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Equipment & Gear: Chef's Knives Rated
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PaulR
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 02, 2008 4:36 am    Post subject: scary sharp Reply with quote

"My question for all here is, has anyone ever tried the Scary Sharp (TM) ;-P System for sharpening knives?"

yes, it's what i've been using for a little while. my impression is that it works exactly as well as comparable stones, but no better. the advantage is that it's cheaper to start with, and you can easily try many different grits to figure out what works for you.

the disadvantage is that it's more expensive in the long run, and a bit of a nuissance. the paper wears out quickly, and cutting it and sticking it flat and changing it is a pain.

i think i'll keep using it until i run out of sandpaper, and then get a medium quality set of stones.

two products that i love are the leather strop (with abrasive compound) and the glass-smooth steel sold by handamerican.com. they work really well for keeping a knife razor sharp. i go a long, long time between real sharpening sessions by using these.

The best product I've found for sharpening Cutco knives is a bench grinder that spins at several thousand RPMs, loaded with a very coarse carbide wheel. It makes lots of cool sparks, and when you're done, the knives don't take up as much room in the recycling bin.
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SirShazar



Joined: 30 Jul 2007
Posts: 89

PostPosted: Sat Feb 02, 2008 3:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I sometimes rig up a scary-sharp system if I want to sharpen knives at someone else's house.

Sharpening on waterstones takes me a third of the time it would take me to sharpen on a scary-sharp system, and the results are usually better.

I sometimes use it to get a nice even looking edge, but I still finish on my King 1k/6k.
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Johnny
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 9:16 am    Post subject: santokus? Reply with quote

Just got into the whole knife thing recently, and have been looking to invest in a good chef/santoku... which is how I stumbled across here. I'm curious Michael, if you plan to ever do a review like this specifically for santokus?

I still haven't decided on one or the other, but I'm not sure I'm a fan of the whole rocking motion you have to go through w/ chef knives...
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GaryProtein



Joined: 26 Oct 2005
Posts: 535

PostPosted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 1:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If your choice is between a chef knife and a Santoku, get a chef knife. You can get a chef knife with a granton edge if you want, but aside from that, a chef knife can double as a slicer if you want, they are generally larger than Santokus and since the blade comes to a point, you get get the tip into tighter places than a Santoku. From a purely professional standpoint, I don't recall seing anyone on The Iron Chef using a Santoku -- they use a chef knife.
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Garyth Evans
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 5:04 am    Post subject: Chef, CEC Reply with quote

Just to say to most of the negative comments that you really don't know what you are talking about. I have used them all and the Japanese knives will beat anything hands down.

About sharpness, even under tests where all knives are sharpened together to be fair, nothing has beat my Global or ceramic knife. Not american, german or otherwise.

But Good Luck to all of you
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 10:25 am    Post subject: sharpness Reply with quote

With all this talk about sharpness, can anyone recommend a good/complete solution for newbee's? I'm a bit intimidated by the sharpening process but love the idea of owning a high quality knife.

BTW, great comments everyone, very informative!

Thanks all.
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SirShazar



Joined: 30 Jul 2007
Posts: 89

PostPosted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 4:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I recommend your read Chard Ward's sharpening guide on eGullet:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=26036

Personally, I like to sharpen my kitchen knives on Japanese waterstones. With a little practice you will produce an edge that far surpass anything done in a factory.

I don't like most of the sharpening systems out there, most of them will ruin your knife.
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Victoria
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 8:50 pm    Post subject: MAC MTH 80 Reply with quote

i wanted to get the MAC knife you were using, but live in British Columbia Canada.. where would u suggest I buy the knife
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Dilbert



Joined: 19 Oct 2007
Posts: 1304
Location: central PA

PostPosted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 10:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

www.macknife.ca would work, methinks . . .
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GaryProtein



Joined: 26 Oct 2005
Posts: 535

PostPosted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 2:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Try http://www.knifemerchant.com they have just about everything.
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noahzark
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 28, 2008 12:50 am    Post subject: great article on knives Reply with quote

I notice that only one of the knives test had 'dimples'. What is the purpose of the dimples? By the way, I ordered one from Amazon. Hasn't arrived yet. Can't wait to have a real knife for a change.
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Michael Chu



Joined: 10 May 2005
Posts: 1654
Location: Austin, TX (USA)

PostPosted: Fri Mar 28, 2008 4:42 am    Post subject: Re: great article on knives Reply with quote

noahzark wrote:
I notice that only one of the knives test had 'dimples'. What is the purpose of the dimples?

