Who makes the best WH knives
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Rob Trimarchi and Dan Bidinger are my favorites.
You may want to define what your personal definition of workhorse is.
Based on the knives I've handled and my preferences, I would probably go for a ShiHan is if wanted a workhorse knife.
Based on the knives I've handled and my preferences, I would probably go for a ShiHan is if wanted a workhorse knife.
Thicc, like Rob’s grinds. JNS WH grind, Markos WH
Choppin
Senior Member
Haven't tried them all but I've tried a few of Tsourkan's WH and they impressed me every time...
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Kato
Different rabbit hole… Bazes, Halcyon, Lundberg, Isasmedjan… and 99 other good ones lol
Shi.Han, cuts as smooth as a laser, tough as a hammer, bonus if you got the wrought iron or telegraph wire cladding.
M1k3
Senior Member
Custom @Kippington
I'd second Halcyon and Bazes. I'm sure the others mentioned here are good as well. Those are just the ones I've had a chance to handle. It's not a WH but I've got a Suji from @Vasco Veríssimo which is one of the best I've had the chance to handle I bet he can do a mean WH.
Of what I've tried, Prendergast integral and HVB are pretty optimized for thicc and cutting well. Gotta second @M1k3 on a @Kippington WH though, can't imagine you could go wrong there.
Marko.
Next question?
(I've actually not tried a Shihan and would like to. Not thot of them as workhorse)
Next question?
(I've actually not tried a Shihan and would like to. Not thot of them as workhorse)
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If you're looking for a strong distal taper — think Sab — AND a reasonably forward balance with a great food release: Prendergast.
Can someone ship him a container full of ApexUltra?
M1k3
Senior Member
Slip in a bar of 15V for 270mm Gyuto and I'm in!
Depends, what are your thoughts on distal taper? I personally have to have it on work horses, but I know it isn’t necessarily a classic feature (see old school Ku watanabes for example. Not much distal taper there)
I’ve got catcheside, markin, prendergast, karys, and shihan in my collection as far as westerns workhorses go.
Catcheside: The version I have falls into the ku watanabe realm. Heavy, some but no extreme distal taper. Performs well regardless, and if you go the custom route he can absolutely squeeze every drop out of distal taper that you want (check out his pettys if you want proof of that)
Markin: The heaviest knife in my collection per mm, and also the best performing. It is an otherworldly blade and grind, and I were to go for another workhorse at this point it’ll be one of his. His bang for the buck is also phenomenal, and probably the best in the west, similar to spare a few years back but obviously with very different grinds. Absurd amounts of distal taper squeezed out of this thing, and yet every part cuts phenomenally
Prendergast: I’d heard on Reddit from folks not being datisified with his new knives, I can’t speak to them. I can speak to one of his older, larger pieces I have. It is an absolutely phenomenal cutter, great distal taper. Wonderful knife with one my favorite methods of finishing wood I’ve run into that makes it so comfy to hold. Also the filthy wrought he uses has huge amounts of character
Karys: Most visually striking of any maker in my collection. I have what he called his first workhorse. It performs quite well, there are a few areas that could be improved that I provided feedback to him on for future workhorses, but it falls between the non-distal taper WH and the extreme distal taper WH categories. Tip does quite well for small to medium onions. Definitely the showiest piece of them all if you’re into that. His designs are unmistakeable and the fit and finish is impeccable.
Shihan: I haven’t tested getting a custom from markin yet, but shihan was significantly easier than the other 3 on the list. A couple quick emails, a few months waiting. Like with many makers schedules slipped and I was waiting a few extra months, I had kinda given up on the knife (although he doesn’t take a deposit) when he emailed me asking about handle preferences and a few days later it was done. I picked it up to have one full stainless piece in my collection, it seems to do well in my testing. It follows the line of my giant catcheside in that the distal taper isn’t anything extreme (I actually asked for extra since I’ve read many folks on here who did heavy thinning sessions in the tip section). Frankly if I were working in a professional setting, it’s probably what I would go with purely because it’s fully stainless.
