Help picking a first chef's knife for husband

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scarlet42

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Dec 4, 2020
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Location
USA
Hi all-- hoping for some recommendations for our first good chef's knife purchase. I'm buying this as a Christmas present for my husband who has gotten a lot more into cooking since the pandemic started, and he's a bit of a perfectionist and is annoyed with our cheap old knives. We're also building a house so it's an opportunity to furnish our new kitchen. (If this isn't the right place to post please let me know, I'm a noob).

I used the "what knife should I buy" template but let me know if you have questions. Some that I have considered so far based on various internet searches are the Wusthof Classic Ikon Santoku with Hollow Edge, Wusthop Classic 8-Inch, MAC MTH-80 Professional Series 8-inch with dimples, and the Henckels Professional S 8-inch, and reactions to any of those are appreciated. I'd also love to hear any honing steel or sharpening stone recs if you've got them.

LOCATION
USA

KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in (e.g., chefs knife, slicer, boning knife, utility knife, bread knife, paring knife, cleaver)?
Chef's knife

Are you right or left handed?
Righty

Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?
Western handle-- I think he'd prefer full tang, I think that would be a better weight for him since he's used to it, but I'm open

What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?
8 or 10 inches

Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)
Yes, preferred

What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
$150-200 (plus more for any honing or sharpening tools)

KNIFE USE
Do you primarily intend to use this knife at home or a professional environment?
Home

What are the main tasks you primarily intend to use the knife for
We eat 98% vegetarian so a lot of vegetable and fruit cutting, slicing, chopping-- everything from herbs to mushrooms to squash to potatoes. The other 2% is fish.

What knife, if any, are you replacing? N/A

Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.)
varies between pinch or regular/hammer

What cutting motions do you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for types of cutting motions and identify the two or three most common cutting motions, in order of most used to least used.)
Probably rocking, chopping, and walking

What improvements do you want from your current knife? If you are not replacing a knife, please identify as many characteristics identified below in parentheses that you would like this knife to have.)
Ease of use is first-- smooth cutting, not having to use as much force as we do on our crappy old knives. Better food release would be nice too since veggies have a tendency to stick to the ones we have. A good balance to be able to rock or push cut rather than just chop with force or saw.
We don't have access to a good knife sharpening service where we live so retention of the edge and/or easily sharpened at home is important.
Also we're lazy so it'll definitely end up in the dishwasher at some point.

KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.)
Yes - wood and synthetic

Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.)
No

If not, are you interested in learning how to sharpen your knives? (Yes or no.)
Yes

Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives? (Yes or no.)
Yes
 
Be aware that, if you go with one of the hard-steel Japanese knives, you will have to learn to sharpen on a stone or have the knives sharpened by someone else. (The steel is too hard to keep them sharp with a honing steel; you might get away with a ceramic rod, but it's not ideal.)

Also note that many (not all) Japanese steels will rust to some degree. Some that don't include SG-2 and SLD, both of which have excellent edge retention (but require sharpening on stones).

If you don't want to descend into the Japanese knife rabbit hole, I'd have a look at Misono UX10 and Mac Professional series knives. They have a good reputation and are a step up from Zwilling/Wüsthof/Henckels. Whatever you buy, I'd recommend to avoid a full bolster (as is present on the Wüsthof Classic knives). It makes sharpening a pain and doesn't really add anything useful. Knives with an exposed heel are easier to sharpen and more fun to use. (You can use the heel to, for example, core a tomato.) Be prepared for more holes in your dishtowels though :)
 
Of the knives that you mentioned, I have owned 2 and briefly tried one. I used the Wusthof classic and the Zwilling Pro. I thought both were great knives (at the time) They were certainly better than the house knives that were at the restaurant. Both are very similar. The handles are almost identical. Comfortable, serviceable, easy to maintain. They are both heavy knives that can take a beating. They were sharp out of the box, but fairly quickly felt like they needed sharpening again. I learned later that they get thick behind the edge pretty quickly.

Then I tried my first Japanese knife......It was a Mac 8 inch chef

Wow....my eyes were opened. This thing seemed to glide right through produce. It was incredibly light (compared to my Zwilling). The handle seemed a little small to me, but i could deal with it. The experience of trying it prompted me to researching knives and eventually to this forum. I didnt end up getting a MAC, but a lot of folks here who have tried a number of high end knives still hold on to their MACs. I guess you could do worse...
 
scarlet42 said:
Also we're lazy so it'll definitely end up in the dishwasher at some point.
Click to expand...

With the knives that you will likely get recommended here, they will get messed up if you stick them in the dishwasher. I'd urge you to reconsider use of dishwasher for nicer knives (and other knives in general).

