Dexter or Forschner or whoever

gadzooks said:
I use 'em, too. Have a pile of 'em. Mostly I am using the old CC Metropolitan stuff. Same handle pattern as the old walnut handles, but in black nylon. And they sharpen up real nice using a cheap ceramic stick followed by a CC steel.
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I have a large block of 30+ year old CC. They aren't bad at all. The edges don't last too long but they can be made quite sharp. Contrarily, I also have a set of newer CC steak knives. I'm guessing they were made in China out of Lord knows what. They are impossible to sharpen.
 
I sure won't make fun of or say anything negative about any one's choice in cutlery in all seriousness but will teasing. Now I prefer a Chinese Cleaver and used a Dexter Russel for 35 years exclusively so that will tell you where I come from on this. In the last 3 years though I've purchased a bunch of Japanese made knives including cleaver that I find to be much better in that they are thinner, harder steels which will take a sharper edge etc. With that said I could care less what a chef uses since 90% of them don't know jack about knives and steels nor will they ever and even less of the home cooking crowd will either. So if you want to cut your food with a wooden spoon have at it really. If it works for you then I'm happy for you.

Now back to this tread, I assume you are looking for cheap and functional hence I recommended you also consider old hickory brand with they others you posted as for price and quality level you are looking.
 
joec said:
Now back to this tread, I assume you are looking for cheap and functional hence I recommended you also consider old hickory brand with they others you posted as for price and quality level you are looking.
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I agree. There are four OH knives in the house. The carbon steel is fairly good and the price is right.
 
Yes I have a fillet knife I still like and use from time to time for boning duties. I prefer my newer hankotsu and honiseki for finish work but the OH is great on the rough stuff.
 
When it Comes to knives--There is a very Big Difference between Want and Need.

Nobody Needs a High End knife for anything.

It is hard for some of us to remember that--but it is true.

The Average Home Cook or Non-Knife Enthusiast Chef can destroy a Hard Edged High Quality Knife in one usage.

There are a ton of Low Prices and Mid Priced Kitchen knives out there that will give the average user a Lifetime or More of Great Service.

I say get what appeals to you and 99% of the time--it will work very well.

I have never seen a bad Dexter or Forschner.

I even have a Dexter Chef that I use on hard Stuff like Squash and Firewood.

Mike....................:thumb:
 
I modified it and re-handled it.

Here it is .

30_G.jpg


That was a 10 inch Blade Forged Dex Chef.

The handle is now Black & Red Carbon Fiber.

High End Folks forget that these are made for Abusive use and you can really abuse them if necessary and they come back for more.

I use it in the Kitchen but I have Split good size logs with it for Outdoor Cooking many times.

I like to do that when I have folks over that are only into the High End Hard Edge knives.

The Look on their Faces is usually Priceless.

It gives them a good reminder of what these can do.

Toughness is one of the qualities that I never forget.

This IS supposed to be Fun.

I don't cook for a Living.

I certainly do enjoy cooking.


Mike...................:hide:
 
Yes you do Buzz, I've acquired two in the last year myself though neither are kitchen knives and both are used. I don't hunt either at least not animals but do love a good knife.
 
joec said:
Yes you do Buzz, I've acquired two in the last year myself though neither are kitchen knives and both are used. I don't hunt either at least not animals but do love a good knife.
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So you're using them for muggings or what? :whistling:
 
I'm thinking CC or OH are using 1095 or something close in their knives.
Good steel, I just like it a little harder than they make it --no I don't sprinkle viagra on it:wink:
The only problem I have with some of the el'cheapo knives are the grinding. I despise a knife with a 1/2" primary bevel, thats hollow ground.
While a properly done hollow grind is good -think straight razor- a poorly done one makes for a disposable knife.
:soapbox:
 
I would agree on Old Hickory being if not then close to 1095. Can't say much about Chicago Cutlery since the only ones I've seen are stainless. As for hardness the OH doesn't hold and edge long compared to what I normally use but is easy to sharpen back up so not a big deal for me.
 
