used, all the knives see frequent use and justify their spots.
I started with a nakiri then realized I wanted a point and got a 210. The 210 was great but a bit short so grabbed a 240, then grabbed a honesuki. Once I had these main spots filled, I started trying new shapes, sizes and steels to see what's out there and figure out my preference. After 1.5 years of playing around I commissioned my first custom from a Polish maker (made by kary's). I figured out I prefer a 220-225 length, height of 53-55 and a super flat edge profile. Once I loan out my non-used nakiri (165mm) to some guys at work and family, I'll have an empty spot in the holder for a Watanabe 180 nakiri. I can move the honesuki to a top slot and then fill it's previous slot with a blade by Henry Hyde. That will give me 1 empty slot in my holder which I think I'm going to use as a test spot. Grab a new maker and see how it performs, grab a different one and have those 2 battle to the death. Sell the lesser blade and then start the process again.

Now that I'm reading this, it's more or less a long written justification to buy more knives

 

[M1k3]

Now that I'm reading this, it's more or less a long written justification to buy more knives

 

[WiriWiri]

Started off with a knife block with 11 slots many aeons ago, gradually replacing a set of globals with handmade options. That became the stainless/open to others block in a more chaotic, nocturnal era of my life in shared central(ish) London terraces, Collection was mainly stainless at this point, with the obligatory tour through the various j-knife shapes (suji, nakiri departures successful, debas most definitely not) before trying out various (mainly 210) gyuto options. Switched mainly from yo to wa handles as well/ Nicer knives and carbons tended to be squirrelled away in room, or put in the ’travel roll‘ when running pubs or cooking out. Many a knife given away in post-club haze - I was too sentimental to sell back then really and wanted to share the sharp love, plus it allowed me to feel less guilty about trying more.

And as I married off and got a bit more suburban (zone 3 London ffs!), with more kitchen/worktop space the collection continued to grow. More experimenting with gyutos, more carbons and 240s, trying out the various region and workhorse/laser type variations. Then the return to the first Sakai loves and an upgrade to many of the stainless and lasers of my past. Still have the stainless block, but now there’s also a fetching magstrip with the 6-7 most used carbons on a prominent wall, plus a whopping kitchen drawer with the overspill, which no longer shuts without careful organisation. And there’s still the knife roll(s) and a fair few hidden away in the spare room. Balls, i have too many knives

The irony is that I probably cook less now that any point of my life, despite the increasingly lovely knife upgrades. Days in pub and restaurant kitchens are long past, the chaotic afterparties and rush to cook at some do or other are (largely) a distant memory. Even workshy friends no longer pop around suspiciously at mealtimes, the big family cook ups largely killed off by Covid. With 2 kids under 7 I’m generally reduced to hiding extra veg in meatballs and the odd hurried proper meal they’ll eat amongst the nuggets and various other extruded protein shapes.

Meh. I will reduce soon. Curating is pushing it, but I‘m grateful of the luxury of choice and largely sated with my choices. Purchases now are distinctly for pleasure rather than purpose, concentrating on the odd upgrade and scratching the odd long held itch once in a while.