On the stone side, I'd recommend the shapton kuromaku 1k stone for about $40 on amazon. It's a good all-around stone that's very beginner friendly. Doesnt require soaking, dishes very slowly, and cuts efficiently. For home use, it will last you a lifetime.
https://www.amazon.com/Kuromaku-Ceramic-Whetstone-Medium-Grit/dp/B001TPFT0G
Knife planet has great videos for learning to sharpen
 
My tastes pretty quickly took me over your price range, so I don't have a lot of new suggestions to bring to the party. But I did buy a first time Japanese gyuto for my daughter this year. I settled on this one:

Takamura 210mm Chromax Gyuto Knife – Rodriguez Butcher Supply (homebutcher.com)

I tried it briefly while showing her how to use it, so she doesnt cut her fingers off. I was really impressed with it! Incredibly sharp....laser thin grind. it handled carrots and onions nearly as well as my Yoshikane, which is twice the price. It is not fully stainless, but it is stainless clad and the core steel doesnt patina much at all. Obviously it can't be left in the sink wet. Takamura is a well respected maker. Now this knife felt more delicate than that Mac I tried. Don't know if I would take it to a firm cabbage or a butternut squash......but thats what those beater knives are for.
 
birdsfan said:
Takamura 210mm Chromax Gyuto Knife – Rodriguez Butcher Supply (homebutcher.com)
Click to expand...
Very nice knife. At HRC 65, will definitely need to be sharpened on stones. It also will need good cutting technique and is not likely to work well for rocking or walking.

For someone making their first foray into higher-end knives, I suspect that this isn't a great choice. Too much Ferrari and not enough Volkswagen. I'd be inclined to go with something more robust, such as a Mac or Misono.
 
I have a feeling my husband would get a kick out of a Japanese knife (we were supposed to go to Japan this year, Covid had other plans...) and he had talked about looking at knives there. I had been leaning toward German/western since it’s what we’re used to, and they seem less delicate or to require less care based on my reading. But if these Japanese knives are generally better quality than the German and we can find one that isn’t going to be a huge deal to maintain I think he’d prefer it. I promise to not dishwasher it :p and we can keep our old beater for the really rough stuff.
 
tostadas said:
With the knives that you will likely get recommended here, they will get messed up if you stick them in the dishwasher. I'd urge you to reconsider use of dishwasher for nicer knives (and other knives in general).
Click to expand...
^^ Definitely this!

Good knives and DW don't mix. The dishwasher is going to be a deal-breaker for A LOT.

At the very least, you'll want something with a synthetic handle. For example, maybe this Henckels w/ partial bolster because it has a plastic handle:
https://www.crateandbarrel.com/zwil...MIqenSwcK17QIVj4jICh0eDAPrEAQYAyABEgJ48vD_BwEYou can probably find it other places cheaper. This is just the first link that came up. Even still, not advisable to throw in the DW regularly.

Otherwise, Victorinox Fibrox has plastic handle and will stand up to DW. Not pretty, but very functional.

If you're willing to forego the dishwasher, there's a lot of cool stuff out there.
 
Another great "beater" that I still use despite having many much more expensive knives is my Victorinox Fibrox 8". I'd argue that it is the best value under $75, and one of the frontrunners under $100. It's not flashy, but the balance is good, grip is good, height and profile of the blade are spot on, and it can take an edge better than the Zwilling knives I have. It's also great for learning how to sharpen because you wont have to stress out about scuffing it up, compared to something costing more.
 
One important point to make on using a dishwasher- you will have to decide which you prefer-

1) A sharp knife, or,
2) The convenience of not having to spend 20 seconds washing and drying you knife.

If you go for option 2, there is no point buying a half-decent knife. A great knife that is blunt is no better than a 5 dollar supermarket throwaway that is blunt.

If you go for option 1, you will be amazed at how well these things cut. As in: You will have a silly grin on your face for the first few prep sessions.
 
Its a little out of vogue right now, but if you mainly eat vegetarian and he is a perfectionist, he may enjoy a santoku or bunka, which tend to be a little bit cheaper than a 210 or 240 mm chef knife for the same model.
 
scarlet42 said:
But if these Japanese knives are generally better quality than the German and we can find one that isn’t going to be a huge deal to maintain I think he’d prefer it.
Click to expand...
The Kaeru is an excellent knife and outstanding value for money. As an entry to Japanese knives, you'll be hard-pressed to find better value. It will need to be sharpened on stones though.

https://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/kaeru-kasumi-stainless-gyuto-210mm/
The King KDS 1000/6000 is good stone at a competitive price. It likely will be the only stone you'll ever need.

https://www.amazon.com/KDS-Combinat...607127094&sbo=RZvfv//HxDF+O5021pAnSA==&sr=8-1
 
birdsfan said:
Wow...I didnt know the Kaeru was SLD. Now I wanna pick one up too!
Click to expand...
I gave one of these to my son as a present and have cooked with it. It's nice. Not too thin, not too thick, a true all-rounder. Very, very sharp out of the box, and a comfortable profile that works for everything. Robust enough to forgive some minor abuse.

