Got about £150-180 to spend and ideally I want 1 preparation knife (120-150mm) and one large chefs knife (200mm+)

Open to everything and anything although I REALLY like the look of Japanese knives…

we got these

http://www.cooksknivesshop.co.uk/Knives/Global_Knives/Global_Knives_Knife_Blocks_and_Sets/Global_G21524_3_Piece_Starter_Pack/1146/1838

ace but sooooooo sharp ! use with care !

Tojiro DP Damascus. Awesome quality and so easy to keep razor sharp.

Kaiserbach are supposed to be good.

ZWILLING J.A. HENCKELS I use the 4 star range, perfect for everyday in a 1st class kitchen IMHO

Any idea where I could get a pair of Tojiro DP Damascus’ from within my price range? I seem to only be able to find them for like £100 a piece :\

Proper custom Sheffield cutler

Iirc I got a santoku and an usuba from Nippon knives for 120 quid a couple of years ago?

Here – nipponkitchen[/quote].com/acatalog/Tojiro_DP_Range.html]Tojiro

Got global knives myself but plenty of suggestions here…

Victorinox? good price (seems) plus look damn cool.

+1 Victorinox, great value for money and superb!

Not really after VFM to be honest. All that thread seems to suggest is Global and I’ve used Global for 1 night in a kitchen and I found them too light and floaty, let alone some what expensive…

I think I will get a Tojiro DP 15cm, Tojiro DP 21cm and a Nakiri. Seen a guy do some demonstrations with a Nakiri once (I think it might’ve been Kin knives) at a good food show and it looked like top dog for slicing veg…?

LOL……….

I don’t know what’s funny…I’ve got circa £180 to spend on 2 knives…

F.Dick

global 🙂

this lad will sort you out, bro in law is a chef & uses him and think majority of restaurants around south yorks, derbyshire area

http://www.ultra-sharp.co.uk/

This

MrNutt – Member
ZWILLING J.A. HENCKELS I use the 4 star range, perfect for everyday in a 1st class kitchen IMHO
POSTED 8 HOURS AGO #

All hand forged in Solingen Germany, not imported from China like many other brands

MrNutt – Member
ZWILLING J.A. HENCKELS I use the 4 star range, perfect for everyday in a 1st class kitchen IMHO

Plus lots for Henckels. Really dislike the Global knives, find the balance all wrong.

Are you sure you want professional knives?

Apart from ‘celebrity’ chefs professional knives tend to me quite workman like.

If it’s for the home foody, we have Kin knives (‘kin sharp they are)but these are in turn a bit too fragile for professional use. However they are some of the sharpest knives out there and have a glorious build quality. And if you haven’t yet, buy a good whet stone and buy it now.

Oh God, I really do love knives

EDIT: You will find Kin Knives in commercial kitchens, but usually where it adds to the ‘image’ of the restaurant

PHWOOOOOOAAARRR

slackman99 – Member
Proper custom Sheffield cutler

From Sheffield you say, they’ll be warped in a week then!

Not as such professional for a kitchen, i’m not really after longevity of the blade (ceramic or high forged steel etc) because it is actually for home use so i’m thinking perhaps Kin knives is the way forward. Due to the fact it’s for home use I have the time to sharpen it as often as I like you know?

It’s a Christmas gift to me from mother so I shall just tell her to get me some Kin knives I think. I was already looking at Kin knives but thought, before we actually part with £150 I’ll ask if there is any other alternatives.

In regards to Global, overpriced and too floaty like plenty of other people have said :\

I use Global but I bought them years ago for a bargain price, they’re a stupid price no they are excellent though.

A guy in a van coming around to sharpen your knives? What next someone coming around to clean out your wheelie bin.

before we actually part with £150 I’ll ask if there is any other alternatives.

Short answer. NO!

To be fair, there is always going to be a personal preference involved.

But Kin Knives are wonderful to use, and works of art to look at.

Global Knives, there’s a reason why they keep getting sold at bargain prices. Meh! 2nd spot for me is definitely Henckels, quality kit but not as exciting.

Who on earth cannot sharpen their own knives?
OP sounds like you don’t really know what you want but want 2 stupendously expensive knives for the sake of it. In which case any will do 😉 enjoy

Me and you sound quite similar piemonster. Would you call yourself a bit of a tart in the kitchen?

