Furthermore, knives can be so weirdly personal that trying them in a store may not tell you the full story. I have one knife that I more or less use for everything, and I never would have guessed it would be the one for me, but it’s14 years old, I’ve sugrued missing chunks of handle, and if something bad happened to it I would replace it with the same one.

I know this isn’t what you asked for, but Saxx are super comfortable and very high quality. I haven’t seen a single hole or tear even in my oldest pairs (like 4 years)

Dang, that hasn’t been my experience at all. I’ve really enjoyed mine, but it takes a few washes/wears to get them dialed in I feel like.

Sabatier.

I recently got a cheaper honesuki for deboning chicken thighs that I love using.

I’ve had two, both chipped and tipped within a few years. I think I’m too rough on my knives for them to be a good fit for me. They still work well, but I rarely pick them up because I’m scared I’ll damage them further.

I’m not from that area, but good to know. I’ve had my shun for a little over a decade and have had micro chipping, but sharpen them out fairly easily myself.

Just thought the op was newer and wouldn’t sharpen themselves. Sharpening is the best way to get performance out of knife, but most “professional sharpeners” in my area use a belt grinder and I can’t be sure about others. I also know shun offers free mail in sharpening, but the shipping costs make it less desirable.

Absolutely great points.

Out of the knives I have, there are a small few that get used a lot:

• Cheap-ass chef's knife from Ikea (shockingly good steel!) for general purpose abuse
• Really really nice Japanese Gyuto for most of my breakdown/prep work
• A handful of inexpensive and interchangeable paring knives
• A good potato peeler
• A serrated bread knife
• A serrated tomato knife
• A carving knife

These are my used knives though, and will vary from person to person depending on what you cook and eat. Honestly, I could probably lose the carving and tomato knives from that list and be no worse off in the kitchen.

Meanwhile, the boning knife doesn't get much use at all; nor do the cleaver, the santoku, or the mid-sized utility knife (which was my very first good knife, 35 years ago). However, if I were doing a lot of Asian prep, I'd probably use the cleaver all the time. If I were breaking down more primal cuts or whole fish, I'd probably use the boning knife a lot more. My wife finds the full-sized chef's knives uncomfortable, so tends towards the utility knife. It is all about what you do, and what feels comfortable for your cooking.

Looks identical to my Pottery Barn couch

Christ, my parents ran their Maytag nearly every day for 40 years.

There aren't any buy it for life washing machines, but everyone here recommends speedqueens. I haven't had your issues, my LG's seem to work fine and have for a few years, but I expect them to die in a few more.

Near Tualatin is Carter knives (Hillsboro, iirc). Handmade right there. Shuns can be had anywhere and sharpened anywhere for $5 or less (if unable to at home). I'm a professional chef, and I stay away from VG10 steel. I've had microchips in my Shuns, and I've seen many coworkers' be "tipped" easily. They were popular in upscale kitchens 10-15 years ago, but that was before specialty kitchen knife shops started opening in the states. Shun's heat treat is brittle. My favorite right now for everyday use is my Ashi Ginga 240mm gyuto. Check out Portland Knife House to see the whole world of kitchen knives.

I think I might go for these. Thanks for the comment!

Who knows. Maybe I just got a lemon. A very expensive one

I'm surprised to hear that about Bosch. About 2 years ago we decided to give Bosch a try, it started with the dishwasher. I think it's the best appliance we've ever owned. We have been happy with our Samsung front loader. We've had it for about 7 years now. We've also got the Samsung dryer as well. They seem to be really solid products.

As someone new to leather furniture, do you routinely put leather conditioner or anything to maintain the leather, or is the waxed coating enough to keep it maintained?

I wouldn't trade my Bob Kramer Zwilling knives for anything short of a knife made by Bob himself.

So as someone else already said, don't buy a set. Buy the specific knives you want and will use.

For most people that's a workhorse 8"-10" chef's knife, a paring knife, and maybe a carver or bread knife.

Victorinox is gonna offer you a reliable durable sharp knife.at.the best price. With that said they're not the prettiest and they're stainless.

High carbon steel requires a lot more maintenance though and if you're not willing to keep up with it you're going to end up losing that BIFL you paid extra for.

If you like German knives, I am a Messermeister fan...a bit lighter/easier to wield than Wustoff and less clunky than Henkels

If you live near Tualatin, OR, then I’d splurge on a Shun knife and their free walk in sharpening service. There are definitely better knives from both value and performance overall, but free walk in sharpening would be so convenient.

Either way I’d buy the knives individually based on what you need and how they fit your hand/cutting style. Start with a 8” chef knife and a paring knife. Add a bread knife if you’re like me and buy/bake loaves of bread. You don’t necessarily need to stick to one brand either.

This is good advice … I’d expand on two parts (as someone with a medium-sized collection of knives) …

Definitely don’t buy a set … they will contact knives/accessories that you never use. That said, if you will use, don’t worry about buying a weird/unique knife (one of my most used knives is a small serrated tomato knife)

Buy what you like. If a more expensive knife will make you happy and you will pull it and cook more with it, buy it! Part of the fun of cooking is using the tools that you love ❤️

Uniqlo

I have a nanopuff jacket which I've worn almost daily through two seasons. I've absolutely loved it. I've washed it twice. While it's still in great condition, the wear is starting to show. Some of the strings that form the pattern are popping off, occasionally a strand of insulation sneaks out of a seam, there is pilling at the cuffs, and there are a couple of micro-rips at my cuffs where you can see the insulation upon close inspection. Because of this I started considering Carhartt or LL Bean for next season or maybe season after next, but then I remember Patagonia guarantees their products. I'll get it replaced if I can!

1. Don't buy a set. Buy specific knives as you need them. Realistically, you may well do with a chef's knife and a paring knife.
2. Realistically most chefs I know use the Victorinox Fibrox knives professionally. They're cheap (although not as much as they used to be!), sharp, easily resharpened, tough, and have an anti-slip grip.
3. Personally though, I like my fancy Japanese knives. Do they cut better than a properly sharpened Victorinox? No, probably not. Will they last longer? Maybe, although we're talking about how many heirs you'd be handing it down to.

Bottom line, most good knives are BIFL; and knives are an intensely personal choice. Go try a bunch out if you can, or just get a Victorinox 10" Chef's knife and call it a day.

(P.S. I would NOT NOT NOT go near Cutco!)

EDIT: I almost forgot - get a good steel and learn to use it!

And as /u/fazalmajid points out, keep your knives sharp! A sharp cheap knife will out-do a dull nice knife any day of the week.

Ghromann Knives. Made in Pictou, Nova Scotia, Canada.