Recommendation? Help finding extremely sharp knives from legitimate sellers

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Gmanc2

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Nov 23, 2023
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I'm looking for a single chef's knife for around $50-$150 Damascus, if possible, but I am struggling to find any seller with any documentation or certificate of authenticity. Does anyone know where I can find the best knife for my price range from a legitimate knifemaker?
 
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These days Damascus steel is for looks not improved performance. Sharpness just depends on how well it was sharpened, but all knives get dull. Cutting performance depends on geometry.
 
fishface5 said:
These days Damascus steel is for looks not improved performance. Sharpness just depends on how well it was sharpened, but all knives get dull. Cutting performance depends on geometry.
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Interesting, what is the best place to look for knives that come extremely sharp for my price range?
 
Gmanc2 said:
Interesting, what is the best place to look for knives that come extremely sharp for my price range?
Click to expand...
I'd do a search on "best chef knives" and see what pops up - I've heard Wustof is a good western style brand. I have seen 2 Shun knives with chipped edges.
 
You can get better than Shun for the price, unless fit and finish are what you are after. The big names are better at F&F, but the smiths give better blades.
Look at Chef Knives to Go. They also have an associated forum.
But the thing about Japanese knives is they have the assumption that the user will do the finish sharpening. Of course every knife dulls, so the initial edge means nothing. Grind, steel & heat treatment will dictate performance.
 
I second Chef Knives To Go.
In your price range I suggest the Tojiro VG-10 Damascus Gyuto 180 mm, or if you are willing to go above your maximum price value, the Kohetsu VG-10 Danascus Gyuto 210 mm.
The VG-10 steel is stainless, gets quite sharp and holds a reasonably good sharpness for a long time.
If you are after sharpness above all, and edge holding or corrosion resistance is not so important to you, then look at knives in White #2 (Shirogami #2) steel: those knives can get very-very sharp very easily, but will rust, if neglected and won’t hold their edge for long.
You can also get knives in Blue #2 (Aogami #2) steel, which don’t get so incredibly sharp as White steels, but hold their edge longer. Still, they will be much sharper than any German stainless steel knife and even VG-10 steel ones.
 
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I own chef knives from most of the top brands (Wusthof, Zwilling, Shun, Mac, Miyabi, Global, Misono, etc.), all of which are quite pricey. I also own many upper mid-priced brands. IMO, there is no better value than Tojiro. They are at least as sharp as the high end brands and hold an edge well. If you just want a really good knife at a reasonable price, Tojiro is your choice. Of course, if Damascus or other aesthetics are important to you, you may want something else.
 
There are too many alternative possibilities to consider to give the type of answer you need in just a few sentences--and so much depends on you and the prep tasks you will carry out.

and

The most important is what feels right for you. Buying a kitchen knife is a very personal choice.

If you possibly can, go to a place where you can see and touch a few Chef knives, give it a try--and try to focus on a few. All of the knives suggested here so far have merit--but may not work at all for you. The easiest Japanese damascus knives to get your hands on are Shun and Miyabi--but stores featuring Japanese artisan knives for enthusiasts are worth searching out. Any of these places are legitimate starting points--and they likely have outstanding reputations.
 
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