Pretty Good cheap kitchen knives

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UncleS2

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If nothing less than multi-hundred-$$ knives will do for you, please read no further.

How about 3 very useful types of knives, good-enough quality, for $14.99 *shipped*? 4" paring, 5" serrated utility, & a 6" Santoku type, with a plastic case to hold all 3?

OK, points some may quibble over- they *ain't* expensive, have bright colored plastic handles & a Food Channel Guru(Guruess? Guruette?) name on 'em- Rachel Ray. Still, I thought they looked pretty good for $15 total(and have wanted a middling-size chefs or Santoku knife, & another good tomato knife never hurts), so I ordered a set a few minutes ago. Other ad copy elsewhere sez not for dishwasher. Mine *Will* go thru the DW, will report on any apparent bad effects in a month or 3. For anyone interested, here's a link:

http://1saleaday.store.buy.com/p/furi-rachael-ray-gusto-grip-three-knife-set/217176747.html
 
I get Henkels forged when they are on sale.

I beat on mine, throw them in the DW and they do get cracks in the handles, and I'll use them even if the handles fall off.

If I can't sharpen a knife myself or they don't hold an edge I get annoyed with them, more than the $14.99 is worth.

Are they over rated? Yes, but I enjoy cooking a bit and like to fool myself into thinking I am a bit of a chef with these low quality slicers.

I just don't bother with dollar store cooking implements. Just a bit of a pride thing. A set of Henkels on sale is not all that much more expensive and I trust that they can at least hold an edge for a week.
 
Hmmm, endorsing knives before you have tried them... and with stamped steel blades no less.

I also have forged Henkels, most from the early 1990s. After two decades of use, I can say that I am pleased with their ability to hold an edge.

Since then forged knives have become available at much lower price points. I've tried a few, and found that some are good and others dull quickly. But you can't tell the difference between them just by looking and there isn't any brand name consistency.

My recommendation for low-end knives is buying ones with ceramic blades. They start under $10 and range from pretty good to great, rather than from abysmal to pretty good with stamped steel blades.
 
Best kitchen knife I ever bought was $4.99 at Publix. I still have it after 12 years.
 
Blade sharpness is directly related to the metal hardness. I believe all knives are similar in this respect. Short of going to a ceramic blade, I doubt there is a lot of difference among the knives, with the exception of some cheapies that may use soft metal. The real difference among knives is the handle.

All my knives are at least 20 years old. I sharpen them every month.
 
Originally Posted By: Cristobal
I have some kitchen knives from at least 1980.

They lasted this long, so I will still have them when I cash in my chips.


Longevity isn't the important feature. The ability to hold an edge and easily re-sharpen is.

My mother has some knives that barely post-date flint. They need to be sharpened almost every time I visit, and are dull by the time I leave. They are quite a bit narrower than when new, but still have many years of frustration left.
 
I'm not endorsing anything, just pointing out what looks like a pretty good buy, since it's selling for less than half normal price.
I consider any kitchen knife a simple tool. Anything one can do with a forged knife, someone else can do with a stamped knife. Some knives sharpen easier, some stay sharp longer, a rare few stinkers barely take an edge at all. Some feel better to one person & worse to another. There's nothing magic about any of them, no matter how much you spend.
wink.gif
 
I pretty much use a chef's knife for everything. I learned how to fillet fish with such a knife, and now cannot fillet a fish very well with a real fillet knife.

That said, I have a High carbon steel blade dating probably back to the 1950's that I can get ridiculously sharp. It was my Granddad's. It needs to be cleaned promptly and oiled in between uses, but holds its razor edge for a long time if treated right.

My most used knife is a "stainless" steel dollar store special chef's knife I bought to be disposable, and was surprised by the blade thickness and handle construction. I can get it good and sharp but the edge does not last long. Been using it 10+ years, daily now, and am still surprised with it.

