Keith Jenkins
TVWBB Fan
I solved that problem by buying a set of left-handed knives. Yes, knives ground for left handed folks like myself do exist, and no one else in my immediate family is left-handed...problem solved.
Kitchen knife replacement thoughts
- Thread starter Darryl - swazies
- Start date
Timothy F. Lewis
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
I’ve always had issues with things being made for “Lefties”.
So many things seem to be made differently for us, I sold guitars, in another life, and I’m as left handed as the day is long I figured you need two hands to play an instrument why limit myself? That mindset has allowed me to play so many amazing instruments which were built “normally” vintage instruments that were innovative design breaking concepts. I have always been a switch hitter when using knives, some tools but, have you ever seen a left handed piano? Typewriter/keyboard?
That has NOT one cockeyed thing to do with anyone wanting left handed equipment it’s just not for me,
End rant
Timothy F. Lewis
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Asian knives are ground “side preferred” but, that’s pretty specific stuff.
timothy
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Yea they are like a chisel, flat on one end.
Timothy F. Lewis
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Me neither! I’m really in god shape knife wise, only a few that I might be “persuaded” to get.
TonyUK
TVWBB Guru
Same here. I think that can be classed as ambidextrous.
Oh, & thanks a bunch to all you knife-enablers! I've dragged the Wüsthof 10" Beef Slicer from Save It For Later & into my Cart, then pulled the trigger with extreme prejudice!
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Timothy F. Lewis
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Dude, you know how good we all are at enabling! I hate to think how much “stuff” I have accumulated due to this place! I will admit, I really use “most of it”! There are a few pieces which languish in the “grilling stuff” buckets but, I think there is only one which has NOT been used at least once, aside from backup thermometers and probes of course.
Been dropping in on this thread for a while and finally thought I would chime in…
I’ve had a full set of Henckels 4 Star that I purchased in Germany 30y ago. I tried manually sharpening with the lansky system and rods until I got a chef's choice 130. The problem with them is that the bolster that extended all the way the the knife edge caused me grief - even with the manual methods.
I tried my brothers Shun (VG10) about 10y ago and finally got myself a Myabi Artisan 8” chefs knife (SG2) - wow! I have been replacing my henckels piece by piece as I run across them on clearance - first at zwilling.com and now at cutleryandmore.com
Here is what I’ve found at zwilling - they have great clearance deals on visually imperfect items (especially at Black Friday). I bought an Artisan 9” bread slicer with an end cap that is not embossed evenly across the surface for $99 - I especially like the extra hard SG2 that will hold serrations extra long without needing sharpening because, well, I can’t sharpen serrations easily at home. I also got 2 clearance paring knives from their VG10 lines ($39 each) and I can’t find any imperfections - except each has a dot in exactly the same place on each blade. I think they purposely added these marks and sold their overstock at clearance prices.
Cutlery and More has sales and clearance of visually imperfect knives (again check Black Friday) but also has their own exclusive lines Yaxell and Enso, and their Mizu by Miyabi (Artisan with different handle). I got an Enso Ketu 6.5” Santoku SG2 on clearance for $99 (exact same blade design as Miyabi Artisan)
On a trip to Japan last year I thought I’d get a knife as a souvenir and dropped by several small family run knife shops and noticed something about them. They all finished the knives in the store - final shaping of blade and handle, sharpening, polishing and would engrave whatever kanji you wanted - but the knives were all very similar in metallurgy, Damascus layering, hammering, etc. it became very obvious that these little guys were buying nearly finished knives from a handful of manufacturers and putting their own ‘artisanal’ touches on them for ‘authenticity’. And none of the knives could touch the prices I could get from zwilling or cutleryandmore when on clearance
So here’s where I’ll “Weave” it all together (my opinions only)
20deg sharpening is legacy and meant to hold that sharpness for longer since sharpening used to be much more difficult and inconvenient
You can take any blade to 15deg and now, with electric sharpeners and services, maintain even your soft steels on a regular basis - henckels and wusthof now ship with 15deg
The 9-12deg advertised by Japanese mfrs is because they rely on hand sharpening to finish blades and “it sounds artisanal”
VG10 clad knives are probably the best for cost/performance/durability
SG2 clad is generally not worth the extra $ over VG10 except maybe for specialty knives that are difficult to sharpen (serrated or extreme curves)
Electric sharpeners satisfy my 80-20 mantra - 80% of performance with 20% of effort
Cooks illustrated has recommended the victorinox/forschner 8” chefs knife for as long as I can remember- very sharp, cheap and can be sharpened/maintained easily because no bolster
I’ll end with: Sharpness is subjective and you can manually sharpen at 15deg better than chefschoice at 15deg, but it’ll take much longer and require much more experience and skill
Also Cutlery and More has their exclusive 14deg chefs choice sharpener at $139 with another 20% off coupon available right now =P
cutleryandmore.com
Hope this helps
Ray
I’ve had a full set of Henckels 4 Star that I purchased in Germany 30y ago. I tried manually sharpening with the lansky system and rods until I got a chef's choice 130. The problem with them is that the bolster that extended all the way the the knife edge caused me grief - even with the manual methods.
