[Joe Sr.]

But I like my Chinese-made $8 chef's knife bought at the local grocery store! Virtually indistinguishable from my Henckles Fine-edge Pro sontoku in blade construction, forging and quality for a fifth of the price. The steel is marginally different- slightly softer but can hold a very sharp edge. I hand-sharpen all my knives and suggest avoiding anything cheap with a "ground-edge" BTW.

I figure they're probably made in the same place. Twenty years ago a cheap knife was exactly that.

slightly softer as in having lead in the alloy?

He did say "Chinese-made."  Just like all the kids toys, chances are it has lead.

[MDixon]

We had a nice long thread on this in the past, might be worth a read:
http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=2973.0

My $0.02, you only need a few knives. A like a Chef's, a paring and then maybe something like a boning. I wouldn't event get a set. Find individual knives you like and which fit your hand. The German style tend to be heavy, Japanese lighter. You can go high end or low end, but if you don't use the knife it is no better than a paperweight. I keep mine in a nice divided drawer insert and so they are off the counter and no one sees them.

If I was to just get some knives today I would probably go with/think about (Amazon links) some of the following to keep the costs down:
Victorinox Chef
http://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Swiss-8-Inch-Fibrox-Straight/dp/B008M5U1C2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1355410777&sr=8-1&keywords=chef%27s+knife

Paring Knife
http://www.amazon.com/Wusthof-Gourmet-3-Inch-Paring-Knife/dp/B0000DJYE5/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1355411013&sr=8-2&keywords=paring+knife+wustof

Utility Knife
http://www.amazon.com/Henckels-International-5-Inch-Stainless-Steel-Utility/dp/B00004RFNE/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1355411174&sr=8-11&keywords=henckels+kitchen+utility+knife

Sandwich Knife (I really use this one quite a bit)
http://www.amazon.com/Guy-Fieri-Knuckle-Sandwich-Stainless/dp/B002W5VXVQ/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1355410924&sr=8-7&keywords=guy+fieri+knife

Scissors
http://www.amazon.com/Wusthof-Gourmet-2-Piece-Cutlery-Utility/dp/B002FQK1BA/ref=sr_1_2?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1355411240&sr=1-2&keywords=wustof+scissors

Also be sure to get a sharpening steel.

HTH

[morticaixavier]

[...]
Also be sure to get a sharpening Honing steel.

HTH

fixed that for you 

Yes, it's very important to steel your knife every time you use it. I havn't had my knives sharpened in close to a eyar now and some of them (the ones I use most) do need it but it is amazing how much better they cut when you hone the blade before using.

By the way I have a mixed bag, mostly henckle but i have an odd man out paring knife from some off brand made in the USA company that is quite nice.

My small (6 inch) french chef get's the most use, then the 8 inch santuko. I have a 6 inch santuko as well and like it but it is third string for sure.

On the bread knife though I would say save some money and get a cheap stamped blade. They are a pain to sharpen anyway and with the serations you dont' really need to for a very long time. I have a $15 henckly stamped blade bread knife that works just fine

[Joe Sr.]

On the bread knife though I would say save some money and get a cheap stamped blade. They are a pain to sharpen anyway and with the serations you dont' really need to for a very long time. I have a $15 henckly stamped blade bread knife that works just fine

Did you look at that sammich knife?  That's more than just a bread knife.

It reminds me of the knife the old guy used to make sammiches at the Berghoff stand-up bar back when they were open.  Awesome lunch line they had there, and the sandwhich guy really knew how to use his knife.  He was like an artist carving the meat, slicing the bread, slapping it all together using only the knife.  And, of course, you could get some Berghoff beer fresh from the tap.

[morticaixavier]

On the bread knife though I would say save some money and get a cheap stamped blade. They are a pain to sharpen anyway and with the serations you dont' really need to for a very long time. I have a $15 henckly stamped blade bread knife that works just fine

Did you look at that sammich knife?  That's more than just a bread knife.

It reminds me of the knife the old guy used to make sammiches at the Berghoff stand-up bar back when they were open.  Awesome lunch line they had there, and the sandwhich guy really knew how to use his knife.  He was like an artist carving the meat, slicing the bread, slapping it all together using only the knife.  And, of course, you could get some Berghoff beer fresh from the tap.

that's a pretty knife. If I ate meat and wanted to use it for more than bread and cutting sandwhiches in half I might see the point but for my needs? meh.

I do like the offset handles. That is the one major complaint I have about all my knives. Mainly because my grip style has changes lately. I used to choke way up and hold the back of the blade with my fingers mostly while the handle just sat against my palm for steadyness. But lately I have been holding the handle more. Not sure why, I've been trying to switch back. I think is started when I was taking lots of tomatoes apart while canning sauce and my hand got slick so my 'normal' grip got a little dangerous.

[Joe Sr.]

Your normal grip is how I was taught to handle a knife when I worked in a kitchen.

But I do agree that the off-set handle is nice, particularly for slicing.  I do not have any and have taken to slicing so that the handle sits off the edge of the cutting board and gives my knuckles a bit more room.

[MDixon]

Thanks for the correction, I knew something appeared suspect when I typed it.

That Guy Fieri sandwich knife is the bomb. We have some plates with a lip and can put the sandwich in them and cut with ease. A normal knife just doesn't work as well. I got it on a whim and have to admit I use it all the time.

I did forget about a bread knife. The thinner the blade the better IMO. I like a cheapo bread as well. Not even sure mine has a brand

[weithman5]

http://generalgood.co.uk/robert-herder

this is a link to two of my 3 favorite knives.  i have the salami knife which i use for nearly everything, and the bread knife which i actually use to slice my tomatoes.

my third favorite knife is a cutco cheese knife. 

i vary rarely need anything else.  prior to marriage i used my fishing knife for almost everything

[PeckerWood]

I'm a big fan of Wusthof. I bought the Grand Prix starter set 15 years ago to use while attending culinary school, and I still use those knives everyday. It turned into a collection over the years, making many great gifts along the way, and now have a 35 slot cherry block. To save you a lot of money, if I had to pick one knife I use the most, by far it would be the 7" Santuko Knife. I suggest going to CutleryandMore.com, they always have a Wusthof sale going on. If I had to do it all over again, I'd switch to the Classic Ikon series, they are bad-ass but very expensive. The Grand Prix II are very cost efficient forged steel knifes that are a good looking solid set that will last a lifetime.

[stlaleman]

http://generalgood.co.uk/robert-herder

this is a link to two of my 3 favorite knives.  i have the salami knife which i use for nearly everything, and the bread knife which i actually use to slice my tomatoes.

my third favorite knife is a cutco cheese knife. 

i vary rarely need anything else.  prior to marriage i used my fishing knife for almost everything

Rapalaillet knife is all I use!

[punatic]

Been using this fillet knife for many years.  It worked well on Florida fish.  Works well here too where the big fish are.  The only reason I'd ever replace it is if I lost it.  I'd buy the same one as a replacement.

[redbeerman]

Been using this fillet knife for many years.  It worked well on Florida fish.  Works well here too where the big fish are.  The only reason I'd ever replace it is if I lost it.  I'd buy the same one as a replacement.

Nice!

[euge]

What brand is it?

[punatic]

WÜSTHOF

[redbeerman]

That should last you a lifetime.  Ours are 30 years old or so and the only casualties (broken carver) have been from stupidity (mine).