Knife Recommendation(s) for a friend
- ronnie_suburban
- Posts: 2918
- Joined: Thu Jun 06, 2019 11:43 am
- Location: Chicago
- Has thanked: 2060 times
- Been thanked: 3393 times
- Contact:
Knife Recommendation(s) for a friend
Hey all,
A friend asked me for some recommendations. I have a few thoughts but I'd love to get some ideas for her from everyone else . . .
1)Pro or home cook?
Seasoned home cook
2)What kind of knife do you want? (Gyuto, Santoku, Petty, Paring, Sujihiki, etc.)
Gyuto and Petty/Paring
3) What size knife do you want?
240-270mm on the gyuto, 120mm on the petty/paring
4)How much do you want to spend?
Depends on options
5) Do you prefer all stainless, stainless clad over reactive carbon, or all reactive carbon construction?
Stainless
6)Do you prefer Western or Japanese handle?
Western
7)What are your main knife/knives now?
Standard, box store stuff . . . Henckels, Wusthoff, Shun, etc.
8)Are your knife skills excellent, good, fair?
Good
9)What cutting techniques do you prefer? Are you a rocker, chopper or push/pull cutter?
All - a few family members, all with different styles, will be using them.
10)Do you know how to sharpen?
Yes
These are her initial preferences but she could probably be sold on knives that fall outside of them in one or two areas. She did mention that they are looking for something on the workhorse end of the range on the gyuto. And fwiw, she mentioned that her husband had done some slaughtering in the past. Not sure how exactly that factors in here.
Thanks!
A friend asked me for some recommendations. I have a few thoughts but I'd love to get some ideas for her from everyone else . . .
1)Pro or home cook?
Seasoned home cook
2)What kind of knife do you want? (Gyuto, Santoku, Petty, Paring, Sujihiki, etc.)
Gyuto and Petty/Paring
3) What size knife do you want?
240-270mm on the gyuto, 120mm on the petty/paring
4)How much do you want to spend?
Depends on options
5) Do you prefer all stainless, stainless clad over reactive carbon, or all reactive carbon construction?
Stainless
6)Do you prefer Western or Japanese handle?
Western
7)What are your main knife/knives now?
Standard, box store stuff . . . Henckels, Wusthoff, Shun, etc.
8)Are your knife skills excellent, good, fair?
Good
9)What cutting techniques do you prefer? Are you a rocker, chopper or push/pull cutter?
All - a few family members, all with different styles, will be using them.
10)Do you know how to sharpen?
Yes
These are her initial preferences but she could probably be sold on knives that fall outside of them in one or two areas. She did mention that they are looking for something on the workhorse end of the range on the gyuto. And fwiw, she mentioned that her husband had done some slaughtering in the past. Not sure how exactly that factors in here.
Thanks!
=R=
Half of cooking is thinking about cooking.
Half of cooking is thinking about cooking.
-
- Posts: 632
- Joined: Sat Apr 21, 2018 11:30 am
- Location: Dallas
- Has thanked: 867 times
- Been thanked: 289 times
Re: Knife Recommendation(s) for a friend
Ronnie, with your experience with a great variety of knives ( I see your posts in the What did you cook cook today thread ) I think you are probably well versed in this evaluation.
The biggest variable to me is the pricing.
I agree about the Kanahide TK at their price point. Move up to the Konosuke HD2 240 which is a good deal, but more, and pair it with the Kanjo Kori R2 petty or a Takamura R2 petty (when available) if you can afford them. Lower price, the Tojiro DP are great…I love the120 petty we have.
The biggest variable to me is the pricing.
I agree about the Kanahide TK at their price point. Move up to the Konosuke HD2 240 which is a good deal, but more, and pair it with the Kanjo Kori R2 petty or a Takamura R2 petty (when available) if you can afford them. Lower price, the Tojiro DP are great…I love the120 petty we have.
- Jeff B
- Posts: 14736
- Joined: Fri Jan 27, 2017 5:59 pm
- Location: Louisville, Kentucky
- Has thanked: 1951 times
- Been thanked: 2312 times
Re: Knife Recommendation(s) for a friend
The Kanehide TK and the Konosuke HD2 are not stainless. I find the yo handle very limiting in these situations.
I'd push her in this direction. https://www.chefknivestogo.com/shkar2dagy241.html
I'd push her in this direction. https://www.chefknivestogo.com/shkar2dagy241.html
If God wanted me to be a vegetarian he wouldn't have made animals taste so good.
