I've found quite a few old threads on this (some as much as 4 years old!) so thought it was maybe worth an up to date check to see what people have and like.
My old cheap habitat knives are done in after years in the dishwasher so need to replace. After looking round at various things and being tempted by fancy Japanese things at £100+, I've come back down to a much more sensible price range and am keen on either the Victorinox Fibrox or Eden Damast range, it looks like there are users of both on the forum.
I like the look of the Eden the best but am slightly put off by the fact that the harder Japanese steel is more likely to chip, and also seems more of a pain the ass to sharpen. The Victorinox seem a very sensible buy, good price, well reviewed and very widely used.
What are people using and what would you recommend?
Dunno but don't put the new ones in the dishwasher.
Victorinox Rosewood knives were recommended to me by a chef. They are easy to sharpen, not that expensive to buy and last a long time.
i got a few rosewood handled victorinox knives, they are sharp enough and are easy to keep sharp and do the job. Don't think they can be dishwasher-ed though.
Expensive knives might be nicer but being honest i would rather spend the money on other things when these do the job well enough.
I now you're put off by the price, but my Global is 17 years old. 5 years working in a kitchen, and 12 years daily use at home. i use a standard steel to keep it sharp - not razor sharp but more than good enough. every 6 months i put an edge back on it.
Get thee to TK Maxx. We picked up some nice knives for not a lot of money. As above, wash them by hand and they last much longer.
I tend to find that looking after them is better than splashing loads of cash. Though if you do buy an expensive one you're more likely to look after it. My Blok, bought quite a few years back now so not as expensive as they currently are by a long shot, is well looked after as a result of it's expense. Granted I could have bought something a lot cheaper, and probably better, but just fancied one as a treat to myself.
I've never heard of Eden but have heard good things about Victorinox.
One thing is for certain, the new ones won't be going anywhere near the dishwasher!
Every chef I have worked with has recommended cheapo Victorinox.
@sbob that does seem to be the consensus from a lot of the reviews I've read.
For those that have not seen them, Eden are own brand from Knives & Tools. They are sourced direct from Japan, supposedly from factories that make for a number of known brands. They are priced a little more than the Victorinox and seem to get good reviews in the few places that have them, including a number of chef forums.
http://www.knivesandtools.co.uk/en/ct/eden-quality-classic-damast.htm
Bought a set of these recently. Really good quality, nice balance and easy to keep sharp. Never been near the dishwasher..
http://www.ecookshop.co.uk/ecookshop/product.asp?pid=KY050
Every chef I have worked with has recommended cheapo Victorinox.
Is that including any with their own brand of knives? 😛
We got a global knife block as a wedding gift 8 years ago (or so) still going strong. Saw same the same thing in the shop last week and I wouldn't get it now - far too expensive.
... Victorinox Fibrox or Eden Damast range ...
Both are fine in my view but I only have the former while the latter VG-10 steel is also very good at maintaining it's edge.
I prefer Victorinox for the look, comfort and feel.
How about trying something nicer like [b]Shun Kanso Asian Utility Knife 7-inch[/b] but I don't know where you can buy one in the UK.
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p/s: ... I have too many knives ... normally a Chinese cleaver user ...
just this last hour taken delivery of a Lakeland full tang, fully forged, breadknife after Mrs S dropped my Evolution one and it broke.
First feel suggests that as and when I want replacement knives I may well look at Lakeland again. Really good weight and quality feel to this
Buy knives that feel right to you. I went to my LKS and tried a few out. No, really, I did!
Ended up with Wüsthof Classic. Nice weight, look suitably understated, feel lovely to use.
Oh ya ... these two are very nice, good and comfortable coz I have both ... 
Zwilling Chinese chef's knife TWIN® Point
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Zwilling J.A. Henckels TWIN Signature 7" Chinese Vegetable Cleaver
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[url= http://www.lakeland.co.uk/14173/Robert-Welch-Signature-Santoku-Knife ]Robert Welch Santuko knife is pretty decent and holds an edge very well[/url]
Stoner. You won't be disappointed in that breadknife.
