This looks like a cool knife and am considering it. Have tried out a Shun chef's at Williams and Sonoma. Sadly no Korin around every corner here in Denver. So would it be a sin to sharpen this with the Spyderco Sharpmaker?
Kitchen Knives
- Thread starter jpoaps
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This looks like a cool knife and am considering it. Have tried out a Shun chef's at Williams and Sonoma. Sadly no Korin around every corner here in Denver. So would it be a sin to sharpen this with the Spyderco Sharpmaker?
Thanks Jason
Any decent knife shops in Denver/CoS that you know of?
Any decent knife shops in Denver/CoS that you know of?
I know of none, haven't moved there yet either though. Here is my list of great online vendors, in order of awesomeness 
www.chefknivestogo.com (Wisconsin, Mark is the proprieter)
www.japanesechefsknife.com (Japan, Koki is the man!)
www.korin.com (NYC, good customer service and variety)
www.epicureanedge.com (Washington state, Daniel O'Malley knows his stuff)
www.aframestokyo.com (Hawaii, Takeshi does this as a hobby but gets some interesting stuff)
Of course, there are many other custom knife sites, but those are the best ones.
www.chefknivestogo.com (Wisconsin, Mark is the proprieter)
www.japanesechefsknife.com (Japan, Koki is the man!)
www.korin.com (NYC, good customer service and variety)
www.epicureanedge.com (Washington state, Daniel O'Malley knows his stuff)
www.aframestokyo.com (Hawaii, Takeshi does this as a hobby but gets some interesting stuff)
Of course, there are many other custom knife sites, but those are the best ones.
I wish I had found this thread earlier! I ended up buying a starter set of the Ken Onion Shun knives from WS late last year. It was sort of a wedding gift to myself. What do you guys think about the Ken Onion Shun line?
Paul.
Paul.
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I'm not a fan of stainless steel knives at all, but others love them. In SS I much prefer Victorinox over Heinkel, they seem to take and hold a keener edge. Most of my kitchen knives are carbon steel and they are far sharper than my stainless. My favourites are the Sabatiers, a 12 inch chef from the 40s and a recent 12 inch slicer. I can put an edge on these that passes through over-ripe tomatoes with no resistance at all. The rest of the kit are 70s vintage Chicago Cutlery, a bargain line with heavy thick blades, but they sharpen well. Have to touched up weekly to stay sharp, I use a razor hone to keep em that way. Recently I acquired for very cheap a dozen assorted small Sabatiers (5 inch and under) which are absolutely superb.
My knife guy describes Globals as being "expensive supermarket knives", and he only stocks them 'cos lots of people ask for them. He then tries to sell them Io-Shen, which cost the same but are much better quality.
My go-to knife is an Io-Shen deba-style cook's knife, which has a layered steel construction which means that, two years of near-daily use later and no sharpening, I can still slice fresh tomato paper thin. Note layered steel, not folded (Damacus). Favoured by TV's Jamie Oliver. Very good value for money, superb quality, lovely to look at too - the scrollwork on the extended tang is very pleasing.
I also have a Kyocera ceramic utility knife. That is scary-sharp, and was expensive. But it does cut through stuff like it's not there. No use for jointing meat, as it slides through bone almost as easily as flesh. My sushi making has improved no end since getting the ceramic.
My go-to knife is an Io-Shen deba-style cook's knife, which has a layered steel construction which means that, two years of near-daily use later and no sharpening, I can still slice fresh tomato paper thin. Note layered steel, not folded (Damacus). Favoured by TV's Jamie Oliver. Very good value for money, superb quality, lovely to look at too - the scrollwork on the extended tang is very pleasing.
I also have a Kyocera ceramic utility knife. That is scary-sharp, and was expensive. But it does cut through stuff like it's not there. No use for jointing meat, as it slides through bone almost as easily as flesh. My sushi making has improved no end since getting the ceramic.
In the end, if you like it and it works for you than who cares what I think. But since you asked
Don't worry so much about the brand or the blades - invest instead on a set of really good diamond knife sharpeners. We've got a variety of blades and brands, but can keep all of them equally sharp with our set of sharpeners.
I was at a friends house yesterday,with great pride he showed me a Heckles international chefs knife he got as a gift from his wife.
For him this was a huge upgrade and by comparison to what he had before, this is a great knife. Thats what I want to point out, what your experience with and expectations for a knife are going to color what you see as a good knife.
