How do you rate a knife?

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Brian Weekley

Brian Weekley

KKF Lifetime Supporter
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From time to time I’m asked how I rate one of my knives against the other knives I own or have owned?

Interesting question, because knives are such a personal thing. There does seem that there should be a reasonably understandable framework that many people could understand and to some degree agree with. There are some obvious differentials (or are there?) like “I paid money to own it“ vs … “I wouldn’t pay a nickel for it”. Perhaps “I flipped it at a loss as fast as I could” vs …. “It’s going to my grave with me in case I can cook in heaven”. This seems a bit simplistic and possibly not very informative to the person asking the question.

So … with a bit of thinking I came up with five categories applicable to the knives I own.

1. Performance
2. Craftsmanship
3. Design
4. Value
5. Intangibles (Karma)

Without going into a detailed description of each category my thought is that one could assign a value from 1 to 10 for any knife in each category. The higher the better each knife performs in that category. The higher the overall score the higher the rating of the knife.

The purpose of this thread is to put the subject on the table and flesh it out in search of something meaningful. What do you think? Are the categories correct? More importantly what description do we attach to each category to allow us to grade a given knife’s performance in the category. All of this is to provoke a discussion. If it goes nowhere so be it, but contribute if you are inclined.
 
I’ve long sense stopped trying to rationalize what I like and don’t like when it comes to knives. Beyond a certain threshold of performance and quality it’s more about how the knife makes me feel. Do I giggle when cutting ingredients matched well to its strengths? When planning meals do I think “this knife will be perfect for this?” Etc. I’ve had lots of objectively great knives that I’ve let go of because they just don’t excite me in the way others, sometimes objectively worse, knives do.
 
Performance at a particular task (or multitude of tasks) is obviously number one. Close second, and probably integrally related, is how it feels in hand -- does it feel like an extension of your hand, or something you're struggling to control? There's also an X-factor, a je ne sais quoi, about the great ones. Something that's just Right about the knife.

For me, the ones that hit that third factor (plus the first two factors) have been my 270 Toyama and my 225 Shi-Han. There's just something special about those two that is impossible to describe. I think my Hattori Forums honesuki also hits that mark, surprisingly.

20221215_212604.jpg


PS, don't tell all my other knives that I love those other ones more!
 
It’s been too long since we’ve had one of these.

  1. Relationship with the maker. Average performance may still be a keeper for life if I know the maker and the communication has been good. Life is about connections and this is part of the fun.
  2. The IKEA effect. If I’ve worked on it a lot, almost guaranteed I’ll hang on to it. Most likely it also performs well if I put the time in.
  3. “Performance”. Please see the rest of the forum.
  4. Steel qualities. A knife that’s nice to sharpen, holds an edge that I like is a great thing. Grind and profile are tuneable at home. But I can’t heat treat. No way. Can it take a good edge off any stone I throw at it? Winner. Only takes a decent edge off one particular stone or progression? May not last.
  5. Honestly, community consensus. Sometimes I buy into some group wisdom about what’s good. But its a particular group that I take consensus from. There’s a lot of trendy **** I don’t give a fig about. There’s also a couple retailers who have excellent taste.
 
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Here's my checklist:
  1. Does it feel nice when I hold it?
  2. Is it enjoyable during use?
  3. If "no" to either of the above, can I modify it and would it be worth my time?
  4. Is it a cleaver?
Knives that don't pass these basic checks will probably get sold eventually.
 
Here's mine:
1) How does it feel in the hand. I've worked in kitchens all through HS and college so something that feels like an extension of my hand is king
2) Stiction. I tend to do quite a few potatoes and other veggies so if I have to force slices off the blade that is a non-starter
3) Stays sharp. While I do like to sharpen I also don't want a blade that is dull after one or two dinner preps
4) Does it have that wow factor. Some of my knives I just love to use and look at. My wife sometimes wonder what I'm doing staring at the knife I'm going to use for dinner prep :)
 
切れ味. I think it’s best translated at “cutting feel” though people often simplify it to “sharpness.”

It’s that mixture of toothiness (or glassiness depending on cooking style), feel in hand, perception of performance. It’s one of those very subjective things but that definitely influences how I feel about a knife. Everything other metric is secondary.

Long story short: if I like using it then I like it and if I don’t like using it then I don’t. Doesn’t matter the grind, profile, maker, steel type, hrc, whatever. I, of course, have preferences when it comes to those metrics. But I also have exceptions to every single one of my preferences. I dunno, it’s weird and doesn’t make much sense.
 
