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Best bang for the buck knife brand?

Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2018 9:06 pm
by Lufty13
What is everyone's opinion on this? Out of all the knives I've owned or tried, I still have to go with Masakage. I own the Koishi bunka and nakiri and they are both superb in all regards.

Re: Best bang for the buck knife brand?

Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2018 10:02 pm
by salemj
Probably Kanehide. With just the slightest bit of sharpening and a touch of sandpaper, a TK will perform as well as knives at least twice as expensive for any given meal, if not 3x as expensive. There are better knives and options, but for the money, I'm not sure if there is more bang-for-your-buck for a home cook if you know how to sharpen a gyuto.

Re: Best bang for the buck knife brand?

Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2018 10:46 pm
by Dan_Crubenew
First time bridge from German/French style knives? Fujiwara FKM or FKH are pretty good. I would take them over Tojiro for sure.
The TKC (or now TK as it is known) is also really, really hard to beat at its lower price point. Actually, let's just go with almost impossible to beat. Although lately I think I have been favoring my HD2 from Konosuke (like, 3x the price last I checked). I think my Kikuichi TKC could do with a thinning out. It is getting on in life, as it were.

Not to be forgotten is the Harukaze/Akifusa SRS-15. Mad decent knife, if a little short at the heel (personally).

I think the TK, HD2, and SRS-15 all compete with each other in terms of performance, but for the $$ the TK wins out on that front 100%. Any disparity in F&F can be dealt with using a little time and sandpaper.

Re: Best bang for the buck knife brand?

Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2018 6:47 am
by Robstreperous
I've never tried a TKC but I'd like to. As a fan of Kikuichi in general it always seemed to me they'd probably be pretty good.

Speaking only of the knives I've tried/owned I'll go along with the Kanehide. My 240 isn't the best knife I own at any particular task but it does everything (except food release) really well. It takes a good edge and holds it for a long time.

Whenever I just want to get on with things and not worry about what knife to use or wiping / cleaning / babying the knife it's always the one I use.

Re: Best bang for the buck knife brand?

Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2018 7:23 am
by Bensbites
Makoto’s white blades!

Re: Best bang for the buck knife brand?

Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2018 8:18 pm
by ChefKnivesToGo
Masutani comes to mind.

I tried to beg Mr. Masutani to do a wa handled line when I met him a couple months ago. If he does them we’ll sell a gazillion of them.

Re: Best bang for the buck knife brand?

Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2018 8:51 pm
by Chefspence
ChefKnivesToGo wrote: Sat Jul 14, 2018 8:18 pm Masutani comes to mind.

I tried to beg Mr. Masutani to do a wa handled line when I met him a couple months ago. If he does them we’ll sell a gazillion of them.
Agree. Everyone in my family, including me loves the 180 gyuto. If he did longer gyutos he’s make a killing. Good looks, lasers kanji, thin grind, great performance. That and the Kanehides top my list.

Re: Best bang for the buck knife brand?

Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2018 10:41 pm
by GuyDebord
Bensbites wrote: Sat Jul 14, 2018 7:23 am Makoto’s white blades!
As a mid price knife it is perhaps the best bang, but most would not spend $200+ on a knife, so the other options suggested above answer the question better

Re: Best bang for the buck knife brand?

Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2018 10:55 pm
by Bensbites
GuyDebord wrote: Sat Jul 14, 2018 10:41 pm
Bensbites wrote: Sat Jul 14, 2018 7:23 am Makoto’s white blades!
As a mid price knife it is perhaps the best bang, but most would not spend $200+ on a knife, so the other options suggested above answer the question better
The white steel blades range from $80 for a Santoku to $130 for a 240 gyuto in the Damascus line. In the SS clad white steel line with a higher fit and finish prices range from $130 to $180.

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/makotowhite2.html

Re: Best bang for the buck knife brand?

Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2018 11:50 pm
by Cahudson42
A bit different - for $75, the Yahiko 240 VG10 No Handle:

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/yavggy24noha.html

I bought one of these when Mark first offered them - a year or so back? As a woodworker, I had little problem putting on an octagonal Maple handle (one piece). After that, it pretty much sat. Until this Summer when I needed something to cut up full heads of Romaine and leaf, where my usual 210s were a bit short.

Turns out, the more I use it, the more I like it. Seems to be holding it's edge pretty well. Works for slicing wide sirloins off the grill, as well as the lettuces. Even tomatoes and cucumbers when I'm in a hurry and don't bother switching. Seems a nice general purpose 240.

