OV9

Saw you compete last week Mik, great work!

Dave!

My stash. The colourful stuff is the Mrs, mine is the rest. Posh(er) stuff is the newish Japanese stash.

Quite a collection. YDLK.

We need some decent knives. Can anyone recommend some that come in around say £50 per knife and can be bought individually, so we can add to the collection here and there when we have some spare cash?

Two of our core knives are Kitchen Aid jobbies bought from Tesco when we were students 24yrs ago The other's an Ikea special, and then it's just randoms acquired or gifted over the years.

I'm obviously just DIW but I don't get the knife obseesion some have. Just keep 'em sharp.

I'm sure all that will change once we have a new kitchen and the wife insists on new everything though

When I went into uni accommodation I bought a set of cheap knives From TK Maxx for cheap - still using them

Meh, we've got one ok knife and a load of shit ones, and even the difference there is significant and noticeable.

I’m planning to get another couple from HochoKnife in the next month or so. Plan to be hit with import duties - party if not.

mik wrote: ↑Fri Oct 02, 2020 3:47 pm I’m planning to get another couple from HochoKnife in the next month or so. Plan to be hit with import duties - party if not.

I've had a set of IO Shen knives for a good few years now and they're awesome. Super sharp and retain the edge for a long time. There is something very satisfying about the effortlessness of cutting things with a high quality blade.

I bought the set in the link below plus a carving knife. Must be 11-12 years ago now but a very worthwhile purchase.

https://www.kitchenknives.co.uk/i-o-she ... vYQAvD_BwE

Saying that I bought a cleaver from AliExpress and thus far it has performed admirably.

I bought a couple of ProCook knives (£15-20 each) about a year ago and asked my wife not to use them as she uses kitchen knives to open parcels, tins of paint etc and they have been brilliant, really sharp and kept the edge with only a weekly run over a steel.

I'm sure they aren't a patch on the shivs Mik is sporting but they are a big leap over the sets you get for £30/40.

I recently bought the book written by the dude that owns this place in Canada - was a suitably amazing head to toe on Japanese knives. However, more relevant to the question here, maybe have a flick through some of the blog posts about choosing knives - I've been finding the ones I've read super useful in helping decided what to buy and how to care for my knives.

As for specific brands, you might find a few mentioned in their blogs where there'll be an equivalent UK source which would maybe make them a bit cheaper.

mik wrote: ↑Fri Oct 02, 2020 3:47 pm I’m planning to get another couple from HochoKnife in the next month or so. Plan to be hit with import duties - party if not.

In order to complement my original 170mm Santoku knife (which has been absolutely superb), I may have just ordered an 80mm (33 layer Damascus) paring knife, and a 210mm (3-layer VG10 core) Gyuto knife.

Anticipation......

Pictures when they arrive!

Oh absolutely. They have left Osaka but not yet arrived in the UK.

Ooh ooh. Shipment has arrived from Japan.

As detailed above - these two purchases are to complement my existing 170mm “Santoku” knife - first decent blade I have owned, and initial subject of this thread. I’ve been really chuffed with it. It is the go-to knife for everyone in the family when they are cooking, and hugely superior to the cheap knives we own. But whilst this size is great for lots of things, it is a bit big for some tasks, and a bit small for others. Just like goldilocks. So looking address these concerns :

1. 80mm Petty knife by Shizu – I went for another Damascus blade. 33 layers on this one. It’s lovely and wieldy.

B. 210mm “Gyuto” by Yaxell – 3-layer with a VG10 steel core, I am probably most excited about this one. The matt surface finish with a mirror-polished cutting edge is visually very striking. This knife is one of Yaxell’s lower-end “YO-U Bianco” model range. This was the purchase I pondered for longest - with so many alternatives at this price sporting beautiful Damascus blades, I had to ask myself whether I really wanted a matt Bianco? I said yeh yeh.

Both knives arrived razor-sharp – draw them along your arm and they shave your skin clean. Which is what I would expect following my previous experience.

The Hocho website makes it clear that the purchaser will have to pay local import costs. You can spend literally a couple of quid more for faster delivery via Fedex. The last time I used Hocho promised myself I would definitely do this if I was every buying from them again….. but since a year had passed I completely forgot this. Gah! With standard shipping the tracking drops into a black hole for - confirming that it left Japan, and should have been with me in 7-14 working days later. 32 days later it was recorded as arriving in the UK with zero updates in between. I have no idea whether the delay was international transport, or a backlog at Customs Receiving in the UK – regardless I now hold @RobYob fully responsible. It is also not obvious when you are selecting the delivery option that whilst both options are insured, only Fedex is insured to the full value of your order.

All-in costs including standard Japan-Post shipping and all import tax & duty : £159.10

Petty Knife therefore works out at £71.12 (website price £56)

Gyuto Knife therefore works out at £87.63 ((website price £69)

I can’t currently think of a justifiable rationale to buy any more than these three – I am not a pro chef, nor am I starting a collection, and I don’t see any need for premium knifes to cut my bread etc, so hopefully this trio should do me.

@duncs500 if you are still considering something, based on the above you can assume approx 27% over website prices as a total. There are knives on there that could still hit your desired price point. If you don’t want to spend that much, the lower-end Victorinox knifes seem to be recognised as decent for the money. For example











And the full team

@mik Oh I can guaruntee I definitely would NOT have delivered those

Awesome choices.

I once had the chance to shop in this mall somewhere in Osaka. It had multiple floors like this.

Forgive terrible "panorama" from a digicam.
Sadly I could only afford a small plain knife, which I then abused and broke the tip off. Still bloody sharp though 17 years later.

I also have some steel sushi knives, including a left handed one which have mouldered in a cupboard and need polishing/refurb of some kind before being able to be brought into the public eye.

Now that’s a shop for KG’s.

Forgot to say - the delivery note also came with a discount code to save an additional $5, yes that is a whole five US Dollar$ from your order.

D05OFFCPN

It doesn't look like a code that is unique to me....

@mik Funnily enough we've got a Victorinox santoku knife, it's been good, seems to stay nice and sharp. Only issue with it is that the handle is plastic and cheap feeling. It's a bit light for my liking. All in all, it's been a good buy, but as we need more knives I was thinking to get something that could be matched up as a set but bought over time as and when we have free cash.

Anyone have any thoughts on ProCook X50?

Those look amazing @mik Stainless outer over carbon steel inner yes?

I'm working the Food Show here in Auckland again this weekend, NZ's biggest event for all things foody. My friends own a craft beer subscription company BeerJerk and often need extra hands for the big shows. I've always really enjoyed it but very nervous this year with COVID, but currently no community outbreak so...

Anyway, over the past four years I've bought my Japanese knives from a stand there called ProChef. German guy who's the owner with a Japanese wife and they're super knowledgeable. Last year I purchased whetstones (which I haven't really had the confidence to use if I'm honest, must do that!) but this year armed with more knowledge from the Knife Nerd book I'm going looking for a Japanese version of the knife I use most at home, a 210mm chef's knife from some French brand I bought in a set of knives a few years ago. Knife size just works for me for almost anything but I know it's subpar compared to the Japanese knives I have. Must be stainless I think as I doubt I (and particularly the Mrs) will wash and dry it quick enough to prevent a carbon steel blade rusting.

Based on my reading that's a 210mm Gyuto potentially very similar to the one you've just bought Mik. I'll let the guy guide me again as he knows way more than me but I'm quite excited about having a decent knife I can use all the time. The existing Japanese knives are useful for more unique tasks as opposed to everyday stuff.