I tried my brothers Shun (VG10) about 10y ago and finally got myself a Myabi Artisan 8” chefs knife (SG2) - wow! I have been replacing my henckels piece by piece as I run across them on clearance - first at zwilling.com and now at cutleryandmore.com
Here is what I’ve found at zwilling - they have great clearance deals on visually imperfect items (especially at Black Friday). I bought an Artisan 9” bread slicer with an end cap that is not embossed evenly across the surface for $99 - I especially like the extra hard SG2 that will hold serrations extra long without needing sharpening because, well, I can’t sharpen serrations easily at home. I also got 2 clearance paring knives from their VG10 lines ($39 each) and I can’t find any imperfections - except each has a dot in exactly the same place on each blade. I think they purposely added these marks and sold their overstock at clearance prices.
Cutlery and More has sales and clearance of visually imperfect knives (again check Black Friday) but also has their own exclusive lines Yaxell and Enso, and their Mizu by Miyabi (Artisan with different handle). I got an Enso Ketu 6.5” Santoku SG2 on clearance for $99 (exact same blade design as Miyabi Artisan)
On a trip to Japan last year I thought I’d get a knife as a souvenir and dropped by several small family run knife shops and noticed something about them. They all finished the knives in the store - final shaping of blade and handle, sharpening, polishing and would engrave whatever kanji you wanted - but the knives were all very similar in metallurgy, Damascus layering, hammering, etc. it became very obvious that these little guys were buying nearly finished knives from a handful of manufacturers and putting their own ‘artisanal’ touches on them for ‘authenticity’. And none of the knives could touch the prices I could get from zwilling or cutleryandmore when on clearance
So here’s where I’ll “Weave” it all together (my opinions only)
20deg sharpening is legacy and meant to hold that sharpness for longer since sharpening used to be much more difficult and inconvenient
You can take any blade to 15deg and now, with electric sharpeners and services, maintain even your soft steels on a regular basis - henckels and wusthof now ship with 15deg
The 9-12deg advertised by Japanese mfrs is because they rely on hand sharpening to finish blades and “it sounds artisanal”
VG10 clad knives are probably the best for cost/performance/durability
SG2 clad is generally not worth the extra $ over VG10 except maybe for specialty knives that are difficult to sharpen (serrated or extreme curves)
Electric sharpeners satisfy my 80-20 mantra - 80% of performance with 20% of effort
Cooks illustrated has recommended the victorinox/forschner 8” chefs knife for as long as I can remember- very sharp, cheap and can be sharpened/maintained easily because no bolster
I’ll end with: Sharpness is subjective and you can manually sharpen at 15deg better than chefschoice at 15deg, but it’ll take much longer and require much more experience and skill
Also Cutlery and More has their exclusive 14deg chefs choice sharpener at $139 with another 20% off coupon available right now =P
Chef's Choice Electric Knife Sharpener, 14 Degree Edge Angle, Ideal for Wusthof, Zwilling & Global Knives
This Chef's Choice Electric Knife Sharpener sharpens to a razor sharp 14 degree edge, double bevel, and is ideal for all knives especially Wusthof. Chef's Choice Sharpeners are made in USA.
cutleryandmore.com
Hope this helps
Ray
Keith Jenkins
TVWBB Fan
The LH knives I bought finally allowed me to consistently cut bread, cheese, and other items straight, rather than crooked, since they are ground on the right side, rather than the left. The taper of the blade being on the right helps to counteract the natural rotation of the left hand, which is in the opposite direction of that of the right hand (see: Why Lefthanders Need Knives Serrated On The Right).
I would agree that the world doesn't need a left handed piano, typewriter/keyboard, but give me a pair of true left handed scissors (not those crappy right handed scissors with neutral handles) any time. Using a handheld circular saw or a chainsaw is always a concern for me; I use them right handed because I am very aware of where the blade is going in a kickback (think about catching the back of running chainsaw bar mid-face if it were used left handed). Firing a rifle or shotgun designed for a right handed person left handed can be an adventure of dodging spent shells coming back into one's face if the firearm ejects the shells out the side. Someone tried to teach me to golf once, but when I started to line up at the first tee, they realized the lesson was over since the rounded backside of the right handed club head was facing the ball. I can come up with many other examples of stuff that just works better for me if it is designed for the proper hand, but I'll stop there. I understand that your experience may be different from mine, but remember, left handers are the only ones in their right mind,
..
