Knife people lend me your wisdom

Hey team.
My 40th is fast approaching and my wife has asked me what I want. I am keen on a new set of kitchen knives as I love to cook and our current ones are a bit tired. These knives popped up when I searched and thought they looked pretty good. I like the fact that they are recycled steel, and also that they will require maintenance to keep sharp and rust free.
Can I have your thoughts please? I am not a knife person so have to take the word of the company they are good. They only have a 2 year warranty which is the only thing giving me pause currently. I have been wanting some Japanese style knives for a few years now, and really like the look (and price) of these.

If anyone knows of a better option I am all ears!

Chur

https://cainandabel.co.nz/products/t...43292158230735

I run global for quite a few years and they work great.
I never let them get blunt as a stone or 2 in the kitchen for touch ups.

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i just got a 9 piece german steel set from stevens (farmers). beautifully sharp and nice balance.
interestingly a guy at a chefs catering company says most german steel is now made in france as since the germans started shutting down their nuclear power plants the electricity is so expensive its cheaper to get the steel formed in france

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Originally Posted by Delphus

Hey team.
My 40th is fast approaching and my wife has asked me what I want. I am keen on a new set of kitchen knives as I love to cook and our current ones are a bit tired. These knives popped up when I searched and thought they looked pretty good. I like the fact that they are recycled steel, and also that they will require maintenance to keep sharp and rust free.
Can I have your thoughts please? I am not a knife person so have to take the word of the company they are good. They only have a 2 year warranty which is the only thing giving me pause currently. I have been wanting some Japanese style knives for a few years now, and really like the look (and price) of these.

If anyone knows of a better option I am all ears!

Chur

https://cainandabel.co.nz/products/t...43292158230735

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A mate of mine has a C&A knife (2nd one from the right in that link) - and really rates it.

I got a set of Shilling knives from House of knives in Australia when I lived there in the 90's. Thery were sold as stainless steel but they hold their edge well and I just use a fine diamond steel once a week and stone them once a year. I spend a lot of time in the kitchen and love the look/style of Japanese knives but I've found that my hands are just too big to hold them comfortably for long periods of time. I'd recommend trying whatever you decide on to see if they fit your hand well

For slightly less come out to Geraldine for weekend and forge your own custom knife.

Japanese knives are lovely to use but they require more expertise to sharpen them. They are made from much harder steel than the German knives and really need to be sharpened on water stones, which take some time to learn, they are usually sharpened to a 15 to 17 degree edge. Because of the fine edge and the hard steel they can also be easily damaged (chipped) if misused. Having said all of that they are a true knife lovers knife. Take a look at this website. https://www.prochef.co.nz/ Give them a call and talk to Jurgen if you are unsure what to buy.
These are the real deal and the prices are excellent I have purchased several knives from Jurgen.
If that does put you off then go for a German style knife like the Global, as already mentioned by @AndyAnimal. the German knives are softer steel, more easily sharpened Global knives are not cheap but are an excellent example of German knives. The there's the Victory knives which are excellent no frills quality, They are widely used in the meat industry and have a great reputation for durability.

I thought I was wrong once but was mistaken!

the GLOBAL knife series are well known in the world as one of the best kitchen knives and have attracted much acclaim over the years and received a number of awards. Still crafted by hand in Yoshikin's factory in Niigata, Japan, Global knives are manufactured to extremely high and exacting standards.

Not cheap but great.
I do them up with my ese-sharp when needed and touch up with stones in the kitchen

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Originally Posted by andyanimal31

I thought I was wrong once but was mistaken!

the GLOBAL knife series are well known in the world as one of the best kitchen knives and have attracted much acclaim over the years and received a number of awards. Still crafted by hand in Yoshikin's factory in Niigata, Japan, Global knives are manufactured to extremely high and exacting standards.

Not cheap but great.
I do them up with my ese-sharp when needed and touch up with stones in the kitchen

Sent from my SM-A226B using Tapatalk

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Ah yes good point. The global knives are still a Japanese style knife BUT they are much softer steel than the true Japanese knives. Global knives are around 56 to 58 rockwell hardness while the true japanese knives are from 61 to 67 rockwell hardness.

When I worked as a chef, I used Wusthof knives. then Dick knives. The commercial kitchen is pretty tough on knives and chopping up half frozen meat would be more than unkind to Japanese knives. Now that I'm well away from commercial catering, I have the pleasure of using Japanese knives which are sharper than the German (or French) designs. Your idea of Japanese knives is a good one for home. But I tried non-stainless Japanese knives and keeping the 'patina' down gets old really fast. You should reconsider buying non-stainless. I looked at the website you suggested. There is nothing in the way of useful information on the site: what kind of steel, hardness, wood, bolster, etc. Also, buying knife sets is always an uncertain way to make a decision. Buy one knife from a reputable maker before considering another. Another problem with sets is buying knives that you will never use after the first five minutes. I bought a very nice nakiri which I never use. NZ cooking just does not call for that shape. Avoid single bevel knives unless you want to learn to cut again. My current knife is a Miyabi 400FC gyuto, a sort of cross-over between Western and Japanese do it all knife: double bevel, stainless steel, larger handle, hard but not brittle steel, thin blade.

