Kitchen knives

[NoisyDante]

I have two main knives, a 6" Miyabi Birchwood and an 8" Shun Ken Onion.  They're both good for certain things, but I'd say the 6" is the most versatile.  I've started to sharpen mine with a wet stone, I find it gets a much sharper edge than with a sharpening rod or a tool, but I was really apprehensive about ruining my knives at first.

[WarrenJ]

Learning to use stones for sharpening gives you a lot more options for working with a knife.  Once you get the feel of it, you can put a shallow, slicing edge or a steeper chopping edge or anything in between.  Are you using a steel to set up your edge after you stone it?  That takes a sharp knife and makes it WOW!  You can also steel as you are using the knife and it will maintain your edge longer between sharpenings. 

[NoisyDante]

Yea, the person who helped me get a stone going also recommended using a steel in conjunction, though technically the one I have is ceramic.

[eltristo]

Has anyone tried the Schmidt Brothers ( http://SchmidtBrothersCutlery.com ) knives?  They are supposedly of pretty decent quality for a mind-blowing price.  I think I may have to pick one up for testing purposes.  

[il d00d]

How mind-blowing?  It looks like they use something called Messerstahl steel (apparently stainless) - I see the HRC/hardness for this kind of steel anywhere from 40 (blah) to 60 (good).  They don't say on their page, and that is a bit of red flag for me. Might be worth a few scheckles to check out - report to the class with your findings if you do get one, I would look forward to hearing about it.
You can get a really good 8" to 10" stainless chef knife for under a hundred bucks if you were looking for a bargain - I like the Tojiro, but there are plenty out there. 

[WarrenJ]

They have some interesting looking designs - the proofs in the using though.  I wouldn't mind handling some of them

[eltristo]

How mind-blowing?  It looks like they use something called Messerstahl steel (apparently stainless) - I see the HRC/hardness for this kind of steel anywhere from 40 (blah) to 60 (good).  They don't say on their page, and that is a bit of red flag for me. Might be worth a few scheckles to check out - report to the class with your findings if you do get one, I would look forward to hearing about it.
You can get a really good 8" to 10" stainless chef knife for under a hundred bucks if you were looking for a bargain - I like the Tojiro, but there are plenty out there.  

How mind blowing is really the question here, and I aim to find out.  How well does it take and hold an edge?  How does it feel in the hand?  Am I sexier with one in my hand? 

I have a few good knives - a mix of Wusthoff Classic and Shun - but I am curious about these.  Report forthcoming, though it may be a few weeks.

[Vindingo]

Schmidt bros have some interesting designs, but they pimp the "German Stainless steel" too much considering there is no mention where the knives are actually manufactured.  To me, writing made from German Stainless steel = Made in China.    Is the price point really that great for a SS knife made in China?  

Its the same crap that bugs me about how Apple write "Designed in California" on their products.

They may perform very well, but I am leery of designery knives.  

Some of their knife blocks look pretty cool also.    
I'm a fan of this one:


 

[Blue]

I'm bringing this back to the top as I am in need of new knives for the kitchen.  Specifically looking at chef's knives, cutting veggies only.

Additional thoughts?

Thanks.

[Skybarney]

I have a couple of the Santa Fe Stoneworks Damascus steel Kitchen knives.  No gourmet cook but I like sharp knives!



http://www.santafestoneworks.com/shop/hammered-damascus-jewelry-collection-santoku-7-knife

[Triple J]

I still love my Shun 8" Classic Chef's knife...it's pretty much all I use and I'm the cook in the family, so it gets a lot of use. It's sharp, holds an edge well, and is very comfortable to use (super important). Plus it looks awesome, which really has no importance at all!   They're pricey though.

Cook's Illustrated reviewed Chef's knives and their favorite in any price range was the Victorinox 8" Chef knife. No frills, just a great knife apparently...and cheap. It continually wins their tests.

http://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Swiss-Classic-Chefs-Knife/dp/B0061SWV8Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386623320&sr=8-1&keywords=victorinox+8-inch+chef%27s+knife

[d3vi@nt]

A lot is personal preference and what feels best in your hand. I have an older set of Henckels and I don't like them --too heavy, poorly balanced and the steel is too hard for my tastes. I like Forschner and Wusthoff for price and utility.  But my favorite are Global Cutlery. Perfect weight and balance for my tastes, hold an edge forever and stay razor sharp. And there are no seams, rivets, etc to hold dirt and bacteria. The handles are dimpled so you can still grip well when wet, etc. They have a large line, too.

[Blue]

I still love my Shun 8" Classic Chef's knife...it's pretty much all I use and I'm the cook in the family, so it gets a lot of use. It's sharp, holds an edge well, and is very comfortable to use (super important). Plus it looks awesome, which really has no importance at all!   They're pricey though.

Cook's Illustrated reviewed Chef's knives and their favorite in any price range was the Victorinox 8" Chef knife. No frills, just a great knife apparently...and cheap. It continually wins their tests.

I ended up purchasing the Victorinox 8" Chef knife for right now.  I will use this as a stop gap until something else pops up or catches my interest.  I also purchased a magnetic strip for holding all of my knives.  This should help  to keep them sharp after the whetstone, strop treatment.