#2 son is interested replacing his current ones, Chicago Cutlery, I think, as they're becoming dull too quickly. Has requested for upcoming BD.

Any of you chefs have any recommendations? Thanks,

Kathy I have Calphalon kitchen knives and just love them. My favorite is the poultry shears. :)

Kathy, I'm not a big expert in this area but I believe Henckels and Wusthof are the two top brands. We have Wusthof. I don't think you'd be disappointed with either.

Actually, Consumer Reports thought Chicago Curlery was a good buy for the price. Tom.

I have Wusthof and really like them. My favorite knife is a ceramic santoku by Kyocera. It's a little delicate (drop it and it's toast), it needs to be used on a wooden or PVC cutting board (not glass!) but it is the sharpest thing I have ever seen, it holds it's edge incredibly well and if it needs sharpening Kyocera will do it for a nominal price (no way you can sharpen it yourself). I bought it as a set with a paring knife and the whole thing cost maybe $75. It really isn't practical as an "everyday knife".

Of the knives I have, I use my 8 inch Chef's and 8 inch Santoku (both Wusthof) the most, sometimes a long slicer, a serrated knife (I bought a cheap one and it's fine) and my ceramic ones. I believe Sur la Table has a great selection but you may be able to find them for less money on the internet.

The most important thing I have found (after having the knife feel comfortable in your hand and that you just have to feel to know) is to get a professional sharpening. You really can't do it as well at home.

Another vote here for Wusthof. They are better than the Chicago Cutlery ones.

Cheers, Anne

Me too....Wusthof. I also like the Santoku knife. I also have one that I bought in Japan for making sushi, it's a razor.

Ditto on Wusthof. My chef agrees.

I have the steak knives my uncle gave out to customers at his gas station 35 years ago. They still cut. Mostly boxes now, but they still cut.

OK, so no one will accuse me of chef-dom!

Me too Crystal - I use the Henckels, Tony bought, to cut open Fed Ex boxes and cut my elephant plants (works great) ...don't tell him

I have Henckels..very happy. My favorite is also the Santoku knife. I also like the serrated tomato and utility knives.

I have Cutco. I'm strangely attached to my chef's knife. I keep looking at Wusthof, Henckels, and Global to replace it one of these days but I just like my grip. Go figure ... :)

Masaki

Love my 9inch blade Henkels pro chefs knife and my filleting knife from Finland.
But my favorite ones are my serrated utility ones for $2.00 each at a flea market near Huntsville,Alabama...Priceless!!!

Hi Kathy,

I would definitely have your son "try on" some brands before you buy them for him. He needs to find the best grip and balance for his hands. I personally love my Wusthof Classic set but tried on Global and Henckel before deciding.

Kathy

I completely agree with "trying on" knives. Wusthof and Henckels both come in a variety of grips. My santoku has a different grip than my chef's knife, but I love them both. I've used knives with a grip I don't like and it doesn't matter how great the blade is...I still don't like to use the knife.

Williams-sonoma is very good about letting you "try on" their knives.

Thank you all; I really appreciate all the input. I think the "trying on" is a good idea, but may be a bit difficult as he would have to go to Tulsa or OK City and I don't know what choices are there. I think I may send him this thread and a gift certificate to ? Not very "gifty," but I'm a practical person!

Practical is great. As you can tell from this thread, knife choice is pretty personal. You can't go wrong with one of the major brands but having one that is balanced and comfortable in your hand makes all the difference.

OK city or Tulsa probably have a Williams-Sonoma. A gift certificate to there would be great.

Yes WS is in both places as noted:

UTICA SQUARE
2016 UTICA SQUARE
TULSA, OK, 74114
(918) 742-5252

PENN SQUARE MALL
1901 NORTHWEST EXPRESSWAY
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK, 73118
(405) 843-5013

They have an enormous selection of knives.

I would like to agree with the above as far as trying out the knives. Please be aware that there are multiple versions of the knives ranging in quality ... even with the higher end knives.

For example, Henckels best are Professional S which is a riveted handel, Four star...excellent quality and their latest Five Star, which is dishwasher safe as it is forged from a special steel. All feel different in your hand and work differently. There are also cheaper lines as well.

This is an excellent overview of how to select knives.

http://www.zwilling.com/locale/en_ww/index.php/bereich_id/23/produktbereich_id/1

For the most part we use Henckels, but my favorite knife is our Global Santoku knife. We saw it demonstrated on our Silversea cruise by one of the visiting chefs during the cooking demo. Also it was what they gave as one of the prizes on Top Chef.