The chefs at Masa are not going to be happy with my slicers, I would not be happy with my friends knife and so on.
One of the greatest assets in our community is the wide experience available to call on for just about any topic, including knives.
For him this was a huge upgrade and by comparison to what he had before, this is a great knife. Thats what I want to point out, what your experience with and expectations for a knife are going to color what you see as a good knife.
The chefs at Masa are not going to be happy with my slicers, I would not be happy with my friends knife and so on.
One of the greatest assets in our community is the wide experience available to call on for just about any topic, including knives.
What grit are they?
Diamond hones are generally regarded as reserved for somewhat expert sharpeners. You can easily do more harm that good.
I bought a set of Swilling/Henkel Four Star knives http://www.zwilling.com/en-US/Produ...verview--serien/FOUR-STAR%28R)--2628.html (8 blades including cleaver, meat fork, kitchen scissors, shapening steel, steak knives, and block) about 20 years ago - after a year-long reseach process. It took me 2-3 years to collect them. They are not the "best" knives on the market nor the most expensive but they have seved us very well; IMO they are excellent knives and as good now as they were when I bought them (I am still fanatical about taking care of them properly! lol). I remember the deciding factor for me was "feel" - these knives just felt good in my hand (and still do). Once you have decided how much you are willing to spend and a few other technical factors, it's going to come down to what YOU like - after all, you're the one who has to use them, maybe for 20 years or more.
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I couldn't disagree more. You don't have to spend a fortune on decent knives, but you could easily buy junk and spend most of your time sharpening them. What's the point? You must not have any good knives?
There are Globals, and then there are Globals. Your common variety Global, sub $100, is stamped. The expensive Globals, $125+, are forged.
Go here for the difference.
Go here for pros and cons.
I own four forged Globals, GF-32, 33, 34, 36. GF stands for Global Forged. I paid around $125 each, so I've got $500 tied up.
I am 100% satisfied with the way they work. When sharpened, the edge will stand up to any other knife I own, and that's quite a few. They hold their edge as well as any other knife, too.
I can't say the same for stamped Globals. I don't own any, but my friends do. I used them and, while they're a nice knife, they don't compare with forged for feel and the ability to hold an edge.
I bet complaints I read on this thread about Globals not holding an edge pertain to stamped knives. Just go to your knife and look at the model number on the left side of the blade under the name Global. If there isn't a GF in front of the number, you have a stamped knife.
If your knife is stamped, you saved money, but you got what you paid for. My Globals are heirloom quality. I've had them for over ten years and they're going strong. They've been sharpened many, many times and there is no wear on the blade(s), either. The satisfaction they bring, plus their longevity make them look cheap to me.
BTW, I use a Shinkansen Water Sharpener, recommended for Global knives. Around $35. It's easy to keep any Global, forged or stamped, super sharp with one of these.
Go here for the difference.
Go here for pros and cons.
I own four forged Globals, GF-32, 33, 34, 36. GF stands for Global Forged. I paid around $125 each, so I've got $500 tied up.
I am 100% satisfied with the way they work. When sharpened, the edge will stand up to any other knife I own, and that's quite a few. They hold their edge as well as any other knife, too.
I can't say the same for stamped Globals. I don't own any, but my friends do. I used them and, while they're a nice knife, they don't compare with forged for feel and the ability to hold an edge.
I bet complaints I read on this thread about Globals not holding an edge pertain to stamped knives. Just go to your knife and look at the model number on the left side of the blade under the name Global. If there isn't a GF in front of the number, you have a stamped knife.
If your knife is stamped, you saved money, but you got what you paid for. My Globals are heirloom quality. I've had them for over ten years and they're going strong. They've been sharpened many, many times and there is no wear on the blade(s), either. The satisfaction they bring, plus their longevity make them look cheap to me.
BTW, I use a Shinkansen Water Sharpener, recommended for Global knives. Around $35. It's easy to keep any Global, forged or stamped, super sharp with one of these.
I have heard that before; actually, even 20 years ago Henkel's reputation was slipping. I almost didn't buy them because I got mixed messages from different sources about Henkel's quality. Part of the confusion for me then was that they had several styles and levels of quality (and still do). Guess I got lucky lol. However, I wasn't necessarily recommending Henkel. I was really only pointing out that after all my discussions with others and research, my decision was based on a "personal" factor: how they felt in my hand.
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Henkels also has a pro line, a domestic line and a budget line. No confusion here!
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