Inexpensive Steak Knives

[Ryan Stasel]

All,

I’m looking to pick up some inexpensive (like, sub $100 for a set of 4) steak knives… obviously un-serrated if possible (so I can sharpen with my WEPS).

Part of me wants to go with a well known name (Wusthof or Henckels), but then I see relatively decent reviews on cheaper brands too.

Anyone have any input? Figured this would be as good a place to ask as any. =)

Thanks!

[Ryan Stasel]

No idea why this ended up in welcome mat. Wanted to create it in “Off Topic”. =/

Mod: feel free, obviously, to move.

[Mark76]

How about some Opinel knives? Much cheaper than your limit and great knives. The carbon ones (XC90, I think) take a wicked edge and are a joy to sharpen. The stainless ones (12C27) also take a very good edge.

Molecule Polishing: my blog about sharpening with the Wicked Edge

[Ryan Stasel]

I had honestly never heard of Opinel.

So you mean something along the lines of this: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/7114663/ ??

Thanks!

[Ryan Stasel]

Or maybe a slightly less annoying reseller than Williams-Sonoma: http://www.amazon.com/Opinel-Bon-Appetit-Table-Knives/dp/B004R99TGG/

[Brian M]

I’ve never understood the point behind unserrated steak knives. The FIRST time you cut through and hit plate, the edge folds over and they are dull. Unless you’re cutting on a cutting board, it just doesn’t seem to be the best solution. Serrations solve that issue as best as possible. Well, the best solution is to cut the steak in the kitchen and serve it cut.

And Opinel is a highly respected, old name, high quality knife. Don’t dismiss without doing some homework. If I were to eat with you and saw you had Opinel knives, I’d know you were a knife geek in at least a small respect. One of the germans and I’d not even notice.

[Ryan Stasel]

Oh, not dismissing at all. I’d just never heard of them. No doubt they’re good.

And serrated ones do indeed last longer, I would just like to be able to sharpen them myself. =/

[Mark76]

Opinel is a brand of traditional French knives. You can read the story here. The most famous Opinel knife is the Opinel no. 10. It is a folding knife with a twist lock. A beauty of simplicity:

.

In France they still have a tradition of bringing their own knives to a restaurant, so you often encounter an Opinel there, along with other more expensive knives like a Laguiole.

Apparently the company nowadays produces a large number of other knives, including more expensive ones. Their English language website is here. These knives should be quite easy to get in the US. Where I live a no. 10 costs about EUR 10 ($13).

Molecule Polishing: my blog about sharpening with the Wicked Edge

[cbwx34]

I was going to suggest adding “How are you going to sharpen it?” in this thread.

Brian’s got a good point, it’s tough to keep a knife sharp that hits a ceramic plate.

I did pick up a technique for sharpening steak knives that works pretty well. Can’t remember who came up with it or I’d give ’em credit.

Sharpen around 17-18 deg. Leave a fairly aggressive edge on the knife, around 200-400g. Then take the knife at 90 deg. to a stone, and make a couple of “cuts” into the stone. (You can then make an optional additional pass or two with your coarse stone, but don’t try and recreate an “edge”). What this does is takes off the very edge that will roll on ceramic plate. You’ll end up with an edge that cuts better than a serrated knife (which is more prone to tearing the meat), but won’t dull out as quick as one with an edge.

What other suggestions are out there?

[Mark76]

What other suggestions are out there?

A Wicked Edge 😛 .

Seriously, though, if you take a good hard steel, and don’t put too steep an edge on it, it will last a while even on ceramic plates. And the great thing about the WEPS is that touch-ups are a breeze. Just write down the clamp position of the knife.

I hate serrated knives for cutting up steaks. I feel they rip the meat apart, rather than slice it. So I now have about ten traditional French knives (Opinel, Laguiole and similar knives) which we use for dinner parties.

Molecule Polishing: my blog about sharpening with the Wicked Edge

[Ryan Stasel]

I would love some more input. I’m not terribly crazy about the look of the Opinel, but hey, if they’re good inexpensive knives, I’ll take em. I don’t want to shell out the money that the Shun ones cost (which would match my kitchen knives)…

[Joel Fiorentini]

My wife and I purchased a set of the Henckels Pro S. I realize your stated budget was $100 and I am no where near any kind of expert on kitchen knives. But…we love them! Our hopes are that they will last our lifetime and are a pleasure to use. Knowing I can keep them sharp on my wicked edge helps too! If you can swing it by holding off and saving up a bit I think you would enjoy them. Steaks even taste better after cutting them with these…just kidding!

[Ryan Stasel]

So, to be more specific, I was basically looking at:

http://www.amazon.com/Wusthof-Gourmet-4-Piece-Steak-Knife/dp/B0000631ZJ/
http://www.amazon.com/Ginsu-Japanese-Stainless-4-5-Inch-7104/dp/B001CLFZZG/
http://www.amazon.com/Ginsu-Japanese-Damascus-Stainless-5-InchSteak/dp/B0027LQEY6/
http://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Straight-Edge-Pointed-Tip-Rosewood-Handles/dp/B000PL1A2Q

I know Wusthof makes decent knives (I prefer them to Henckels), and I know the Gourmet aren’t as high a quality as the classic’s, but they’re also about 1/3rd the price.

And Ginsu, I know NOTHING about other than I remember them being a bit like Cutco back in the 80’s. I don’t know if they’re decent, or crap. I picked those couple because they didn’t look terrible, and they were straight edge.

Also realize the second set of Ginsu’s is more than my $100 mark, but they look a decent amount like my Shun’s, so I threw them in just since they “matched”.

Then the Victorinox since they also seem to get decent reviews, and it’s 6 of them… though, like I said, I mentioned not liking wood handles much. =/

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