Wusthof vs Made In vs Victorinox vs…

[OldSaw]

Nice knife. Wusthof makes a fine blade. Reason yours is $30 less is probably because of the handle. The Classic Ikons handles are made from African Blackwood. The cream handle has to be a synthetic of some kind. But…you don’t cut with the handle, right?

I also think that because they are exclusive to Cutlery and More, perhaps they have a little more wiggle room on pricing. Like many other premium products, I think Wusthof holds it’s retailers to pretty strict price structures.

 

[OldSaw]

OK, so here’s how things panned out and some thoughts going forward.

The crème handled Wusthof carving knife on the right was my original objective when I started this thread.

These two Tojiro knives are my first introduction to Japanese knives. Now that I have them (they are crazy sharp, BTW) I wish I would have gotten the 5” utility knife instead of the 6”, as it isn’t much different than the 6” Chef knife. I made this decision while on the road, 800 miles away from the other knives.

The three Wusthof knives. Now that I have two from the Classic series and one from the Ikon series, I definitely prefer the grip of the Ikon.

Having greatly exceeded my budget, I will have to slow down a bit. However, I like the look and feel of the Tojiro knives and could easily find myself ordering a couple more along with some improved sharpening tools.

As far as sharpening goes, I bought a Work Sharp Ken Onion set up with extra belts & leather strop belts and also a ceramic rod. Going forward in the sharpening category might take a little studying. I’m also looking into a retirement business, as flatbed trucking is wearing me out, and maybe knife sharpening might be a good fit.

 

[OldSaw]

Used the Tojiro utility knife to split a chicken breast. It was amazingly easy.

Got a fairly fine slice on a crushed garlic clove with the Tojiro 6” chef knife.

Cored a pear for desert with the Wusthof boning knife.

A quick little impromptu Italian dinner.

The desert. Poached pear in honey and cognac.

It‘s amazing how much more fun kitchen time is when you have great tools. I may not have a Michelin star, but I sure do have fun.

Thanks for all the comments, help, and private messages. I now look forward to improving my sharpening skills and adding a few more (only a few, I promise) knives to the mix.

 

[OldSaw]

That’s a tough question to respond to, and frankly is a thread in and of itself. The least expensive (yet most difficult) path would be freehand sharpening with synthetic water stones. Then there are inexpensive ($100) systems that use ceramic stones like the spyderco sharpmaker - which is fine for the Miyabi - but if you went further down the Japanese knife rabbit hole, the Spyderco isn’t going to do it for single beveled blades, re-profiling, modifying bevel angles or getting super hard blades insanely sharp.

Ok. I still prefer western handles and got a good deal on some Tojiro knives (because I spent a crap ton of money at Cutlery and More). I was unable to resist. I must say, they are crazy sharp and I hope to keep them that way. I have them stored away from the other knives and will be adding some whet stones before buying any more knives.

Thanks for your input. Knowing what you have put into your blades and sharpening over the years lends a lot of weight to your words.

 

[OldSaw]

Perhaps I need an intervention, but I am totally smitten with these Tojiro knives. I know they may not be the best Japanese knives, but they are the sharpest knives I have ever owned and I really like the look and feel of the handles. They are shave ready out of the box. Once I get the straight edge paring knife I should be good. Also picked up a Smith’s tri-stone set, at a knife store, for sharpening.

With this order I got the 8” chef knife, the 5” utility knife (because I accidentally bought a 6” utility knife which I didn’t really need), and the bird’s beak paring knife.

I used the 8” chef knife for dicing onions and slicing mushrooms for omelettes this morning. Was able to get paper thin slices of mushrooms. The 5” utility knife is the perfect size for what I use that style of knife for. It’s small enough for paring but big enough to be at the ready for everything in between that and the chef knife chores.

As can be seen in pictures a few posts up, the 6” utility knife is only a few millimeters removed from the 6” chef knife. Had I been making these purchases in an actual store I would have quickly set it aside. However, the packaging has already gone to the recycling center, so I guess I’ll keep it. The 5” is really the perfect size and I’m glad I decided to get it.

I got into a bit of panic buying as inventories were going down rapidly at Cutlery and More. I called them yesterday to see if this line of knives was being discontinued and was assured that replacement inventory was on order, but was hung up in supply chain delays. So now I will try to patiently wait for the paring knife.

I need another paring knife like a need hemorrhoids. I have two Cutco paring knives, no wait… three Cutco paring knives including the Cutco bird’s beak. Plus a few cheap stamped varieties with thermoplastic handles. So I’m pretty well set, but I can’t fight off this desire to have a straight edge paring knife in the Tojiro Flash series.

And bird’s beak knives are another oddity. I rarely use the one I have, but the new Tojiro is actually much easier to use than the Cutco. Sharpening them is an extra chore but for what they are used for, mostly peeling, they hardly ever need servicing. Plus I had a 20% off the sale price offer, so in the cart it went.

So that’s my latest update. Thanks for reading.

