Chef’s Knife

bhugg

I am looking for recommendations for a quality chefs knife. I am looking for a 10” and I need to be close to the $100 price point. 

I am all ears. 

ColtsFan

I don't know anything about the brand, but it is VG10 steel.

https://www.cutleryandmore.com/yaxell-mon/chefs-knife-p136252

vb4677

LOVE my Misen!

https://misen.com/collections/knives

shtgunal3

I was gifted the shun premier for my birthday earlier in the month. They are really nice knives but would cost a little more than you mention wanting to spend. 

Lit

I dont have this knife but its a best seller with great reviews on chefknivestogo website. Its sold out right now but you can put a notification on for when it comes back in stock. https://www.chefknivestogo.com/ya24gywa.html

FanOfFanboys

At that price I'd go victorinox

Botch

I saw a video where a guy bought 3 very inexpensive Japanese-style, but Chinese-made, gyotu-style chef's knives.  This was around the time this forum was discussing sharpening stones, and I decided to buy a "cheap" knife (I normally use Henckels 4-Star) to practice hand-sharpening with.  I ended up buying this one:
 
https://www.amazon.com/FAMC%C3%9CTE-Professional-Japanese-9CR18MOV-Restaurant/dp/B07YPY9Q6G/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=FAMC%C3%9CTE+8+Inch+Professional+Japanese+Chef+Knife%2C+3+Layer+9CR18MOV+Clad+Steel+w%2Foctagon+Handle&qid=1609177083&s=home-garden&sr=1-1
 

 
... and was amazed when I got it; beautifully made, nice rosewood handle, and no thick bolster (making hand-sharpening easier).  It was also the sharpest blade I've ever used, could slice those paper-thin slices off a raw tomato, without even having to hold the 'mater, Wow!  I still use my 4-Star daily, just because of 40 years of muscle memory.  
It was $70 when I bought it, but now it's $50.  FWIW.    

marcdc

Misen or MadeIn

stlcharcoal

bhugg said:

I am looking for recommendations for a quality chefs knife. I am looking for a 10” and I need to be close to the $100 price point. 

I am all ears. 

Take a look on Shun's website and let me know if you see anything you like....ignore the sticker shock on the website, can do a lot better.

PigBeanUs

The  stainless standards like wusthof, henckles etc are easy to sharpen because they are softer. But because they are softer, they will need to be honed and sharpened more often. Because they are softer, they are often sharpened to a double bevel. That helps keep the edge a bit longer. They are drop forged, have a full tang, etc. Not just stamped out of thin ribbon. 

The harder carbon steel knives will be able to hold a sharper edge and single bevel. But some find the harder to sharpen. Because they are harder, they can be more difficult to sharpen. 

So it’s a preference. Ignore those who declare one superior to another. It depends how you use it, and how much of a sharpening fetish you have. 

Like picking a convertible vs a pickup truck. Neither is “better”. Just pick the one that suits you best. 

Be warned that when the shuns became the flavor of the month, they were expensive, because they were a TRUE damascus steel. 

They eventually came out with affordable options. But all or most of the affordable shuns are actually stainless steel knives with a veneer of damascus steel to pretty it up. This veneer doesn’t provide the same cutting edge that a damascus steel knife does. It’s just cosmetic wallpaper. 

You can get into the weeds and find harder stainless steels, different alloys, etc. too. 

I would honestly recommend that if you are buying a first knife, get a regular old wusthof with the traditional belly (curved edge).  It is an affordable way to learn how to handle a knife. It will also be easy for you to learn how to tale care of a knife, cleaning, honing, sharpening, etc. 

THEN you can drop some cash on a real damascus steel blade if you want. 

I might go so far as to recommend an 8”. A bit easier to use. Then you can bump up to the 10”. It’ll also be easier to find at your price point. 

My old 8” wusthof became my wife’s regular chef knife.

 

lousubcap

stlcharcoal said:

bhugg said:

I am looking for recommendations for a quality chefs knife. I am looking for a 10” and I need to be close to the $100 price point. 

I am all ears. 

Take a look on Shun's website and let me know if you see anything you like....ignore the sticker shock on the website, can do a lot better.

@stlcharcoal - PM sent.  

nolaegghead

Carbon steel is harder (measured on the Rockwell hardness scale) and paradoxically easier to sharpen than most of the stainless alloys out there.

nolaegghead

Carbon steel knives need more care.  They are very susceptible to corrosion, so you really need to wash and dry them after use (especially after cutting acidic foods) otherwise the metal will oxidize and pit.

fishlessman

im a fan of the gyuto chef knives, more of a slicing chef knife verse the german style rocking chef knife. also like the harder steels, theres lots of vg1's and vg10's out there in the hundred dollar market. these knives are unusually light in hand compared to a regular chef. these are alot harder to sharpen...someone took one of mine to a diamond stone thinking they were doing me a favor, bevel angle is now wrong, diamond stones add small chips to these, will take me a week of sundays getting the edge back. half my knives are really old basic carbon steels that take a very sharp edge in minutes so be careful what you want and expect with your purchase

nolaegghead

I like the VG10.  Holds an edge way longer than the carbon.  Harder to sharpen.  I have at least 5 kitchen knives with VG10 cores.  My fav kitchen knife has a white carbon steel core which is a very brittle metal.  It's sandwiched between SS.