My perception of a knife may be influenced by what other knives I have owned. Sometimes being just different or more niche can be a positive in a collection of daily drivers. Maybe this is just me but I can fall out of love with a knife put it away for a while and then fall in love with it again. This is why rating a knife or making a recommendation can be difficult because it will depend on where you are in the journey.

I think it is important to recognize when your personal preference just don’t align with a makers intent behind the knife. A knife can be perfectly designed and executed but if that doesn’t happen to align with your preferences the knife shouldn’t be poorly rated. It can be a great knife just a bad fit.
 
Ochazuke said:
切れ味. I think it’s best translated at “cutting feel” though people often simplify it to “sharpness.”

It’s that mixture of toothiness (or glassiness depending on cooking style), feel in hand, perception of performance. It’s one of those very subjective things but that definitely influences how I feel about a knife. Everything other metric is secondary.

Long story short: if I like using it then I like it and if I don’t like using it then I don’t. Doesn’t matter the grind, profile, maker, steel type, hrc, whatever. I, of course, have preferences when it comes to those metrics. But I also have exceptions to every single one of my preferences. I dunno, it’s weird and doesn’t make much sense.
Click to expand...
This rather ineffable quality is also the final arbiter for me with regard to which knives get used and which are drawer/knife strip queens. Some knives seem to more than the sum of their parts, others less than.
Bico Doce said:
My perception of a knife may be influenced by what other knives I have owned. Sometimes being just different or more niche can be a positive in a collection of daily drivers. Maybe this is just me but I can fall out of love with a knife put it away for a while and then fall in love with it again. This is why rating a knife or making a recommendation can be difficult because it will depend on where you are in the journey.

I think it is important to recognize when your personal preference just don’t align with a makers intent behind the knife. A knife can be perfectly designed and executed but if that doesn’t happen to align with your preferences the knife shouldn’t be poorly rated. It can be a great knife just a bad fit.
Click to expand...
This also matches my experience although I steer away from both narrow niche knives and what I consider collector knives. I've been slowly pulling knives out of storage as I really need to get moving on thinning the herd. It has been an interesting process of rediscovery, maybe not quite to the "...then fall in love with it again" point but certainly to appreciate the significant virtues of my less used knives. Sometimes knives tick all the boxes on paper but in hand don't quite deliver for me. In other hands it could easily be another story.
 
Do I reach for it? How often? In what context? Some are a more meditative experience, when I'm paying attention and don't have to deal with distraction. Others I prefer when I know I'm heading into the weeds.
 
Brian Weekley said:
From time to time I’m asked how I rate one of my knives against the other knives I own or have owned?

Interesting question, because knives are such a personal thing. There does seem that there should be a reasonably understandable framework that many people could understand and to some degree agree with. There are some obvious differentials (or are there?) like “I paid money to own it“ vs … “I wouldn’t pay a nickel for it”. Perhaps “I flipped it at a loss as fast as I could” vs …. “It’s going to my grave with me in case I can cook in heaven”. This seems a bit simplistic and possibly not very informative to the person asking the question.

So … with a bit of thinking I came up with five categories applicable to the knives I own.

1. Performance
2. Craftsmanship
3. Design
4. Value
5. Intangibles (Karma)

Without going into a detailed description of each category my thought is that one could assign a value from 1 to 10 for any knife in each category. The higher the better each knife performs in that category. The higher the overall score the higher the rating of the knife.

The purpose of this thread is to put the subject on the table and flesh it out in search of something meaningful. What do you think? Are the categories correct? More importantly what description do we attach to each category to allow us to grade a given knife’s performance in the category. All of this is to provoke a discussion. If it goes nowhere so be it, but contribute if you are inclined.
Click to expand...
I would totally agree with the many replies here that mention "the feel in the hand". I definitely know which knives I reach for as workhorses, versus those that I use only occasionally. They may all feel familiar, but there's a dividing line between the ones that take care and maintenance and washing/drying....and the ones that are grabbed more often, for a quick slice or two. To sum up the thought, I would rate some knives as valuable in their day-to-day utility and lack of fussiness (mostly my German or Chinese ones), and others as an 'experience' in razor-sharp slicing and mincing (with the pleasures of the feel of the handle, the superb edge, the balance).
 
I feel that a knife that performs multiple tasks well is naturally valuable (as in 'highly rated', even if unsung). For example, I have a wonderful nakiri (Masakage Yuki Nakiri 165mm), but without a sharp point to pierce with, it isn't reached for all that often.
 
Mix of performance, x-factor or character or whatever you want to call it and how does it feel in your hand. For me a knife needs to have at least two of these to have a spot in my kitchen.
 
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