New knives

Thatgrimguy

I have been on the fence for quite some time about getting a really nice chef's knife. Well, as typical around here, the cutlery thread popped up and helped part me from my money!!

I scored an 8inch Wusthoff Ikon with Granton edge. And my soon to be 1 year old daughter helped me unbox.





I knew as soon as I held it that it was a special knife. Very sharp, very nice. 







Yep, they are sharp. Drew blood in the first use. Actually cut through my finger nail on the middle finger.




I also ordered the Ikon 3.5" Paring knife. 




Here they are together!! 





I'm going to get either the 5" boning or the 7" Filet next. I want to use it for trimming silver skin and chicken.  Which does the egghead community suggest?

Eggcelsior

Just get the Dexter ones. One issue with those polished handles is how slippery they get, especially with chicken.

Thatgrimguy

I have the dexter ones. So far I find these superior in every way. The handle on the Dexter ones are easy to work with though.

NPHuskerFL

+1 on the Dexter knives. They handle nicely when breaking down proteins or even just trimming them. 

tarheelmatt

Nice pair man! 

blasting

Nice knife and all, but your daughter is a cutie pie.

Thatgrimguy

blasting said:

Nice knife and all, but your daughter is a cutie pie.

She's so much fun at this age. Walking all over and just as happy as any baby I have ever heard of. She's got me wrapped around her fingers already!

Focker

Eggcelsior said:

Just get the Dexter ones. One issue with those polished handles is how slippery they get, especially with chicken.

Wusthof's patented "Nukenkrany" system allows the natural formation of gunk in the rivets and edges, to provide a non slip grip. 

blasting

It's great that you are enjoying her!  Time sure flies - that was 13 years ago for me and seems like yesterday.  

Mickey

Really nice

DMW

Eggcelsior said:

Just get the Dexter ones. One issue with those polished handles is how slippery they get, especially with chicken.

I really don't want to discuss your slippery chicken...

SciAggie

Nice knives. Personally, I would get the boning knife first. +1 on the cute daughter.

bweekes

@Thatgrimguy - those are great knives. In fact, I have the same set myself. One thing to keep in mind is the unique edge angle on the classic ikon series. It's a 14 degree edge, and if you want to maintain that angle, you should consider investing in an electric sharpener that positions the blade at the right angle to produce a 14 degree edge. Wushtof makes a PTEC sharpener that does just that - don't mean to cost you extra money, but those knives will last a lifetime if they are well cared for. 

Ozzie_Isaac

Love the Ikon series knives!  Hoping to find some when I stop in at a Williams Sonoma so I can see which ones I like.  They are definitely on my wish list.

YukonRon

Cool steel! Love them. 

gdenby

Nice Knives. I'd go w. the 5" boning as the next.  I don't fish, and rarely buy whole fish, so my fillet knife sees rare use.

Notes. You immediately discovered the big difference between standard knives, and sharp ones w. acute bevels. They slice fingers really easy. I have 1 truly scary sharp knife. The first time I took it out of the box, I looked away, and the blade brushed my left arm. Or so I supposed. I didn't feel anything. But I sliced away a patch of skin big enough I had to cover it w. a gauze pad. Which leads to the next caution. Keep your cutie and maybe your wife away from the good knives. I saw a vid made by a pro sharpeners, and he said that he doesn't allow his 5 & 7 year olds in the same room when he is working. And, he mentioned that whenever you lay the knife down, make sure the edge is always opposite your body. Likewise, if it falls to the floor, don't try to stop it by putting a foot out, unless you want to shoes without a big slice in it.

Wolfpack

Another one to consider is a bread knife- works great for bread, tomatoes, etc. 

Thatgrimguy

bweekes said:

@Thatgrimguy - those are great knives. In fact, I have the same set myself. One thing to keep in mind is the unique edge angle on the classic ikon series. It's a 14 degree edge, and if you want to maintain that angle, you should consider investing in an electric sharpener that positions the blade at the right angle to produce a 14 degree edge. Wushtof makes a PTEC sharpener that does just that - don't mean to cost you extra money, but those knives will last a lifetime if they are well cared for. 

I have a Ken onion work sharp electric sharpener. It was one of the main motivators for me to get a couple fancy kitchen knives!

Thatgrimguy

I still have a full set of Cutco knives which are good enough for my wife and for all the one off blades. The Semi-serrated edge they use is fine if you don't want to care for your own blades. But I needed a few nice straight edge blades I could care for myself.

fishlessman

well now that you know the knife is sharp dont go putting it in the sink, its not good for the knife and imagine blindly reaching into soapy water and slicing yourself or others with that blade

Thatgrimguy

fishlessman said:

well now that you know the knife is sharp dont go putting it in the sink, its not good for the knife and imagine blindly reaching into soapy water and slicing yourself or others with that blade

I'm going to keep the 3 or 4 Ikon's I end up with in a knife roll and clean them on the way in and on the way out and basically never set them down in between. The farking things are expensive.

