Advice on Knives

I am soliciting wisdom regarding the purchase of a top quality Santoku knife. I looked at and handled the following knives:

Wusthof 7” Grand Prix II Santoku
Global G-48 7” Santoku
Kershaw Shun Classic

I am also interested in a MAC MSK-65 Professional Series Santoku, but have not been able to locate one in the Louisville area to take a look at. I am reluctant to select a knife that I cannot handle prior to purchase.

They were all very nice and I am sure I would be happy with any one of them. I liked the feel of the Wusthof the best but the Global was not far behind. Of course, every one of these knives gets rave reviews from end users, which does not help my decision as to which one to purchase. I did find it interesting that many of the people who use Global have also used Wusthof and mentioned that they would never buy another Wusthof. They never gave specifics as to why. There was also some mention as to how much sharper the Global knives are than Wusthof.

Having never used any of the above brand’s knives, I am interested in the feedback of anyone who has, professional or otherwise. Also, if I have overlooked another brand I should consider, please let me know.

Thanks for your help!

I own the wusthof. The classic 7" not the grand prix. Same price, looks a bit more....well classic. ha! I think with any high end you really can't go wrong. I think a professional chef might be able to give you a better idea but being an amateur cook, the wusthof is awesome. Holds it's edge well. Be vigilant if you have never used one before, its extremely sharp with that thin blade. A mistake with one of them versus an everyday cheapo are drastically different.

[Robin Garr]

I am soliciting wisdom regarding the purchase of a top quality Santoku knife.

I have a 7-inch Santoku, purchased from Heimerdinger's in St. Matthews, and I love it for specific uses - very fine, precision knifework, mostly - although nothing will replace my trusty chef's knife for everyday use.

Here's an article I wrote about the Santoku:

<b>Santoku!</b>

Like John R., I too have the Wusthof Classic Santoku. Love it! I got mine at Campbell’s Gourmet Cottage where I also took one of the “Knife Skills" classes taught by Ed Bartush of Wusthof/Trident Cutlery. I never realized I didn’t know how to use a knife! It was worth every penny. You should see me go with my knives now! The next class is on Wednesday, May 30th. It costs $40.00 but Susan, the owner, of Campbell’s Gourmet Cottage, will credit the cost of the towards the purchase of a Wusthof knife.

I have a culinair Wusthof Santoku and it is great. Well balanced, holds an edge forever and is lightweight. I also have the Wusthof grand prix version and it is a little heavier and more for use as a second knife when I send mine out for professional sharpening, which is once a year. The rest of the time I use my tristone and diamond steel. Both knives are great. Also look at the Global brand. It is perfectly balanced.

I am soliciting wisdom regarding the purchase of a top quality Santoku knife. I looked at and handled the following knives:

Wusthof 7” Grand Prix II Santoku
Global G-48 7” Santoku
Kershaw Shun Classic

I am also interested in a MAC MSK-65 Professional Series Santoku, but have not been able to locate one in the Louisville area to take a look at. I am reluctant to select a knife that I cannot handle prior to purchase.

They were all very nice and I am sure I would be happy with any one of them. I liked the feel of the Wusthof the best but the Global was not far behind. Of course, every one of these knives gets rave reviews from end users, which does not help my decision as to which one to purchase. I did find it interesting that many of the people who use Global have also used Wusthof and mentioned that they would never buy another Wusthof. They never gave specifics as to why. There was also some mention as to how much sharper the Global knives are than Wusthof.

Having never used any of the above brand’s knives, I am interested in the feedback of anyone who has, professional or otherwise. Also, if I have overlooked another brand I should consider, please let me know.

Thanks for your help!

You will be happy with any of them. They are all in the 100.00 range. Only you can decide whether they are worth the price. The main thing to look for is how it feels in your hand. Of course they will all be really sharp out of the box and all of them will hold an edge well. Cooks Illustrated picked the Victorinox (aka) Forschner as the best buy in chefs knives. Not the best, but the best buy. Assume that would also include the Santoku .

Santuko knives are the latest fad in knives. Fueled by Rachael Ray and the Food Network due to product placement. Before that the fad was Chinese cleavers and than Global. Add to that the Granton edge (dimpled edges) that are supposed to help slice and basically are BS.

If you want a nice thin knife, go to Heimerdiners and get a Dexter chefs knife. Good price. Does the same job.

I have the 7" Wusthof Grand Prix II and I love it. I was never satisfied with the other Grand PrixII knives I have. The Wusthof is so much easier to handle. My hands are small and my arm is short and the chefs knife was just too much to handle.

Hmmm . . .I've had and loved Henkels for years. They introduced a cheap line a few years ago that are not good, but the professional series, higher end knives are excellent, at least in my kitchen.

I will second the endorsement of the knife class at Campbell's. It provided good information on the qualitative differences of various knives, sharpening, basic knife skills (hands-on) and it helped me determine what I needed to add to my arsenal. It was very well presented (and fun). Santoku knives are also covered, and you can ask as many questions as you want. As already mentioned, the $40 class fee serves as a credit toward a knife purchase.

I also purchased a Chef's Choice knife sharpener and am very happy with it, as are my knives.

By the way, I have no connection to either Campbells or Chef's Choice.

My 2 cents...I've used/trashed just about every knife you can think of. I have my "mother-ship" (a ratty old 10" Wustoff trident that now measures around 9") and a complete set of French Sabatier that I only break out for special occations, as young bastardos will trash em. I never took a liking to Global knives as I find that I drag my giant knuckles when I use them. I've always been partial to German cutlery. Guess I'm just old school....

I use a Henckels Twin Four Star 7" Santuku I purchased at Heimerdinger's in 1997, before all the TV Chefs started using them a couple years ago. Mine is not hollow-ground like today's model. It has been a great knife, honed before and after use. I wouldn't trade it for anything, except maybe a 10" Chef model.

I've been using a set of Wustof Grand Prix I's for a little over 3 years now...
and as much as i really have loved the knives...
as soon as a have a few hundred bucks lying around to blow (my knives aren't in horrible condition), I'm switching over to Shun's.

I've never liked Santoku's...
I have a Chinese cleaver i asked for when i left Asiatique...

I've been using a 8: French knife, and i've taken a huge liking to the 8" hollow-grind Shun's.

My French and paring knives have seen their fair share of time on the knife grinder and are starting to get ground down more than i'd like...
I love my Wustof's... but i'm really wanting to give the Shun's a go.


what i really like are these:

Ken Onion by Shun.

These knives have an amazing feel in your hands, sharp as could be and are a complete workhorse, and cut with minimal work.

...I'd not be too surprised if some of my co-workers pop of with similar praise.

I second and (third) the Ken Onion! for first choice, second choice Global, and third would be Henckels ( that hubby bought twenty five years ago, and still cuts nicely!.

I've been a Wusthof fan since I bought my first chef's knife from Heimerdingers way back in the last century, but all of these are well made knives that should last you the rest of your life. Whichever one feels the most comfortable in your hand is the one to go with.

Now that the amateurs have weighed in, I'll let you in on the secret of truly professional knives:

The Greatest Knives Ever (and if you order now, we'll throw in a Popeil Pocket Fisherman!)