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Equipment & Gear: Chef's Knives Rated
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BoB/335
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 03, 2010 5:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nevermind. I found the link and sent it along to Mac.

http://www.chefknivestogo.com/macpr2pcstse.html
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Dilbert



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

PostPosted: Mon Apr 05, 2010 9:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

BoB/335 wrote:
Well I ordered a MTH-80 from The Knife Merchant.
...
"Glad you decided to go with a MAC. I'm sure you won't be disappointed. Just be sure to avoid hard foods such as bones, frozen foods, hard squashes and hard cheeses and this knife will last you a lifetime."

Squashes and hard cheeses????????????????


MACs have a good reputation for quality and the also the company for standing behind it's products. that they wanted to know about an unhappy customer does demonstrate that business ethic.

being "harder" they are known to chip more readily than "softer" steels. from what I've read/seen on-line, cutting down through something and then adding a "twist" at the end is apt to cause chipping. could be whacking a whole chicken, hard cheese, dried salami, [whatever]

from a "mechanical advantage / leverage" standpoint it's quite explainable - a ten inch long knife with a small portion of the blade 'trapped' in a foodstuff or 'stuck into a cutting board' then 'twisted' - sa'lotta' leverage there...

again my general impression is chipping out a MAC is an unusal circumstance - how many knives have they sold and I've seen 3, maybe 4 reports in [aaah nuts....what...] ten+ years ....? so iffin' you're happy with it elsewise, why worry?
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BoB/335
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 06, 2010 5:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Don't think you put my mind to ease at all! Probably should have decided on the Wusthof.
Should be here in a day or two.
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Michael Chu



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

PostPosted: Tue Apr 06, 2010 5:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

BoB/335 wrote:
Don't think you put my mind to ease at all! Probably should have decided on the Wusthof.
Should be here in a day or two.

Think of it as having a sport car vs. an SUV. The MAC is a sports car - it's finely tuned and goes real fast - but you have the chance of bottoming out and scraping the bottom of the car if you're not paying attention. The Wusthof is an SUV, high above the ground and a beast - but you won't feel the same pleasure and finesse.

For slicing, dicing, mincing, and general prep work involving vegetables and boneless meats - the MAC is one of the best knives to use. If you chop, the MAC isn't so good for you (but you really shouldn't be chopping anyway). If you are cutting through bones, a heftier blade is needed. Using a Wusthof will serve both purposes but it won't be best at either.
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Dilbert



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

PostPosted: Tue Apr 06, 2010 8:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

BoB/335 wrote:
Don't think you put my mind to ease at all! Probably should have decided on the Wusthof.
Should be here in a day or two.


go forth with ease. I've also read first hand reports where MAC replaced a chipped knife - no quibble. when doing volume production, it's pretty much not possible to ensure 100% of any specific quality element.

schufft happens - it how the manufacturer chooses to handle the odd bad schufft that sets a good company apart from a not so good company.
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collin
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 11:56 pm    Post subject: Mac MTH-80 — Best knife I've ever seen Reply with quote

Just wanted to say thanks for the great review here. I purchased a MAC MTH-80 Chef knife yesterday in town (Shirokiya) and the blade is unbelievably sharp. Without hesitation, I can say that this knife is fantastic!

Even I had to scoff at the review at first, when I read that slicing through vegetables took little to no effort. I have to smile after using the MTH-80 for the first time.

- Onions were sliced through like I used a lightsabre. Really. Onions were cut with NO effort, and it was easy to cut VERY thin slices safely.

- I cut through carrots with a minimum of effort because it was harder than the other vegetables. But... it was a heck of a lot smoother than my Henckel blades.

- Although no one considers celery as a tough vegetable to cut, I literally used the knife with one hand and chopped through the bunches of celery easily. I placed the blade an inch above the celery and pushed the blade down without holding the celery. The Mac sliced through without trying. Seriously.

I am a horrible sceptic when it comes to many things. But this recommendation was a real revelation. I love this knife, no question.

This blade is clearly worth the money, and this is an investment I am proud to have made. Thank you for the great review.
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jaimec
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 4:22 pm    Post subject: Wusthof Classic Reply with quote

I just bought the Wusthof Classic yesterday and was eager to see how they perform. I'd like to consider myself an "advanced beginner cook" since I don't have formal training but can handle myself in most kitchens.

With that being said, I found the performance of my new chef's knife to be stellar. I prepared a straight forward stir-fry using green and red peppers, Spanish onions and Jalapenos. Literally, I cut through the green and red peppers with the weight of the knife only. The onion required a little pressure but barely any was really needed.