The dimples reduce the surface area of the blade that touches the food being cut - in theory reducing drag and the potential for food (like potatoes or cucumbers) to stick to the side of the knife. I have not come up with a reasonable test to prove this works - just some anecdotal evidence that it reduces the amount of food that sticks, but doesn't solve the problem.
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Robert NY
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 2:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Stay away from cutco.

Get a knife with good balance and feel.
I have been using Henkels for >15 years now and they havent failed me , lost my Chef knife a few years back and bought a cusinart chef replacement at Marshalls for $15.00. my trusty 7-8 inch henkels with the full tang & wooden handle has been used the most for basic cutting and dicing, butchering deboning tchrough cartillage and ligaments, most fine work is done with this knife.

Actually any knife will work well if it feels good in your hand. The trick is learning when and how to sharpen them. Get a good heavy water stone that doesnt crumble with both rough and fine grit per side, and learn how to sharpen at the right angle depending on your use.

I recently treated myself to a Kershaw damascus 8 utility and I love it. Works flawlessly, but still use my henkels utility when im alone. The Kershaw is too pretty and expensive to use for all around work - (to debone a leg of lamb or pork shoulder). I should start using it more often. my wife suggests that I frame and display the knife by the way I swoon over it.

I feel sorry for my Sister and friends who purchased these Cutco knives from a family member who just started out in Cutco sales,(he made a killing) They have good bread knives that work though. And the chef knives could be used in the garden too. They have a lifetime warranty.
Unbalanced and blade heavy, way overpriced.
I had suggested selling them on ebay. But she keeps it as a status symbol friends who dont even know how to slice and dice. She does say it works fine for her. Get a knife with soul Id tell her.
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sushi chef trainee
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PostPosted: Thu May 15, 2008 12:20 am    Post subject: My experience with knives Reply with quote

First of all, I'd like to thank Michael for an informative and fun-to-read guide to knives. I also enjoyed reading everyone's comments; many people made valid observations about some of the shortcomings of the tests and gave helpful advice on finding the right knife, what knives they favor, information concerning hardness/brittleness, edge geometry, etc.

I just wanted to comment that not all knives are created the same. Someone claimed that any knife can achieve the same edge when sharpened and that it is pointless to pay a lot for a knife. This is not true. I have a very cheap Wusthof (I think it's Grand Prix) which I've sharpened to a very sharp edge, but it loses it quickly, sometimes midway through a shift at work! The ultimate indicator - cutting through a sushi roll topped with ripe avocado slices and wrapped in plastic wrap. A somewhat dull knife will mush the avocado and resist cutting the wrap, whereas a sharp knife will slide right through.

I also want to share another way to test the sharpness of a blade - try sliding the edge along a fingernail (I usually use my thumb nail) or a cutting board. If it's sharp, it should get stuck. A dull knife will simply slide across the surface. This is a nice method because you can quickly check each section of your blade for dull spots, which might be difficult using the razor method.
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 9:23 am    Post subject: Cutco Reply with quote

I don't really understand why that cutco French Chef knife didn't cut things well. True, I do demos for Cutco.

But, because I do demos all the time, I can tell you that I have NEVER had the slightest problem in cutting anything with any of my knives. I was very surprised at the total negative reviews that the french chef knife got.

True, my favorite knife (the trimmer) does have the DD edge (which ISN'T serrated, believe it or not). But, I use the French Chef all the time, and have never had the slightest of problem. Looks like something weird happened in your test.
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