Yo! I want to buy a nice knife :)

[catridingeeels]

I've been thinking about buying a really nice knife and I spent the last 6 hours or so falling deep down a rabbit hole haha.
I almost bought a new knife but found this forum and figured I could get an equally dope knife for cheaper on here!

I live in Cali near Sacramento (Beale AFB) but I went to college in Colorado and claim Washinton state as home

I'm only looking to buy one very nice knife, but like I said before I've been looking at knives all night and there are so many that I like... The birds are chirping now so I should probably go to sleep haha.

 

[daveb]

Welcome.

Under the "Kitchen Knife" subforum there is a Which Knife? questionnaire. If you'll fill that out you will get a bunch of recommendations, most of which will be tailored to your requirements.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

Hello from Washington.

What ya do in the USAF? I spent 11yrs as a Law Enforcement/Air Base Defense Specialist.

Do you sharpen? A lot of us will encourage you to start there.

Dave gives good advice about the questionnaire.

 

[mockit]

Welcome! I’m from Reno, so not far off. Crocker Cutlery is in Sac and should be a great place to start. Bernal Cutlery is in SF and would be worth a drive. Agreed with the previous 2 suggestions about sharpening and the form.

I would go check out some knives in person though. Holding them in your hand is important, and will give you an idea of preferences. Wa handle vs. western? Gyuto vs. a rounder chef profile. Heel height vs. counter height. Workhorse vs. laser grind. Length. Stainless vs. carbon Etc. Experimenting is half the fun but knowing just a bit about your wants/needs can go a long way to saving some hard earned dollars.

It starts with 1 knife… it ends with a wall of them .

 

[catridingeeels]

Hello from Washington.

What ya do in the USAF? I spent 11yrs as a Law Enforcement/Air Base Defense Specialist.

Do you sharpen? A lot of us will encourage you to start there.

Dave gives good advice about the questionnaire.

Hey, that's awesome! I grew up just south of Tacoma, Washington is my favorite place in the world.

And i'm actually in the space force, 13s, I do missile warning and space track at the radar.

I haven't done much anything regarding knives...

 

[catridingeeels]

Welcome! I’m from Reno, so not far off. Crocker Cutlery is in Sac and should be a great place to start. Bernal Cutlery is in SF and would be worth a drive. Agreed with the previous 2 suggestions about sharpening and the form.

I would go check out some knives in person though. Holding them in your hand is important, and will give you an idea of preferences. Wa handle vs. western? Gyuto vs. a rounder chef profile. Heel height vs. counter height. Workhorse vs. laser grind. Length. Stainless vs. carbon Etc. Experimenting is half the fun but knowing just a bit about your wants/needs can go a long way to saving some hard earned dollars.

It starts with 1 knife… it ends with a wall of them .

Thank you for the advice!

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

Hey, that's awesome! I grew up just south of Tacoma, Washington is my favorite place in the world.

And i'm actually in the space force, 13s, I do missile warning and space track at the radar.

I haven't done much anything regarding knives...

Cool. Wasn't such a thing as the Space Force when I got out so still not sure what all bases they got from us. At any rate, thank you for your service.

So, all knives need to be sharpened. And no, those pull through thingies don't count. They just ruin edges.

You CAN learn to sharpen and you CAN learn to do it free hand with bench stones. It's either that or make a plan to have a professional who specializes in Japanese knives sharpen them for you. That means no grinders or belt sanders.

If you're interested, I can give you some ideas on gear and some good entry-level knives.

But, to start, turn to YouTube. I advise to ignore a channel called Burrfection that will undoubtedly pop up. I disagree with a lot of his "advice" and I'm not alone. Instead, look up channels like Japanese Knife Imports, Peter Nowlan, SHARP Knife Shop and Korin. They all have good how-to's and you can get a feel for things.