In it's own way, equal in 'best bang' to my other candidate - the $75 210 Artifex II.

Re: Best bang for the buck knife brand?

Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2018 10:55 am
by Kalaeb
I will throw Tanaka in the mix as well. One of the best grinds it there as a pretty good price point.

Re: Best bang for the buck knife brand?

Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2018 11:01 am
by jmcnelly85
Bang for buck can be relative, knives like Tanaka, makoto and Gihei are tremendous values at their price point, I remember people even suggesting that kono fuji’s have a legitimate claim for best bang for buck considering what they offer at their price. An argument can be made for any knife at any price depending on what the buyer wants. That being said, I’m not sure there is a better blade than the western blue 2 Kohetsu at the price they go for. The overall package takes a bit of work getting it comfortable, but man that is an amazing knife for the money.

Re: Best bang for the buck knife brand?

Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2018 7:27 pm
by Seattle_Ben
Probably unpopular here but the victorinox fibroid handles would be my answer. Outside that I'm a huge fan of my makoto white #2.

Re: Best bang for the buck knife brand?

Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2018 7:54 pm
by salemj
Seattle_Ben wrote: Sun Jul 15, 2018 7:27 pm Probably unpopular here but the victorinox fibroid handles would be my answer. Outside that I'm a huge fan of my makoto white #2.
I think a lot of people love those knives around these parts. I've come to feel like they are less extraordinary for the price, though. While I think the Fibrox is a great knife for under $50, I'm also confident that the chef's knife doesn't compete nearly as well against something like a TK or PS60 as it does against something like a Wusthof (where it lacks of the comfort of a "classic" but still cuts essentially as well or better in a number of applications, sometimes with even better edge retention and certainly with easier sharpening). I think a lot of the fame for these knives came from there performance in comparison to $100-150 German knives, and that is deserved, but against $100-150 Japanese knives, I think the differences are much more extreme, and it makes the Fibrox feel much more like a good knife for under 50 rather than a great deal (and potentially better knife than many costing double or triple).

Re: Best bang for the buck knife brand?

Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2018 8:17 pm
by Lufty13
Great answers from everyone. Thank you. Definitely food for thought. I agree about Victorinox, really nice blades for the price.

Re: Best bang for the buck knife brand?

Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2018 7:32 am
by lsboogy
I buy my nieces and nephews Tojiro MVS knives when they get out of college - I bought one on a whim (tried it before I gave it to Alma) and they are better knives than the victorinox for about the same price. Might be the profile, but I have purchased 5 so far and they seem to be a good cheap knife - figure I should get them going in the right direction and they will buy their own knives when they become stable. They come over to my house for dinner several times a year and are well aware of my knives. Daughters have very high end knives (each has a masamoto KS and a nenohi paring knife). Next niece out of college gets a Richmond Artifex though, she's my favorite and she knows it - all kids get knife skills "class" with me and learn to make simple red sauce (onions, garlic,tomatoes, basil) and a quick stir fry - I teach them how to eat cheap and well

Best thing is that my brothers kids will not let their parents use their knives - my brother has wusthof knives his wife likes, but they are dull for the most point, and his kids know it. This Christmas is sharpening class for them with stones

Re: Best bang for the buck knife brand?

Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2018 1:23 pm
by enjay
Makoto needs no more love here but it'd be difficult to find a clearly better bang for the buck than the 240 gyuto that goes for $180.

Re: Best bang for the buck knife brand?

Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2018 11:37 am
by ButlerHoosierChef
I would have to say if you are in the market for a laser then the Takamura Chromax or R2 migaki are definitely in the running. I would also say the Kanehide PS60. That knife is a no frills just plain Jane knife that will do anything and everything you want it to do.

Re: Best bang for the buck knife brand?

Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2018 12:06 pm
by cooknola
I’ll throw Misuzu into the mix. If it can work in a pro kitchen every damn day it’s got my respect. I like the sks93 line.

Re: Best bang for the buck knife brand?

Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2018 2:19 pm
by Rufus Leaking
I will second that misuzu bunka recommendation. $60..... Tough to beat. The only thing that comes close to it is a Dexter Chinese cleaver I think I paid $45 for. Mine got a bigass chip dead center that I lived with until I took it to a grinder and gave it a belly. I worked on it for a good while with a 400 stone before going 20 degrees on each side, and it became an entirely new and different instrument. It will spatchcock a chicken with very little effort, unique in that aspect, yet it will also mince herbs and is my go to for ginger. Every kitchen should have one.