I found the above test a little weird since I found the knives, out of the box (3 piece starter set) to perform very well. Then again, I am an untrained cook and may not know the difference between what I purchased and the G2 for instance.
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Jim Cooley



Joined: 09 Oct 2008
Posts: 377
Location: Seattle

PostPosted: Thu Jun 17, 2010 4:39 pm    Post subject: Re: Mac MTH-80 — Best knife I've ever seen Reply with quote

collin wrote:
I purchased a MAC MTH-80 Chef knife yesterday in town (Shirokiya)


Please don't say that word (Shirokiya) around me. Or Michael, I'd imagine. For those of us who used to live in San Francisco, it was shangri-la. I still miss it, and Soko Hardware.... Sad
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Anne
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 5:41 am    Post subject: I own Henkels and Wusthof Reply with quote

having actually purchased the Henckels while visiting Germany. Tonight I sat through a demonstration by a young college student who took my very expensive knives, sissors and peeler and compared them with Cutco. I was flawed by the product this young man was selling. He was working a couple of days for Cutco knives and these knives blew me away. The sleek, comfort of the handles and the ease in which they cut in comparison to my "state of the art knives!" Clearly, being an owner of fine knives, I did not believe I needed new knives, but the young man was professional and his product was clearly better than anything I had in my home. I do not understand how this article rated this product so poorly. I absolutely endorse Cutco knives and believe they are very fairly priced. Much less than my Wusthof which I purchased in Neiman Marcus. I am not sure how much I paid for the Henkels.

Bottom line is that the Cutco really are an excellent product and great value.
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toneii
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 25, 2010 2:46 pm    Post subject: I just bought some CUTCO knives Reply with quote

but I only got double D knives. I have Wustof for straight edge knives that I can sharpen.

The main thing I was interested in with Cutco was Double D technology. We got the set of the two Double D knives and a set of 6 steak knives - all Double D technology. Also they threw the scissors in. I have Wustof scissors, but they are not as heavy duty as the Cutcos.
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New to knives...
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 11:29 pm    Post subject: Thank you! Reply with quote

I came across your knife review a few months back when researching for a 'family investment' knife set - THANK YOU! This review really helped me get a good grasp of what to look for when purchasing knives.

Based on this review I originally intended to go with five Mac knives - a chef's knife, a utility knife, a bread knife, a paring knife, and a cleaver (recommended as 'must have knives' on a Martha Stewart show I watched-haha), but once I started looking around to buy I couldn't find a place to try the Mac's out at.

A week later I saw the knife wall at William Sonoma so I thought I'd pop in. They only had Shun, Global, and Wusthof makes. Unfortunately I'm one of those people that think 'if it costs more, it's better,' so I went with the Shun Kaji. I bought the 7 inch cleaver, the 7 inch santoku, the 9 inch bread knife, the 3.5 inch paring, and the utility knife. I unhappily found that the 'CLEAVER' was only to be used for vegetables so I sent it back, I had the tip of the bread knife break off (either by my doing or it came that way and I didn't notice until my husband pointed it out), the middle of my santoku knife chip (and it was a BIG chip), and the end of my paring knife snag! I thankfully only had them for a couple of months and was able to return everything, but it was horrible! I'm clearly not a seasoned chef but the hardest thing I used any of these knives on was an avocado seed, and even then it was only to whack the handle end of the knife into it to get it out! Seriously! I'm sad that I had to return them since they looked amazing on my kitchen wall but I'd sooner spend the thousand dollars on a pair of Manolo Blahniks than knives that are clearly too delicate for a housewives daily chopping chores. I do have to say that the Shun utility knife (not the regular one but the mayo spreader one) was wonderful! I only returned it because I wanted all of the knives to be by the same maker; though after reading a million comments on your site it apparently doesn't matter if you have knives from different makers.

Anyway, I was knife-less again so I thought I'd try harder to find a Mac dealer. I thankfully found that I live in the same city as them so I was able to just drive over to their showroom and try the knives out there. The manager provided me with different veggies to cut and showed me all of the different knives available. I noticed straight away that these knives were different than the Shun set I had, and also the old Henckel's I had previously owned. They felt great in my hand (I'm a small girl with long fingers), and they didn't seem as handle heavy as the Shun set. I was also shocked to find that I didn't have to apply much pressure to cut through all of the vegetables! It was crazy. I kept having to stop myself from pushing the knife into the food. I cut into a potato and could see through the slice I made - it was that thin! I'm sure that all of the professional people on this site are laughing at me but I normally can't do that! I'm also NOT even close to efficient at sharpening knives and was told that all I have to do is use the RollSharp sharpener occasionally, and he threw it in for free!

I fell in love with these knives instantly! I came home and cut up a mango, which normally sucks, and it was a snap. I know I'm not a professional but I'm sure that other housewives are scouring the internet for information on buying good knives (for a great price to boot!) so I thought I'd share my story in case it helps any other mother's out there.