I'm a fan. And the price-performance ratio is outstanding.
 
Here is a suggestion of a semi-stainless (semi because the chrome content is below the amount to call it a full stainless) but it ia a great cutter and easy maintenance. The one I linked to is on sale with a Western handle which is way below the normal price of one with a Japanese Handle. I've had one for 5 years and it it an amazing knife.

https://www.**************.com/kohd2gy24we.html
 
jacko9 said:
Here is a suggestion of a semi-stainless (semi because the chrome content is below the amount to call it a full stainless) but it ia a great cutter and easy maintenance. The one I linked to is on sale with a Western handle which is way below the normal price of one with a Japanese Handle. I've had one for 5 years and it it an amazing knife.

https://www.**************.com/kohd2gy24we.html
Click to expand...
Chef Knives To Go
 
I'm shocked it hasn't been mentioned, but Jon @ JKI's:

Gesshin Stainless 210mm Wa-Gyuto

is sold out. That's why it hasn't been mentioned.

If you have time to wait, it is well balanced, easy to maintain, not flashy, but very well executed to exactly your price point. Plus Jon & crew would make sure it's sharpened and tuned up so you know exactly how well it should perform.
 
Michi said:
Very nice knife. At HRC 65, will definitely need to be sharpened on stones. It also will need good cutting technique and is not likely to work well for rocking or walking.

For someone making their first foray into higher-end knives, I suspect that this isn't a great choice. Too much Ferrari and not enough Volkswagen. I'd be inclined to go with something more robust, such as a Mac or Misono.
Click to expand...

I bought the Takamura Chromax as Christmas gifts for my office staff two years ago. They got (and continue to get) very high praise by everyone, none of whom had ever had a decent knife in their lives, but all like to cook. I'd highly recommend one for your husband.

As others have said, don't put it in the dishwasher, and get a 1000 to 3000 grit stone to keep it razor sharp. Keeping up with the finicky demands of a Japanese knife is not that difficult (maybe an extra one minute of labor per meal as compared to your existing knives) and is well worth the minimal effort.

Once you've tried a Japanese knife, you'll never go back. It really is a different world.
 
tostadas said:
With the knives that you will likely get recommended here, they will get messed up if you stick them in the dishwasher. I'd urge you to reconsider use of dishwasher for nicer knives (and other knives in general).
Click to expand...

scarlet42 said:
I promise to not dishwasher it :p and we can keep our old beater for the really rough stuff.
Click to expand...

Ouf! Even beyond the general antagonism of a dishwasher to a J-knife, is the tantamount paradox of intending to buy stones to sharpen a knife you'll subsequently put in a dishwasher. It's like being a cat or dog person: either you sharpen your knives, either you're the kind of user that puts them in the dishwasher. ;)
 
ModRQC said:
Ouf! Even beyond the general antagonism of a dishwasher to a J-knife, is the tantamount paradox of intending to buy stones to sharpen a knife you'll subsequently put in a dishwasher. It's like being a cat or dog person: either you sharpen your knives, either you're the kind of user that puts them in the dishwasher. ;)
Click to expand...

Ha, I think it’s that he’s the type that will sharpen and baby it, but I’m the type that would dishwasher it. Luckily he’s the chef and washer both in this household so we’re probably safe!
 
scarlet42 said:
Also we're lazy so it'll definitely end up in the dishwasher at some point.
Click to expand...
With all due respect, I never ever understood that point. Putting knives into the dishwasher has nothing to do with laziness. Washing a knife with a sponge and liquid dishwasher takes one swipe, rinse, dry. Not even half a minute! Opening the dishwasher door placing it in there and closing takes as long as washing the knife manually.

Putting a knife into the dishwasher simply is disrespect and mistreatment. My 2 cents: if you will not change that behavior any recommendation you will get here isn’t suitable for you (in fact, your behavior isn’t suited for such knives). I really do say that with all due respect. You will ruin both the blade as well as the handle.
 
Oh we had the same reaction, to some extent. See my first answer here... I think yours was even more simple and to the point. :)
 
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