101 for making your own bread. Get a good knife .
I can cut so thin and straight with the Lakeland knife.
Nice weight as well. Most breadknifes I've seen/used with sets regardless of how good the other knifes are seem to be cheap flexy add on knifes rather than good bread knifes.
Ive just bought a set from Procook - really nice, very sharp, well weighted. Good prices too.
VG10 is a good steel for a knife generally and it can be kept sharp easily enough.
For the love of whatever is holy, please don't put the new set through the dishwasher... It's the quickest way to kill an edge.
I'd previously have suggested Global, but having had two fail in spectacular fashion over the past 6 years, I might now suggest something else.
@chekw definitely fancy a Shun in the future, or some other fancy knife (my wife almost got me a [url= http://www.blenheimforge.co.uk/ ]Blenheim Forge[/url] for Christmas, but sadly decided otherwise) but for now I just want a half decent workhorse set for every day use that doesn't break the bank. I (or my wife) can treat me to something fancy at some point in the future.
Globals here. Unless I do something spectacularly stupid with them I can't foresee ever needing to replace them.
I'd previously have suggested Global, but having had two fail in spectacular fashion over the past 6 years, I might now suggest something else.
In the research I've done I've read of a lot of failures, so for that reason really not keen on the Global.
I can cut so thin and straight with the Lakeland knife.
Thin slices of bread?!?!
I'm out.
just this last hour taken delivery of a Lakeland full tang, fully forged, breadknife after Mrs S dropped my Evolution one and it broke.First feel suggests that as and when I want replacement knives I may well look at Lakeland again. Really good weight and quality feel to this
Got one for fresh bread which is a nightmare to slice. Looks/feels great, cuts well and would have me heading back to Lakeleand if I need another knife.
I'm pretty pleased with my Tsuki knives -
[url= https://www.247cateringsupplies.co.uk/chef-supplies/chefs-knives/tsuki-knives ]Tsuki knives[/url]
I've been buying one every Christmas for the last 4-5 years.
Have held an edge pretty well so far, and I'm waiting for a Lansky sharpening kit to arrive so I can give them all a touch-up.
I've also got an Opinel bread knife which is super sharp and cuts brilliantly.
Interesting Freeagent, those Tsuki look the same as Eden, which I guess is inevitable given Eden are just branded up from a far eastern factory. I'll be able to nip into my local Nisbets to see them in the flesh now rather than taking a punt online.
I'd not heard of Eden, but yes - they do look exactly the same.
I'm pretty pleased with them - I'm well aware they are knocked out of a far-eastern factory but I'm happy with the quality/price.
The Tsukis live in a knife roll in the drawer and only come out when I'm cooking.
My dear wife uses knives as screwdrivers and puts them through the dishwasher, so we have a cheap set for everyday use.
I'm a bit of a knife fiend and have an ever growing collection - including some amazing butchers knives which my Grandad used in the 50's/60's.
Many many moons ago I wanted to move on from my 6" Habitat 'Sabatier' knife. After a bunch of looking around I plumped for a Global G2 20cm Cook's knife. Light, a good balance of flexibility/stiffness, nice balance in the hand, easy to grip, and a delight to wash and dry. I see they're £99 on Amazon these days.
Sharpening is straightforward and it keeps its edge OK.
Naturally, since getting that one I've gathered a few more. In reality I think the only 2 I would keep if I had to make the choice are that old 20cm cook's knife and the incredibly good bread knife.
The others I have are 18cm and 14cm vegetable 'choppers', 11cm GS1 kitchen knife, GF34 27cm chef's knife (a gift).
Kind of wish I had a sushi knife but the cook's knife works OK. The vegetable choppers are great for rooty vegetables but not necessary. And the 11cm knife is great for intricate work.
