Let's talk kitchen knives

Thanks for the comments all, and appreciate your detailed input Claus. I was also considering an additional line from Yaxell, the BD1N steel. I believe they come to a 63 on the Rockwell scale, and are solid vs. clad. Micarta handles. Still perusing the reviews, but so far looks promising.

(02-27-2018, 09:07 PM)mike_the_kraken Wrote: Thanks for the comments all, and appreciate your detailed input Claus. I was also considering an additional line from Yaxell, the BD1N steel. I believe they come to a 63 on the Rockwell scale, and are solid vs. clad. Micarta handles. Still perusing the reviews, but so far looks promising.

I believe Yaxell Dragon is a step down compared to Miyabi Artisan, to be quite honest. The blade profile and fit & finish aren’t quite up there with what you get in the Miyabi Artisan.

If you want to go a step up in the Yaxell range, look for Yaxell Gou and Yaxell Super Gou. Yaxell Gou and Super Gou have flawless finish and blade profile.

I have had terrific luck w japanesechefsknife

My favorites have been blue steel blades clad in stainless. The thinness makes them so special. Wicked sharp. Easy to Resharpen.

The Petty’s are so good and sharp I hardly use larger blades for anything these days.

(06-01-2017, 11:36 PM)CHSeifert Wrote: I just added 4 of the Miyabi 6000 MCT knives to my collection. Rockwell 63, SG2 steel, nice heft and a handle that fits my hands. Only issue is the wooden handle. But the Miyabi chief of sales told me not to worry, as long as I never leave the knife in the sink, which you should not do anyway......

Chefs knife 20cm & 16cm
Santoku 18 cm
Rocking santoku 18 cm

Mmmmmm.  Good choice sir.

(02-28-2018, 04:55 PM)Lipripper60 Wrote:

(06-01-2017, 11:36 PM)CHSeifert Wrote: I just added 4 of the Miyabi 6000 MCT knives to my collection. Rockwell 63, SG2 steel, nice heft and a handle that fits my hands. Only issue is the wooden handle. But the Miyabi chief of sales told me not to worry, as long as I never leave the knife in the sink, which you should not do anyway......

Chefs knife 20cm & 16cm
Santoku 18 cm
Rocking santoku 18 cm

Mmmmmm.  Good choice sir.

Thank you, I now own 8 of these Miyabi Artisan knives, and they are a joy to use every day in the kitchen.

I have tried some japanese knives and they just don't sit well in my hands.  I own a few Lamson Sharp knives and absolutely love them.  German steel, rosewood handles, and American made in Massachusetts.  These are MUCH better than Wustof IMHO.

German steel, American made ... good idea. Those look very nice. 
I should have seen this before ordering a German knife. 

Those Miyabi Artisan knives are beautiful! Just picked up the 5.5" santoku -- first kitchen knife purchase in decades.

I just recieved a few Yaxell knives: a 8” chefs, 3.5” paring, and a 8.5” vegetable cleaver. Fit and finish are solid; apart from not having polished spines - there are no unfinished areas or perceivable transitions around the choil or rivets. Side note: you can buy the chefs knife in western style (pronounced belly, curved profile), or Asian (straighter, narrower profile). I prefer the latter (pictured above in a previous post) as I do more push cuts & slicing vs. rock-chopping with that particular knife. 

While I like the myabi artisan - it was the birchwood that really garnered my interest. That said, I checked out some cut-tests that showed just average blade retention for the birchwood given its Rockwell rating of 63 (150< cuts). Consider that the Yaxell (dragon fire) got 600+ out of the same hardness rating, which is why I went the direction I did. 

Ryky is the man.