I'm looking to get a couple of knives for my wife and I. We often prep food simultaneously so I'd like to get two good knives to replace the set of knives we've been using for years. The knives we have are really not very good, but they were a gift and are functional. We make a decent living nowadays and we love to cook together so its about time we got some nice knives to make the whole process more pleasurable.
LOCATION
Australia
KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in (e.g., chefs knife, slicer, boning knife, utility knife, bread knife, paring knife, cleaver)?
1x Chef's knife + 1x Chef's or Santoku
Are you right or left handed?
Right handed (wife also)
Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?
Western handle
What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?
210mm - I could go a little longer and wife could go a little shorter though, but two 210s would be good.
Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)
No
What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
$500 USD for two knives (we have US dollars sitting in a US bank account we'd like to use to buy these knives). If we could get away with under $400 that would be better,
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 (e.g., slicing vegetables, chopping vegetables, mincing vegetables, slicing meats, cutting down poultry, breaking poultry bones, filleting fish, trimming meats, etc.)? (Please identify as many tasks as you would like.)
Everything listed above except for breaking poultry bones (although my knife may come in contact with bones in it's life I wouldn't be trying to break them with it)
What knife, if any, are you replacing?
Bacarrat kurve pro set (as here https://www.bunnings.com.au/baccarat-kurvepro-6-piece-knife-block-set_p0173581).
Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.)
I use a pinch grip, wife uses a hammer grip.
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.)
A lot of push cutting, chopping and occasional rocking
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.)
I would like something with good edge retention, the Baccarat knives need constant sharpening to keep them sharper than a tennis ball. I'd like a relatively flat profile, but not so flat as to exclude rocking entirely. I like practical-looking aesthetics, not a big fan of Damascus or highly polished finishes, although I wouldn't exclude them from consideration. My wife and I both treat our equipment with care, so we don't need anything bullet proof, and reactivity is no problem at all. That said I would like it to be able to hold up to e.g. nicking a chicken bone when I part it and smashing garlic without great risk of damage.
KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.)
We use wooden cutting boards exclusively.
Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.)
Yes, although I'm fairly mediocre at it.
If not, are you interested in learning how to sharpen your knives? (Yes or no.)
Certainly interested in improving.
Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives? (Yes or no.)
Could be, could budget an extra $100 USD or so to it. I currently use an old whetstone that belonged to my father and a plain leather strop. No idea of the stone's details, seems to be a natural stone, not particularly coarse, does a good enough job of keeping my current knives functional in combination with the strop but perhaps I'd be better served with a modern artificial stone for fancier knives.
SPECIAL REQUESTS/COMMENTS
Would probably prefer high carbon to stainless, but probably one of the tougher alloys. Not married to that idea though, and a stainless cladding might be nice.
Thanks for any help!
LOCATION
Australia
KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in (e.g., chefs knife, slicer, boning knife, utility knife, bread knife, paring knife, cleaver)?
1x Chef's knife + 1x Chef's or Santoku
Are you right or left handed?
Right handed (wife also)
Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?
Western handle
What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?
210mm - I could go a little longer and wife could go a little shorter though, but two 210s would be good.
Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)
No
What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
$500 USD for two knives (we have US dollars sitting in a US bank account we'd like to use to buy these knives). If we could get away with under $400 that would be better,
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 (e.g., slicing vegetables, chopping vegetables, mincing vegetables, slicing meats, cutting down poultry, breaking poultry bones, filleting fish, trimming meats, etc.)? (Please identify as many tasks as you would like.)
Everything listed above except for breaking poultry bones (although my knife may come in contact with bones in it's life I wouldn't be trying to break them with it)
What knife, if any, are you replacing?
Bacarrat kurve pro set (as here https://www.bunnings.com.au/baccarat-kurvepro-6-piece-knife-block-set_p0173581).
Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.)
I use a pinch grip, wife uses a hammer grip.
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.)
A lot of push cutting, chopping and occasional rocking
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.)
I would like something with good edge retention, the Baccarat knives need constant sharpening to keep them sharper than a tennis ball. I'd like a relatively flat profile, but not so flat as to exclude rocking entirely. I like practical-looking aesthetics, not a big fan of Damascus or highly polished finishes, although I wouldn't exclude them from consideration. My wife and I both treat our equipment with care, so we don't need anything bullet proof, and reactivity is no problem at all. That said I would like it to be able to hold up to e.g. nicking a chicken bone when I part it and smashing garlic without great risk of damage.
KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.)
We use wooden cutting boards exclusively.
Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.)
Yes, although I'm fairly mediocre at it.
If not, are you interested in learning how to sharpen your knives? (Yes or no.)
Certainly interested in improving.
Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives? (Yes or no.)
Could be, could budget an extra $100 USD or so to it. I currently use an old whetstone that belonged to my father and a plain leather strop. No idea of the stone's details, seems to be a natural stone, not particularly coarse, does a good enough job of keeping my current knives functional in combination with the strop but perhaps I'd be better served with a modern artificial stone for fancier knives.
SPECIAL REQUESTS/COMMENTS
Would probably prefer high carbon to stainless, but probably one of the tougher alloys. Not married to that idea though, and a stainless cladding might be nice.
Thanks for any help!
