Originally posted by corsair:
quote:
Originally posted by parabellum:Victorinox Chef's Knives. They have a very broad selection of reasonably prced knives and they are made in Switzerland, not disgusting China.

Bingo, probably the best value knives on the market. Stamped but, used widely by the food service industry.

Victorinox/Forschner w/ the Fibrox handles are the best performance/dollar value kitchen knives. Mercer is another brand popular in the restaurant industry and made in Taiwan. If you're on a tight budget, these two brands are the way to go, and they're both dishwasher safe.

I also went with America’s Test Kitchen recommendation of Victorinox/Forschner w/ the Fibrox handles. Have only actually sharpened it once in almost 2 years. On a rare occasion, it will get a swipe on the steel. A quick hand wash then wiped dry and back in the block it goes. Best $45 I ever spent.
Back when I would butcher a deer or two each year, I’d use a Green River knife like the ones a friend would buy for the workers in his meat packing business. It was ugly as sin, but it only cost $4 and was a good cutter. YMMV

I have the Spain knives, some German, some Japanese, and the Spain knives are "just" barely better than Chinese.

I would not pay a premium for Spain knives.

I've mentioned before that I worked in a prison kitchen years ago. The inmates used Sams club chef's knives that cost $7 each, and they used the same knives for YEARS for 8 hours a day chopping lettuce and vegetables. When I was bored, I would pick up the knife and chop carrots or whatever to help out for an hour or two at a time. The knives were ergonomic, did not hurt the hand, comfortable and sharp for hours on end. Long story short, I use the same exact knife in my kitchen 90% of the time. I bypass the $150 Japanese and German kitchen knives, and pick up this $7 knife almost every time. You can abuse it and not care. Throw it away when it gets dull and not care, if you want. They do sharpen pretty good though.

https://www.samsclub.com/p/bak...rich-relevance.rr0_1

https://www.samsclub.com/p/7-s...rich-relevance.rr0_1

quote:

Originally posted by bubbatime:
I have the Spain knives, some German, some Japanese, and the Spain knives are "just" barely better than Chinese.

I would not pay a premium for Spain knives.

I've mentioned before that I worked in a prison kitchen years ago. The inmates used Sams club chef's knives that cost $7 each, and they used the same knives for YEARS for 8 hours a day chopping lettuce and vegetables. When I was bored, I would pick up the knife and chop carrots or whatever to help out for an hour or two at a time. The knives were ergonomic, did not hurt the hand, comfortable and sharp for hours on end. Long story short, I use the same exact knife in my kitchen 90% of the time. I bypass the $150 Japanese and German kitchen knives, and pick up this $7 knife almost every time. You can abuse it and not care. Throw it away when it gets dull and not care, if you want. They do sharpen pretty good though.

https://www.samsclub.com/p/bak...rich-relevance.rr0_1

https://www.samsclub.com/p/7-s...rich-relevance.rr0_1

Those look REALLY similar to the Victorinox knives mentioned. Almost identical......or could be made by Dexter Russel. Both Victorinox and Dexter Russel are good knives for stamped but don't hold a candle to some of the forged German/Japanese brands mentioned above.

I have several family members who are a competitive BBQers, and those white handled Sams Club knives are what they use for competitions, large catering gigs, etc.

They come sharp enough out of the package, hold an edge for a while, and are cheap enough to just toss if they get abused or dull.

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:Those look REALLY similar to the Victorinox knives mentioned. Almost identical......or could be made by Dexter Russel. Both Victorinox and Dexter Russel are good knives for stamped but don't hold a candle to some of the forged German/Japanese brands mentioned above.

NSF food services knives are pretty much gonna all look the same...synthetic handles, stamped blade, cheap enough to be abused and put into the auto washer. A food service-type quality knife works for most users the majority of home cooks barely care for their blades on a regular bases let alone use their knives correctly.

Only your more up-scale restaurants are going to be using fall-tang blades, and those are likely to be property of the chefs themselves who are bringing their own tools to work.