How much would you/have you paid for a kitchen knife?

[Cycleops]

300 squid should buy the finest handmade steel cooks knife between Damascus and Toledo. Or a set of professional cooks knives made in Solingen. I would be happy with either.

Can't they make knives in Sheffield any more? Used to make the finest knives and cutlery.

 

[figbat]

My ‘good’ knife was just over £50 - a Robert Welch 18cm chef’s knife. A good knife just makes prep work a joy.

 

[Eziemnaik]

I have some decent knives

Masamoto Vg
Aritsugu Swedish
CCK cleaver
Carbonext
Misono swedish
And many more...
None of them has cost me more than 150quid
All of them should outperform anything you can buy from Miyabi, Global, or any other "posh" knifemaker

One of my most commonly us d knives if vic fibrox fish fillet - had it for 10 years
It has seen 20kg salmons, deboned chickens, peeled tons of potatoes, opened countless cardboard boxes and costs new about 20quid

All things considered above a certain price point any improvement in performance is purely in your head (and that price point is closer to 100£ than to 200£) even if you work exclusively with fresh fish for sushi

Another important thing is I prefer to have a 10£ knife and a 100£ whetstone than reverse

If anybody is looking for a decent, cheap set of knives I would say forget it and get 3 : chefs/gyuto, bread and petty/pairing - victorinox is hard to beat in lower price bracket (I have seen michellin chefs prep weddings with vic bread/pastry knife)

 

[Eziemnaik]

Even if not better than my Masamoto VG I would not mind this for xmass
https://japanesechefsknife.com/prod...ckel-damascus-wa-gyuto-240mm-9-4-inch-scl-146

 

[Pale Rider]

My best knife is the one I've just sharpened.

Not an entirely flippant comment.

I've seen some chefs sharpen the knife after every few slices during a prep session.

I think it may depend on the hardness of the steel.

Soft steel will be easier to sharpen, but need doing so more often.

Harder steel may need less sharpening, but it can be so hard to get an edge on it, it is never truly sharp.

 

[jayonabike]

The family clubbed together to get me some decent knives for my birthday back in July.
They are flint & flame knives and I have an 8” chefs knife, 8” santoku and the carving set.
Razor sharp and a joy to use.The chefs knife was £130, Santoku was £135 and the carving set £195

 

[Eziemnaik]

My best knife is the one I've just sharpened.

Not an entirely flippant comment.

I've seen some chefs sharpen the knife after every few slices during a prep session.

I think it may depend on the hardness of the steel.

Soft steel will be easier to sharpen, but need doing so more often.

Harder steel may need less sharpening, but it can be so hard to get an edge on it, it is never truly sharp.

IME it is the softer, European stainless (anything like 1.4116 and below, but that obviously depends just as much on a heat treatment) that is usually harder to sharpen.
Being soft it has higher toughness and abrasion resistance on the stones, which makes it a b*tch to produce a burr and then properly deburr. Stainless from Takefu or Swedish steels are usually less tough, but harder so sharpening is somewhat easier. It is untill we get to powdered metallurgy steels that reach hardness over 65r sharpening may become royal pain in the backside (zdp189 is often cited as it).
On the other side everything (almost) made with carbon will always (almost) be easier to sharpen than stainless (has something to do with Cr forming hard, chunky carbides, which make producing an even edge harder) . Even softer carbon will respond better to abrading than stainless, so if you are happy to live with rusting and more maintenance you will have easier sharpening.
Or you could always get something semi stainless and live with the best and worst from both worlds

If you would like to support British product I do recommend having a look at Dan Pendergast knives and Blenheim Forge.
Both do have their own style, not my cup of tea, but certainly very interesting.

 

[Eziemnaik]

I think the last knife I bought was about £70. I'd have no qualms about paying twice that if I had to replace it. In fact though it's pukka Sabbatier made in Thiers I don't think it's half as good as my other different-make Sabbatier, so I may yet shell out for a Wusthof or Jap knife. For something you are going to use every single day even the slightest improvement is worth paying almost any amount for. Admittedly £300 you are likley paying for "nicer" rather than "better" but I don't think that can be a waste for something you use a lot, and I only cook at home

Thiers is probably as good as Sabatier will get...
Especially if carbon, as satinless is soft as butter...
In the end it will be only as good as your sharpening - too many people are impressed with out of the box sharpness, which will last 1 prep session in pro environment or a week at home, and then what?

 

[Pale Rider]

In the end it will be only as good as your sharpening

That's my experience.

Sometimes I can sharpen my favourite knife easily, but on other occasions I get frustrated with scraping the ruddy thing through my cheap Ikea sharpener dozens of times to no avail.

A three hundred quid knife would be wasted in my kitchen.

 

[Eziemnaik]

Never too late to buy 30£ whetstone which will last a lifetime of home use and on top of that you learn a new skill

 

[Pale Rider]

Never too late to buy 30£ whetstone which will last a lifetime of home use and on top of that you learn a new skill

True, but I lack the patience.

And I can get a sharp enough edge to slice the cover off my ready meal.

 

[winjim]

Never too late to buy 30£ whetstone which will last a lifetime of home use and on top of that you learn a new skill

A proper whetstone will give the best edge, but I find my Minosharp gives good enough results without needing the time or the skill.

You mentioned bread knives, I use a carving knife to cut bread, I find it much easier and neater.

 

[screenman]

Tax deductible, I presume.. 👍🏼

He still has to pay for it.

 

[Eziemnaik]

A proper whetstone will give the best edge, but I find my Minosharp gives good enough results without needing the time or the skill.

You mentioned bread knives, I use a carving knife to cut bread, I find it much easier and neater.

Guilty as well
Any softer bread goes through chef knife
On the other hand, hard crust is usually better with decent bread knife

When doing roast in huge volumes I sometimes use bread/pastry knife instead of carving so whatever works for you

 

[stephec]

Cheap and cheerdul for me. I have no intention of buying anything that will last longer than me.

That's about £2.50 then? 😂