Thank you so much again for your great review and helpful advice!

OH, I also have to note that I read a comment from someone stating that they were told not to use the knives on hard cheeses and winter squash... I had asked about this at the showroom and was told that I needed to buy the cleaver to cut the squash (which I did) and was given a hard cheese knife as a bonus for buying all the other knives (it's only $35 anyway though). It also states what uses are right for each knife in the literature that's provided with the knives in case people are unsure what each knife is intended for.
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 8:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I just purchased a Cutco spatular knife from a friend's daughter to help her on her quest to earn money before heading back to college. I realized it would have been better to just give her $60 cash but felt she needed the experience of the sale more. The pitch was pitched to us as a trial run before she started selling as we didn't have to buy anything. The the way Cutco words their pitch that the kid gives after arriving makes it obvious they expect to make a sale.

My daughter also recieved an offer to join the Cutco team this summer, so I think that is a marketing ploy by Cutco to get in the door of family and friends of college age kids.

I bought a set of Cutco knives over 30 years ago when I knew nothing about knives and the only one left is a bread double D knife. It actually has been severely treated but still cuts without being sent back for sharpening. I did run the back side of the blade through my Edgepro sharpener at a super steep angle which has helped.

I have a few custom Randall made knives including a carving set. Also many Shuns, a few Macs, and misc cheap knives. Also have the cheap Henckel Eversharp serrated knives.

I can put a razor edge on all the non-serrated blades with the Edgepro. My wife likes the Shuns. I use the cheaper ones since I don't have to worry about damaging them and they can just go in the dishwasher. I have to hand wash the Shuns.

I have noticed and Edgepro recommends not putting on a polished finish to the sharpened area of the blade since a rougher finish will act more like a serrated knife and bite into whatever it is you're cutting.

Cutco has it place but you are overpaying especially compared to the Everlast knives. If you know that and feel good about helping out a friend's college kid then you are buying with an informed opinion.

Back to the expensive Randall carving set. At Thanksgiving I usually use a 40 year old electric carving knife which works amazingly well and there's no worry about someone using the Randall to cut the foil on a bottle of wine.
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anonymouse
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 2:01 am    Post subject: Advice on Another Knife to Get Reply with quote

I just bought the Tojiro-DP Gyutou, which I have to admit didn't feel all that fantastic in my hand in the store, but maybe I'll grow to love it.

Anyhow, people seem to be saying that these Japanese knives are excellent for slicing, but for chopping, a different all-purpose knife would be better. (As an example, someone said if your Japanese knife hits a bone, it could chip.)

What other knife (I assume a German-made one) should I buy for general use in case I am cutting a chicken into quarters and things like that?

Thank you.
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 2:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

This was a very informative review that helped me find some nice pieces to help me out in my day to day. I've been working in industry kitchens for the passed decade straight now, and have been able to use some knives mentioned in this article. (Good thing I bought some of these back then, some of the prices now have increased like crazy!) Just some thoughts on relative products I've had experience with. And this from someone who relies on cooking for a living, and not a product rep I swear @.@

- Always remember knives are subjective. It's best if you can try these in person, so you get an idea of what's proficient/comfortable/efficient for *you*.

- The Nenox Gyuto is my favorite: the ease of use, the sharpness and retention of it, the balance, even the aesthetics of it make it a dream for me. I only use it for home cooking/demos and so far am reluctant to use it in an industry kitchen.

- The Victoronix is definitely a beast value. It's been my workhorse at my job(s) for years, and the fact that it's price point is so low means I don't have to worry about it growing legs so much (or someone 'borrowing' it to open cans/pry open buckets/cut open plastic bags, etc...).

- The Wusthoff is my 'go to' back at the house. Easy maintenance and pretty reliable in a home scenario.

- I've used Globals before, they have great sharpness, but the handle doesn't fit my man hand(s) comfortably, as is the case with the one reviewed here.

I've started a new job recently, and having more faith in my new co-workers and new environment, was looking to invest in a better quality work knife. Based on this article and other feedback, I might have to look into a Mac.

So... maybe this'll inspire a new/updated 'Chef Knives Rated' article to read :p
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Allen
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 20, 2010 1:14 pm    Post subject: Wusthof Reply with quote

I recently started buying a set of Wusthof Classic and love them. They have great bal and enough weight so they save you the work. I will probably stick with the classic because I like the handle. One of my friends in the catering bought a few Cutco brand and does not like them. He cuts a lot of fruit and says that when you lay the knives down they tend to turn up on their edge (sharp side up). Thanks to this site for all of the info it has really been helpful!!!
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