- ronnie_suburban
- Posts: 2918
- Joined: Thu Jun 06, 2019 11:43 am
- Location: Chicago
- Has thanked: 2060 times
- Been thanked: 3393 times
- Contact:
Re: Knife Recommendation(s) for a friend
Thanks, guys. I was thinking similarly, especially about the PS60 Kahehides. I bought a couple of those for my sister last year and they seem to have endured and served her well. However, the combo of wanting a yo handle and stainless really limits my friend's options. I need to find out how flexible she is on the western handle. If she's willing to consider wa, that would open up a lot more choices for her.
Yep, since she's really determined on the stainless, HD2 (semi-stainless) won't do.
=R=
Half of cooking is thinking about cooking.
Half of cooking is thinking about cooking.
- Jeff B
- Posts: 14736
- Joined: Fri Jan 27, 2017 5:59 pm
- Location: Louisville, Kentucky
- Has thanked: 1951 times
- Been thanked: 2312 times
Re: Knife Recommendation(s) for a friend
Several "workhorsey" stainless knives in WA handle.
Different steels but a little pricey, but isn't everything these days.
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kanasugy24.html
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kurosaki240.html
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/sag3gigy24.html
Different steels but a little pricey, but isn't everything these days.
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kanasugy24.html
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kurosaki240.html
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/sag3gigy24.html
If God wanted me to be a vegetarian he wouldn't have made animals taste so good.
- ronnie_suburban
- Posts: 2918
- Joined: Thu Jun 06, 2019 11:43 am
- Location: Chicago
- Has thanked: 2060 times
- Been thanked: 3393 times
- Contact:
Re: Knife Recommendation(s) for a friend
Thanks, Jeff. On Mark's recommendation, I bought the 210mm Kato Nashiji Suminagashi as a housewarming gift for some friends last year and they absolutely love it. I think it would be a great fit for this friend, too. I just need to convince her to consider some Wa options . . .Jeff B wrote: ↑Sat Jun 19, 2021 12:10 pm Several "workhorsey" stainless knives in WA handle.
Different steels but a little pricey, but isn't everything these days.
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kanasugy24.html
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kurosaki240.html
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/sag3gigy24.html
=R=
Half of cooking is thinking about cooking.
Half of cooking is thinking about cooking.
- Jeff B
- Posts: 14736
- Joined: Fri Jan 27, 2017 5:59 pm
- Location: Louisville, Kentucky
- Has thanked: 1951 times
- Been thanked: 2312 times
Re: Knife Recommendation(s) for a friend
That's a very good knife reasonably priced. I like Yoshimi's work and he does a great job with VG10. Learned from his father Hiroshi Kato, Yu Kurosaki apprenticed under Hiroshi too.ronnie_suburban wrote: ↑Sat Jun 19, 2021 12:16 pmThanks, Jeff. On Mark's recommendation, I bought the 210mm Kato Nashiji Suminagashi as a housewarming gift for some friends last year and they absolutely love it. I think it would be a great fit for this friend, too. I just need to convince her to consider some Wa options . . .Jeff B wrote: ↑Sat Jun 19, 2021 12:10 pm Several "workhorsey" stainless knives in WA handle.
Different steels but a little pricey, but isn't everything these days.
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kanasugy24.html
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kurosaki240.html
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/sag3gigy24.html
If God wanted me to be a vegetarian he wouldn't have made animals taste so good.
- ronnie_suburban
- Posts: 2918
- Joined: Thu Jun 06, 2019 11:43 am
- Location: Chicago
- Has thanked: 2060 times
- Been thanked: 3393 times
- Contact:
Re: Knife Recommendation(s) for a friend
Well, she was firm on stainless (knowing thyself is a good thing) but agreed to consider Wa handles, which made this task difficult in a different way than how it started (went from an aggregation task to an elimination task). I emailed off a long list of recommendations to her, all of the above included. I hope it's not so daunting that it pushes her directly to SLT for a Henckels.Jeff B wrote: ↑Sat Jun 19, 2021 12:29 pmThat's a very good knife reasonably priced. I like Yoshimi's work and he does a great job with VG10. Learned from his father Hiroshi Kato, Yu Kurosaki apprenticed under Hiroshi too.ronnie_suburban wrote: ↑Sat Jun 19, 2021 12:16 pmThanks, Jeff. On Mark's recommendation, I bought the 210mm Kato Nashiji Suminagashi as a housewarming gift for some friends last year and they absolutely love it. I think it would be a great fit for this friend, too. I just need to convince her to consider some Wa options . . .Jeff B wrote: ↑Sat Jun 19, 2021 12:10 pm Several "workhorsey" stainless knives in WA handle.
Different steels but a little pricey, but isn't everything these days.
