Steak knifes

F-100 · « **on:** 7 Jan 2009, 05:45 am »

Does anyone have any recommendation for a good set of steak knife set that doesn't cost more than $100?
I'm leaning toward this set and wonder if it's a good buy.

Wüsthof 8-Piece Stainless-Steel Steak Knife Set

Any recommendation is greatly appreciated.
Thanks

Tyson · « **Reply #1 on:** 7 Jan 2009, 08:10 am »

Semi-serated knives do MUCH better with steak. They stay sharp longer, and do a better job with the fleshy cuts that cooked, thick meat requires. Also, get something dishwasher safe, as cleaning steak knives by hand gets old quick.

Tyson · « **Reply #2 on:** 7 Jan 2009, 08:15 am »

Oh yes, here's my rec - it's what we have, so I can verify that it is in fact dishwasher safe:

http://www.amazon.com/Henckels-S-O-S-8-Piece-Stainless-Steel-Steak/dp/B00005K8PE/ref=pd_sbs_k_1

Airborn · « **Reply #3 on:** 7 Jan 2009, 08:28 am »

I agree with the semi-serrated recommendation by Tyson. While much more can be spent, we have the Miracle Blade III steak knives (the Perfection Series, I believe) we got for less than $20 bucks for a set of four and they work great.

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #4 on:** 7 Jan 2009, 08:36 am »

How fancy do they have to be? I may be in the minority but I don't like serrated knives as much; I agree that they hold an edge relatively well but once they're dull they're not as easy to resharpen (if they're serrated on both sides then they're essentially disposable- toss 'em when they get dull). Depending on how often you have steak, a standard V grind will keep an edge very well, too. A good straight edge is sharper and will make nice cleaner cuts.

If they don't have to match any existing cutlery, you couldn't top these laminated Mora knives for even twice the price IMO. They're sharp enough to shave right out of the box, they're cheap and the cutting core is very hard (61 Rockwell)- they'll take an unbelievable edge and hold it for a long, long time. I think they're actually pretty attractive, too, but YMMV. They're not completely maintainence free but pretty easy to take care of.

Tramontina steak knives aren't too bad, either. I think the steak knives by the major cutlery companies (Shun, Wusthof, Henckels, etc) are nice but overpriced for what you get.

I'd never put any decent knife in the dishwasher. It's just too hard on them. If you have to do it don't bother getting anything very nice because they won't stay that way for long. The chemicals are bad for the steel and the handles, but the most damage comes from jostling around in the machine.

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #5 on:** 7 Jan 2009, 08:47 am »

These Rosewood Forschners are also very nice for a regular edged knife, pretty attractive and very, very sharp out of the box.

Tyson · « **Reply #6 on:** 7 Jan 2009, 09:08 am »

I recommend a good sharpening system, like the Spyderco - it will keep flat blades and serrated blades both very, very sharp (and it comes with a pretty cool instruction video):

http://www.amazon.com/Spyderco-204MF-Triangle-Sharpmaker/dp/B000Q9C4AE

It's a great system, keeps the perfect angle, and keeps blades very, very sharp (even on cheap knives).

Did I mention that it keeps knives very, very sharp?

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #7 on:** 7 Jan 2009, 09:19 am »

Quote from: Tyson on 7 Jan 2009, 09:08 am

I recommend a good sharpening system, like the Spyderco - it will keep flat blades and serrated blades both very, very sharp (and it comes with a pretty cool instruction video):

http://www.amazon.com/Spyderco-204MF-Triangle-Sharpmaker/dp/B000Q9C4AE

It's a great system, keeps the perfect angle, and keeps blades very, very sharp (even on cheap knives).

Did I mention that it keeps knives very, very sharp?

Agreed. I keep one in the knife roll I use for work. It does a great job keeping knives sharp, serrated included, with one caveat- it's a bitch to get a really dull knife sharp with it, especially if it's really hard & abrasion resistant (eg Cowry X, D2, SKD).

The absolute best guided sharpening system I've ever used or heard of is the Edge Pro by Ben Dale. He designed it for professional sharpeners and it's amazing. Both models use synthetic waterstones and tape blanks for extremely fine grit polishing tapes. I've got some PSA films of .3 microns and you can get a mirror polish. I myself have the Apex model and it's awesome, too.

I'll confess to being a knife geek and sharpening junkie!

I've got waterstones, diamond stones, ceramics, even a Hand American Glass honing rod. Most of my knives are Japanese laminates, and they really require waterstones to bring out the best in them.

As far as gadgets go, it's tough to beat the Edgemaker Pro sharpening system. They're affordable, very effective and have a very short learning curve. I don't use them on my gyutos but they will sharpen anything quickly and without removing too much metal. I keep a full set of them in my work roll, too, for touch-ups and for sharpening the house knives (ie the 'disposable knives'). The only pull thru's on the market I'd recommend.

mcgsxr · « **Reply #8 on:** 7 Jan 2009, 01:34 pm »

As a guy who cares far more about his audio than his knives, I have to +1 on the stainless Henckels Tyson recommended. We received a set for our wedding 6 years ago, and I use them weekly, and do toss them into the dishwasher. Still work great.

