Anything in this thread? https://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.p...hlight=taylors
The wife is whinging about the quality of our kitchen knives and I’m in the market for a new set (3 knives minimum).
I know nothing about what is good and what is bad quality, hence some recommendations would be good.
I am looking for steel knives that can be easily sharpened over and over again. The simpler the better. Not looking for anything with fancy coatings or fancy handles.
I’m thinking of spending up to £200, but will go higher if persuaded, as these are intended to be a lifetime purchase.
I did see a similar thread 3 years ago, but the budget was much higher at £500.
Ta in advance.
Anything in this thread? https://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.p...hlight=taylors
Any procook knife set that you like the look of. I have a 20+ piece one I've had for 15 or so years. I often think of replacing them for snob value, but they are still great.
Not the fanciest steel, but they are still sharp after a lot of hard use - but I have a good sharpener and a clue.
This
https://www.procook.co.uk/product/pr...3&tmcs=q48qwwl
+ a steel
+ https://richmondcookshop.co.uk/produ...RoC7ZcQAvD_BwE
Would give a very nice set that will last decades.
What knives do you currently have and have you sharpened them /had them sharpened? Will you be sharpening the next ones yourself or having them sharpened? Would you prefer a harder steel that potentially keeps an edge longer but is more time consuming to sharpen or a simpler steel that is easy to sharpen but needs it more often.
Do you (or does she) prefer a thicker european style chefs knife or would you prefer lighter japanese style one? Standard chef's/gyuto shape or more like a santoku?
Do you like a full curved belly on the knife or something much flatter? If you choose a lighter, thinner, japanese style chef's knife will you also take a slightly longer one since they are considerably lighter for the same length.
What three knifes are you looking for in a set? Must they match or would you consider building your own set from different makers?
Which knife will you use most? IF you spend 90% of the time using the chef's knife it may make sense to spend more on it and less on the other two.
https://japanesechefsknife.com/colle...fe-set-type-ii
Last edited by ernestrome; 20th January 2021 at 16:59.
I've stuck to using Global knives for many years, there's dearer and better but they suit me fine.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Depending on how your wife treats her your knives...
https://www.knivesandtools.co.uk/en/...hen-knives.htm
or
https://www.knivesandtools.co.uk/en/...les-forges.htm
Quality will be great for both.
Also, at the budget end, do not underestimate those
https://www.knivesandtools.co.uk/en/...hen-knives.htm
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
https://www.procook.co.uk/product/pr...nd-glass-block
Be warned though high quality knives are tend to be harder and more brittle than cheap ones.
Drop one on the floor and they can sometimes literally break in half.
Last time i dropped a VG10 knife ( common high grade pro Chef knife ) the tip snapped off.
My friend got some from Japan. Laminated Japanese steel. They were very expensive but they are excellent.
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We’ve had a Henckel set for years now, they’re still going strong and sharpen up again well even, the scissors have been brilliant. From memory they where around £140
I think we've been down this path on the forum quite a few times over the years. But.......I could do with updating my sharpening regime.......is the advice still Lansky these days? I don't really want to go all 'Mr Miyagi' with stones etc.
I have a couple of Henkels - they seem to be marketed as Zwilling these days. This set looks good value: https://uk.zwilling-shop.com/Kitchen...168-100-0.html
Thanks for all the recommendations and the links. I will be looking at these tonight after work.
Lansky. Got mine from BA Blades, they often have specials on. Old garden knife to shaving sharp . . .
Kitchen knives . . .
Last edited by magirus; 20th January 2021 at 17:30.
F.T.F.A.
I have 4 Kai shun knives
https://www.knivesfromjapan.co.uk/kn...xoC92IQAvD_BwE
And a Chefs Choice knife sharpener
https://richmondcookshop.co.uk/produ...oducts_id=1635
Had them 10 years now and still as good as new.
Wusthof are very good also
If you want good reliable blades that are very serviceable and you can grow your collection as you get more obsessed then Nisbet’s catering supplies provide them to the trade and public, they frequently have sales and provide a good range of knife brands and types.
Rather then four blades I’d use the money for three good quality knives of a chefs knife, a paring knife and a utility knife. (You’d also have some money left over )
https://www.nisbets.co.uk/kitchenwar...itchen%20knife
You probably don't need every knife from this set but it would cover 99% of tasks: https://www.lakeland.co.uk/26519/Rob...nife+Block+Set
We have the kitchen knife and the chefs knife and they take a wicked edge and are very comfortable in the hand.
