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Grandson asked me for a knife


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No, not hunting or anything like that, a chef’s knife. At the time the day was hot and I really did not have the location of my knives on the tip of my thoughts.

 

he is entering his second year at Worcester Polytech and rented an apartment with three other guys and must do some meal prep.  Gawd do I have extra knives? Just have to search for a minute or two.

 

go back a few years to 2016, I brought my daughter and him to Russia for a week.  Rented an apartment, more real than hotelling.  Grandson cooked breakfast for four so he’s not a newbie in the kitchen. About 3 years ago he was making breakfast before folks got up and, ahm, needed a trip to the ER, so he has learned how to use knives safely and has the scar to show it.

 

given time to think about it, I remembered some knives that I received a few years ago and never used.  I texted him and he asked if I might have two, one for veggies and one for meat. Sure, I wouldn’t use two but let him learn on his own. I gave him three new, unused, knives, an 8” and a 9.5” chef’s knife, a paring knife and a bread knife (used). He said he’d keep them in his room, I don’t care. I suspect a roommate will, sooner or later, need a trip to the er but a sharp knife is better than dull knife.

 

anybody need a knife?  I gave away a box full about three years ago to the daughter of a friend. She had done a stint as a prep chef.

 

btw, in case you haven’t noticed, I like to try out cooking knives.

 

I like German steel, not a fan of Japanese style knives but I do like the 15 degree edges.

 

 

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I have a set of Victorinox knives and a few others from various makers and I keep them sharp. Of course Victorinox can’t be like everyone else and they put a 17 degree edge on theirs. It or 17 degrees any longer. It’s 15. 
I know Victorinox aren’t “quality chef’s knives”, but they are good enough for me. 

My very favorite vegetable knife is a Japanese style vegetable cleaver knife made in China. The brand name is “Wallop”. :D It holds an edge and I can slice veggies paper thin with that knife. 

 

 

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A couple of years ago my neighbors gave me a cheese and cold cuts tray for Christmas.  I doubt they spent over $15.00 for it, cutting board and all, but it came with a 4 1/2" slightly curved all metal knife with some large holes in the blade.  (I've been told this is to make if cut cheese and lunch meats easier.)   It had no name or other markings on it and the blade is stainless, but the handle shows some spots of rust.

 

It's my everyday light duty kitchen knife and one of the best knives I've ever owned.  I can slice everything from meat and cheese to vegetables and bread with it  and have never had to sharpen it and I honestly believe I could shave with it.

 

My other kitchen knives are from a dozen different makers and some are quite expensive, but none are any better than this simple no name knife.

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Most of my knives are Wusthof and I also have a few Cutco which my son sold when he was in college.  Pricey but well worth it.  The Wusthof all come with a lifetime guarantee.  My father-in-law once broke my Wusthof 6 inch chef knife.  I went to Bed Bath and Beyond to get another and mentioned the breakage to the sales lady.  She asked me to bring her the broken one and when I did she gave me a new one for free!  Now that is a real warranty.  They are not cheap but they will last a lifetime.  The Cutco are very hard to find, but also worth every penny.

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51 minutes ago, Rip Snorter said:

Inexpensive sharp, hard to beat, Rada.  Somebody in a group of guys will be hard on knives.  Gave a set of Rada to each of my kids, they still using them years later.  https://www.radacutlery.com/

I got one the recommendation of a friend. At first I said, “What cheap crap late night TV commercial kinda thing is this?

I was wrong. As a knife guy I was surprised at the effectiveness of the Rada knife. I bought a few more. 
They are lightweight, razor sharp, inexpensive and surprisingly effective. There’s no “perfect” kitchen knife for all tasks but I find myself reaching for a Rada more often than not. 

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I have been a butcher for more than 50 years, and I've  used up more knives than most people will sver own.

Victorinox has always been the industry standard in my trade.Not particularly expensive , take an edge extremely well without a lot of fuss, and are designed for the task.

They offer full lines of task specific tools.

I don't own interest in the company, just an opinion from an old meatcutter.

Choctaw Jack

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35 minutes ago, Dawg Hair, SASS #29557 said:

Most of my knives are Wusthof and I also have a few Cutco which my son sold when he was in college.  Pricey but well worth it.  The Wusthof all come with a lifetime guarantee.  My father-in-law once broke my Wusthof 6 inch chef knife.  I went to Best Buy to get another and mentioned the breakage to the sales lady.  She asked me to bring her the broken one and when I did she gave me a new one for free!  Now that is a real warranty.  They are not cheap but they will last a lifetime.  The Cutco are very hard to find, but also worth every penny.

I dated a lady, then 68. When she was 16 or so a Cutco salesman (college kid) came through the neighborhood (Italian) and sold knives to all the girls who were saving for their eventual weddings.  She and her sister bought them. After 50+ years they weren’t sharp. I boxed them all up, wrote a check for $10 and sent it all to Cutco.  Couple weeks later I got them all back, good as new with a couple replacements.

 

saw a salesman at a wholesale club and I only bought an offset bread knife. They are not easy to find.

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1 minute ago, Yellowhouse Sam # 25171 said:

The problem with most knives is that the steel stays in the rack and is never used.  The when the blade is completely dulled out its deemed as low quality

I spent a summer cutting beef parts. Learned how to use a steel.

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A few strokes with the steel keeps the edge aligned, a stone may be required after extended heavy use.  Kitchen knife needs and butchering needs are different.  I have knives I only use when I get a big chunk of beef that I have to portion. The rest of the kitchen knives in daily use.

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I have a mix and match of knives, including some Victorinox , but the one I use most is a Spyderco Santoku

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2 hours ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

The key thing about a 50 year or lifetime guarantee is very few people will use it.

That is because the Ginsu knife was so unbelievably good!!!!!

And few companies that sell on TV last that long.

 

The legend lives on- Ginsu 2000!

 

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20 hours ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

No.  They never stood up to real usage.

How can you possibly believe that? The commercials were too convincing.

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