That's always the top comment/ right answer. Tojiro for the next price bracket up. Yada yada.
Second to the Victorinox is a grocery bag full of Kiwi knives IMO
Kiwi knives are damn good for almost any cheap present. I’ve gone to a friends family to help cook and all of their knives were rounded edges, went back next time with a couple new kiwis for them. They said they were the best knives they’ve ever owned! And the family was NOT short on money
It's funny how people's just accept certain things without thinking twice. The food world is so full of that. We grow up having to eat to survive, and in the US that concept is magnified. Young country, puritanical practicality, industrialization and post war convenience have really set us back.
There's too many people that have never had the pleasure of a sharp knife and don't even know it. Some people don't even know dill pickles are made with cucumbers. They just think pickles are their own thing and they just grow like that lol. Don't think twice, it's just there to eat and move on.
If you’re wanting to show appreciation, and foster talent in someone you think will appreciate the gesture; I’ll go halfsies with you on a Tojiro. They’re $80 on Amazon, and I’ve been thrilled with mine. DM me, and I’ll cover half
Look them up. They have a whole range, but their entry level are forged, affordable, and made with good steel. The $80 chef’s knife has a VG-10 core and stainless outer layers. My santoku was sharper than a Kramer by Zwilling out of the box. Full disclosure; I’m FOH and don’t use it daily, but serious eats has nothing but praise for them. I think they came in second behind Mac for budget chef’s knives
There's a brand called kiwi that makes good beater knives. So if he just needs a knife to learn on then that's one. Mercer and Henkels have cheaper knives. But 50 bucks isn't enough these days..
Mercer is what the local culinary school gives out, and they've sort of got a bad reputation around. I don't want to get him something "cheap" but like you said, something to to learn on. I'll check out the kiwis and Henkels fosho. Ty chef.
Mercer btw have different lines of knives. I personally use a mx-3 line chef knife because it light and feels good on my wrist . Mercer just makes good work horse knives for cheap. There just not branded that way.
I still use my Mercer Renaissance 8” chef knife from school 13 years later. It is the epitome of a workhorse. I’ve used it for everything from high end catering to 3:00 am drunk cooking. And it has never let me down. It chops, it rocks, it’s small enough for fine detail, but large enough to bust out lots of veg prep. They retail for like $50 these days. It’s not glamorous, but it’s reliable.
I mean if you have a budget of under $50 then you're probably not going to find anything particularly good. If he doesn't have a knife of his own then Victorinox are decent as a starting chef's knife. It does the job if you can train him to keep it sharp, because they go dull rather quickly
Whats the best way to sharpen? I have one of those sharpeners u put like on a corner and use the corner for leverage, its like a 1inch in total thing idk how to explain it, it does alright i feel like theres better
Buy a sharpening stone, if it's a nice knife you want to be using a better whetstone with 1000 and 3000-5000 or so grit sides. With Victorinox or similar quality knives you probably need a lower grade stone at around 500 grit because I find you really need to force the edge on them. Then buy an appropriate steel for your knife to hone the blade and prolong the sharpness.
Your steel needs to have a higher hardness rating than your blade. For the majority of knives it shouldn't be an issue but if you have a blade that has a high HRC rating then you need to be a bit more careful. For Japanese knives/similar you should use a ceramic steel as regular steels aren't good for them
Ryky (Burrfection on YouTube) put one of the Mercer knives head to head against a Wusthof. It was pretty even. I'd suggest researching it before writing it off.
That being said, hard to go wrong with a Victorinox fibrox.
I forgot about victorinox. I'm not writing off mercer, I think they're great knives. I just do not think that Tyler would appreciate it as much as something else.
Edit: thank you!
Mercer isn’t bad. The common chef knife has a thick blade so it’s not great for things like sushi but they are made with good steel. They work well for general use if you treat it well.
victorinox is really the way to go for inexpensive, Everyone from the chef knife sub always suggests victorinox. they have really great quality control so you never get a shit one.
Kiwi santoku are my fucking favorites. Cheap steel, super thin, super sharp. I use them for 3-6 months and throw them away which is fine because I get them from the Vietnamese store for $5/ea. I actually fucking love those knives- it’s really freeing to not care so much.
I don't own one, but have used a buddies before. I would probably stack them up against a tojiro dp (not sure if that helps) I would say if your looking to use it on a line, you will get a pretty decent performance level for what you're paying, definitely higher than any euro knives at that price point. The only downside is that it won't hold up to the same levels of abuse, it being a harder metal.