I've tried a few other knives and still really like these. Though I really like the look of those Damascus steel blades [img] 
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[edit] I did try a couple of small ceramic knives for cutting tomatoes and acidic fruit but I really don't like them.
we've been using stellar knives for the last 12 years. cant fault them...easy to sharpen and once they are sharpened they cut through anything with ease
we have a Stellar Santoku and a Stellar Usuba...although he Usuba needs replacing as the bamboo handle came off
they're cheap to buy from TR Maxx
I use a largish one of these for almost all of my kitchen work. It's light, thin and cuts pretty much everything well. Good curve for quick thin slicing and chopping herbs, not much width to wedge it when cutting turnips etc. Love it really [url= https://www.rosenthal.co.uk/en/shop/products-en/cutlery-en-1/knives-en/cooking-knives/santoku-knife-125-mm-en/ ]https://www.rosenthal.co.uk/en/shop/products-en/cutlery-en-1/knives-en/cooking-knives/santoku-knife-125-mm-en/[/url]
Tesco did an offer on those Rosenthal knives a couple of years ago, you had to collect tokens and got the knives at a huge discount.
We've got the 5" Santoku which is used daily (and goes through the dishwasher daily)
Yep I think it's a 5" blade one that I use. I also got a smaller one which I have barely touched
Any decent Sabatier, and look after it.
theres a chap on here who has been known to make a chefs knife or two!!! *cough* NOT ADVERTISING COGAR 😀
that said, any of the main brand knives are pretty good these days. best to go have a feel and see what fits your hand
The dishwasher thing is amazing though. I have one knife I keep really sharp and you can tell instantly if its accidentally been through the dishwasher 🙁
OP you should get a custom knife(s) from daftvader.
Try the design like Shun Asian utility shape as that is a very nice knife shape.
I didn't say it was me chewi!!!!!
Dishwasher minerals will eat any sharp edge quickly.
I bought 3 of these around 12/13 years ago. Been very happy with them...
http://www.nipponkitchen.com/acatalog/Tojiro_DP_Range.html
(I have the 21cm chef's knife, the Usuba and the carving knife)
Any decent Sabatier, and look after it.
Im afraid, Al, that "Sabatier" is no measure of quality.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabatier
I have "a" sabatier, and it's ok, but not exceptional.
Sabatier is the maker's mark used by several kitchen knife manufacturers—by itself it is not a registered brand name. The name Sabatier is considered to imply a high-quality knife produced by one of a number of manufacturers in the Thiers region of France using a fully forged process; the knives of some of these manufacturers are highly regarded. However, the name "Sabatier" came into use before intellectual property laws and is not protected; knives legally bearing the name range from high-quality knives made in France to cheap mass-produced products of poor quality from France and other countries
Amefa sell some great knives.
[url= http://www.amefa.co.uk/richardson-sheffield/luxury-ranges/midori.aspx ]My favourite knife.[/url]
[url= http://www.amefa.co.uk/richardson-sheffield/premium-knives/kyu.aspx ]my go to every day knife.[/url]
Global here, not sure how they fail? Min have been fine for 10 plus years despite regularly going in the dishwasher 😯
Global here, not sure how they fail?
Common failure seems to be on the weld between handle and blade. To be honest I didn't even realise they were welded when I first looked at them, assumed they were one piece
[url= http://www.blok-knives.co.uk/ ]Blok Knives[/url]lovely bunch near us - stonking blades
Victorinox fibrax here too. Very sharp, good value, easy to maintain. never go in the dishwasher, why would you? how hard is a knife to clean by hand?
andyfla: stonking knives, even more stonking prices. There's a lovely bloke on this forum (forget his name, something like "smartskywalker"), does cracking knives for cracking prices. 🙂
(Though the Blok punk knife is stunning!)
If money were no object this chap would be on the shortlist -
[url= http://owenbush.co.uk/for-sale/ ]Owen Bush[/url]
I've done a knife making course with him, and he has talent and knowledge well beyond his years.
He's also Kate Bush's nephew.
Henckels here.
Great knives, although Japanese are more in fashion than German style just now. Between the decent brands, a lot comes down to personal taste and handling.
@freeagent thanks again for the heads up to Tsuki/Eden, just been in to Nisbets and sadly they are very uncomfortable in my hand as the handle is too short and also blade too shallow so my knuckles hit the chopping board when chopping. Real shame as they otherwise looked lovely and Nisbets have some great deals on them at the moment.
