Knife recommendations for a 50th birthday gift

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Gonzo

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My husband turns 50 in a few weeks & I'd like to get him a special kitchen knife (he loves knives). He already has several Shun & Shun Kaji, as well as a couple Kramer by Zwilling - all of which were bought from either Sur La Table or William Sonoma. His current knives are a mix of chef & pairing.

I want to get him an incredible knife, something fantastic. Where I'm struggling is that I don't know anything about knives or cooking (my experience/expertise falls more on the eating & drinking side of things). I heard him talk about Kramer knives, something about the type of metal, the thinness & the look, so I paid the $1 and signed up for the auction list only to learn later from this site about the ridiculous price. That takes Kramer's off the list, but I have no idea where to go from here. I would really appreciate some recommendations.

I'm located in California.
Husband is right handed (big hands)
My budget is < $2,000
Primary use is cooking at home

Thanks in advance!
 
How is your husband about carbon steel (ie things that rust)? Will he be using it a lot or just looking at it and admiring its characteristics? How long a knife does he like? does he sharpen his own? Does he want something stunning and made of rare materials. Would he like a collectors piece?

Your budget is very generous. You could buy any number of fantastic knives; but each has its own strengths and weaknesses. It would be best to pair what he likes in a knife with what the maker was striving for.

I know this may require some more effort; but I think the lasting value of the knife would be worth an effort.

There is actually a questionnaire that would help us help you: https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/threads/the-which-knife-should-i-buy-questionnaire-v2.12791/
 
For that price i'd be getting him a set of 3. Gyuto, a slicer and a paring knife. You can easily do a $1k gyuto and get a dreamy knife and spend 700 on the slicer 300 on the pairing knife. I'd go after some custom makers to see what kind of package deal they can put together for that price.
 
Thanks for the replies thus far! I wish I was able to provide more guidance as Midsummer suggested, unfortunately, this falls outside my wheel house and any direct questions would spoil the surprise.

The Japanese knives look beautiful, I'll definitely give them a call tomorrow.
 
Gonzo, I think you might get a lot of messages asking if you have a sister . . . that's a great birthday gift.

What is your timeline? That might change things a bit. Off the shelf stuff can go out of stock and take a while to get restocked. Ordering from a maker (easily within your budget) is another possibility. I agree that you could get several fantastic knives with a budget like that.

It might be helpful to take a quick picture of his current knives, along with a ruler. You also might want to note which knives you notice him using the most as a way to gauge at least some of his preferences.

Please keep us posted--I'm curious to see what you end up getting!
 
toddnmd said:
You also might want to note which knives you notice him using the most as a way to gauge at least some of his preferences.
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True. But then on the other hand the knives one uses frequently are not always the knives one loves! Sometimes one takes out a beater, a no-brainer, just because you don’t have to baby that particular knife.

Think of it like a car: you drive your Toyota Corolla on a daily basis to work. But on the weekends you go drive your Porsche/Mustang/etc.!
 
daddy yo yo said:
True. But then on the other hand the knives one uses frequently are not always the knives one loves! Sometimes one takes out a beater, a no-brainer, just because you don’t have to baby that particular knife.

Think of it like a car: you drive your Toyota Corolla on a daily basis to work. But on the weekends you go drive your Porsche/Mustang/etc.!
Click to expand...

Correction: on weekends you work on your old 911 and 60s Cadillac and take them out to drive once a year. Tops.
 
This last series of comments got me thinking - what if he's only using the Japanese knives because that's what's in the kitchen drawer? To the untrained eye/mind, Kramer seems different from the Japanese knives, is there another knife that might be more Kramer-esque?
 
Gonzo said:
This last series of comments got me thinking - what if he's only using the Japanese knives because that's what's in the kitchen drawer? To the untrained eye/mind, Kramer seems different from the Japanese knives, is there another knife that might be more Kramer-esque?
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I doubt a Kramer-like knife can replace a real Kramer for your husband... But, Murray Carter's mastersmith line may work for him and these fall right into your range. He is an ABS Master Smith just as Bob Kramer, and his knives are more traditional Japanese. Check this page frequently, he may have a few blades pop up from time to time https://www.cartercutlery.com/product-category/knives/master-smith/ I also found a ready made one available: https://homebutcher.com/collections...ery-7-36-master-smith-230-high-grade-funayuki
In terms of cutting performance, these might be drastically better than his Zwilling Kramers.
 