I'm surprised it's not been mentioned yet but I've not found anything lacking with my Victorinox knives. I just saw that it had been mentioned further up with a link, so consider it another recommendation!
They're perhaps the ultimate form over function knife out there and from what I've understood used by professional chefs quite a bit because of this. They're nowhere near what you're budget is but I'd sooner save the extra money you're most likely paying for the negligible difference in performance any higher up the food chain you go. I think one of the most popular ones is this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Victorinox-...1228543&sr=8-7 That's one of the ones I have but a few others in the "set".
Again, don't look fancy with the moulded plastic handle but razor sharp out the box and easy to sharpen.
There’s a mixture of Global and Kai Shun in the kitchen here. I’d normally reach for a Kai but have no issue using Global if needed.
I've had good experiences at Hart's of Stur and with my Wusthof knife.
https://www.hartsofstur.com/food-pre...aw_stock=1&p=2
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I've had Global knives for years, but also a couple of David Mellor knives. The knife I use the most is this one;
https://www.davidmellordesign.com/ro...m-david-mellor
They are not stupidly expensive, designed and made in the UK, and hold an edge brilliantly. I wouldn't buy any other knives now.
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I had Robert Welch ones recommended to me a good few years ago. They have been superb, are British designed and are very good quality.
https://www.robertwelch.com/collecti...hoCSasQAvD_BwE
This is interesting, as i was going to post the absolute opposite!
We have Robert Welch knives and I have to say I've been dissapointed with them. They dont stay sharp for very long and I don't think that they handle particularly well
It's really interesting how opinions can differ.
Can I please ask what sharpening tool/method you use? As that could be where I'm going wrong
Thanks
John
I love my Wusthof knives. They take a good edge and are solid.
I am using this to sharpen and it works a treat and so easy.
https://www.horl.com/de_en/sharpeners
I always found it hard to keep an edge on the Wusthof knives I have. Barely use anything except my two Japanese chef's knives now. One's a Hattori and I can't remember the make of the other.
That Horl sharpener looks great! I’ve got a simple Lansky one that works but takes time.
I’ve had most of these for 20yrs, went on a spree in my early 20’s - always wanted them & always loved cooking. Kept in a roll when I was house sharing though.
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That Horl setup is superb.
I currently use a global whetstone with angle guides, which is fine, but still a faff - unlike that
I’m not a fan of Global - had a couple but find them uncomfortable and they don’t handle well for me.
Now have a mix and match set - couple of Porsche knives which are decent mid priced knives, a Damascus steel Japanese Santoku (can’t remember the maker) - great for heavy duty veg like butternut squash - but my favourite is a chef’s knife made for me by TK knives - it’s their Etriel design:
Also highly recommend Kuhn Rikon - unbelievably good for the money, but very lightweight, excellent for paring or fruit knives and other light duties.
With the Lansky I re-did the bevels on my knives. Once they are properly sharp the key is to touch them up little and often. This (for my usage) is a couple of minutes with the ultra fine stone (1000 grit) and leather strop.
F.T.F.A.
I have one set of Chicago Cutlery (USA made) which go back around 25yrs, and another 10 or so mixed knives. For the last 20yrs I have only bought knives that looked and handled right. For good utility knives, I have a couple of Taylors Eye Witness ‘Ravena’ , some Costco catering knives and some other odds and sods.
Sure, the handles don’t match when they are sticking out of the blocks - but who cares!
Can’t be doing with Sabatier (make or style) as the balance and handle shape does not work for me.
Had a Lansky Sharpener kit for decades but recently bought an Electric sharpener - super fast and as accurate (if not more so) than the Lansky kit.
What a coincidence, I bought some new knives today, had no idea this thread was here.
Cheapest deal for these I could find on the net, if you bought these individually you would be getting close to £300 at RRP
I realised that I don't need a lot of knives, I already have a decent bread knife and three is all I need.
https://www.hartsofstur.com/wusthof-...300160301.html
Can't go wrong with global bit on the pricey side but love our sets
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Wish I had seen that Horl sharpener before I realised I “needed” the Tormek T4 sharpening system that was mentioned on the knife sharpening thread!
Oh well, it’ll outlast me I guess! Sorry to go off thread.
I have known three instances of Global knives snapping, and the handles are awful
I wouldn't buy them. Like a lot of things these days the marketing hype exceeds the reality
The only global knife I own, I’ve had for 22 years and it’s still keeps a great edge.