4TheGrillOfIt

My go to chef knife is a Global G2, but it’s 8 inches and a little above your price point.

For the money, though, I don’t think you can do better than the Victorniox Fibrox Pro.  It’s also American Test Kitchen’s pick for chef knives.  You can buy it and add a Victorinox boning knife (wildly popular with butchers) and have 30 bucks leftover.  

stlcharcoal

Shun's core is "VG-Max" which I understand to be the same as VG-10.  Depends on the line, but I believe there are 34 layers of Damascus on each side of the core the classic and premiers.  Then beveled to 16 degrees.

All I know is I had over a dozen of Wusthofs (the expensive ones), and had to sharpen them all the time.  These Shuns require nothing more than a quick hone on the steel occasional.....and they slide through tomatoes and other stuff like a laser.  I never experienced that kind of edge with the Wusthof or Henkels knives.

I've had the Shuns over 2 yrs now, and have not had to sharpen them.....just hone.  Pretty freakin amazing knives considering I paid a lot less for them than I did the Wusthofs.

GrateEggspectations

PigBeanUs said:

The  stainless standards like wusthof, henckles etc are easy to sharpen because they are softer. But because they are softer, they will need to be honed and sharpened more often. Because they are softer, they are often sharpened to a double bevel. That helps keep the edge a bit longer. They are drop forged, have a full tang, etc. Not just stamped out of thin ribbon. 

The harder carbon steel knives will be able to hold a sharper edge and single bevel. But some find the harder to sharpen. Because they are harder, they can be more difficult to sharpen. 

So it’s a preference. Ignore those who declare one superior to another. It depends how you use it, and how much of a sharpening fetish you have. 

Like picking a convertible vs a pickup truck. Neither is “better”. Just pick the one that suits you best. 

Be warned that when the shuns became the flavor of the month, they were expensive, because they were a TRUE damascus steel. 

They eventually came out with affordable options. But all or most of the affordable shuns are actually stainless steel knives with a veneer of damascus steel to pretty it up. This veneer doesn’t provide the same cutting edge that a damascus steel knife does. It’s just cosmetic wallpaper. 

You can get into the weeds and find harder stainless steels, different alloys, etc. too. 

I would honestly recommend that if you are buying a first knife, get a regular old wusthof with the traditional belly (curved edge).  It is an affordable way to learn how to handle a knife. It will also be easy for you to learn how to tale care of a knife, cleaning, honing, sharpening, etc. 

THEN you can drop some cash on a real damascus steel blade if you want. 

I might go so far as to recommend an 8”. A bit easier to use. Then you can bump up to the 10”. It’ll also be easier to find at your price point. 

My old 8” wusthof became my wife’s regular chef knife.

 

At the risk of being chided here, I’ve never understood the love for Shuns. 

Aren’t you a little serious and in the weeds for a troll account? 😉

Lit

nolaegghead said:

I like the VG10.  Holds an edge way longer than the carbon.  Harder to sharpen.  I have at least 5 kitchen knives with VG10 cores.  My fav kitchen knife has a white carbon steel core which is a very brittle metal.  It's sandwiched between SS.

You said above carbon is harder which is correct so why would you turn around and say the softer steel holds an edge better? My Takeda with Aogami super steel which is carbon holds an edge way better than my VG10 Shuns. Like not even close better.

GrateEggspectations

Lit said:

nolaegghead said:

I like the VG10.  Holds an edge way longer than the carbon.  Harder to sharpen.  I have at least 5 kitchen knives with VG10 cores.  My fav kitchen knife has a white carbon steel core which is a very brittle metal.  It's sandwiched between SS.

You said above carbon is harder which is correct so why would you turn around and say the softer steel holds an edge better? My Takeda with Aogami super steel which is carbon holds an edge way better than my VG10 Shuns. Like not even close better.

I own the very same Takeda (aogami “super blue”) and agree. VG10 doesn’t hold a candle to it. 

HeavyG

VG10 is overrated but it does make for a decent knife for most of us home "chefs" who want a knife that doesn't require constant care/drying/oiling/etc. to keep from rusting.

Hardness has as much (likely more) to do with proper heat treatment as it does the material involved. Too hard is as bad as too soft.

"Damascus" knives can look cool or gaudy - eye of the beholder kinda thing. "Damascus" tho doesn't really add any performance advantage...it's an aesthetic thing (not that there's anything wrong with that). I'll leave the "damascus" vs. pattern welded argument for elsewhere.

