Welcome, and thanks for the morning laugh. I almost spewed coffee all over my keyboard
I assume laughing because a dozen seems low? To be more accurate, about a dozen that I use. Another 10 or so that don't get much use but I still have them for some reason. A couple I keep as beaters. One 12" slicing knife gets used about 3x per year. I "loan" knives to friends so they can figure out what they like. They often don't come back. My brother has my Takamura SG2 210mm gyuto I'm not expecting to see at my house again.
Of course A Victorinox 8" chef's knife. I like this knife a lot less than most other people. Too thick behind the edge, food stiction, and not good edge retention. But my kids need knives to use. I have a $22 Cold Steel chef's knife that is the same steel as the Victorinox but at higher hardness. It performs so much better. I want to thin this, re-handle it, and etch it increase food release. Not worth all that effort, but it shows the potential of this steel.
I probably have far too many folder and a far to many outdoor fixed blade knives. I currently have every Spyderco Mule ever made (-1) because I wanted to try all those steels and do some testing. I'm well down the rabbit hole.
Hey David, welcome. What’s your favorite kitchen knife in your setup right now? Have your eyes on any specific makers that you’re looking to add?
My favorite is a Murry Carter 6" petty for a few reasons: don't yet have a chef's knife/gyuto that I love. And it's thin, light, and absolutely feels like an extension of my hand. Size limits the usage, of course. I got this before Carter prices took off. Best $130 I could have ever spend on a knife.
I have a Carter apprentice 210mm Western handled K-tip gyuto. It's my wife's. Very nice knife. Nothing not to like about it. It cuts nicely. Not ideal for me.
I have a 240mm Konosuke in HD2 steel. Everybody loves this knife. It's just ok for me. The blade is great - thin and cuts like a dream. It doesn't handle well for me. It some how seems longer and I don't get the tip control I want. And I've realized that while I appreciate the slicyness of a laser, I prefer more of workhorse knife. Maybe something in between? Objectively a great knife. Subjectively, not the best fit for me.
I have Hiromoto 210mm gyuto. Lovely knife. A little less blade height than I like. If it were taller this would be my 80% usage knife. Just convex enough on the grind to have better food release than my other knives.
I have a couple of Shun 8" chef's knives. Both are more than adequate. Not ideal, but quite good. I live in Portland and KAI has an annual warehouse sale. When you see a Shun chef's knife for $35, you buy it. That's how I ended up with these. I've had none of the issues other people describe with Shun VG-10, and they easily get to paper towel cutting sharpness.
I have Kanetsuke 180mm pettyish sort of knife. It's a buget knife all the way around, but this thing punches way above it's price. It doesn't have much distal taper, not a full tang, and other shortcomings. But it cuts very nicely.
As for what to get next.... dunno. Takamura? Takeda? I would prefer Hap40, but am open to any decent steel. I would actually prefer AEB-L for stainless or M4/4V steel for non-stainless, but AEB-L is hard to find outside of customs, and I haven't seen anybody using cladded M4 or 4V for kitchen knives for some reason. Larren from KSN mentions M3:2 steel as having better toughness than Hap40, but I have no idea what this is called by knifemakers or if it's being used.
More than steel I want that "extension of my hand" feeling in a 240mm knife. I prefer a wa handle, but I tend to pinch grip so it doesn't matter much. And I can always get a knife I love re-handled. And I would like decent food release. So... steel I like, an S grind, wa handle, and feels great in my hand. Should be simple, right?
