German Knves vs. Japanese Knives

Big Poppa

Administrator
Ever since I first started cooking seriously 25 years ago I discovered how important good knives were to the hobby...Back then I couldnt afford to get decent ones so I begged and got xmas gifts and such.

I went through Henkels, Wustoff and then I discovered Kyocera Ceramic and I went nuts on those...at the time you couldnt re sharpen them you had to return them to the head us office....but one by one the started chipping and breaking...bummer when they were new they were soooooooo sharp it was scary. Next stop...Mac knives.....still great just expensive...then I stumbled upon Shun...Wow this was the knife for me! I bought them as xmas gifts 2010 and bought several for myself.... I'm over it...or "Why I have decideed to sell Messermeister knives"

Here is a pic of what happened to many of mine and this one is my daughter in law who handed me and asked if I could get these notches out.....
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Before anyone jump at me on this...Im sure that she could have taken better care...not all of them do this...but

The secret to the super sharpness is a alloy steel that is super hard and then extra hardened....you cannot get a shun or others made with this material sharp as new ...even with an apex....The upside is a super sharp start...the downside is that the harder the steel the more brittle it is at the super thin cutting edge....brittle=chips and chunks.

Now to the german steel...it is softer....it is nearly as sharp at the outset but it does not
have the propensity to chip...it will dent and bend if you really abuse it...but here is where the good part is. With a softer steel you can resharpen and bring it to an even sharper than new..just takes regular maintenance.

The Messermeister knives are in three levels. The top of the line is the finest german steel you can get. The middle line is killer and the low line competes very favorably with Forschner and victorionox...(those two are made in the same factory)

I still use some of my Shuns...I am super careful....but in my comp bag is Messermeister
 

squirtthecat

New member
I have some small Shun knives that look just like that.. Not sure what I could have done to dent them, but they have some serious 'dings' in them now.
 

TTNuge

New member
I love my Wustoff's but when the time comes to buy a dedicated knife for competitions it will definitely be a Messermeister. Just hope that isn't the first step down a slippery slope.
 

Meat Man

New member
I love my Forschner work knives, been using them for 35 years, durable and easy to put an edge on. I've never chipped one, and in all those years I think I've snapped two in half. We are hard on knives prying, chopping, and dropping, but they do require regular maintenance. Damascus steel is they way to go, we bought a Santoku two years ago, what a blade. I like Kyocera ceramic knives especially in the smaller utility size. One thing that folks may not realize is that the poly cutting boards are very hard on the edges of your knives, they are convienet and dishwasher safe, but will dull an edge more quickly than wood.
 

sparky

New member
i like to use my kitchen scissors. i cant cut myself w/ scissors. most of the time i use knifes i just butcher the meat badly. :(
 

smokerjoe

New member
I have Shun (Kramer Line) then I got a couple handmade Japanese knifes and they are so sharp it's scary. Hard blue carbon steel core laminated between softer stainless steel, they keep an edge really good. Haven't had any issue with the Shun's either. I really like them.

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Chili Head

New member
Odd how this subject just came up. I was reading about the knives BP sells yesterday. Checked out the makers website among others. I've been wanting some good knives for the last two years and haven't pulled the trigger yet. I'm really not liking my 20 year old Chicago cutlery..

My question is.. Which knives are must haves? I know I want a good chopping knife for veggies and one to cut large cuts of meat. I can see where a cleaver type knife would be handy as well for cutting chicken bone ect.
What do you guys recomend?
 

sparky

New member
you cut meat with scissors?

yes. chicken, trim ribs, cut fat off of briskets. works well for me. some ppl have knife skills. i do not. you have to use your strengths. mine is w/ scissors. plus i have posted some of my briskets and other cuts of meat here that i used a knife to trim the fat off w/. ppl laughed at my knife skills. i really don't care what ppl think about my knife skills. scissors work for me. :)
 
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Meat Man

New member
I would recommend a 4-5 inch utility knife, a 7-8 inch chefs knife, and a santoku 6-7 inch. A good set of poultry sheers will cut through most bones you'll need to cut through. Purchase a good steel to keep up the edges. If you want nice slicer look for something in the 10-12 inch length.
 

Big Poppa

Administrator
Smoker Joe I think the japanese knives are works of art...I still owne about 15....I just think for what and how I use knives that I have come back around full circle to Germal Forgen Steel for pratical purposes. THe Shuns and such are really great but be careful of chipping and you will never be able to resharpen them....great light use knives.
 

squirtthecat

New member
I need a good slicer... This might be the time to pull the trigger on one. My SoCal neice/nephew gave me enough BPS bucks to get a nice one. (and a bottle of SOW marinade ;))
 
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