I have been collecting professional kitchen knives for over 20 years.
I've probably purchased 250 various kitchen knives and cleavers in the
last 30 years. I rarely buy new knives although I did break down to
buy a Shun paring knife and long sashimi deba and a Henkel Santoku,
and a variety of high, mid and low end knives in Japan. On our ranch
we sometimes have big parties easts or holiday spread and our 3 prep
stations and 2 cutting islands are all busy then. I've learned to
sharpen, grind and refurbish knives so well that some visitors don't
like handling them (scary sharp). Even when helpers bring their own
knives, a few of them always try out some of my knives they've never
heard of (usually with great results and tremendous surprise), no
matter how expensive were their carry-along sets. Whenever my
collection starts using up living space my rlatives tell me what kind
of cooking they do and I make up a custom set to suit them complete
with storage blocks (there are about a dozen of those out there
including a set used by a brother-in-law for his chef work in
restaurants).

Many brands like Cutmore/Cozzini Bros of Chicago and Hook-Eye of
Indiana seem to be out of business. But by rescuing these great knives
I feel like I'm preserving pieces of historical practical physics
Americana. It's true that finding a great left-handed 7 inch long Deba
is tough, but they make and sell some really nice one's in every
department store in Japan (along with some really handy Nakiri knives
for vegetables). IMO the best 15 inch knife designed to cut slices off
full rounds of roast beef is the one once made in Japan for Vernco. It
was so sharp that at any point on its 12 inch blade it can shave my
face like a straight razor (and did so twice on bets). And all of
today's hype about vanadium molybdenum stainless steel is a yawner for
someone whose seem the same steel in knives made 30-40 years ago.

I've always felt that cheap serrated-edge knives like those sold on TV
(no offense Chef Tony) really did the American chef a disservice.
Chicago Cutlery, Ontario and many others have been making great knives
at reasonable prices for the last century. Restaurant sharpening
services have been charging less than $3 per knife to put shave-able
edges on knives for the past 50 years. Some restaurant kitchen brands
like Martello and Nella still make excellent knives (as Dexter/
Forschner does) and many others knives have come along from Brazil,
Italy and China rivaling knives made in Germany and Japan. If Henkel 4
Star knives come bearing the "Made in China" label, then maybe it's
how a knife is made, what it's made of and how it's sharpened that
matters, not where it's made. I have a terrific forged 7 inch long
Santoku from Farberware that I bought at Wal Marts (made in China) and
once I sharpened it on my paper wheel, it amazes people who swore by
their Wustofs and Henkels. Sometimes I even like the unusual handles
on decent knives (cheap Chef Mates from Target have excellent handles
as do Ergo from Sweden).

If any of you kitchen knife collectors have favorites that aren't
mentioned often maybe we should talk about them here so buyers on a
budget can buy very high quality knives that will work as well as
anything made by Kershaw/Kai, Henkel, Wustof, Global and/or Kyocera.
When I stumble on a set of Global knives at a garage sale because the
formerly-happy-couple is in the middle of a divorce, I'll buy them,
but I've bought many great $2 knives at swap meets as well. Ebay seems
to offer some interesting possibilities once in a while too. I bought
a "long stainless steel knofe, made in Japan, with a rounded handle
that turned out to be a very long Kershaw/Kai sashimi deba and it cost
me $10 including shipping.

Also, it is interesting to direct people to places where they can buy
used knives that professionals meat cutters are concerned they will
break after a couple of refurbs. Pro butchers put a consumer-lifetime
of use on a knife in a few weeks. They usually have pro sharpeners on
staff. They can re-grip a knife or they have contracts with companies
that do this service. The forged pro knives are sometimes not
stainless. The stainless knives are often very thick sheet stamped
steel. They can all be a joy to use. So does anyone else search in
flea markets, thrift stores, swap meets, Ebay, garage sales, abatoirs
etc.? Also does anyone else have non-serrated edge knives that they
love, from brands names that just reek of "cheap" (I have great
serrated edge knives for bread and various other special purposes, and
I even have tools and machines now that allow me to sharpen some of
the really good serrated edge knives, but serrated edge knives just
saw on food, they don't really cut it properly, so it's hard to take
most of them seriously.) I do most of the serious food prep in my
house and when others visit to help with food for 60 people I direct
them, so I am serious about my kitchen implements.

wrote:
> [very interesting comments deleted]
> ... Also does anyone else have non-serrated edge knives that they
> love, from brands names that just reek of "cheap" ...

My best find was at a local Asian supermarket. Bought a really nice
forged (not stamped) SS cleaver for $3.00. It almost perfectly matches
my Pro-S knives...

No english-readable text on the box, or on the blade itself. So I
have no idea what the brand is.

W.

On Mar 1, 8:03 am, Walter Spector >
wrote:
> wrote:
> > [very interesting comments deleted]
> > ... Also does anyone else have non-serrated edge knives that they
> > love, from brands names that just reek of "cheap" ...
>
> My best find was at a local Asian supermarket. Bought a really nice
> forged (not stamped) SS cleaver for $3.00. It almost perfectly matches
> my Pro-S knives...
>
> No english-readable text on the box, or on the blade itself. So I
> have no idea what the brand is.
>
> W.

I have a $5 Nakiri from "Lady Chef" but I wouldn't have known this was
the brand except that I saw the identical product in San Francisco
with a little sticker on the box identifying it as Lady Chef brand. I
have Galaxy knives that are all Japanese characyers as well. I got my
Lady Chef in Vancouver BC.

I have 2 identiical knives that are narrow-bladed 12 inch Santokus
from Morovan. The forged chrome vanadium molybdenum steel blades are
very thin but ultra-stiff (I almost always prefer an ultra-stiff knive
blade compared to any other type). One is marked with Japanese
characters only except the steel is labeled with English characters as
Hi-VMC on the Japanese purchased knife, but as Chrome vanadium
molybdenum steel on the USA purchased blade.