Help a newb? List of knives/steel...

[Justinv]

*1. How would I go about figuring out which grinds and profiles I like?

You buy one, then another, yet another, and then many more. Sell the ones you don’t like. They all have their own personalities. If you buy a used one on BST you can generally resell it for a similar price if its still in good condition. The most popular size is 240mm, significantly shorter is a tough sell.

It might blow your mind but there are people here that buy dozens in a year and may sell most or all of them. Keeping a knife for a few weeks then selling it is entirely normal here.

 

[Nemo]

I've seen that already... $50 Japanese knife, made in China. I know there's a lot of acid etched fake Damascus out there. Is there a way to id fake Damascus.. other than the obvious Made in China.

I'm highly skeptical of everything, lol. Too many knock offs and scammers out there.

What do you mean by "fake damascus"?

If you mean "damascus cladding", then most Japanese damascus (aka Suminagashi) knives are clad damacus, whether stainless clad or ironclad.

 

[Justinv]

I think his term fake damascus is referring to monosteel with lines on it.

Here is example of something for $23 made of solid german steel with etched pattern.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

I've seen that already... $50 Japanese knife, made in China. I know there's a lot of acid etched fake Damascus out there. Is there a way to id fake Damascus.. other than the obvious Made in China.

I'm highly skeptical of everything, lol. Too many knock offs and scammers out there.

If you're okay with non-stainless, including iron cladding, and want good, small-maker, performance focused knives, then Knife Japan is extremely hard to beat. The owner, Michael, is also a true star in the knife vendor world. Great guy!
https://knifejapan.com/
From there, the retailers on the below thread link will be pretty safe bets. I particularly like @TokushuKnife who if you use the code KKF15 provides a 15% off discount to forum members. Have a look at their house brand and the Tsunehisa lines. From there I typically go to Carbon Knife Company, Strata Portland, Muira, and the others.

https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/threads/who-do-you-buy-from.52523/

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

What do you mean by "fake damascus"?

If you mean "damascus cladding", then most Japanese damascus (aka Suminagashi) knives are clad damacus, whether stainless clad or ironclad.

In a lot of the junk knife ads trying to pass themselves off as Japanese, the Damascus is just a laser etch pattern.