@simondbarnes
I'm actually quite tempted by the Tojiro, having shopped around a little more I've found some pretty good prices, or alternatively they are dirt cheap in the US so might look to pick some up when I am over next month.
How do you find they have held up to very day use? I'm slightly concerned from what I've read that perhaps the harder steel of the Japanese knives might be less convenient for an every day set for home use, as they can be more prone to breaking but also more difficult to sharpen. I'll admit that I'm not particularly enthusiastic about the time involved in getting into sharpening with stones on a regular basis and it seems that the harder metal on the Japanese knives can make this a particularly long process compared to softer steel of European knives.
I'm perhaps over thinking it and/or spending too much time looking at the really geeky end of the knife forums who are really fussy about such things.
Bought all mine (except bread knife) from [url= http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/default.html ]JCK[/url]. Come direct from Japan in a couple of days.
Some very expensive stuff on there but even the cheaper stuff is still great.
Much prefer the feel of Jap knives to Euro knives but might just be because i'm so used to them now.
Bought one of these last year:
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to replace my battered old Sabatier 20cm chefs knife. Blooming marvellous bit of kit, and the elevated handle makes it really easy to use without knuckling the chopping board. I even treated myself to a dual sided Japanese water stone and a honing paddle specifically for kitchen use.
get yourself a cheap vegetable knife and cleaver from your local chinese supermarket. The edge you can get on those is a thing of wonder and they cost you less than a tenner
This one.
tenacious_doug - Member
I'm actually quite tempted by the Tojiro, ...
Tojiro is generally fine as I have their F-920 Chinese cleaver like this one. Screaming sharp and a pleasure to use. It is no.2 medium weight so might be heavy for some but very nicely made. I love it.
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Bit of a hijack but what are people using to sharpen their knives? I've got a steel I use regularly but I could do with getting a stone or similar.
Are the pull through sharpeners terrible?
How do you find they have held up to very day use?
I've found them very easy to live with. They're the only knives I've used since I got them and I do a fair amount of cooking. I don't have a dishwasher so they've never been in one of those (just clean in soapy water) and have been kept sharp by using a ceramic sharpening wheel thingy.
mrjmt - MemberBought all mine (except bread knife) from JCK. Come direct from Japan in a couple of days.
Some very expensive stuff on there but even the cheaper stuff is still great.
Much prefer the feel of Jap knives to Euro knives but might just be because i'm so used to them now.
Yes, JCK is very good. I bought all my Japanese knives from JCK. Order is very fast and arrived on time. Excellent service.
I used to deal with Koki who has been very good with all the services. I intend to order a Fujiwara deba from them in the near future.
Any decent Sabatier, and look after it.
I bought a Boots branded Sabatier set about 20 years ago and they're still all going strong. Not very niche but they sharpen OK and cut things fine, so can't complain...
everyone - Member
Bit of a hijack but what are people using to sharpen their knives? I've got a steel I use regularly but I could do with getting a stone or similar.
I use all of them ...
For maintaining the edge quickly I use steel, diamond steel (only when necessary) and ceramic rod. I have some diamond coated stone/plate too.
Once a while I would use Shapton glass stones when needed with grid from 500, 800, 1000, 4000, 8000 then strop on leather. I also have King waterstone at 1000 grid.
The stone is then place on this when sharpening which you can buy from Axminster.
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Are the pull through sharpeners terrible?
They are fine for quick edge maintenance but if you want very sharp knives then you need to train yourself to use waterstones ...
Are you guys surgeons or what?
Bit of a hijack but what are people using to sharpen their knives? I've got a steel I use regularly but I could do with getting a stone or similar.Are the pull through sharpeners terrible?
I found this a very good guide to sharpening;
I also got his book for Christmas and can highly recommend it if you are into cooking knife porn. Only £7 on amazon at the mo;
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Knife-Cult-Craft-Culture-Cooks/dp/1849498911/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483719873&sr=8-1&keywords=tim+hayward+knife
gofasterstripes - Member
Are you guys surgeons or what?