Don't get me wrong, I do love my CC, but I am just learning about how to do a lot of this stuff, so I may have damaged them too much over the years. But I will say they did sharpen up real nice last night!
DW worked for World Kitchen who owned Corning Ware, Revere Ware, Chicago Cutlery, Bake Ware, and Echo Housewares. That is where we got a lot (and I mean A LOT) of our stuff all free of charge! But, that was right before they moved a lot of them to China. I remember in her last days there they were throwing out boxes and boxes of samples so the cleaning crews wouldn't take them home with them. This was due to the problems found in the metal like lead and what-not.
Couldn't risk people getting sick off the stuff.
 
All of the knives you guys are talking about are in the 52 to 54 Rockwell range.

That is no Accident.

This makes them very easy to sharpen for folks that are not Skilled at sharpening.

They work fine you just have to keep touching them up.

these lower hardnesses also make them tougher and allows for more abusive use.

They all work once you know what you are dealing with.

You really can't make Blades harder if you know that folks are going to drag them through those Disc thingys.

You would tear chips right out of a harder blade.

Mike................:thumb:
 
gawd I hate that word "tougher"

as it pertains to those knives...I'd just say less prone to chipping, lol..even if you hit 2 edge to edge:yuk:
 
They actually Should not Chip on a sink.

They will roll.

You may be mistaking a Roll for a Chip.

It is hard to Chip a softer Blade--they roll over and sometimes that looks like a chip.

Mike..........................:thumb:
 
MikeStewart said:
They actually Should not Chip on a sink.

They will roll.

You may be mistaking a Roll for a Chip.

It is hard to Chip a softer Blade--they roll over and sometimes that looks like a chip.

Mike..........................:thumb:
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no, I'm not confusing anything

I never said sink..read again:thumb:
 
I think I'll Back out of This right now and go back to reading and talking about Recipes and Cooking.

I had no idea that Buzz was using a 30X loop on Your knives so that he knew you actually had chips and not rolls in your edges.

That is what I just got from the last two posts and I'm easily Confused.

99% of time -in my experience- in the knife industry(not in the Hard Edge japanese Knife Part) what folks call Chips are usually Rolls in the edge--Not Break Outs.

As I said above--I think that Folks should get the knives that they are comfortable with and I really need to leave it at that.

Thanks,

Mike
 
No mike, he's not. I've been in the knife industry too, but for only about 15 years..making them.
It'd be very difficult to chip out a knife thats down around 54rc..even if you hit knife edge to knife edge. On one around 60, thats going to be a different story.

softer knives are fine for people who like to chuck them in the sink, or dishwasher, or really, doesn't have OCD about knives like some of us do.:wink:
 
MikeStewart said:
I had no idea that Buzz was using a 30X loop on Your knives so that he knew you actually had chips and not rolls in your edges.

That is what I just got from the last two posts and I'm easily Confused.
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I was referring to the inspection of my knives, Mike, not Sean's. Most of my knives are R60+, and chipping as well as rolling is easily seen at 30x.

Buzz
 
OK, knife people. I am about ready to get my toe wet. I'm looking at my first Japanese knife, a Tojiro 240mm DP gyutu. It has nice lines, good steel and is priced reasonably. I like the clad construction. I'm a home cook and it will be my go-to chef's knife, hopefully. You guys know better than I do, so tell me in 25 words or less, yes, no, and why. Thanks!
 
Absolutely a good knife, I own 5 of them though 2 are different lines. The DP is a excellent knife for a beginner or in my case an advanced users. The 240mm gyuto is a good place for most to start also. I have a 240mm Tojiro PS gyuto which was the second knife I purchased when stepping into the Japanese style of knives. That was 3 years ago and still going strong. I also own a DP 210mm Western Deba, 270mm Sujihiki, a 90mm paring as well as a Tojiro Suminagasi Nakiri (same as DP with damascus cladding) and the 240mm Tojiro Powder Steel gyuto. These are my most used knives though most of the time I use Chinese pattern cleavers.
 
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