[Oklahoma]

How about kitchen knives guys? Anybody know what to look for in quality kitchen knives?

Are we looking for custom or from a store? Any of the main makers will be very good quality. Going custom is a whole different game. I will try and put more up later on it.

 

[Ariaudio]

After years of owning Victorinox, Spyderco, Chris Reeve, Benchmade, etc. I finally came to terms with the fact that I just don't use a knife for many functions outside of opening packages, cutting tags, etc. So I've been pretty happy with an old vintage Case knife. I still recently splurged on the cool looking James Brand Elko, but alas I've been too OCD to use it.

 

[Hifi98]

My EDC folder is the Spyderco Delica 4. It features a smooth VG-10 tool steel blade, and the knife is finished with stainless scales. I like it because it looks pretty classy for a medium sized folder and the thumb hole is great to flick out the blade quickly.

 

[WNBC]

Thanks for the tip on the James Brand Elko. I've been looking for a small stylish EDC. I have a Spyderco Tenacious and Benchmade 300-1 Axis that I can use with the right pants (e.g. TAD with its sub pockets). But for most of my pants with less deep and slim pockets I need something smaller like my Boker Plus Subcom F. Have a ton of smaller Spyderco EDCs that do the trick but I feel that I am at like 75% everything Spyderco. Something like this James Brand Elko will give me a little variety.

After years of owning Victorinox, Spyderco, Chris Reeve, Benchmade, etc. I finally came to terms with the fact that I just don't use a knife for many functions outside of opening packages, cutting tags, etc. So I've been pretty happy with an old vintage Case knife. I still recently splurged on the cool looking James Brand Elko, but alas I've been too OCD to use it.

 

[MrMan]

So I'm new to the knife-fi. I looked around and I went off size and how it looked. Probably not the best way to buy a knife but honestly I couldn't be happier. For $95 I bought an SOG mini vulcan (VG-10) and I love it. How it feels in the hand. How it cuts. How it opens and close. I know when it came to audio it took me over 10 years to figure out what I like. I might have gotten super lucky and found what I wanted from the get-go.

 

[Genna]

Years ago I was also in custom knives and flashlights (Surefire, MJP/Arcmania, Lego).
After I finished with collecting I sold all my knives, except my favourite damascus custom knive. Now it’s time for him to let it go...

 

[genck]

I'm into guns more than knives by a long shot (hurr) but here are some I have
I usually carry that spec elite ii auto in the bottom left

 

[funkle II]

Some of the knives I see on Drop and elsewhere look pretty cool, and I've known a few guys who carry knives. But I always wonder why. Please don't take this disrespectfully, but I genuinely wonder what you guys use these for.

 

[phthora]

Some of the knives I see on Drop and elsewhere look pretty cool, and I've known a few guys who carry knives. But I always wonder why. Please don't take this disrespectfully, but I genuinely wonder what you guys use these for.

Today, I used a knife to sharpen a pencil, dislodge debris from a pencil sharpener, open mail, snip a zip-tie, scrape off a sticker, and cut information out of a larger piece of paper.

This past weekend, I used a different knife to trim back some untidy branches, clear some weeds, undo more zip-ties and tons of packing material, break down boxes, and shave down some wood to balance furniture.

As with any tool, the more you use a knife the more uses you find for one. If you haven't gotten accustomed to carrying a knife, I imagine you reach for different tools for the same sort of tasks and it likely doesn't cross your mind to use a knife. Nothing wrong with that. For some of us, a knife seems the obvious choice.

 

[funkle II]

Today, I used a knife to sharpen a pencil, dislodge debris from a pencil sharpener, open mail, snip a zip-tie, scrape off a sticker, and cut information out of a larger piece of paper.

This past weekend, I used a different knife to trim back some untidy branches, clear some weeds, undo more zip-ties and tons of packing material, break down boxes, and shave down some wood to balance furniture.

As with any tool, the more you use a knife the more uses you find for one. If you haven't gotten accustomed to carrying a knife, I imagine you reach for different tools for the same sort of tasks and it likely doesn't cross your mind to use a knife. Nothing wrong with that. For some of us, a knife seems the obvious choice.

Wouldn't some kind of multi-tool work better for utility? I have a few in various sizes, a leatherman and some smaller ones.

 

[phthora]

Wouldn't some kind of multi-tool work better for utility? I have a few in various sizes, a leatherman and some smaller ones.

Sometimes. I carry one with me all the time too, and have a bigger one at home. Of course, I've got quite a few proper tools as well for more intense jobs. Not everything gets done with a knife.

But, multi-tools have their drawbacks. The biggest is that they're typically terrible for any of the normal stuff you'd do with a knife. Mostly that sort of knife is a last resort option. The steel, design, and ergonomics are usually garbage, and they are hard to maintain. They're slow to deploy, too small for a lot of things, not comfortable to carry. I could go on.

On the other hand, a well-designed knife with quality steel can do surprisingly well in a number of odd circumstances. The fact that my knife is incredibly versatile, extremely easy to pocket-carry, fast and simple to deploy, means that often it does the work of other dedicated tools simply because it's at hand. That's the big draw.