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kanasugy24.html
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kurosaki240.html
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/sag3gigy24.html
I do expect she'll come back with some questions but either way, I'm curious to know what she ends up with. If she lets me know, I'll be sure to report back. Thanks again, for the input. It's very much appreciated.
=R=
Half of cooking is thinking about cooking.
Half of cooking is thinking about cooking.
- ronnie_suburban
- Posts: 2918
- Joined: Thu Jun 06, 2019 11:43 am
- Location: Chicago
- Has thanked: 2060 times
- Been thanked: 3393 times
- Contact:
Re: Knife Recommendation(s) for a friend
I love mine and was tempted but I didn't recommend it. Her priority on low maintenance made me think that even a relatively easy-care semi-stainless was not a good choice for her. Also she wants something more in the workhorse category and while I've had no issues with my Chromax, I've read at least a few reports of them being on the chippy side. But I know she would have loved that yo handle!
=R=
Half of cooking is thinking about cooking.
Half of cooking is thinking about cooking.
-
- Posts: 4920
- Joined: Wed Jan 25, 2017 2:54 pm
- Location: CT
- Has thanked: 30 times
- Been thanked: 1143 times
Re: Knife Recommendation(s) for a friend
I stumbled across this one:
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kavgsugy24.html
Grind looks a bit beefier, and a handle with a metal bolster, but oval wa shaped?
The Tojiro DP, Takayuki Inox, Kohetsu VG-5 are also solid choices. Spines are thinner on the Tojiro and Takayuki, but have more workhorse type grinds. A few friends got the Takayuki Inox as their first Japanese knife and love them! The Tojiro DP is the classic yo handled entry into J knives. The Kohetsu looks nice, too.
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kavgsugy24.html
Grind looks a bit beefier, and a handle with a metal bolster, but oval wa shaped?
The Tojiro DP, Takayuki Inox, Kohetsu VG-5 are also solid choices. Spines are thinner on the Tojiro and Takayuki, but have more workhorse type grinds. A few friends got the Takayuki Inox as their first Japanese knife and love them! The Tojiro DP is the classic yo handled entry into J knives. The Kohetsu looks nice, too.
- ronnie_suburban
- Posts: 2918
- Joined: Thu Jun 06, 2019 11:43 am
- Location: Chicago
- Has thanked: 2060 times
- Been thanked: 3393 times
- Contact:
Re: Knife Recommendation(s) for a friend
Excellent thoughts, thanks. That Kamo is wild, though. As many times as I've perused the site, I'd never seen that one before.taz575 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 21, 2021 12:48 pm I stumbled across this one:
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kavgsugy24.html
Grind looks a bit beefier, and a handle with a metal bolster, but oval wa shaped?
The Tojiro DP, Takayuki Inox, Kohetsu VG-5 are also solid choices. Spines are thinner on the Tojiro and Takayuki, but have more workhorse type grinds. A few friends got the Takayuki Inox as their first Japanese knife and love them! The Tojiro DP is the classic yo handled entry into J knives. The Kohetsu looks nice, too.
=R=
Half of cooking is thinking about cooking.
Half of cooking is thinking about cooking.
-
- Posts: 4920
- Joined: Wed Jan 25, 2017 2:54 pm
- Location: CT
- Has thanked: 30 times
- Been thanked: 1143 times
Re: Knife Recommendation(s) for a friend
Yeah, I missed it completely, too! At first I thought it was a Yo that snuck into the Wa group, but it's a mix!
Re: Knife Recommendation(s) for a friend
Thank you for the information I too currently have a shun that I found from a review site but I would like to discover other things, more artisanal.
- ronnie_suburban
- Posts: 2918
- Joined: Thu Jun 06, 2019 11:43 am
- Location: Chicago
- Has thanked: 2060 times
- Been thanked: 3393 times
- Contact:
Re: Knife Recommendation(s) for a friend
Well, this ended disappointingly, with my friend's husband making a purchase from a very sketchy local outfit that seems to specialize in sharpening, and only sells knives secondarily. I'm told he was thrilled with the deal he got. Looking at their offerings, my guess is that he ended up with something between 'it fell off a truck' and Cutco quality-wise. This wasn't exactly what I envisioned when my friend asked me for ideas on three "must have" knives. Oh well. We tried.
=R=
Half of cooking is thinking about cooking.
Half of cooking is thinking about cooking.