Personally I would stay away from those c&a knives. Will be chinesium or similar given the price. Also that set has 3 knives that do pretty much the same thing so a bit redundant. I would recommend getting one or 2 really nice knives. A 210mm gyuto/chefs knife and a pretty/paring or even a nice fillet/boning knife.

The German knives and big brand Japanese stuff (global, shun, wustoff etc) are all decent knives, but are built in a big factory and don't have the feel of something handmade. This is where the smaller Japanese makers are awesome, they are often still very much handmade but still reasonably priced.

In terms of performance it's not even close, the good Japanese knives are thin and just cut noticably better than the mass produced varients. If you use the knife as intended and don't do dumb shit like lever open a jar or hack into frozen shit you won't have an issue with the thin knife.

Or if you don't mind waiting, I can custom make you a pretty pimp chefs knife for that sort of $$

Interesting source of steel from the website:
The carbon steel used in our blades is from recycled leaf springs from heavy trucks & Russian war trucks that served in the Vietnamese war. The steel is 5160. This spring steel is a tough form of steel with a higher Carbon makeup. The higher Carbon reduces toughness, but increases wear resistance and attainable hardness. The steel is heat treated, giving the knives an HRC of around 60. HRC stands for Rockwell hardness. This rating refers to the level of hardness the steel has. Japanese knives are standardly between 60 to 63 HRC. They can be re-sharpened and hold an excellent edge because of the makeup of the steel.

same scheme available at barrytown just north of greymouth on the coast road .IIRC$140.00 gets you tuition ending up in your making a knife of your choice.

Probably what the boss wants is a sharp knife when she wants it . She does not want to be bothered with Rockwell hardness etc. Think about a Chef's Choice Trizor sharpener.

if by tired you mean your current knives are blunter than a blunt thing...give them to me for a few days and will give them a good going over..I can get most knives back to reasonable sharpness.

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Originally Posted by Micky Duck

if by tired you mean your current knives are blunter than a blunt thing...give them to me for a few days and will give them a good going over..I can get most knives back to reasonable sharpness.

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Sorry I should clarify. I have a decent knife set (scanpan) that I got as a wedding gift 15 years ago. They are still going strong and are easy to sharpen. I guess I’m just a bit bored with them. I’ll still keep them as general family use, but would like to have a small set just for my own personal use.

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Originally Posted by zeropak

Japanese knives are lovely to use but they require more expertise to sharpen them. They are made from much harder steel than the German knives and really need to be sharpened on water stones, which take some time to learn, they are usually sharpened to a 15 to 17 degree edge. Because of the fine edge and the hard steel they can also be easily damaged (chipped) if misused. Having said all of that they are a true knife lovers knife. Take a look at this website. https://www.prochef.co.nz/ Give them a call and talk to Jurgen if you are unsure what to buy.
These are the real deal and the prices are excellent I have purchased several knives from Jurgen.
If that does put you off then go for a German style knife like the Global, as already mentioned by @AndyAnimal. the German knives are softer steel, more easily sharpened Global knives are not cheap but are an excellent example of German knives. The there's the Victory knives which are excellent no frills quality, They are widely used in the meat industry and have a great reputation for durability.

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Awesome thanks I’ll have a look!

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Originally Posted by No good names left

I spend a lot of time in the kitchen and love the look/style of Japanese knives but I've found that my hands are just too big to hold them comfortably for long periods of time. I'd recommend trying whatever you decide on to see if they fit your hand well

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Have you tried handling the Shun knives.
They are a blend of Japanese and European style, might suit your ergonomics?
I find the D-handle quite comfortable.

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Originally Posted by Moutere

Have you tried handling the Shun knives.
They are a blend of Japanese and European style, might suit your ergonomics?
I find the D-handle quite comfortable.

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Beauty of buying from a proper Japanese knife shop is they handle them on site so you can just request a larger handle. Or just buy a western handled japanese knife to start with.

Also a knife thicker at the spine will be more comfortable in a pinch grip for someone with big hands. Plenty of those available in japanese knives too.

I run Shun knives. Laminated blades, they are fine and need some care when using and afterwards. No tough use and no dishes . The fine tips are the danger area.

I bought mine from the US. Cheaper than local. If you have a good water stone, sharpening is not hard. Two knives is enough.


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Global

Hi! Have you considered a Chinese cleaver? Multi function and can last for generations. Simple to take care of and does not break the bank.
There is a good video on YouTube about a retired Chinese chef in America, made by his son is a good intro.

My experience is get one that fits your hand and it becomes an extension. It’s not necessarily the most expensive but the most used and feels good in hand.

Mine set is a collection through the decades of a Santoku(Japanese style), a bone cleaver (western) a Chinese cleaver (Chinese [emoji12]), a daba( Japanese or Chinese’s im not sure), and a sashimi knife (Japanese).

Have a global santoku and it does not get used much as it just does not feel right in the hand. The Chinese cleaver a cheap knife from Ali express and has been brilliant.

Hope that helps from a different perspective. Happy for discussion

So I bit the bullet and ordered three knives. I wanted some variety in style and steel. Have gone with a Gyuto in sg2, a Petty with a SLD core wrapped in stainless, and a Nakiri VG10 Damascus. Below are the Gyuto and Petty, the Nakiri should be arriving tomorrow. I cooked tonight and just wow, they cut veggies like soft butter. I am absolutely in awe, and can’t wait to cook again just to use them!

Attachment 250236