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timothy
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
My Dad did certain things lefty. He told me that worm drive saws were for lefties.The LH knives I bought finally allowed me to consistently cut bread, cheese, and other items straight, rather than crooked, since they are ground on the right side, rather than the left. The taper of the blade being on the right helps to counteract the natural rotation of the left hand, which is in the opposite direction of that of the right hand (see: Why Lefthanders Need Knives Serrated On The Right).
I would agree that the world doesn't need a left handed piano, typewriter/keyboard, but give me a pair of true left handed scissors (not those crappy right handed scissors with neutral handles) any time. Using a handheld circular saw or a chainsaw is always a concern for me; I use them right handed because I am very aware of where the blade is going in a kickback (think about catching the back of running chainsaw bar mid-face if it were used left handed). Firing a rifle or shotgun designed for a right handed person left handed can be an adventure of dodging spent shells coming back into one's face if the firearm ejects the shells out the side. Someone tried to teach me to golf once, but when I started to line up at the first tee, they realized the lesson was over since the rounded backside of the right handed club head was facing the ball. I can come up with many other examples of stuff that just works better for me if it is designed for the proper hand, but I'll stop there. I understand that your experience may be different from mine, but remember, left handers are the only ones in their right mind,
Saw this yesterday and thought it was interesting,
Mark_E
TVWBB Super Fan
I write and eat righthanded, but cut meat at the dinner table lefthanded. I slice meat at the kitchen counter right handed. I use scissors righthanded. I throw/kick lefthanded/footed. I bat lefthanded. I serve in tennis lefthanded but volley righthanded. I play ping pong righthanded.
Mark_E
TVWBB Super Fan
Yes - I've noticed this as well over the past 20 years. Western knives seem to be evolving and moving to 15 degrees.
Mark Foreman
TVWBB Wizard
I used 20 degree knives (Zwilling) for many years. When I got 2 replacement knives (25+ years old), they were 15 degrees. Used both side by side and really didn’t notice a big difference. I replaced my sharpeners to 15 degrees.
I had to regrind a couple of older ones to 15 degrees but now all are the same! Life’s is easier…
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TonyUK
TVWBB Guru
Very close to me Mark. Except all knife work is right-handed, bat right-handed. Everything else the same as you. Weird.I write and eat righthanded, but cut meat at the dinner table lefthanded. I slice meat at the kitchen counter right handed. I use scissors righthanded. I throw/kick lefthanded/footed. I bat lefthanded. I serve in tennis lefthanded but volley righthanded. I play ping pong righthanded.
Apols for going off-topic.
Back on topic: Took delivery of the Wüsthof 10" beef slicer. Feels very balanced in-hand. Nice. My slicing game will be elevated a notch or three for certain. And it is made for a right-handed person, as the Granton edge is only on one side. (As you hold the knife in your right hand the scallops are on the left-side of the blade only, & you would then slice from right to left). Granton-made blades are scalloped on both edges.
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Darryl - swazies
TVWBB Diamond Member
Been dropping in on this thread for a while and finally thought I would chime in…
I’ve had a full set of Henckels 4 Star that I purchased in Germany 30y ago. I tried manually sharpening with the lansky system and rods until I got a chef's choice 130. The problem with them is that the bolster that extended all the way the the knife edge caused me grief - even with the manual methods.
I tried my brothers Shun (VG10) about 10y ago and finally got myself a Myabi Artisan 8” chefs knife (SG2) - wow! I have been replacing my henckels piece by piece as I run across them on clearance - first at zwilling.com and now at cutleryandmore.com
Here is what I’ve found at zwilling - they have great clearance deals on visually imperfect items (especially at Black Friday). I bought an Artisan 9” bread slicer with an end cap that is not embossed evenly across the surface for $99 - I especially like the extra hard SG2 that will hold serrations extra long without needing sharpening because, well, I can’t sharpen serrations easily at home. I also got 2 clearance paring knives from their VG10 lines ($39 each) and I can’t find any imperfections - except each has a dot in exactly the same place on each blade. I think they purposely added these marks and sold their overstock at clearance prices.