F-100 · « **Reply #9 on:** 7 Jan 2009, 03:10 pm »

Thanks for all the recommendations, Gents.
I will go with Tyson's recommendation since those knifes looks stylish and match my silverware.

woodsyi · « **Reply #10 on:** 7 Jan 2009, 03:28 pm »

We were given some fancy Forge de Laguiole knives and carving set for our wedding -- very nice but probably not much bang for the buck. With the bone handles and gorgeous workmanship, they never fail to garner praise from dinner guests. If you need to impress your guests more than just cut meat, these knives will do just that as long as you also put out juicy steaks and good red wine too.

Dan Driscoll · « **Reply #11 on:** 7 Jan 2009, 05:53 pm »

Wow, I feel so... old fashioned.

I still use natural Arkansas stones for all of my sharpening. I have 3, a medium (coarse), hard (fine) and extra-hard (razor), with mineral oil as the lubricant. No guides or adjustments, everything is done by eye and feel.

thunderbrick · « **Reply #12 on:** 7 Jan 2009, 06:22 pm »

Henckels are great! So good that my ex-wife got 'em!

No worries, though. New wife, new steak knives, ~~new~~ no problems!

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #13 on:** 7 Jan 2009, 06:47 pm »

Quote from: Dan Driscoll on 7 Jan 2009, 05:53 pm

Wow, I feel so... old fashioned.

I still use natural Arkansas stones for all of my sharpening. I have 3, a medium (coarse), hard (fine) and extra-hard (razor), with mineral oil as the lubricant. No guides or adjustments, everything is done by eye and feel.

Lots of us still freehand- certainly I do. But I prefer waterstones to Arkansas with oil, or occasionally a DMT for reprofiling.

lazydays · « **Reply #14 on:** 8 Jan 2009, 06:46 am »

Quote from: Rob Babcock on 7 Jan 2009, 08:47 am

These Rosewood Forschners are also very nice for a regular edged knife, pretty attractive and very, very sharp out of the box.

I looked at a set of them last weekend, but didn't like the way the blade was made (shape and grind).
gary

lazydays · « **Reply #15 on:** 8 Jan 2009, 06:57 am »

Quote from: Dan Driscoll on 7 Jan 2009, 05:53 pm

Wow, I feel so... old fashioned.

I still use natural Arkansas stones for all of my sharpening. I have 3, a medium (coarse), hard (fine) and extra-hard (razor), with mineral oil as the lubricant. No guides or adjustments, everything is done by eye and feel.

I used to do a little bit of inleting on gunstocks for the fun of it a few years ago, and bought some nice German made chisels. They were pretty sharp out of the box, but they recommended honeing them as well as a few trips accroos a leather strop. About a week or so later I saw this guy sharpening similar ones on PBS. He did almost exactly what I did, but used two different strops. One was diamond impregnated as well as oiled. I made my own and can't live with out it. You can buy the synthetic diamond dust from Kay Jewlers industrial division, and all you really need is about a carrat abd somekind of steel roller to impreg the stuff in the leather.
gary

ooheadsoo · « **Reply #16 on:** 8 Jan 2009, 07:26 am »

That Swedish steel is pretty impressive. I keep forgetting how inexpensive it is.

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #17 on:** 9 Jan 2009, 04:06 am »

Stropping is a great way to put a polished edge on a blade. I think my next purchase will be a leather belt for my 1x32" belt grinder. A bit of compound and you get a great edge. No less an authority than Dave Martell recommends a power strop once you finish with the last waterstone.

Zheeeem · « **Reply #18 on:** 27 Jan 2009, 09:00 pm »

For day-to-day use we have a bunch of 4-inch Henckels paring knives. They hold an edge pretty well, and only need occasional touching-up with a ceramic sharpener (the kind used for fishing knives - they cost around $5-10 and are great!) I prefer a straight blade rather than serrated. If kept razor sharp it is a vastly superior cutting tool.

For occasions we have a nice set of Laguiole knives. Note that Laguiole refers to a region of france, not a brand, and there are hundreds of different varieties ranging from $10 a set to $1,000+ a set. The better marks are really quite remarkable.

kyrill · « **Reply #19 on:** 8 Feb 2009, 12:11 pm »

Quote from: woodsyi on 7 Jan 2009, 03:28 pm

We were given some fancy Forge de Laguiole knives and carving set for our wedding -- very nice but probably not much bang for the buck. With the bone handles and gorgeous workmanship, they never fail to garner praise from dinner guests. If you need to impress your guests more than just cut meat, these knives will do just that as long as you also put out juicy steaks and good red wine too.

these look as if they can be made very sharp
How is the quality of the steel and is it discwasher friendly? i see you can have many colors/versions

or this

my only concern is they are so un-expensive! less than 50 Euro for a whole set, at least this sets of the photos