I would also recommend Jon at https://www.japaneseknifeimports.com

Jon is not the type of shop owner that will try to sell you an expensive knife just to get the sale, Jon is interested in finding the right knife for you and he will spend the time talking to you to find what you desire (even if you're inexperienced in kitchen knives). I spoke with Jon to get a long slicing knife and he gave me quite the education and I did find a knife that I'm proud to own even though he recommended a few cheaper ones. Jon is one person that I've dealt with in the past several years that I have been upgrading my kitchen after I retired that I can totally trust.

Good luck and don't worry about moving outside the "name brand" knives of the day.
 
I’ll throw in with calling Jon. He’ll steer you right even if it’s not at his shop. Also I’d feel remiss if I didn’t suggest that you also get a really nice cutting board if you don’t already have ‘em. The board smith is great and a supporting vendor here. A great knife will be wrecked in moment’s in a trash board.


http://www.theboardsmith.com/
 
Gonzo said:
My husband turns 50 in a few weeks & I'd like to get him a special kitchen knife (he loves knives).
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I won't add to the list of excellent recommendations; Jon will give you solid advice, no doubt.

The one thing I would consider though: carbon steel knives rust, and they rust easily and quickly. If your husband isn't the type who is willing to wipe down the knife each and every time he puts it down, you may be giving him something that he ends up cursing.

On the other hand, if he is the fastidious type, a carbon knife could be fine.

If you are not confident about this, a stainless clad knife with a core that is semi-stainless would probably be a safer choice. There are absolutely excellent knives with a cutting core made of HAP40, SG-2, Blue Super, Blue #2, or SLD. (These are steel names that probably won't mean much to you; ask Jon about them. The point is that these steels do not rust easily and it's OK to leave them wet on the counter for 15 minutes occasionally.)
 
A huge thanks to everyone for the suggestions & feedback. This knife stuff is far more complicated, specialized & personal than I imagined, so I'm definitely glad I found this forum & all of you.

Instead of risking buying my husband something he may not want, I decided that an even better surprise would be to let him pick his own. I've arranged for an overnight trip to Beverly Hills to meet Jon at the Japanese Knife Import store in a couple of weeks - we're both super excited (I get too excited to keep a secret)! Now, I just need to find a fantastic chef's table dining experience to treat him to that night....

Thanks again!!
 
parbaked said:
This is also something to ask Jon to recommend. He's also extremely knowledgeable and helpful regarding restaurants in LA!

Enjoy!!
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+1.

When i visited him last we had like a 45 minute discussion on good places to eat during my trip.

Mowgs
 
This is a perfect outcome.

It's obviously possible to spend close to your budget on one knife, but there are all kinds of mind blowing options for a fraction of that amount, which I'm sure Jon will make clear to you both.

Please post again after your trip to JKI!
 
Sounds like a great plan, hope you have fun! Such a great partner, Jon has some nice recommendations for eating as well. You will need to make a reservation now tho for most of the nicer places
 
Gonzo said:
Instead of risking buying my husband something he may not want, I decided that an even better surprise would be to let him pick his own. I've arranged for an overnight trip to Beverly Hills to meet Jon at the Japanese Knife Import store in a couple of weeks - we're both super excited (I get too excited to keep a secret)!
Click to expand...
Best birthday present for knife nut ever. Awesome choice and it's a very special thing to do!
 
Gonzo said:
A huge thanks to everyone for the suggestions & feedback. This knife stuff is far more complicated, specialized & personal than I imagined, so I'm definitely glad I found this forum & all of you.

Instead of risking buying my husband something he may not want, I decided that an even better surprise would be to let him pick his own. I've arranged for an overnight trip to Beverly Hills to meet Jon at the Japanese Knife Import store in a couple of weeks - we're both super excited (I get too excited to keep a secret)! Now, I just need to find a fantastic chef's table dining experience to treat him to that night....

Thanks again!!
Click to expand...

Outstanding idea - I'm sure you and your husband will have a great time shopping at JKI - ask Jon about local food since he maintains a chef hiring board for local establishments.
 
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