Hotch

Brother Grimm she sure is cutie. 

td66snrf

@Thatgrimguy  you're smart buying them one at a time instead a set with stuff you seldom use.  I'm a Wusthof Classic fan myself but I believe the only difference is the handles. I agree with @gdenby and @SciAggie that a boning knife would be you're next best addition. I love my Nakiri and my wife and daughters like the Santukos. I would suggest a block as opposed to the roll. I have a roll but it's reserved for my knives when they travel. I have a 25 slot Wusthof block which was the largest available when I bought it. It's full and I'm looking at the 35 slot.

noregard

I've been using Wusthoff Classics for several years now and really like them.  I would recommend the boning knife for your next one, it sees a lot of use in our house.  My wife uses it for pretty much everything, despite my constant harassment "you know we have proper knives for different jobs right????".

I recently bought a Shun utility knife, and though I've only used it a few times, I'm not blown away like I hoped I'd be.  

Beavercreek_Smoker

I am a big Wusthoff fan and own 4 but I also own a couple Shun knifes. Stupid sharp out of the box! I had the 7 inch chef knife for over 2 years before I sharpened it. I've had the sandwitch knife for several years and it's still razor sharp. I don't use that one everyday but it's my wife's favorite when she needs a knife. She likes the lightness of it. 

I run them across a steel every couple uses. The German knives are a sturdier knife but need a little more attention to keep the edge. 

Neither is better or worse than the other. Just a different feel to them. Both brands can cut tissue paper if the edge is maintained. A person needs to hold them and feel the ballance to really evaluate what they like. 

One last sat thing. I would NEVER recommend Hinckle brand. They used to also be a respected brand but their stuff is now outsourced to China. Might as well buy a Walmart knife. I have a pre-China bread knife from them. Love it and a must have for a fresh baked crusty bread. 

Thatgrimguy

The Japanese Vs German debate for me came to down to care requirements vs hardness. 

The Wusthoff can take more more abuse and not get ruined. It's going to take a trip through the dishwasher or being left in the sink and can easily be brought back to life. But it's going to need constant honing because it bends instead of breaking.

The Japanese steel is harder but more brittle. I will hold it's edge longer because it's harder steel. The downside is it needs more care and attention because It will chip instead of bend. 


I'd rather sharpen/hone more often and have a blade that I'm less likely to break. I also like the heft of the Wusthoff.

Mosca

I've never been one to buy really good knives; "okay enough" knives have been right for me. But then last week the Global G2 8" chefs knife was Amazon deal of the day, $160 discounted to $65. And, aside from the fact that it is way too good a knife for me, I had to buy $75 worth of stuff to care for it! (Ceramic rod, whetstone, and a blade guard.)

Its almost like having a little Egg in the drawer to buy things for!

Begger

Thatgrimguy said:

The Japanese Vs German debate for me came to down to care requirements vs hardness. 

The Wusthoff can take more more abuse and not get ruined. It's going to take a trip through the dishwasher or being left in the sink and can easily be brought back to life. But it's going to need constant honing because it bends instead of breaking.

The Japanese steel is harder but more brittle. I will hold it's edge longer because it's harder steel. The downside is it needs more care and attention because It will chip instead of bend. 


I'd rather sharpen/hone more often and have a blade that I'm less likely to break. I also like the heft of the Wusthoff.

Knife steel is a source of ENDLESS debate.   The Japanese are big into types like VG-10 which is a very good steel.  My pocket knife is made with S30V a 'powdered' metal of extremely fine grain.   It is also difficult to sharpen.   My kitchen stuff is a cheap alloy called 440A.   Fairly easy to sharpen and reasonably ductile.     440C is where I'd start.   

In addition to German and Japanese players, the Chinese make series of well regarded steels which formats like ::  8CR14MoV.  
And if THAT wasn't enough, a US company named Crucible Industries makes a huge selection of tool steel, knife steel and many other specialty alloys.  

Custom Knife Makers ($$$$$) can have specialty steels forumulated to THEIR specs or use off the shelf alloys with great attention paid to fit, finish and final heat treatment.   

blind99

Wow, I really like the shape of that knife. That'll be great to work with. 

@Mosca I was skeptical of the globals since the handle is so different. I love mine now. Very comfortable to use. You'll have to report back on sharpening. I figured I could pay to get them sharpened for a long time before the stones would pay off. 

gdenby

Mosca said:

...And, aside from the fact that it is way too good a knife for me, I had to buy $75 worth of stuff to care for it! (Ceramic rod, whetstone, and a blade guard.)

Its almost like having a little Egg in the drawer to buy things for!

The stuff to care for it will prove its worth. Doing your own sharpening can be a pain, particularly if you are pressed for time. But about half my "cheap" knives perform just fine when they have a fresh edge. You might be surprised that a few of your ordinary knives have some good steel in them. And if they don't, they are fine for practice.