chef knife on a cheapskate budget

paddy_za said:
Glad you like it. I have had mine for about 4 years and have never felt it needed to be sharpened.
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That's impressive!
Watched a YouTube vid where the guy said he hadn't sharpened his one in 2 years and I thought he was bulls**ting

Sweet... I'll see you guys in 2-4 years then :D
 
saor said:
Quick bump:

Any opinions on Victorinox vs. Wusthof chefs knives? Opinion seems to be rather get the cheaper Victorinox. Birthday gift for someone who likes cooking. The Wusthof seems like the nicer gift, but the Victorinox seems like the more sensible cost/value gift. Dunno.

https://www.yuppiechef.com/chefs-knives-and-cooks-knives.htm?ref=mainmenudesktop
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Don't have Victorinox but I love my Wusthof knives.

The handle of one of them cracked, I sent a picture to the local agent asking if it could be repaired. They're sending a brand new knife free of charge even though mine was bought about 5 years ago. Very impressed.
 
maumau said:
Don't have Victorinox but I love my Wusthof knives.

The handle of one of them cracked, I sent a picture to the local agent asking if it could be repaired. They're sending a brand new knife free of charge even though mine was bought about 5 years ago. Very impressed.
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Nice. Do you perhaps have one of these two?

CLASSIC or
[URL="https://www.amazon.com/Wusthof-Gourmet-8-Inch-Cooks-Knife/dp/B0001FATMI/ref=sr_1_2?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1502093441&sr=1-2&keywords=WUSTHOF+GOURMET"]GOURMET
[/URL]
 
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I don't have sources, but I remember reading that Wusthofs pro line is great, but the "consumer"/cheaper line is overpriced. That's not to say that they are not also very good, but that you can probably get something of the same quality for cheaper.

The knife itself is less important than how it is cared for. If they are just going to toss it in a drawer, almost anything will do.
 
cerebus said:
I think America's Test Kitchen and some other sites rate the Victorinox Fibrox Pro 8" chef's knife as the best value chef's knife you can buy. If I could buy again with better research I would definitely have gotten that one.
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Went in to Banks now and tried out a few knives. The Wushof Classic feels amazing in the hand - nice weight and solid handle. The Victorinox feels like crap - it's a light plastic handle. I'm sure the blade is great, but the knife feels cheap. Salesperson did say the Victorinix is good value. After holding them both I'm leaning toward the Wushof...makes a nicer gift I think.
 
saor said:
Went in to Banks now and tried out a few knives. The Wushof Classic feels amazing in the hand - nice weight and solid handle. The Victorinox feels like crap - it's a light plastic handle. I'm sure the blade is great, but it feels cheap. After holding them both I'm leaning toward the Wushof
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Are you talking about the Fibrox or the cheaper knife? I haven't used it, but yeah that's the thing, the pricier knives have a better weight and balance, a tang, and a handle that's not made of some kind of plastic. But value/money-wise, the Victorinox will kill anything else. The Le Creuset damascus steel knife is so sexy

https://www.lecreuset.co.za/product...huBAYJpgM-hPnJNjCcvz7a-0v_C32kCQaAsL9EALw_wcB
 
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33807f84ebc9232a13d9af2d3ab0f484.jpg


Here's my knife setup. I use the leather piece to finish the sharpening from the stone.
 
cerebus said:
Here's my knife setup. I use the leather piece to finish the sharpening from the stone.
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Jeez, that leather thing. Somewhere in my memory I remember it being called a strop. My great, great, grandfather used to sharpen his razor on one.

Also, I hope that's not margarine showing at the back - not good :)
 
maumau said:
Jeez, that leather thing. Somewhere in my memory I remember it being called a strop. My great, great, grandfather used to sharpen his razor on one.
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Yeah I actually got the stone/leather setup from my 80 year old father in law :D
 
My dad made us knives from high speed steel from old saw blades, sharpen those on a white stone. Few comes close to that. As for the Victorinox stuff, just buy a pocket knive for now and cut with that... lol All their stuff is excellent.
 
General rule of thumb when buying chef knives. look for a knife with a full tang. Generally those plastic handle 1s are crappy.

Brand wise if you want something heavier look at your german brands. if you looking for something lighter look at you Japanese brands.

personally Jap is the way for me.

watch those fingers chaps!
 
Also on a side note, hone the knife before and after every use. and once or twice a week on a diamond steel, depending on usage.
 
cerebus said:
Are you talking about the Fibrox or the cheaper knife? I haven't used it, but yeah that's the thing, the pricier knives have a better weight and balance, a tang, and a handle that's not made of some kind of plastic. But value/money-wise, the Victorinox will kill anything else. The Le Creuset damascus steel knife is so sexy
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Not sure - it looked similar to the link you posted. I bit the bullet on the 20cm Wushof Classic (set comes with a pairing knife and sharpening tool). I appreciate the cutting ability of the Victorinox but man...the weight and feel of the Wushof and some of the other knives I looked at makes a big difference to me & in the end I think it'll make the better gift that'll last long and be used a lot.

If I was buying a new knife for myself? Probably get another Wushof or similarly weighted blade. The light plastic handle doesn't feel nice at all.

You've been to Banks (cpt) and looked at their range of knives? Well worth a look :). They're kinda all over the shop so be sure to walk around.

Ocali said:
Also on a side note, hone the knife before and after every use. and once or twice a week on a diamond steel, depending on usage.
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Thx for the tip - picking up a honing steel tomorrow along with a blade cover.
 
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