I love sharp knives me. 😛
Sharp knives are safer to use too.
Just received a Victorinox fibrox chef knife from Amazon based on the comments here. The tip of the knife isn't a perfect point but it doesn't look like its been chipped. Is that right?
damitamit - Member
Just received a Victorinox fibrox chef knife from Amazon based on the comments here. The tip of the knife isn't a perfect point but it doesn't look like its been chipped. Is that right?
You need to show picture.
Mine looks exactly like this but with all the logos. The tip very sharp.(UK number: 5.2063.20, US: 40520)
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Not like this.
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Thanks again for all the great advice here. Just ordered a combination of Victorinox paring knives and carver, and Tojiro chefs knife and Santoku.
Mines like the bottom one but a 52003.19.
I guess its ok then?
damitamit - MemberMines like the bottom one but a 52003.19.
I guess its ok then?
If that is the original shape not damage then it is fine.
Unless the person/machine preparing the blade edge had a bad day when grinding the edge it is still fine, not perfect but fine.
Mind are all sharp like the first pic so I don't know if they have changed the grind on the tip as I bought all mine about 4 years ago.
tenacious_doug - Member
Thanks again for all the great advice here. Just ordered a combination of Victorinox paring knives and carver, and Tojiro chefs knife and Santoku.
Which Tojiro did you buy?
Once you've got them this is quite a good watch if you have a Facebook account or want to create one with them. This particular course is free
https://www.craftsy.com/cooking/classes/complete-knife-skills/35338
Which Tojiro did you buy?
The 170mm Santoku DP
http://www.knivesforchefs.co.uk/tojiro-dp-santoku-knife--f-503-blade-170mm--67-handle-120mm-1977-p.asp
And 240mm Gyuto
http://www.knivesforchefs.co.uk/tojiro-dp-gyuto-knife--f-809-blade-240mm--94-handle-125mm-1981-p.asp
I'm aware they will do fairly similar jobs but my wife is not keen to use the bigger knife day to day and there's no way we could get away with the 170mm as our biggest knife. Figured since the victorinox parers are only £4 I could afford to splash out a bit on the big ones.
I've had / used all sorts up to £150 Japanese jobs and for day to day use you can't beat Victorinox - not too expensive, easy to handle and sharpen up nicely.
The fancy ones are all very nice but having spent time in a commercial kitchen, you're better off learning how to handle a blade rather than worrying about what type of steel or label is on it - a bit like bikes really 🙂
Ive got a Vicorinox Fibrox Santoku knife which is great and only about £25. Also just treated myself to a Zelite Infinity Japanese steel santoku. Bit pricey but a lovely bit of kit!
Oh I've just figured out why you guys want such fancy knives, you eat meat. I don't!
The fancy ones are all very nice but having spent time in a commercial kitchen, you're better off learning how to handle a blade rather than worrying about what type of steel or label is on it - a bit like bikes really
+1.
Same goes for sharpening it - you're better off with a £25 knife which is sharpened to perfection, than a £150 Japanese thing which you don't know how to sharpen properly.
opinel intempora
Have a full set of Máxime Giraud Sabatiers, including some carbon steel ones. Nice but work keeping the edge on them.
Then had a set of globals which the ex now has. Probably better but buggers to sharpen.
So the knives I use mainly now are Ikea 365s, especially the santuko shaped one... 😳
More than happy to dishwash those...
tenacious_doug - Member
The 170mm Santoku DP
And 240mm Gyuto
Good choice with good Blade material (VG10 core).
The price is good too by comparison to other knives on that forum.
VG10 is very popular and good for edge maintenance.
I would choose the same knives too. 😛
I'm aware they will do fairly similar jobs but my wife is not keen to use the bigger knife day to day and there's no way we could get away with the 170mm as our biggest knife. Figured since the victorinox parers are only £4 I could afford to splash out a bit on the big ones.
Your wife could also try Nakiri at 165mm or get some small Santoku at 140mm.