Seems like I’ll be getting Kin knives. They are stunning.

How do these seem for a bit of a set…?

Traditonal set

140mm prep knife

Pik N Mix, it is just for the sake of it but I used to work in a kitchen for 2 years and hated just having ‘normal’ knives that felt cheap and difficult to work with…Given the oppurtunity to get some good knives for the home I thought why not? :p

Asking for knife advice is as bad as bike advice. I’ve tried some ‘EXCELLENT’ knives before – just didn’t fit my hands very well. Henckels big knife plus Henckels small knife here and they do well.

Global Knives, there’s a reason why they keep getting sold at bargain prices.

Is it because Fenwicks houseware sales are famous for selling many items off at 75%. I also got them cheap as it was over 10 years ago they were much cheaper then than now.

Those Kin knives do look nice though and yes it’s also personal choice, what feels good for one person doesn’t for another.

That is true, TooTall.

Would you call yourself a bit of a tart in the kitchen?

Little bit, it’s the GF’s fault. Chef/Foody/Home Ec/Demo Chef it’s hard not to really.

Very nice choices. Going for the full blown Japanese look. We have Knives from the ‘Professional’ Range (Santoku, Gyuto and a Petty. Filleting knife I ended up buying a Henckels 4 star, just couldn’t bring myself to buy a flexy Kin knife. Seemed wrong somehow.

Being Veggie(ok Piscatarian) limits our requirements.

For us it was a bit like decent cookware (Le Crueset etc), very much a long term purchase to counter the cost.

Did you get to meet the Kin Girls at the Good Food show? 8)

I don’t think I did. I’m sure it was some fairly old guy of somewhat Japanese origin slicing tomatoes and onions VERY fast and VERY thin.

I totally agree with long-term purchases. Good quality and longevity of the product to counter the cost.

I could do with another good filleting knife, I did have one when I worked in a fish mongers for about a year though. Filleting fish is such an art, pin boning, skinning, portioning You can really work on fish.

I should’ve been a chef DAMNIT!

Bradley, You should then be experienced enough to hold a knife and know its the right one. Get out there and hold as many as you can 🙂
Have you thought where your going to keep them? surely not in the same draw as the plebby knives?

(fully qualified chef here although not in the trade any more)

surely not in the same draw as the plebby knives?

shudders

seen way to many broken Global knives to ever want one of those myself.
Have bought a knife from Nipponkitchen as a gift once and they are really nice.

this is actually an amazing knife for the money

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/90131068/
VG-10 steel

I ordered most of my Japanese knives from JCK here.

Very good service and orders arrived within 7 days.

Price is good even after tax. (no tax incurred for me)

Japanese Chefs Knife

Hattori HD Series:

HD-2 Petty 135mm US$103.00

HD-7 Gyuto 210mm US$172.00

or

Same website

Hiromoto Tenmi-Jyuraku Series (Gingami No.3): (rust proof)

TJ-45G3 Petty 150mm US$72.00

TJ-25G3 Gyuto 210mm US$124.00
or
TJ-20G3 Gyuto 240mm US$145.00

Hiromoto Tenmi-Jyuraku Series (Aogami Super) is the best but then if you are not used to patina then just get the above.Hiromoto AS

With your budget of £180 you will be able to cover for postage and have some spare change.

Anyway have a look at their website.

🙂

I’ve bought a few knives from Eden Web shop – http://www.edenwebshops.co.uk/en/ct/knives.htm

The Damascus steel is incredibly sharp, sharpest knives I’ve ever used, but you have to look after them as they are really, really brittle and liable to chip.
They are cheap compared to any branded Damascus knives but they are good quality. Delivery is fast too 2-3 days in my experience.

I’ve gone for the 4 knives from Kin knives. I know they are probably just a re-saler of another brand but it’s just easy…

I wont be keeping it in the draw with the rest of the knives, lol. The set of 3 knives comes in a wooden box, so they will be cleaned and dried upon each use and placed back in the box. The 150mm prep knife comes with a wooden sheath so it’s likely I’ll just store the prep knife in it’s sheath on top of the box…:D

I’d love to be able to test some knives but it’s just not possible. I’m not in the trade anymore and no-where has ‘testers’ as such.

I like the look of that Damascus Ikea knife, I think I might get one of those.