So that’s my two cents. I’d still be chasing a prendergast for the character of the knife if I hadn’t snagged this one. My collection has a soft spot for catchesides for reasons I don’t fully understand so I’ll never stop chasing them. If I were in an industrial setting where I’m processing tons of whatever on a given day, I’d go with shihan. Primarily due to the lack of reactivity since I imagine hours of cutting anything acidic like tomato’s would do hell on a carbon. If I was a home cook looking for the best performing knife grind, I would go markin, who in my opinion does a better Sanjo grind than the actual sanjo smiths.
I’ve got catcheside, markin, prendergast, karys, and shihan in my collection as far as westerns workhorses go.
Catcheside: The version I have falls into the ku watanabe realm. Heavy, some but no extreme distal taper. Performs well regardless, and if you go the custom route he can absolutely squeeze every drop out of distal taper that you want (check out his pettys if you want proof of that)
Markin: The heaviest knife in my collection per mm, and also the best performing. It is an otherworldly blade and grind, and I were to go for another workhorse at this point it’ll be one of his. His bang for the buck is also phenomenal, and probably the best in the west, similar to spare a few years back but obviously with very different grinds. Absurd amounts of distal taper squeezed out of this thing, and yet every part cuts phenomenally
Prendergast: I’d heard on Reddit from folks not being datisified with his new knives, I can’t speak to them. I can speak to one of his older, larger pieces I have. It is an absolutely phenomenal cutter, great distal taper. Wonderful knife with one my favorite methods of finishing wood I’ve run into that makes it so comfy to hold. Also the filthy wrought he uses has huge amounts of character
Karys: Most visually striking of any maker in my collection. I have what he called his first workhorse. It performs quite well, there are a few areas that could be improved that I provided feedback to him on for future workhorses, but it falls between the non-distal taper WH and the extreme distal taper WH categories. Tip does quite well for small to medium onions. Definitely the showiest piece of them all if you’re into that. His designs are unmistakeable and the fit and finish is impeccable.
Shihan: I haven’t tested getting a custom from markin yet, but shihan was significantly easier than the other 3 on the list. A couple quick emails, a few months waiting. Like with many makers schedules slipped and I was waiting a few extra months, I had kinda given up on the knife (although he doesn’t take a deposit) when he emailed me asking about handle preferences and a few days later it was done. I picked it up to have one full stainless piece in my collection, it seems to do well in my testing. It follows the line of my giant catcheside in that the distal taper isn’t anything extreme (I actually asked for extra since I’ve read many folks on here who did heavy thinning sessions in the tip section). Frankly if I were working in a professional setting, it’s probably what I would go with purely because it’s fully stainless.
So that’s my two cents. I’d still be chasing a prendergast for the character of the knife if I hadn’t snagged this one. My collection has a soft spot for catchesides for reasons I don’t fully understand so I’ll never stop chasing them. If I were in an industrial setting where I’m processing tons of whatever on a given day, I’d go with shihan. Primarily due to the lack of reactivity since I imagine hours of cutting anything acidic like tomato’s would do hell on a carbon. If I was a home cook looking for the best performing knife grind, I would go markin, who in my opinion does a better Sanjo grind than the actual sanjo smiths.
SirCutAlot
Well-Known Member
The best workhorse ? My old Dick for sure 
SirCutALot
SirCutALot
The Markin Russian chef is super tempting, 1cm at the start of the spine yet cutting potato sliently, really want to try one.
Keith Sinclair
Senior Member
It would not pass KKF standards but I love it for work horse duties. Mono Carbon K- Sabatier 10". Soft carbon 56hrt. Use it most mornings to cut up frozen fruit for smoothie. Add vanilla base vegetable protein.Other super foods, flax meal, chia seeds, hemp hearts, Hawaiian spirulina. Almond milk cold water.
