Knives

[VERYBADBOY]

My Henckels were made in Spain and Germany with the exception of my Miyabi's Damascus knives which are hand crafted in Japan. Also own 2 Korin knives that are also hand made in Japan.

If you are interested in the craft I would suggest you watch Forged in Fire on the History channel.

VBB

 

[basketcase]

The flaw in your plan is that they are all made in China,....

There are plenty of smaller businesses, even hand forged knives.

Some ideas (though they aren't cheap).
https://www.knivesshipfree.com/kitchen-knives/

And yes, learn a proper sharpening technique.

 

[art van dele]

Global is pretty good. Both Tap phong in china town and Nikolau on Queen west have good selections of knives that are not crazily priced.

 

[SirWanker]

Before investing in some high-end knives, try using various knife-types and lengths to determine the ones you're comfortable with.
Ditto with learning how to sharpen knives

 

[JackBurton]

Thanks for all the input. Yes, I think it is right that one only needs a few good knives, perhaps only one would do. But, I am hooked on the beauty and engineering in them now. You know, those white carbon steel blades wrapped in 100 layers of stainless steel with a Damascus pattern? Fucking gorgeous. Also fucking expensive. But, I have not been hobbying much lately so I have a grand or two to blow on knives.

As always, trial and error is going to be the name of the game. But, do any of you know of a Japanese bladesmith who still forges his own knives? A lot of the Japanese stuff is mass produced today, but I would be willing to pay for a top notch blade from a recognized "Master". So much shit to weed through on the Internet. Anyway thanks for the ideas.

Clear your mailbox?

 

[GameBoy27]

Tosho's website.

https://www.toshoknifearts.com/

The nice thing about Tosho is you can handle all the knives to get a feel the weight, balance etc. I love this store!

There are plenty of smaller businesses, even hand forged knives.

Some ideas (though they aren't cheap).
https://www.knivesshipfree.com/kitchen-knives/

And yes, learn a proper sharpening technique.

Tosho used to have sharpening classes.

 

[Galseigin]

Which knives are best for doing "hot knives"?

Butter knifes!! Nice and wide LOL

 

[tobermory]

Hacher & Crain at 256 DuPont is a must visit for very good knives and going up in quality from there. Owner is super knowledgeable.

 

[GameBoy27]

it's ALLLLL in the sharpeners

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dFFEBnY0Bo

check that out, it's a japanese guy with an awesome sharpening set sharpening a $1 knife until it's sharp enough to cut thru anything.

i also like this other video where he cleans up this rusty knife: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XW-XdDe6j0

Sorry, not all about sharpening. If that was the case, why don't Chefs use them? Because there's also weight, balance, feel and the fact that the Dollar Store knife won't hold an edge for long.

 

[essguy_]

Sorry, not all about sharpening. If that was the case, why don't Chefs use them? Because there's also weight, balance, feel and the fact that the Dollar Store knife won't hold an edge for long.

Agree 100%. Also - the guy in the video knows how to sharpen but the “rusty knife” that he sharpens is actually a handmade Japanese knife and not nearly as old or abused as claimed in the video. The giveaways? Check out the nearly pristine wooden handle. Then check out the shape, depth, straightness, and cutting edge - all like new. Likely a fairly new knife that was left wet purposely and repeatedly to create rust for the video. My Japanese knives will start to rust in a matter of hours if they are washed and left wet. A truly abused steel knife will have pits from the rust, and likely nicks in the blade, and the handle would be dirty.

It’s a great video to show the steps to restore a knife, but it was staged and the story is BS.

 

[VERYBADBOY]

It's all in the steel and workmanship to get a blade finished. A well made knife can last a very long time if properly taken care of.

VBB

 

[shack]

any knife that you basically never want to use again for anything else

Truer words were never spoken.

 

[Twister]

Truer words were never spoken.

Why, can't you sand them down and clean them up?

 

[basketcase]

Why, can't you sand them down and clean them up?

It will ruin the temper of the steel so it is no longer hard and won't keep an edge.


As an aside, anyone know a place in Toronto where you can learn to forge knives?