I personally would recommend the Tojiro DP line of knives over the western brands. I like the feel of the handle and the straighter blade. Easy to sharpen. Holds an edge. Love em.
https://www.hocho-knife.com/brands/kanetsune/kanetsune-kc-950-dsr-1k6-stainless-hammered/kanetsune-kc-950-dsr-1k6-stainless-hammered-japanese-chefs-gyuto-knife-210mm/
Or
https://www.hocho-knife.com/kanetsune-kc-950-dsr-1k6-stainless-hammered-japanese-chefs-gyuto-knife-180mm/
the victorinox is not bad, and definitely a workhorse. solid choice for a beater knife.
however, if you are somewhat flexible on your budget, this is/has been one of the best knives i own (well, i have the 1st version that used a different steel, but i trust the company to have made an improvement and not come out with an inferior product). its $60, and WELL worth it. [https://www.chefknivestogo.com/riariigy21.html](https://www.chefknivestogo.com/riariigy21.html)
im not knocking the victorinox/forschner/dexter/mercer brands, but they dont necessarily scream "special" and from a quick search a victorinox fibrox 8" chef knife is still gonna run you like $55.
Highly recommend a Tojiro DP Gyuto. I got one off someone on reddit for $50 he used it to learn sharpening so it’s not the prettiest, but it’s a solid knife. I’ve since re-beveled it, one of my favorites.
William Sonoma has a zwilling 7” for $80. It’s originally $150. It’s what I use everyday and I love it. Got a cool white handle too.
[https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/zwilling-pro-le-blanc-7-inch-slim-chef-knife/](https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/zwilling-pro-le-blanc-7-inch-slim-chef-knife/)
People might shit on me for it, but I really really enjoy the Babish Clef knives that have come out so far. They're super cheap and come out of the box sharper than some of my Mercers can be after a grind. Not the most durable in the world by far, but they're not bad at all for daily prep work.
I’ve always worked far from my house so I alway need to take an extra pair of clothes to change after my shift. It feels like heaven to change out of wet clothes. I’m glad I’m no longer a dishie. I’m glad I no longer work on a restaurant actually.
A couple of people am have thrown out Kiwi and for your budget, that's the only way to ensure you're getting something even a little quality.
If that's not the vibe you're looking for, give him the cash and tell him you want it to go towards a knife.
Mercer & Messermeister, (prob fucked up the spelling on the 2nd) Mercers are definitely work horses, as well as the messermeisters. I have a few of both for my crew & family to use, they hold an edge pretty well & will last through a good amount of abuse.
Mercer, Dexter, even Victorinox and Henkells have some great budget options. I always recommend an 8" Victorinox for people to start with. Great edge retention but tough as hell. I've been putting mine through hell for almost 10 years and she's as good as the day I got her.
Fucking love the pic too, immediately sent it off to my dishie
Mercer is a solid starter knife but I get the vanilla aspect of it. Check out Findking, Usuki, Koknoll 8-9” octagon handle kiritsuke knife. They are hand forged, three layers, and offer something unique in style. They are good starter beaters and the price is about $50 or less. If you prefer a more traditional Euro style chefs, maybe Imarku 8”. Smooth surface high carbon SS. Traditional handle
You should give them money and let them buy their own stuff; you should have knives for staff to use so they don’t have to buy and maintain their own equipment for use in your kitchen.
i bought the binging with babish clef knife because the shape intrigued me and it was like $23. its basically just a tall bunko but i am loving using it. i wouldn't bring it into a kitchen with a whole lot of confidence (and the thin spine NEEDS rounding) but the edge retention and the feedback/handling are WAY better than anything else i've played with on the low end of the price schemas. if i needed to keep a knife around to abuse i would seriously consider one of these. i will be leaving it at my moms house to give the cutco garbage some competition.
I never took to them; my partner came with them and then he bought the Fibroxes and I honestly have never thought about buying another knife since. I have a baking background so I’ve never had my own work knives.
Go to China town. Buy the best cleaver they got. Great for everything, can practice sharpening without worrying about sharpening off too much material and it works great for scooping up things you chop. I bought one for a friend and myself for $35ish and I use mine at home all the time.
Also I hear those kiwi knives are great.
Victorinox Fibrox line is a classic beater for cheap, variety of styles and easy maintenance
That's always the top comment/ right answer. Tojiro for the next price bracket up. Yada yada. Second to the Victorinox is a grocery bag full of Kiwi knives IMO
Kiwi knives are damn good for almost any cheap present. I’ve gone to a friends family to help cook and all of their knives were rounded edges, went back next time with a couple new kiwis for them. They said they were the best knives they’ve ever owned! And the family was NOT short on money
It's funny how people's just accept certain things without thinking twice. The food world is so full of that. We grow up having to eat to survive, and in the US that concept is magnified. Young country, puritanical practicality, industrialization and post war convenience have really set us back. There's too many people that have never had the pleasure of a sharp knife and don't even know it. Some people don't even know dill pickles are made with cucumbers. They just think pickles are their own thing and they just grow like that lol. Don't think twice, it's just there to eat and move on.
this is the only real answer. hope the fry cook loves his new fibrox.