I think the skill of the knife sharpener is as important as the knife itself. I get a lot of practice, my neighbors now bring me their knives after I watched one crushing tomatoes with a knife so dull it was as effective as a spoon. Some of their knives are very nice. It is a shame how some people use and treat them.

Been interested in ceramics, but honestly the dollar store special powers on and I'd rather spend $$ on things I need.
 
Originally Posted By: Stuart Hughes
Some knives sharpen easier, some stay sharp longer, a rare few stinkers barely take an edge at all.


That's not correct, and it shows a lack of education about knife sharpening. If you're having difficulty putting an edge on a knife it's because you're either using the wrong steel or you simply don't know what you're doing.


I assume, since you're discussing sharpening knives, that you understand that there are different grades of steel used in knife blades. And I also assume that you know that your sharpening steel needs to be matched to the grade of the knife blade, correct? For example, if you have a knife with an RC hardness of 58-60, and try to use a steel rated for RC 52-58 it's not going to work. Or if you have a knife with RC 52-58 and try to use a steel made for 60-65 it's going to be too aggressive and cause damage.

The knives to which you link are cheap, consumer grade knives. They may perform adequately for someone who doesn't know any better. But I'll stick to decent quality knives that, after a pass over the steel, will slice paper or remove the hair from your arm. If you want a decent knife and a reasonable price, you can find much better than those. Rada makes a decent knife and a very economical price point, and it has the advantage of being made in the USA, rather than junk from China.

The knives to which you link would never be in my kitchen. Period.
 
When I was married, we bought a set of $$$ Wusthof knives because she knew someone that worked at a store that sold them and we got the employee discount. The balance and handles are very nice but they don't hold an edge for (censored).

Later, I bought a set of the $30 "Chef Tony" Miracle Blade III and those things stay sharp for a long time. Very nice handles and ergonomic as well. They don't have the balance that the Wusthof knives do though.

The steak knives are the best I've ever used and sharp to this day.

I regret the expensive ones, but not the cheapo set.
 
I'm cheap, but so far I'm satisfied with the Hampton knives that I got in the house. They are about $15 each. The cheaper no name one tends to rust at the handle and get dull sooner but once sharpened they work about the same.
 
My parents have a Chinese chef knife (might actually be a bone cleaver) at home that my dad sharpens regularly. I'm actually afraid of using it because it can cut through bone effortlessly.
 
Originally Posted By: asiancivicmaniac
My parents have a Chinese chef knife (might actually be a bone cleaver) at home that my dad sharpens regularly. I'm actually afraid of using it because it can cut through bone effortlessly.


I remember my Taiwanese friends and families rave about the "Golden Gate" (Kinmen) chef knife / bone cleaver. KinMen is an island on the front line between Taiwan and mainland China's civil war and was bombarded on a regular basis with Soviet mortar shell. The locals collect the steel and smelt them into knives and cleavers.
 
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I got a kyocera ceramic blade that I like a lot... not the cheapest, but something different...
 
While I've always been a big fan of anything casted/forged from Solingen, Deutchland, lately, I realised that there are some good stuff made in China and Portugal.

These are "purportedly" made of German Moly steel, grading unknown...but they stay sharp nicely and can hold the edge, just like my (cherished) real Hanckel(Solingen) knife that I bought used .

For everyday use, I use some cheep chinese santoku one and hone it before cutting. Stay sharp for approx. 3 dinner preparations before requiring honing again.

Also: got a Chinese cast (suspiciously Chrome-Moly sourced from Germany) "ciao-si-fu" (translation: cute daughter-in-law, funny but legit brand name) bone cleaver that costs only a fraction of the price of a Wustoff cleaver/Hanckels) but holds it's edge for many, many months (tend to chop chicken once every 2 weeks). In fact: I have yet to sharpen or hone it since I bought it 1.5yrs ago.

For the most part: what you pay is what you get and that is true and not all drop-forged/forged 1pc knifes are good...

Q.
 
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