Shuns have a reputation for being "chippy". It's not really the knives fault tho. It's the users that buy them. Since Shun has become a mass market brand it's not surprising that lotsa folks are buying them that don't really devote the effort to learning how to properly use them.  Japanese blades (even the Westernized double bevel style most folks buy) require different usage/cutting techniques.

If you want the sharpest possible cutting edge get a real Japanese knife - aka single bevel type.

If you want to keep your nice fancy knife sharp learn to sharpen them yourself or find someone that really knows what they are doing and pay them to do that for you.

Unsurprisingly, China is starting to sell some "Japanese" style knives that are pretty decent. Expect them to become even better in quality and value.

Everybody should have a couple Kiwi knives from Thailand...

$11 for the pair. Super sharp, very light weight and if you can use them for a few months without bending the tip perhaps your knife skills are adequate for a fancier Japanese knife.

lousubcap

I have had a few cocktails this PM but this thread appears to be trending down the thread of high $$ road of lump conversations.  Feel free to enlighten me-post all you want but I will surface here on 12/29.  
Be well!

nolaegghead

https://knifeinformer.com/discovering-the-best-knife-steel/

Lit

nolaegghead said:

https://knifeinformer.com/discovering-the-best-knife-steel/

That doesnt include any of the carbon steels that are mainly used in kitchen knives. All the carbon steels used in kitchen knives are harder than VG10 which makes them retain their edge much longer. VG10 is 56-60 range and Aogami Super is in the 65 range and I have read up to 68 hardness.

fishlessman

HeavyG said:

If you want the sharpest possible cutting edge get a real Japanese knife - aka single bevel type.

have one of these, single 3/4 inch bevel on one side, full hollow on the back side, lots of vanadium. some day i will finish sharpening it   not that its not extremely sharp now. i will never buy a very high vanadium knife again for a kitchen knife again, it eats stones. one sharp motTHER$%#@$%$#r knife though

lkapigian

I buy Mundial, inexpensive, not fancy .... but Not a "Cheap Knife" When we are out @ events they tend to get abused, borrowed , thrown around etc

I use a breaking, Boning,  Chefs and Cleaver, thats plenty for me.. I do have a non Mundial Slicing Knife Victorinox

https://www.sausagemaker.com/searchresults.asp?Search=mundial

BGNMI

bhugg said:

I am looking for recommendations for a quality chefs knife. I am looking for a 10” and I need to be close to the $100 price point. 

I am all ears. 

An all purpose knife? Jap knives are thinner and better for slicing and precise work. European style like Wusthoff's are good for all around chopping and heavier work. In a perfect world you should have both. For Jap, I recommend glestain, and nenox. True professional japanese knives. Also Santoku is the jap  all around knife. They produce western style knives

https://kamikoto.com/blogs/fundamentals/difference-between-chefs-knife-and-santoku-knife

www.korin.com or above mentioned chefknives togo.

I have misen (for the wife) and like the design, but find the steel loses an edge.

for good all around, no need to worry bullet proof knives- look to victorinox (very fairly priced) and under your budget

https://www.swissarmy.com/us/en/Products/Cutlery/Chef's-Knives/SwissClassic-Carving-Knife-10-inch/p/6.8003.25G

BGNMI

The best steel i have found in my collection is hap40. I was so impressed by a spyderco pocket knife that I sought out hap40 for a chef's knife. I agree with VG10. Good but not great steel

RyanStl

stlcharcoal said:

Shun's core is "VG-Max" which I understand to be the same as VG-10.  Depends on the line, but I believe there are 34 layers of Damascus on each side of the core the classic and premiers.  Then beveled to 16 degrees.

All I know is I had over a dozen of Wusthofs (the expensive ones), and had to sharpen them all the time.  These Shuns require nothing more than a quick hone on the steel occasional.....and they slide through tomatoes and other stuff like a laser.  I never experienced that kind of edge with the Wusthof or Henkels knives.

I've had the Shuns over 2 yrs now, and have not had to sharpen them.....just hone.  Pretty freakin amazing knives considering I paid a lot less for them than I did the Wusthofs.

____________________________

I have Shun Premier and you are right about VG-max. There are Shuns made out of other steels, and their main line is VG-10.  VG-10 works well, but those that use sharpening stones don't like the feel as much.  If OP can get a nice 10" Shun for $100 new or gently used that would be a great buy.

OP, you should go to Kitchen Knife forums and fill out their questioner. Those members will tell you a lot that you are hearing here except they will never send you to Amazon. They also strongly lean towards Japanese knives. If you do fill out their questioner, let us know the suggestions. RyanStl

TheToast

Echoing @4TheGrillOfIt I also recommend Global - I have a chefs knife from them as my go to. 

piney

vb4677 said:

LOVE my Misen!

https://misen.com/collections/knives

I bought a Misen a couple months back and I also love it. I was going to buy a couple more for Christmas gifts but they were sold out.