Deleted.

You can pick up a 2-stage electric/manual Chef's Choice sharpener for $30 at Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Chefs-Choice-2...372120&sr=1-16

i only use coarse settings. i have worn out two chef's choice sharpners. i dumped a presto sharpner that had a pair of real grinding wheels should have kept it. i sharpen all the knives with the coarse setting. get them to the place they will cut a groove into my finger nail. some are 40 yo some are only 30 years old. none show any wear. the knives at a butcher shop are sent out a couple times a week and sharpened on a 3 or 4 foot wheel that is water cold water is dumped out of a faucet on the top of the wheel. come to baltimore and see real sharpening. those knives only last 4 or 5 years.

Henckels!
 

I've owned the Pro S series for over 13 years and wont go to another brand. They all got sharpened last month for the first time and have used them on a regular basis.
Also heard the Wusthofs are good, well balanced but never used them.

Good luck:D

Knives to buy?
 

I don't think you can go wrong with the Henkels brand and they are readily available. I use the bread knife a lot, the paring knife, the chef's knife and a boning knife as well. I have a couple of others that I like also, but am not sure what they would be called. Why not try to replace your most used knives from your current set with the comparable Henkels knife?

I am not familiar with Global knives but as I have a fair investment in the Henkels and really like them, I doubt I'll be changing soon.

Thanks! A great set of recommendations and some good brands to check out. The one thing I won't be buying is a ceramic knife. I am far too clumsy.

Tojiro -- the Japanese relatively cheap knives (at least in the same league with Wusthof) are amazingly sharp, and light and easy to use.

For sharpening, I use the Apex Edge pro system--it's a bit pricey > $100, but works very well and quickly.

Avoid ceramic
 

Ceramics cost too much and is very limited in function.

I use the WMF Spitzenklasse 10" knife.

I value the weight and balance of a full-tang knife and this one surprised me with a very good ability to keep its edge for some time. Consider I cook at least once a day, at least 6 days a week.

Not too pricey too!

Interested! Please post. :)

Thanks! ^

Nobody has mentioned Forschner knives!! They're a good value for a basic knife. I would recommend (as mentioned previously) that you find a knife that is comfortable in your grip/hand and also is a good weight/balance for you.

I don't like the Cutco knives for several reasons:

+ Indentations on the handle are in a place where I'm not comfortable holding the knife.
+ Most blades are too thick and hard to hone.
+ All of their serrated knives are just crap and they shred the food.
+ They offer free sharpening, but you're without your knives for a few weeks and you pay the shipping.

Wüstof, Henkels, and some other European knives are excellent, but you must read the label and information. Some are being made in China and being sold for about the same price. Target sells these and they are not the same quality.

I've noticed rather large price differences between the Henckels manufactured in China and those manufactured in Germany.

henkel makes 12 grades of knife. the quality of the knife is in the steel. i have a couple cuisinarts thet were made by henkel in china. good steel. good steel is hard. makes a ringing sound when touched to the wheel, and throws sparks. crummy steel has a dull, low sound, and there is a lot of pull on the knife.

Cutco + Most blades are too thick and hard to hone. take the knifes to a commercial grinding company(or ask your butcher to send them for you) they will reshape them on a wet wheel that is about 6' tall.

sabatier has no control over product. they license the name.

gerber, forschner and wustof also make great knives.

I personally prefer the weight and feel of the Japanese knives. I have a MAC, and love it.

It's worthwhile to invest in a high-quality chef's knife and paring knife. That's all you really need. I advise against spending a lot of money getting a complete set.

i used to see knife threads pop up frequently and i used to expound with this long long treatise on what to get and for what reasons and why to eschew blindly buying brand names (eg wusthof/henckels), and then i found myself repeating the dialogue over, and over, and over again

now ill simply say: i have messermeister (meridian elite), forschner (rosewood handle), and a mega impressive deba knife from Kintaka in kyoto....and i like them all for very specific and rational reasons, and use them all equally

I've always owned Wusthof, and was more or less happy.

Then, on a trip to Kyoto I bought a wonderful Japanese caving knife and yearned for more like it.

For anyone close to Chicago who's reading this thread, you need to make your way to Northwestern Cutlery, which is at 810 W. Lake Street.

They have several lines of Japanese knives, including Global among others. After talking to the great sales staff for awhile I settled on Shun, and bought 3 and will likely soon go back for more. Sharp, light as a feather, they cut like a dream.

Their website is www.nwcutlery.com and they have free shipping over $50. Almost everything is always 20% off retail, and my Shun knives were in the $80-$100 range.

They also offer on the spot sharpening for something like $3.50 a knife. I took my my Kyoto knife with some trepidation, but it came out cutting like new.