For example, if I need to cut that piece of paper in half, I could grab scissors. But, with a ruler and a knife, I can make that cut perfectly straight and do it faster. So, are scissors really better? I wasn't planning on doing a bunch of yardwork when I cut those branches Saturday, I was just walking by and noticed they were dead. So, I flipped out my knife and cut them down in less time than it would have taken to walk to the garage, get the hedgeclippers, trim the branches, and return the gear. Hell, it took less time than just remembering where the hedgeclippers were. That sort of thing happens all the time. I've used a knife effectively as a screwdriver, as a prybar, as hammer, as a ruler, you name it. It seldom works as well the other way around.

You might be surprised by much a small assortment of good EDC can improve your day-to-day well-being. The Fisher Space Pen changed my life!

 

[funkle II]

Sometimes. I carry one with me all the time too, and have a bigger one at home. Of course, I've got quite a few proper tools as well for more intense jobs. Not everything gets done with a knife.

But, multi-tools have their drawbacks. The biggest is that they're typically terrible for any of the normal stuff you'd do with a knife. Mostly that sort of knife is a last resort option. The steel, design, and ergonomics are usually garbage, and they are hard to maintain. They're slow to deploy, too small for a lot of things, not comfortable to carry. I could go on.

On the other hand, a well-designed knife with quality steel can do surprisingly well in a number of odd circumstances. The fact that my knife is incredibly versatile, extremely easy to pocket-carry, fast and simple to deploy, means that often it does the work of other dedicated tools simply because it's at hand. That's the big draw.

For example, if I need to cut that piece of paper in half, I could grab scissors. But, with a ruler and a knife, I can make that cut perfectly straight and do it faster. So, are scissors really better? I wasn't planning on doing a bunch of yardwork when I cut those branches Saturday, I was just walking by and noticed they were dead. So, I flipped out my knife and cut them down in less time than it would have taken to walk to the garage, get the hedgeclippers, trim the branches, and return the gear. Hell, it took less time than just remembering where the hedgeclippers were. That sort of thing happens all the time. I've used a knife effectively as a screwdriver, as a prybar, as hammer, as a ruler, you name it. It seldom works as well the other way around.

You might be surprised by much a small assortment of good EDC can improve your day-to-day well-being. The Fisher Space Pen changed my life!

OK, now you're making me want to buy stuff I previously didn't know I needed. It seems like using a HQ knife as a screwdriver would be a big no-no.

 

[phthora]

OK, now you're making me want to buy stuff I previously didn't know I needed.

I'm sorry, I thought you knew this is Head-Fi. It's kinda what we do here: get other people to spend money on things we think are cool.

It seems like using a HQ knife as a screwdriver would be a big no-no.

Depends on the steel and tip strength, but you can sometimes use the spine (not the sharp side) to do minor prying or torquing like that. It works in a pinch.

 

[PaganDL]

Just my 2 cents,

@funkle II,

As @phthora stated, aside from the whole consumerism Want vs Need, knives are useful & more helpful than most other tools out there short of needing to hit something to set it in place, etc, batoning exists but personally prefer a good hammer or mallet for that.

Sadly, with knife collecting, there are many knives which are simply made just to be 'Art Knives', simply looking good in form rather than actually being useful in any practical sense.

Personally & subjectively, like @phthora, I use knives almost daily as well though most of my knives are midrange kitchen knives rather than straight knives though I have a quite a few fixed blade knives, personally not a fan of folders though there are some I like though in no rush to own for practical reasons.

Any harder steels, eg D2, D3, A2 or A3 (rarer & more commonly a tool steel) especially well heat or cryo treated can be used as a screwdriver in lieu or reasonable prybar in a pinch though it is still recommended to use a proper screwdriver or prybar.

So I would suggest researching knife steels to see what might be both affordable & useful for you...similar to audio gear, good knives, depending on what you yourself would call high quality, don't have to cost a lot either.

Hope you have a great day !

 

[KcMsterpce]

My dad's big into knives, and he hands me some every now and then.
The only knives I like to buy have to do with cooking. Ironically, after seeing this thread for the first time, I got myself a nakiri to replace my "YanCanCook" Chinese clever-vegetable-hybrid knife (which I bought back in... 2002?).

This was my knife rack a couple years ago, with the YanCanCook knife on display. The chef's knife is an 8.5" Zwilling Professional from 2000/2001. I hand-washed it so many times that there are towel streaks on the blade lol:

Here is the rack now:

The nakiri (Japanese vegetable knife) was made by James Chopp, an apprentice bladesmith (graduated) under Murray Carter, an Oregon-based bladesmith who learned how to make knives from Japanese masters. This nakiri is white hitachi steel, and I believe an iron laminate. The handle appears to be burl maple with white G10 liner. I purchased it the second I saw it pop up online, and forgot to pay particular attention to the details of the build. I have been eyeing a new nakiri for about 1.5 years, and always wanted 5.5"-6.5" length. This one is 5.53":

The other damascus knife is my Carter high grade Gyuto, damascus, dymondwood handle with buckeye burl bolster. Roughly 9.5" length. It looked like this when I first bought it 4+ years ago:

Of course, a patina has formed a bit on it now: