What are your opinions about the most respected knife? (Piece of advice for new comers)

[demirtasem]

You may think it's a cliche question and most probably you are right. But newbies like me who realizes they have an obsession about kitchen knives recently may wonder about that question.

I searched maybe hundreds of pages argued in here about the knives people loved and I saw really good advices. But it was hard to find. Cause those important opinions generally hiding after ‘which knife should I buy’ type of threads (and there are millions of it) or in threads focuses more makers. So I just wanted to keep this advices under one thread for new comers who seek to know what would be best for them.

So I’m asking you guys what is/are your most respected knife/knives and why?
(Brand/specific model/the aspects/benefits you love about it)
I don’t know if it makes things harder but if you want you can separate them under $50-$150, $150-$300, $300+

 

[demirtasem]

P.S to New Comers: I think one of the most useful info so far in this 'gold mine' thread:
Some users also tell the reason they like or dislike.

What were your first three and last three non-Japanese knives acquired?

 

[thebradleycrew]

You may think it's a cliche question and most probably you are right. But newbies like me who realizes they have an obsession about kitchen knives recently may wonder about that question.

I searched maybe hundreds of pages argued in here about the knives people loved and I saw really good advices. But it was hard to find. Cause those important opinions generally hiding after ‘which knife should I buy’ type of threads (and there are millions of it) or in threads focuses more makers. So I just wanted to keep this advices under one thread for new comers who seek to know what would be best for them.

So I’m asking you guys what is/are your most respected knife/knives and why?
(Brand/specific model/the aspects/benefits you love about it)
I don’t know if it makes things harder but if you want you can separate them under $50-$150, $150-$300, $300+

One small note: you use (perhaps intentionally) the words "respected knife/makers". I believe that my answer to the most respected knife/maker in my experience might be different from my "favorite" or "best performing" knives/makers. I don't know what you are specifically after, but just want to make that small comment as it might influence the answers you get.

 

[AFKitchenknivesguy]

..
you want you can separate them under $50-$150, $150-$300, $300+

You can tell you're new if favorite/respected and those ranges are in the same requests.

 

[Barmoley]

To add to what was said already and realizing that your intentions are good and try to shortcut search for new comers, I want to point out that the reason that you have to search through hundreds or maybe thousands of pages for the answer is that it is an impossible question to answer. The reason there are so many discussions on the subject and the questioner on which knife to buy is because "it depends". There is really no shortcut, fill out the questioner and members here will try to help. As you try more knives and your skills and preferences change you will find what works for you at that point in time.

 

[Kgp]

I just started down this rabbit hole a couple of years ago and I've acquired several knives, some from Forum members, some directly from makers. While I "respect" their abilities to produce a quality product, I'm finding that it is very subjective. Stainless vs. carbon, length, weight, type of handle, food release, etc. I purchased one a few months ago, custom made, for less than $100 that was extremely well made but wasn't getting much love because it was not "traditional" shape. Bought it as a gift for my daughter in law and it is one of here most cherished possessions. I like your idea, just trying to figure out what I would do with the additional info since I'm still trying to find my holy grail without knowing what it looks like.

 

[DitmasPork]

You may think it's a cliche question and most probably you are right. But newbies like me who realizes they have an obsession about kitchen knives recently may wonder about that question.

I searched maybe hundreds of pages argued in here about the knives people loved and I saw really good advices. But it was hard to find. Cause those important opinions generally hiding after ‘which knife should I buy’ type of threads (and there are millions of it) or in threads focuses more makers. So I just wanted to keep this advices under one thread for new comers who seek to know what would be best for them.

So I’m asking you guys what is/are your most respected knife/knives and why?
(Brand/specific model/the aspects/benefits you love about it)
I don’t know if it makes things harder but if you want you can separate them under $50-$150, $150-$300, $300+

The question you pose can be interpreted as quite broad and subjective. If I were a 'born again knife newbie,' I would probably use a trusted vendor for vetting out knife makers, even more so than from opinions on KKF which are all over the map. If starting over again, I'd prob rely on either JKI or Carbon to steer me in the right direction for starters.

 

[MowgFace]

I also agree with the above. Especially Ditmas' comment on working with good shops/vendors.

Had i been open to spend more when i started, i dont think i would have so many redundant knives (although who knows.). I started off in the <$150 and found good knives, then up to $250, then $350, now $500-1000 knives are calling my name . The entire time, my tastes have changed. Had i started off with some of the daily drivers i have now, who knows where my tastes would have gone...

 

[Kgp]

I also agree with the above. Especially Ditmas' comment on working with good shops/vendors.

Had i been open to spend more when i started, i dont think i would have so many redundant knives (although who knows.). I started off in the <$150 and found good knives, then up to $250, then $350, now $500-1000 knives are calling my name . The entire time, my tastes have changed. Had i started off with some of the daily drivers i have now, who knows where my tastes would have gone...

Want to see my gun safe? Got into trap shooting, started with $500 Beretta automatic, evolved to $10,000 Perazzi. Finally learned that "It's not the arrow, it's the archer".

 

[thebradleycrew]

Want to see my gun safe? Got into trap shooting, started with $500 Beretta automatic, evolved to $10,000 Perazzi. Finally learned that "It's not the arrow, it's the archer".

YEAH, it's the archer, but you have a Perazzi.

 

[Southpaw]

The search is the fun part bro... u got to figure out what you want in a knife and then pick your own favorite...

some people LOVE Kiyoshi Kato and his knives are super rare and super expensive as a result, but that doesn’t mean that’s the best knife for you.

TLDR it’s not something someone can tell you, it’s something u got to learn what you like!

 

[timebard]

As others have said, there's no definite answer here, but the makers that come up repeatedly in this thread are probably a good place to start: Top 5 Knives to try at Under $300

My collection is quite small by the standards here but pretty much everything I have (and most of the knives on my to buy/to try list) is named multiple times in there.

 

[drsmp]

My advice is do a lot of reading/research and make purchases here and at cktg BST boards. Many of the knives here have been tuned up and are sold at a significant discount over new. If you don’t like them you can often resell at a similar price and you’re only out a few bucks for PayPal and postage.

 

[inferno]

You may think it's a cliche question and most probably you are right. But newbies like me who realizes they have an obsession about kitchen knives recently may wonder about that question.

I searched maybe hundreds of pages argued in here about the knives people loved and I saw really good advices. But it was hard to find. Cause those important opinions generally hiding after ‘which knife should I buy’ type of threads (and there are millions of it) or in threads focuses more makers. So I just wanted to keep this advices under one thread for new comers who seek to know what would be best for them.

So I’m asking you guys what is/are your most respected knife/knives and why?
(Brand/specific model/the aspects/benefits you love about it)
I don’t know if it makes things harder but if you want you can separate them under $50-$150, $150-$300, $300+

well first and foremost i would like to say that there is no good and bad after you reach a certain level of craftsmanship with knives. they are all good but the users may have different preferences.

but i can provide some niches that i think i know the best stuff. or at least they upper part of the stuff thats out there.

stainless western monos:

hattori forums. its vg10. and its good.
runner up is the cryoed Mac dimpled santoku and gyuto (only those 2 that have the ss bolster are the cryoed ones)
these are almost as good as the hattoris. but half price. tough, takes a killer edge, quite stainless, holds an edge just fine, looks and feels nice. feels good on the stones.

----------------

budget blue (carbon) steel, stainless clad japanese handled knives:

jck blue moon. takes the most killer edge one will ever find and they are cheap. and wont rust (the edge will though).

---------------

non unobtanium production powder SS/"HSS light".

akifusa srs15. its a very boring blade. its clad in soft ss like 304 ss. and it scratches easily, but the edge steel is a ss HSS powder steel. at 64-65 hrc or so. sharpens up easily but quite slow on regular stones. takes a killer edge (i'd say 4k is good for this steel), and holds that edge for quite some time. but it will probably keep "85%" of that edge to the end of eternity. yeah.

at first i felt it was too thin and fragile to use but after using and abusing it i'd say its thick enough for pro work all day long. dont be fooled.

as runner up i think any kurosaki r2 steel knife. its almost identical to srs15 in performance, and i have chopped aluminum cans and stuff with it. its incredibly hard to kill imo. its also 63 or so hrc i guess. either way its hard enough. and its tough enough, and SS enough. and incredibly wear resistant.
4k edge on that too.

the kurosakis are more blinged out since he does patterns in the cladding, i like his earlier work more than the recent one. so all my kurosakis are older. and they all kick ass. this is also blades you need to resharpen every 6 months or so in a home environment (unless you chop aluminum cans that is).

---------

and if anyone disagrees they can **** off!

 

[DitmasPork]

I also agree with the above. Especially Ditmas' comment on working with good shops/vendors.

Had i been open to spend more when i started, i dont think i would have so many redundant knives (although who knows.). I started off in the <$150 and found good knives, then up to $250, then $350, now $500-1000 knives are calling my name . The entire time, my tastes have changed. Had i started off with some of the daily drivers i have now, who knows where my tastes would have gone...

I got my first J-knife before I even heard of KKF, didn't know any j-knife users to get opinions from, think an early influence was ChefTalk and some dude named BoarDeLaze. When I finally pulled the trigger it was at Korin, near my work place, thrilled to have a good sales person take me through the range of knives on offer—think I spent about $200 dollars on a Masamoto HC gyuto, most I'd ever spent on a knife. From there, bought a lot from different vendors, part of me feels like I wasted money on knives I no longer covet, though another part feels it's the price I had to pay to define the types of knives I like.

Last two knives I got in—a denka and a Yanick. Those wouldn't have been my fist two knives, needed to work my way up the food chain.

OOPS. BACK TO YOUR ORIGINAL QUESTION: For me, the "most respected knife/knives" is difficult to answer, since I've never bought a bad one, I respect all my knives.

 

[inferno]

i went from my 11€ fiskars chefs knife to a victorinox santoku (50%off), to a mac cryoed dimpled santoku (it was on closeout).

from a sharpmaker to a chosera 1k to a glass 2k, to glass 4k. and then it all went to hell!! dont do it.

 

[jacko9]

Well - I asked that question about six or seven years ago and after buying over 20 very nice knives I still don't have the answer.

 

[dafox]

well first and foremost i would like to say that there is no good and bad after you reach a certain level of craftsmanship with knives. they are all good but the users may have different preferences.

but i can provide some niches that i think i know the best stuff. or at least they upper part of the stuff thats out there.

stainless western monos:

hattori forums. its vg10. and its good.
runner up is the cryoed Mac dimpled santoku and gyuto (only those 2 that have the ss bolster are the cryoed ones)
these are almost as good as the hattoris. but half price. tough, takes a killer edge, quite stainless, holds an edge just fine, looks and feels nice. feels good on the stones.

----------------

budget blue (carbon) steel, stainless clad japanese handled knives:

jck blue moon. takes the most killer edge one will ever find and they are cheap. and wont rust (the edge will though).

---------------

non unobtanium production powder SS/"HSS light".

akifusa srs15. its a very boring blade. its clad in soft ss like 304 ss. and it scratches easily, but the edge steel is a ss HSS powder steel. at 64-65 hrc or so. sharpens up easily but quite slow on regular stones. takes a killer edge (i'd say 4k is good for this steel), and holds that edge for quite some time. but it will probably keep "85%" of that edge to the end of eternity. yeah.

at first i felt it was too thin and fragile to use but after using and abusing it i'd say its thick enough for pro work all day long. dont be fooled.

as runner up i think any kurosaki r2 steel knife. its almost identical to srs15 in performance, and i have chopped aluminum cans and stuff with it. its incredibly hard to kill imo. its also 63 or so hrc i guess. either way its hard enough. and its tough enough, and SS enough. and incredibly wear resistant.
4k edge on that too.

the kurosakis are more blinged out since he does patterns in the cladding, i like his earlier work more than the recent one. so all my kurosakis are older. and they all kick ass. this is also blades you need to resharpen every 6 months or so in a home environment (unless you chop aluminum cans that is).

---------

and if anyone disagrees they can **** off!

What stones do you use to sharpen the srs15?

 

[inferno]

regular shapton glass and pro

 

[dafox]

well first and foremost i would like to say that there is no good and bad after you reach a certain level of craftsmanship with knives. they are all good but the users may have different preferences.

but i can provide some niches that i think i know the best stuff. or at least they upper part of the stuff thats out there.

stainless western monos:

hattori forums. its vg10. and its good.
runner up is the cryoed Mac dimpled santoku and gyuto (only those 2 that have the ss bolster are the cryoed ones)
these are almost as good as the hattoris. but half price. tough, takes a killer edge, quite stainless, holds an edge just fine, looks and feels nice. feels good on the stones.

----------------

budget blue (carbon) steel, stainless clad japanese handled knives:

jck blue moon. takes the most killer edge one will ever find and they are cheap. and wont rust (the edge will though).

---------------

non unobtanium production powder SS/"HSS light".

akifusa srs15. its a very boring blade. its clad in soft ss like 304 ss. and it scratches easily, but the edge steel is a ss HSS powder steel. at 64-65 hrc or so. sharpens up easily but quite slow on regular stones. takes a killer edge (i'd say 4k is good for this steel), and holds that edge for quite some time. but it will probably keep "85%" of that edge to the end of eternity. yeah.

at first i felt it was too thin and fragile to use but after using and abusing it i'd say its thick enough for pro work all day long. dont be fooled.

as runner up i think any kurosaki r2 steel knife. its almost identical to srs15 in performance, and i have chopped aluminum cans and stuff with it. its incredibly hard to kill imo. its also 63 or so hrc i guess. either way its hard enough. and its tough enough, and SS enough. and incredibly wear resistant.
4k edge on that too.

the kurosakis are more blinged out since he does patterns in the cladding, i like his earlier work more than the recent one. so all my kurosakis are older. and they all kick ass. this is also blades you need to resharpen every 6 months or so in a home environment (unless you chop aluminum cans that is).

---------

and if anyone disagrees they can **** off!

On the Akifusa srs15, do you maintain the same edge angle as what comes stock? The edge bevel on mine is pretty wide, almost 2mm and very accute.

 

[inferno]

i try to go as narrow as i can. i'm probably more narrow than the std angle.

 

[A.Malcolm.ations]

A big thing to consider is how much you are willing to care for the knife. I am by no means a seasoned knife person like many here in the forum, but I knew what I was looking for and did a lot of research to see what fit my ideals.

I visited JKI because I am pretty close by and found myself drawn heavily to the kagekiyo knives. I really liked the profile, the idea of wide bevels, and I really love fully reactive blades. It was out of my price range at the time.

A while later I purchased a Mazaki 240mm ku gyuto as my first really serious blade. Shortly afterwards I was asking another forum member about a few wide bevel Gyutos he has in his personal collection forged by Y Tanaka because I loved the idea of wide bevel knives and did a lot of reading and loved the idea of Y Tanaka’s steel treatment (especially of blue 1). After conversing with this forum member he offered me one of his knives (Tsubaya 240mm blue 1 ku) for a great price and I jumped on it. I totally fell in love with it and it is my daily driver.

Take the time to see what you like, see what you are willing to pay, find out how much you really will maintain the blade (reactivity, sharpening, thinning, maintaining finish), find aspects of profiles and grinds that are desirable then go out and find what matches all these categories. Checking bst is totally a great way to go and also venturing out and looking at reputable vendors is good too. People here will have opinions but at t end of the day explore what you find to be attractive and seek what has those characteristics.

 

[DitmasPork]

i went from my 11€ fiskars chefs knife to a victorinox santoku (50%off), to a mac cryoed dimpled santoku (it was on closeout).

from a sharpmaker to a chosera 1k to a glass 2k, to glass 4k. and then it all went to hell!! dont do it.

I’ve been buying j-knives for a decade. I wouldn’t be unhappy to get rid of all of them except for what I bought in the last year. I didn’t click with a lot of knives that other people love, like kono Fujiyama, etc.

 

[dafox]

I’ve been buying j-knives for a decade. I wouldn’t be unhappy to get rid of all of them except for what I bought in the last year. I didn’t click with a lot of knives that other people love, like kono Fujiyama, etc.

Please do tell, what are a couple of your keepers now?

 

[demirtasem]

Thank you for your comments, very much appreciated. What I tried to achieve was creating an easier guide for people like me to start with. Knowing which knives are good way to start like Mac UTH-80 or Ashi Ginga. Or maybe knowing top of the tops make their path easier. Denkas, Toyamas, Tanakas etc. In my opinion that makes people's decision process narrower (by viewing options here from pro users). More focus on the smaller variety, don't have to invest lots of similar knives, won't be upset later. (I know they can always sell, but only if they are a member in here and have enough posts. I don't think it's easy to sell a knife other than KKF. I may be wrong.)

I know it sounds subjective but if more than 10 people says "Hattori is perfect knife to invest in terms of pinch gripper and rockers" (I'm making up right know) I would probably take it to consideration even if I don't buy at the end. I hope I'm clear in here.

ON THE OTHER HAND, you are also right. There may be no definite answer here. People need to read threads (like me) and find their own way. They need to make mistakes to understand their tendencies.

Edit: I also wanted to add that your comments are giving really good direction from where to/where not to start. Thanks again.

 

[demirtasem]

well first and foremost i would like to say that there is no good and bad after you reach a certain level of craftsmanship with knives. they are all good but the users may have different preferences.

but i can provide some niches that i think i know the best stuff. or at least they upper part of the stuff thats out there.

stainless western monos:

hattori forums. its vg10. and its good.
runner up is the cryoed Mac dimpled santoku and gyuto (only those 2 that have the ss bolster are the cryoed ones)
these are almost as good as the hattoris. but half price. tough, takes a killer edge, quite stainless, holds an edge just fine, looks and feels nice. feels good on the stones.

----------------

budget blue (carbon) steel, stainless clad japanese handled knives:

jck blue moon. takes the most killer edge one will ever find and they are cheap. and wont rust (the edge will though).

---------------

non unobtanium production powder SS/"HSS light".

akifusa srs15. its a very boring blade. its clad in soft ss like 304 ss. and it scratches easily, but the edge steel is a ss HSS powder steel. at 64-65 hrc or so. sharpens up easily but quite slow on regular stones. takes a killer edge (i'd say 4k is good for this steel), and holds that edge for quite some time. but it will probably keep "85%" of that edge to the end of eternity. yeah.

at first i felt it was too thin and fragile to use but after using and abusing it i'd say its thick enough for pro work all day long. dont be fooled.

as runner up i think any kurosaki r2 steel knife. its almost identical to srs15 in performance, and i have chopped aluminum cans and stuff with it. its incredibly hard to kill imo. its also 63 or so hrc i guess. either way its hard enough. and its tough enough, and SS enough. and incredibly wear resistant.
4k edge on that too.

the kurosakis are more blinged out since he does patterns in the cladding, i like his earlier work more than the recent one. so all my kurosakis are older. and they all kick ass. this is also blades you need to resharpen every 6 months or so in a home environment (unless you chop aluminum cans that is).

---------

and if anyone disagrees they can **** off!

Thank you inferno. This was the one that I wanted to see actually.

 

[demirtasem]

I got my first J-knife before I even heard of KKF, didn't know any j-knife users to get opinions from, think an early influence was ChefTalk and some dude named BoarDeLaze. When I finally pulled the trigger it was at Korin, near my work place, thrilled to have a good sales person take me through the range of knives on offer—think I spent about $200 dollars on a Masamoto HC gyuto, most I'd ever spent on a knife. From there, bought a lot from different vendors, part of me feels like I wasted money on knives I no longer covet, though another part feels it's the price I had to pay to define the types of knives I like.

Last two knives I got in—a denka and a Yanick. Those wouldn't have been my fist two knives, needed to work my way up the food chain.

OOPS. BACK TO YOUR ORIGINAL QUESTION: For me, the "most respected knife/knives" is difficult to answer, since I've never bought a bad one, I respect all my knives.

I hear Denka A LOT. Before I was a member here I made a shallow research and bought a Masamoto KS. I was thinking it's the ultimate knife in the world. Don't get me wrong it's really good knife and I really like it. But after reading comments in here now I know there are better options like Denka. (I know its relative and maybe I'm wrong but %70 members in here are respectful to TF) If I knew at that time maybe I would save my money for a Denka, I don't know.

 

[demirtasem]

As others have said, there's no definite answer here, but the makers that come up repeatedly in this thread are probably a good place to start: Top 5 Knives to try at Under $300

My collection is quite small by the standards here but pretty much everything I have (and most of the knives on my to buy/to try list) is named multiple times in there.

Wow thank you! I miss this thread already!


Edit: Well I'm still reading this and I can honestly say this is what I try to do in here.

 

[AFKitchenknivesguy]

I hear Denka A LOT. Before I was a member here I made a shallow research and bought a Masamoto KS. I was thinking it's the ultimate knife in the world. Don't get me wrong it's really good knife and I really like it. But after reading comments in here now I know there are better options like Denka. (I know its relative and maybe I'm wrong but %70 members in here are respectful to TF) If I knew at that time maybe I would save my money for a Denka, I don't know.

Can't say I've gotten on the TF boat, never heard much talk about it until lately, but you did well on the Masamoto.

 

[inferno]

trust me no matter how far you go with carbons you will only go so far. beyond this is powder ss and hss and these are longer lasting.