As someone who cooks for a living I have the luxury of having coworkers who use a whole range of brands, sizes, and materials. For those that don't have that luxury go into Williams- Sonoma and play with their knives, just do not buy them there. Find something you like and then go to either Korin.com or Knifemerchant.com. They both carry western and japanese knives. My personal favorites are my 270mm carbon slicer, my 6" poultry knife and my 8" bread slicer, all made by masahiro.