Knives recommendations


 
@LMichaels, how would you feel about a Balvenie 21yo Peat wood? :D

I'll echo all of the comments about the sharp knives. I cannot STAND working with dull knives. I cut myself across the pads on my left index and left middle fingers, took 4 stitches each to close...... and never felt the cut. A couple of years ago, my g/f spotted a Henckels (I think....) Santoko style and it's held an amazing edge. It also never sees frozen food, bones or the dishwasher. I don't pretend to have crazy sharp knives like a professional, but most people just won't be comfortable with my knives "they're too sharp!" I apologized to a buddy of mine a few years ago who was playing sous chef for a Labor Day party about having dull knives and should really touch them up.... "I'd hate to see what you call sharp!"

My general recommendations are handles that you find comfortable, and at least decent steel. Beyond that, it's pretty much spend what you want.
I can't stand using dull knives either. I use my honing stick almost every time I'm going to chop more than 1 onion. Folks that use the wrong cutting boards and dull knives...I'm surprised they have any fingers left at all.

I'm on an irish whiskey kick at the moment. About 2/3 thru a bottle of Red Breast, and then going to get into a bottle of Kilbeggan's small batch rye whiskey.

I use have a set of Henkel's that we've had for almost 20 years. My brisket trimming (not carving) knife is a mercer. I think the curved blade helps quite a bit. I think it was < $30
 
I know very little about knives--and less about sharpening--but I bought this 4 years ago and I'm well-satisfied with it for trimming:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QCNJ3C/?tag=tvwb-20

When I need a large blade for slicing this works well for me:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000CFDB9/?tag=tvwb-20

For routine carving of items such as poultry, ribs, or, say, a Tri-tip I use a KitchenAid chef knife whose link I don't have.

I don't know how to sharpen by manual process and since I have no ambition to learn I need something with distinct edge guides and a step-by-step guided process, so I use a Chef'sChoice 130 or 15XV. The Work Sharp Ken Onion works well but I don't enjoy changing belts to progress through the sharpening process.
I second the Chef'sChoice 15XV. It brought back to life like a dozen knives that could not even cut paper. Now I also buy knives at the thrift store for like 75 cents, sharpen them and give them away as gifts.
 
I second the Chef'sChoice 15XV. It brought back to life like a dozen knives that could not even cut paper. Now I also buy knives at the thrift store for like 75 cents, sharpen them and give them away as gifts.
BLEH. I have 2 different Chef's Choice sharpeners and I absolutely despise the "Trizor" edge. I don't know that I hate anybody enough to give them away. I greatly prefer the WorkSharp belt sharpener I have.
 
I don't know that I hate anybody enough to give them away.
Please hate me and give it to me :p

On a serious note, what drives your disdain of it? Maybe I can learn something important that I'm otherwise missing about a quality edge. What is your other Chef'sChoice sharpener and your thoughts on it?
 
Please hate me and give it to me :p

On a serious note, what drives your disdain of it? Maybe I can learn something important that I'm otherwise missing about a quality edge. What is your other Chef'sChoice sharpener and your thoughts on it?

I don't remember exactly what models I have. IIRC, the stones are darned near the same material and have the same geometry. The big difference is how close you can sharpen to the hilt, i.e. blades with a bolster won't get sharpened all the way back like a stamped blade can. Recovering an edge after being sharpened by a Chef's Choice is a very long process that requires a fair amount of material removal. That may be the best way to describe the edge, if you look at the knife from the point along the edge to the hilt, it'll seem a little more bulbous, the included angle in the final facet is rather large. Personally, I've found that I probably prefer a Japanese style edge which has a very narrow edge compared to a European or American sharpened edge.

I've never managed to get a "good feeling" edge in spite of how they seemed to cut, something has always seemed a bit off. I grew up with a very small sharpening stone and the classic countertop rolling sharpener, picked up a diamond coated flat plate sharpener when I moved to Chicago (that worked pretty well, but is persnickety and tedious.) That led me to the Chef's Choice. I finally picked up the WorkSharp belt sharpener and probably won't use anything else.
 
This really fascinates me, raves about brand new knives and disdain when the user doesn’t know how to maintain them. Complaints about sharpening systems being junk, I don’t think I own a knife “younger” than ten years old. I use a steel almost every time I use any of them, should I get lazy and it gets “iffy”, I bite the bullet and have them sharpened by a professional. I’m not that cheap, no matter what people may say!😉
If a knife doesn’t feel right in my hand, I don’t use it much. Things I regularly use, are sharp unless I go visit a “friend” that insists he can make them better. Last time he sunk a low spot in a favorite (Warther 10” Chefs knife, no longer available) blade. I have not seen the guts since!
My knives are MINE, not yours to “improve” so, Bugger off!
Use what you like, learn some basics and take care of them, even knives that may not be “the best” can be perfectly serviceable.
 
Michael how do you like those do you have a link. Getting tired of trying to trim ribs with my wifes crappy knives.
Brian,
Below are the two links from Amazon. I don't always have the best luck with amazon links...

I love these two knives. I have very limited experience with knives, but these two have been such a massive upgrade from the few I be using for the past 14 years. Others who have used more expensive knives may have a different take, but I use both these knives daily and feel happy everyday thinking how much I treated myself with this purchase.


 
Brian,
Below are the two links from Amazon. I don't always have the best luck with amazon links...

I love these two knives. I have very limited experience with knives, but these two have been such a massive upgrade from the few I be using for the past 14 years. Others who have used more expensive knives may have a different take, but I use both these knives daily and feel happy everyday thinking how much I treated myself with this purchase.


Michael do you have the wavy edge or regular edge?
 
I love knives, have had a big pile of them over the years, but I've come to the realization that a good knife is a sharp one, not the brand, where it's made, or it's shape.
I basically use 2 knives now for almost everything, a 9-10 " chefs knife, and a stiff 6" boning knife, that will get you through just about everything, The chef's knife I been using is a $2 dollar re-grind school knife, and the boner is a wood handled dexter, Yeah I have other, and "better" knives, but these are the ones I grab first.... and those Millennially knives are pretty darn good, I splurged and replaced the re grind with one, good steel, and razor sharp out of the box....
 
This is what I use. All the boning knives are Expert grip F-Dicks except for the small 4" yellow handle for poultry. The others are all Dexter Russell.
 

Attachments

  • 12464.jpeg
    12464.jpeg
    83.6 KB · Views: 15
  • 12471.jpeg
    12471.jpeg
    121 KB · Views: 13
  • 12469.jpeg
    12469.jpeg
    126 KB · Views: 10
  • 12468.jpeg
    12468.jpeg
    58.7 KB · Views: 11
  • 12466.jpeg
    12466.jpeg
    71.7 KB · Views: 14
Last edited:
I'll go a different way. Go buy yourself an easy to use knife sharpener:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CW4T6RS/?tag=tvwb-20 - like the Ken Onion edition

Go to the thrift shops around and pick up a $2 knife (or a bunch of them). While I love nice new shiny things, knives to me are semi-disposable tools. The cheapest knife at the thrift shop will still be razor sharp for many a brisket...and when your wife goes to cut weeds with it, you won't want to bury her in the yard for using it!

+1 and I have this model. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003IT5F14/?tag=tvwb-20

works great and has brought some "dead" knives back to life. Even my cheap ones that found their way into my camping box.
 

 

Back
Top