Cutlery and More has sales and clearance of visually imperfect knives (again check Black Friday) but also has their own exclusive lines Yaxell and Enso, and their Mizu by Miyabi (Artisan with different handle). I got an Enso Ketu 6.5” Santoku SG2 on clearance for $99 (exact same blade design as Miyabi Artisan)
On a trip to Japan last year I thought I’d get a knife as a souvenir and dropped by several small family run knife shops and noticed something about them. They all finished the knives in the store - final shaping of blade and handle, sharpening, polishing and would engrave whatever kanji you wanted - but the knives were all very similar in metallurgy, Damascus layering, hammering, etc. it became very obvious that these little guys were buying nearly finished knives from a handful of manufacturers and putting their own ‘artisanal’ touches on them for ‘authenticity’. And none of the knives could touch the prices I could get from zwilling or cutleryandmore when on clearance
So here’s where I’ll “Weave” it all together (my opinions only)
20deg sharpening is legacy and meant to hold that sharpness for longer since sharpening used to be much more difficult and inconvenient
You can take any blade to 15deg and now, with electric sharpeners and services, maintain even your soft steels on a regular basis - henckels and wusthof now ship with 15deg
The 9-12deg advertised by Japanese mfrs is because they rely on hand sharpening to finish blades and “it sounds artisanal”
VG10 clad knives are probably the best for cost/performance/durability
SG2 clad is generally not worth the extra $ over VG10 except maybe for specialty knives that are difficult to sharpen (serrated or extreme curves)
Electric sharpeners satisfy my 80-20 mantra - 80% of performance with 20% of effort
Cooks illustrated has recommended the victorinox/forschner 8” chefs knife for as long as I can remember- very sharp, cheap and can be sharpened/maintained easily because no bolster
I’ll end with: Sharpness is subjective and you can manually sharpen at 15deg better than chefschoice at 15deg, but it’ll take much longer and require much more experience and skill
Also Cutlery and More has their exclusive 14deg chefs choice sharpener at $139 with another 20% off coupon available right now =P
Chef's Choice Electric Knife Sharpener, 14 Degree Edge Angle, Ideal for Wusthof, Zwilling & Global Knives
This Chef's Choice Electric Knife Sharpener sharpens to a razor sharp 14 degree edge, double bevel, and is ideal for all knives especially Wusthof. Chef's Choice Sharpeners are made in USA.
Hope this helps
Ray
Thanks for the detailed response.
I don't really know much when you speak of VG10 and SG2 but I think it is just the steel you are referencing.
I also really appreciate that site cutlery and more, lots of stuff on there I am going to go over.....thanks for sharing.
I was hoping to get some deals based on Black Friday when I do decide what knives / knife to pick up.
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Darryl - swazies
TVWBB Diamond Member
I also got that new set up and running in the kitchen yesterday I posted a page or 2 back...the ZWILLING TWIN GOURMET set I was able to pick up at 70% off......
I forgot to take some pics of it for you guys.
This just replaces my Henckels set I had in the kitchen that in all reality I could have probably sharpened up to be as good as this.
This set does not feel natural or really good in my hand. It is new mind you but it really does feel very thin....narrow.....I guess you could say.
I am not use to the handles at all after the last 10 years or so using my old set.
I inspected them and the blades look great on each one, and it apparently comes with a sharpening steel rather than a honing steel.
I do not know what the difference is to be honest..........do I want to put my old honing rod back in and not use this sharpening steel?
There is ZERO bolster which I didn't think much about initially......
I feel like I am missing that when I pick up the chef's knife.
Shears are very sharp......I went to cut a vac packed bag open and it was so sharp the bag just split on its own...!!!!....
All in all I spent very little on this compared to looking at a couple high end chef's knives.....so hopefully I am learning as fast as I can and don't make any more mistakes when I go to purchase anything else.
The MRS likes the new knives a lot, they were for her to use anyway.......must be her dainty little hands she has......
I forgot to take some pics of it for you guys.
This just replaces my Henckels set I had in the kitchen that in all reality I could have probably sharpened up to be as good as this.
This set does not feel natural or really good in my hand. It is new mind you but it really does feel very thin....narrow.....I guess you could say.
I am not use to the handles at all after the last 10 years or so using my old set.
I inspected them and the blades look great on each one, and it apparently comes with a sharpening steel rather than a honing steel.
I do not know what the difference is to be honest..........do I want to put my old honing rod back in and not use this sharpening steel?
There is ZERO bolster which I didn't think much about initially......
I feel like I am missing that when I pick up the chef's knife.
Shears are very sharp......I went to cut a vac packed bag open and it was so sharp the bag just split on its own...!!!!....
All in all I spent very little on this compared to looking at a couple high end chef's knives.....so hopefully I am learning as fast as I can and don't make any more mistakes when I go to purchase anything else.
The MRS likes the new knives a lot, they were for her to use anyway.......must be her dainty little hands she has......