Title says it all really. I am wanting knife to last me forever and the choice is between the Wusthof Ikon 8" Chefs knife, or Shun Classic. Which would you choose and why?
Im sure there are a million other knifes, but this price point ($150) is about as high as I want to go.
Thanks!
wusthof 10"
I have the Wusthof Classic iKon 8 in.
When I hold it, it's a sexual experience.
Wustof is softer german steel, mean it's easier to sharpen, but also dulls quicker than the Shun. Not that you'd need to actually sharpen that often, maybe two to three times a year if you're a home cook.
Shun's blade angle is also steeper, meaning it's sharper, but also less forgiving to handle with.
Wustof is a safer choice for a newbie in my opinion, you can't really go wrong with either though
Good to know. Seems like a lot of people here are pro Wusthof at the moment. Wonder what type of sharpening system would be best to go along with it. When you say its less forgiving to handle, what do you mean? Again, newbie here.
Why the 10 over the 8 if you dont mind me asking.
Shun is harder steel, and it's blade angle is like 15 degrees compared to wustofs 20, which means it's more brittle and thinner. If you use the Shun for something it's not supposed to be used for, like cleaving bones, for example, you're more likely to fuck up the knife than if you had used a wustof.
To sharpen kinves, look up burr-based sharpening with waterstones online, plenty of guides for you. Also, get a decent honing rod, learn how to hone your knives, since it's something you'll want to do almost every time before using a knife
Nazis are cooler than Imperial Japan, so get a Wüsthof.
>wustofs 20
Unless you are buying some antique one, no.
"Our sharpening angle for standard blades is 14˚ per side, and for Asian-style blades (Santokus, Nakiris, Chai Daos) is 10˚ per side."
>Wusthof:
Pros: -It's made by Nazis.
-It's made to be durable and withstand abuse.
-The blade geometry is extremely versatile and can be used in many ways, on many foods, with many kinds of cuts.
-Easier to sharpen, and you can true the edge quickly with 30 seconds on a honing steel.
Cons: -The edge will lose its bite faster than the Shun.
-Heavier knives are generally less agile to use over extended periods of time.
>Shun:
Pros: -It will hold a razor edge for longer.
-It looks purdy.
Cons: -Can be harder to sharpen.
-Rock-chopping can damage them.
-The steel is hard, but not very tough, meaning that you will have to be conscious to only slice foods gently - push or pull cuts - or else the edge can and will chip badly.
-Even though it's a Japanese blade, it's not all that lightweight.
-Much more difficult and time-consuming to re-sharpen.
-If you try running it over a honing steel, you could chip the edge even worse.
Either size can be very effective, but if you are at least 5'10" tall and you have the counter space, there's really no reason not to go with a slightly longer blade.
Get the one with the highest attack power, this isn't rocket science here folks
i feel that way about the 7 inch wusthof classic santoku
also every single person I've seen that picks up a rounded handle knife for the first time cuts the tip of their left thumb off - warning
Who the fuck cares if the owner doesn't have the tools or the knowledge to keep the edge sharp all the time. Buying a cool sharp knife is nice, when you use it everyday (i hope) it will be a shitty knife if you don't straighten the edge before each cooking session and sharpening it every once in a while.
>there's really no reason not to go with a slightly longer blade.
This. The handle on the IKONs is also pretty massive, if you buy the 8'' it may end up too tailheavy.
Once you get used to a really long knife it is luxurious to work with, and very fast too, if you employ the proper techniques to put the length to actual use.
if you are unsure there is still the 9'' version, an almost ideal length for a non-pro cook IMHO.
A combo stone with something like 400-600 grit one one side and 1000-1500 on the other would be ideal. If you are willing to shell out a bit more try the Naniwa Lobster 2000 grit stone, known as the "green brick" among kitchen knife aficionados. A gigantic oversize stone that is considered ideal for all Euro kitchen knives and it will outlast you.
For realigning the edge I recommend a smooth or microgrooved steel. They are hard to find, but really effective and much easier on the knive.
It just seems blasphemous to me to make a santoku knife with a Western handle, although I have no doubt that this is a fantastic knife and will probably get one someday anyway.
Get a Tojiro DP instead
>you're more likely to fuck up the knife than if you had used a wustof.
Just because you can kindasorta bash a rolled edge back into position for long enough to cut saran wrap using a grooved steel doesn't mean it's any less "fucked up" than a harder edge with microchipping
Please stop giving knife advice
After you bash a Wusthoff back and take a few microns off it's sharp again.
After a VG10 knife chips you have to take a whole lot more off.
>After you bash a Wusthoff back
> and take a few microns off
Those are two separate events requiring two different tools
>After a VG10 knife chips you have to take a whole lot more off.
You mean you have to take something off, period. How much depends on how long you've gone without maintenance. Whether you're taking 2 microns off or 20, you're taking off steel. Which isn't the end of the world despite what I hear from people who think knife maintenance should be left to the expert monkeys in the sharpening truck with their power grinders.
I have a 10" (26cm) Wusthof. I am currently saving up for a higher end japanese Santoku or Gyuto, but I plan on spending double what a shun or Wusthof costs.
Go with the Shun. They're handcrafted by bushido artisans to ensure a long lasting and maneuverable cutting edge.
forget about those battle axes.
Henckels Twin 4 star II or Pro S.
The old German knives had much less belly than the new ones.
Yup, mine is in remarkable condition given its age
>nobody here likes MAC
I started with a MAC mighty personally. It was leagues better than the wusthof my coworker was using. Never even held a shun before. I'm sure they're all right, but as much as I love alton brown I just can't buy into his whole shilling video on them.
Every time I hear someone talk about MAC knives here or on other kitchen knife or chef forums, it's from people wanting to upgrade from them.
>It was leagues better than
It seems like they are typically used as bridge knives from German steel to better Japanese steel.
MAC makes a big range of knives, from pleb to god tier
For some reason people tend to lump them all together instead of referring to the specific line
Do you think that the color change near the edge in that picture is the length of the bevel?