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Best bang for the buck - Knives

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Fridays are Fishtastic!

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I just put a fresh 1k edge on the first ever knife I bought for myself - a Chinese cleaver that cost the equivalent of $16. I still love it and use it even though I've got VG10 steel in my knife collection. Brilliant and extremely versatile knives
 
Well if the OP wants 'bang for buck' then Victorinox Fibrox range is consistantly regarded as the best in this aspect. Tojiro DP etc are good knives but a class up and also several cost levels.

That said they should also spend a bit of $$$ to get the appropriate(budget and also time/effort the OP wants to put in) items to maintain their sharpness. AVOID the grooved butchers steels that many folks use - they do more harm than good. Try and kind a ceramic version (Ikea sells one here for $AUD15 - the Flaksa).
 

ouch

Stjynnkii membörd dummpsjterd
Well if the OP wants 'bang for buck' then Victorinox Fibrox range is consistantly regarded as the best in this aspect. Tojiro DP etc are good knives but a class up and also several cost levels.

The Forschner Victorinox knives are very good values in comparison to the usual big name players that can be found in every department store or specialty shop. The Tojiros, on the other hand, are terrific values compared to other very expensive Japanese knives, and that makes them perhaps even greater a bargain than the Fibrox.
 
Ouch, just out of curiosity which of the tojiro knives would be best for filleting fish? Mostly redfish/blackdrum/sea trout/sheephead
 

ouch

Stjynnkii membörd dummpsjterd
I always used a flexible boning knife until I discovered Japanese steel. Now I use a honesuki for the most part- it's a super stiff blade that's tough as nails. The Japanese version that most closely resembles the traditional flexible boning knife is the gokujo. Sushi chefs, who have a lot of experience with fish, almost exclusively use a deba.
 
Depends on how you filet a fish also. If you don't cut through the rib cage a rapala works fine. If you're going through a rib cage a cheap deba from bluewayjapan on ebay would be the way to go to try one out If only doing small fish a 165mm deba would be more than adequate. I have a 240 for 20 salmon and I could probably make it work with a 180. The sharpeness of a single beveled knife on fish flesh is something to behold!
 
The Forschner Victorinox knives are very good values in comparison to the usual big name players that can be found in every department store or specialty shop. The Tojiros, on the other hand, are terrific values compared to other very expensive Japanese knives, and that makes them perhaps even greater a bargain than the Fibrox.
I definitely agree with this. I have a Forschner curved boning knife that I use over a Wustoff that I was given 9 times out of 10. It doesn't hold an edge as long, but it doesn't take much to sharpen it. I used Forschner chef knives and utility knives while I was waiting tables to do food prep and help in the kitchen and they were great. Most restaurants I worked at used them and abused them with no trouble.
I bought my mom a Tojiro gyuto and petty for xmas last year and they were also very nice. I think I paid $100 for the pair. They won't take the abuse the Forschner knives will take, but they are sharper and will hold an edge longer. I prefer Japanese blade profiles, so I like the Tojiro knives more, but Forschner is probably the best bang for the buck I've found.
 
I do want to thank you all for all of the information given! I do believe that I personally will go with the Victorinox for now, and down the road if I do find this endeavor fulfilling and rewarding then I will make the jump to the japanese style blade. But because of the disease I just got diagnosed with, I need to start watching what I eat more and such, so I thought what a better time to learn how to cook, then now!

Thanks again, ya'll rock.
 

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
Good luck with the knives.

I have always found a bread knife to be a great place to save money.
 

Legion

Staff member
My kitchen, I use a moderately priced hand made Japanese petty and Santoku. By moderately priced, I mean in comparison to a lot of handmade knives... But I justify it by a) Those two knives do the job of which many people buy five knives for, and b) they will outlast me, so spread over the years it is not such an investment.

I add to that a cheapish SS CCK, which I use as the hard core, smash through anything knife, and if I damage it... meh. I attacked a coconut with it a couple of days ago.
 
I too used my Chinese cleaver to try and kill a coconut. I split the edge, but meh.. It honed out and there's still plenty of steel there :laugh:

I've linked to these a few times, but anyone interested in a cheaper high end steel should check out these -

http://www.knivesandtools.co.uk/en/pt/-eden-quality-classic-damast-santoku-knife-18-cm.htm

If they turn up anything like mine did, they'll need reprofiling, but I've not seen VG-10 for less. The santoku I have takes a seriously sharp edge and holds it very well
 
Don't forget a honing steel. They'll restore the edge to a slightly dulled knife in a few passes and are essential equipment IMO. I have one similar to this that I use on my softer steel knives and a ceramic one for my Japanese knives and I use it almost every time I use the knives. It only takes a few passes if you keep up with it and it keeps the edge nice and sharp.

http://www.amazon.com/Messermeister...&qid=1413670904&sr=8-3&keywords=diamond+steel

Many people think they need to regrind the edge with a sharpener when they really just need to realign it with a hone.
 
If price is an important consideration, get inexpensive paring, bread, and filet knives, but get a good chef's knife, which will see most of the work.

Dexter-Russells can be found in almost every commercial kitchen, and Forschner-Victorinox are pretty decent knives that are good values. You can always go crazy later.

I believe a lot of what are shown are Henkel' s. I have some of these exact ones, I believe they are fridor or friodor. Something like that. I have used them for approx 19 years, and worth every penny. I bought some while in Germany, and some on sale in the states. The best deals I got were on Amazon and ebay.

Life is too short to cook with junk knives, or to shave with cartridge razors.
 
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The Forschner Victorinox knives are very good values in comparison to the usual big name players that can be found in every department store or specialty shop. The Tojiros, on the other hand, are terrific values compared to other very expensive Japanese knives, and that makes them perhaps even greater a bargain than the Fibrox.

I can not say enough good things about Tojiro knives. They are a gateway knife to higher end Japanese knives.
 
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