 

[OldSaw]

The Thanksgiving turkey carving went splendidly with these three new Wusthof tools. I’m very happy with how this went.

Wusthof carving fork
8” Wusthof carving knife
6” Wusthof boning knife

 

[OldSaw]

This! A Tojiro Yanagiba at Chefs Knives to Go is $63. You will be astounded by its ability to make thin, perfect slices.

That’s a very nice price for a beautiful knife. I really got carried away and bought several Tojiro knives in the Flash line because I liked the way they looked and they felt good in my hand.

 

[OldSaw]

I think I need to stop now, for a while anyway. This is what this thread yielded, probably six or seven times my original budget. Also, not seen in the picture is a tri-stone that I’m keeping in my semi truck to sharpen my work knives.

I will probably want a Wusthof chef knife one day, but for now I should (key word there is “should”) be satisfied with this new lineup plus the previous knives already owned. Of course, one day I’ll probably get one of the sharpening systems previously mentioned either here or in the sharpening thread.

 

[Climb14er]

I've got both an older Wustof Trident Classic Chef Knife set and a newer Victorinox Chef Knife, the latter my GF brought into the home when she moved here to Denver. I like the Victorinox Chef knife a lot, especially when it cost only forty bucks. However, the Wustof Classic sharpens up beautifully on the Shaptons and Sharpmaker, it's miles ahead of the Victorinox in getting super sharp and holding an edge.

 

[OldSaw]

I've got both an older Wustof Trident Classic Chef Knife set and a newer Victorinox Chef Knife, the latter my GF brought into the home when she moved here to Denver. I like the Victorinox Chef knife a lot, especially when it cost only forty bucks. However, the Wustof Classic sharpens up beautifully on the Shaptons and Sharpmaker, it's miles ahead of the Victorinox in getting super sharp and holding an edge.

I used to have a Victorinox like that with a thermoplastic handle. It wasn’t a bad knife, but I didn’t like the rather thick handle. I have no idea where it went, most likely got sold in one of our downsizing efforts. It was probably the best knife for my budget at the time.

 

[OldSaw]

Thinking about getting a Yaxell Dragon 8.5” Fusion chef knife. And maybe a Nakiri.

I really don’t need another knife, but I’m being tempted again by a 20% off sale.

 

[OldSaw]

Yaxell Dragon 8.5” Fusion chef knife

Am I just being suckered in by marketing? Is BD1N really the workhorse super steel that maintains an edge without chipping? Will it hold up to the abuse’s of kids and neighbors? Can a $99 knife really deliver?

 

[OldSaw]

OK, I’m going on my own here. I ordered the Yaxell Dragon 8.5” chef knife and used it for the first time today. I would not classify it as a chef knife. It is much more like a large Santoku. It’s not disappointing, just not a chef knife. I found that I instinctively used it in a push cut fashion. Rock chopping, while doable, was forced. I rock chopped a bunch of mushroom stems with it and it got the job done, but push cutting through mushroom buttons, zucchini, onions, and mincing garlic was a much more natural fit.

It has a very comfortable handle and it also feels very comfortable in a pinch grip. I’ve had knives in the past that clearly were not designed to pinch grip and yet there were those who insisted that it was the ”proper” way to hold a knife. Over the years I have learned that there is no “proper” way to grip a knife, a few wrong ways, but no “proper” way. When it feels good and natural, and gives you good control over your tasks, that is the proper way to hold it.

I made room for it next to the Dexter. BTW, I did a little more work on the Dexter and it is shaping up nicely.

The big thing that I will be paying attention to is its durability. It is said to be HRC 63 for hardness, but fairly sturdy against chipping. So I put it on the magnet block for anyone to use. I know for a fact, that no matter how much I preach, Mrs. Oldsaw can’t stop herself from sweeping things sideways with a knife blade. So now we wait and see how it holds up.

Edit: Changed second photo after adjusting white balance. It was just waaaay too yellow.

 

[OldSaw]

Where will this knife journey end‽ I even joined another forum just to talk about and learn about knives. Check out Kitchen Knife Forums if you’re interested.

One of these was sent to me by a fellow KKF member from Tokyo.

These two I bought from a KKF member here in the States.

These are the ones sent from Japan.

This Munetoshi 240 Gyuto is amazingly sharp.

This Terayasu Fujiwara Maboroshi santoku was really the big prize for me today.

The sharpness is crazy.

It handles like a dream. Made paper thin slices out of this ripe pear.

Definitely my favorite.

 

[ChriWilson]

So which specific Japanese knife do you prefer?

For our kitchen it depends on the usage. We have had a set of Wusthof for 20+ years that are my workhorses.
Due to their thinner blades, I prefer Japanese knives (Global and Shun a.k.a Kai) for delicate cutting or slicing; Santoku or Asian Chef's Knife

For Tuna, Mahi, or Yellowtail I use a left-handed Deba (single bevel) for breaking the fish down and a Yanagi for sushi/sashimi.