knife recommendations

[RainDog]

I agree with several above that for 90% of people these days your best bet is to buy cheap ceramic knives and replace them every few years. They stay sharp much longer than steel, but cannot be re-sharpened as easily. With this plan, you will always have a sharp knife and in the long run, it is no more expensive.

The only exception would be for people who want a really sharp knife and are willing to sharpen them regularly and hone them on every use. If you are one of these people, then, by all means, a steel knife is a better idea. However the vast majority of people will not hone/sharpen them, so will end up with a very expensive dull knife, instead of a cheap sharp knife if they go the ceramic route.

If you decide steel is for you (ie, you will hone it every use and sharpen it regularly) then you have two good options:

1) buy a Victorinox or similar knife at the restaurant supply store. These are what the vast majority of professionals use. They are great knives that last a long time. They are lighter than the below options, which can be good or bad depending on preference.
2) buy a German knife (Henkels, Wusthof, etc.) or one of the massed produced Japanese brands. These are mid-range knives. Heavier than the above knives and with a nicer finish, but don't cut any better. About twice the price. Better if you like a heavy knife.

You really only need 2 knives for 90% of work: A chefs knife or santoku and a pairing knife. For the other 10%, you only need 2 more: a serrated slicer for bread and carving meat and a boning knife if you do your own butchery.

[Clamdigger]

Rsn, you seem to have your galley knives squared away, and know how to care for them, so why the post? I was nt sure you were asking about a boat knife or galley knives initially.

[rsn48]

Rsn, you seem to have your galley knives squared away, and know how to care for them, so why the post? I was nt sure you were asking about a boat knife or galley knives initially.

If you look at the original post date, it was August 11. I had just purchased an older 28 foot express cruiser a few weeks before and was provisioning it, so galley knives. I'm not a knife snob, but maybe just a little bit as I do sharpen my own knives and hone them constantly (as we all should). The state of the art for knife maintenance in North America on average is appalling.

I have Henckels at home but I bought Victorinox knives for the galley. The Henckels Santoku is incredible and I use it most of the time. I bought one of the company that made Swiss Army knives, Wenger smaller Santoku and it also is a great knife but the company was bought out in 2005.

For a boat knife, I bought a corked handled Helle knife. Here's a one minute vid about the Helle knife:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSEhVWDqY_M

And for a hoot watch this vid about the Company Helle: [I have a soft spot for Helle knives] And they aren't crazy expensive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hadgpin6LSU&t=2s

[J.Kitchens]

I have an 8" Chef and a 3.25" Pairing knife; both are Victorinox. They are affordable and absolutely amazing. They come crazy sharp and all I do to maintain them is run them across a diamond sharpener after each use.

I liked them so much I ordered a second set for my camper van.

[rsn48]

Once you start using Santoku knives, you become addicted. The Victorinox Black 7" Swiss Classic Santoku is a little bit too thick in the blade for my taste but I still like it. This was one of three knives I bought for the boat:

https://www.cookstore.ca/victorinox-...EaAp-KEALw_wcB

[Alan Mighty]

Originally Posted by rsn48

Once you start using Santoku knives, you become addicted.

Really? And you'd pass up a Gyuto knife, such as a Damascus steel from Yoshihiro Cutlery, for that?

https://www.echefknife.com/product/y...g-silver-ring/

[john61ct]

When your kitchen knife costs more than the boat. . .

8-)

[LoudMusic]

Originally Posted by Suijin

I have a quality Henckels santoku knife that I’ve had for years. So far, it has not rusted on the boat.

I like santoku knives, which are basically sheepsfoot knives, because they are more convenient for tight spaces and small cutting boards and they are safer.

Attachment 175271

I also have two ceramic paring knives which have lasted well.

Same here. My 6" Henckel santoku is my favorite knife. It came in a block set I got for the house and I wanted a second one for the boat, but all I could find were individual 8" version. So now we have an 8 at the house and a 6 on the boat!

[frozenhawaiian]

unless you're buying utter garbage made of cheap pot metal or forking over serious cash for carbon steel knives you'll be getting stainless steel knives so as far as corrosion resistance you'll be fine unless you're washing them with salt water and then putting them away wet and leaving them for weeks on end. as for brand the best bang for your buck is going to be victorinox. my recommendation is to get an 8in chefs knife, a bread knife and a paring knife and a boning or fillet knife for breaking down fish. also do yourself a favor and get a honing rod and a sharpener to keep your edges up.

[Clamdigger]

As a knife user and collector, last count was over 200, and 25 kitchen galley knives, I have my own favorites. I grew up wearing a belt knife and have always had one on me since age 8. Spending time outdoors I always found a need for a knife in my pursuits.

In a kitchen or galley I care for my knives, and enjoy using all of them for their designed purposes. Just took out a cleaver today, ok, it was only to get a gang of tom turkeys off my deck! I told them turkey day is coming and if they poop up my deck any more I ll invite over some hearty eaters lol!

[KnotToday]

I 2nd this choice in blades Suijin. They are well balanced and just feel right. Mine are 10 years sharp as of this month

[grecko]

I have my Dexter Rrussell for more than a decade now, and no signs of rust.

[WingRyder]

I have several Mora's and a couple of bushcrafting knives. I can't sharpen knives to save my life, but all my knives have a scandinavian grind (not accident), and thus very easy to sharpen. Mora knives are bullet proof, very strong and are ridiculously inexpensive. IMO, they are the best all purpose knife around (IMO), Strong enough for deck duty, excellent in the kitchen, and easy to sharpen. Being carbon steel, they rust... but an easy solution to that is to put an acid patina on the knives, using vinegar or mustard, to mitigate rust.

Expensive kitchen knives are wasted on me, since I can't seem to sharpen them. ... and god know's I've tried! The alloy used, plays a big factor in their ability to hold an edge.

You all have me curious about ceramic knives. I've never tried them. But now I'm intrigued.

[a64pilot]

Wife really likes our ceramic knives, however as we wash in fresh water, I don’t think they are needed for corrosion, but she likes them anyway.
They are fragile, you won’t bend a ceramic knife point.

[SVNeko]

Our Global knives did not rust at all aver 5 years aboard and many salt water washings.