- XexoX
- Posts: 2193
- Joined: Sat Aug 01, 2020 5:02 pm
- Location: Salem Oregon USA
- Has thanked: 2938 times
- Been thanked: 1025 times
Re: Knife Recommendation(s) for a friend
That sucks, for you. First for them asking for help, then going out on their own. Well, they deserved what they got. Most likely they use grinding machines to sharpen the knives. So sad.ronnie_suburban wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 1:11 pm Well, this ended disappointingly, with my friend's husband making a purchase from a very sketchy local outfit that seems to specialize in sharpening, and only sells knives secondarily. I'm told he was thrilled with the deal he got. Looking at their offerings, my guess is that he ended up with something between 'it fell off a truck' and Cutco quality-wise. This wasn't exactly what I envisioned when my friend asked me for ideas on three "must have" knives. Oh well. We tried.
You can blame Mr. Suburban for my being here.
The thing about quotes on the internet is you can not confirm their validity. -- Abraham Lincoln
All steels are equal if you can't keep them sharp. -- Jeff B.
The thing about quotes on the internet is you can not confirm their validity. -- Abraham Lincoln
All steels are equal if you can't keep them sharp. -- Jeff B.
- ronnie_suburban
- Posts: 2918
- Joined: Thu Jun 06, 2019 11:43 am
- Location: Chicago
- Has thanked: 2060 times
- Been thanked: 3393 times
- Contact:
Re: Knife Recommendation(s) for a friend
Nah, doesn't suck for me. I learned a bunch putting the list together, picked up a cool petty for myself that I never knew about before, and I now have a great list of durable, stainless gyutos and petties that I can easily share with others who ask me. I just feel bad for the person who will likely never know the joy using one of these knives. That's the sad part.XexoX wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 1:58 pmThat sucks, for you. First for them asking for help, then going out on their own. Well, they deserved what they got. Most likely they use grinding machines to sharpen the knives. So sad.ronnie_suburban wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 1:11 pm Well, this ended disappointingly, with my friend's husband making a purchase from a very sketchy local outfit that seems to specialize in sharpening, and only sells knives secondarily. I'm told he was thrilled with the deal he got. Looking at their offerings, my guess is that he ended up with something between 'it fell off a truck' and Cutco quality-wise. This wasn't exactly what I envisioned when my friend asked me for ideas on three "must have" knives. Oh well. We tried.
=R=
Half of cooking is thinking about cooking.
Half of cooking is thinking about cooking.
- XexoX
- Posts: 2193
- Joined: Sat Aug 01, 2020 5:02 pm
- Location: Salem Oregon USA
- Has thanked: 2938 times
- Been thanked: 1025 times
Re: Knife Recommendation(s) for a friend
Well said. Of course, you could buy them the good stuff, let them compare. But then you might be out a friend. Not to mention the money. Oh well, you are a good man, but I won't let your secret out.ronnie_suburban wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 2:05 pmNah, doesn't suck for me. I learned a bunch putting the list together, picked up a cool petty for myself that I never knew about before, and I now have a great list of durable, stainless gyutos and petties that I can easily share with others who ask me. I just feel bad for the person who will likely never know the joy using one of these knives. That's the sad part.XexoX wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 1:58 pmThat sucks, for you. First for them asking for help, then going out on their own. Well, they deserved what they got. Most likely they use grinding machines to sharpen the knives. So sad.ronnie_suburban wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 1:11 pm Well, this ended disappointingly, with my friend's husband making a purchase from a very sketchy local outfit that seems to specialize in sharpening, and only sells knives secondarily. I'm told he was thrilled with the deal he got. Looking at their offerings, my guess is that he ended up with something between 'it fell off a truck' and Cutco quality-wise. This wasn't exactly what I envisioned when my friend asked me for ideas on three "must have" knives. Oh well. We tried.
You can blame Mr. Suburban for my being here.
The thing about quotes on the internet is you can not confirm their validity. -- Abraham Lincoln
All steels are equal if you can't keep them sharp. -- Jeff B.
The thing about quotes on the internet is you can not confirm their validity. -- Abraham Lincoln
All steels are equal if you can't keep them sharp. -- Jeff B.
Re: Knife Recommendation(s) for a friend
UGH!
sigh
Not. Your. Problem
Not. Our. Problem.
They are adults. Blind, but adults, hahaha
Ronnie, did you happen to write up a summary list in a file or something?
If so, would you mind dropping it here at the bottom?
sigh
Not. Your. Problem
Not. Our. Problem.
They are adults. Blind, but adults, hahaha
Ronnie, did you happen to write up a summary list in a file or something?
If so, would you mind dropping it here at the bottom?
“If we conquer our passions it is more from their weakness than from our strength.”
― François de La Rochefoucauld
― François de La Rochefoucauld