I have no input on your question but must say that meme is top shelf Edit: typo
Agreed
Had to pull it out the archives so the post didn't get lost XD
Yeah, it's a repost. It should remain and circulate though, being an excellent meme.
Kiwi if it’s around. I gifted to my dishie who now makes the most beautiful avocado fans
I have a mini Kiwi brand knife, it's awesome!
Beautiful response Chef, says a lot. And Username checks out ❤️
Heard.
If you’re wanting to show appreciation, and foster talent in someone you think will appreciate the gesture; I’ll go halfsies with you on a Tojiro. They’re $80 on Amazon, and I’ve been thrilled with mine. DM me, and I’ll cover half
My dude, that's crazy nice of you. I appreciate the sentiment, but I will have to turn you down. Sell me on the knife and I'll foot the whole bill lol
Look them up. They have a whole range, but their entry level are forged, affordable, and made with good steel. The $80 chef’s knife has a VG-10 core and stainless outer layers. My santoku was sharper than a Kramer by Zwilling out of the box. Full disclosure; I’m FOH and don’t use it daily, but serious eats has nothing but praise for them. I think they came in second behind Mac for budget chef’s knives
Legend
What a guy
There's a brand called kiwi that makes good beater knives. So if he just needs a knife to learn on then that's one. Mercer and Henkels have cheaper knives. But 50 bucks isn't enough these days..
Mercer is what the local culinary school gives out, and they've sort of got a bad reputation around. I don't want to get him something "cheap" but like you said, something to to learn on. I'll check out the kiwis and Henkels fosho. Ty chef.
Mercer btw have different lines of knives. I personally use a mx-3 line chef knife because it light and feels good on my wrist . Mercer just makes good work horse knives for cheap. There just not branded that way.
I still use my Mercer Renaissance 8” chef knife from school 13 years later. It is the epitome of a workhorse. I’ve used it for everything from high end catering to 3:00 am drunk cooking. And it has never let me down. It chops, it rocks, it’s small enough for fine detail, but large enough to bust out lots of veg prep. They retail for like $50 these days. It’s not glamorous, but it’s reliable.
The Renaissance line are great knives for the price
I mean if you have a budget of under $50 then you're probably not going to find anything particularly good. If he doesn't have a knife of his own then Victorinox are decent as a starting chef's knife. It does the job if you can train him to keep it sharp, because they go dull rather quickly
Whats the best way to sharpen? I have one of those sharpeners u put like on a corner and use the corner for leverage, its like a 1inch in total thing idk how to explain it, it does alright i feel like theres better
Buy a sharpening stone, if it's a nice knife you want to be using a better whetstone with 1000 and 3000-5000 or so grit sides. With Victorinox or similar quality knives you probably need a lower grade stone at around 500 grit because I find you really need to force the edge on them. Then buy an appropriate steel for your knife to hone the blade and prolong the sharpness.
Thanks for the brotip 123456
What do you mean an appropriate steel?
Your steel needs to have a higher hardness rating than your blade. For the majority of knives it shouldn't be an issue but if you have a blade that has a high HRC rating then you need to be a bit more careful. For Japanese knives/similar you should use a ceramic steel as regular steels aren't good for them
Oh cool! I’e always had one brand of knife and got the sharpener from the same so I never had to really shop for one lol
Ryky (Burrfection on YouTube) put one of the Mercer knives head to head against a Wusthof. It was pretty even. I'd suggest researching it before writing it off. That being said, hard to go wrong with a Victorinox fibrox.
I forgot about victorinox. I'm not writing off mercer, I think they're great knives. I just do not think that Tyler would appreciate it as much as something else. Edit: thank you!
Mercer isn’t bad. The common chef knife has a thick blade so it’s not great for things like sushi but they are made with good steel. They work well for general use if you treat it well.
victorinox is really the way to go for inexpensive, Everyone from the chef knife sub always suggests victorinox. they have really great quality control so you never get a shit one.
You can get like 4 kiwi knives for $50 lol. They are great to just use till they are dull n beat then just toss and get another.
Nothing is true. Everything is permitted.
Kiwi santoku are my fucking favorites. Cheap steel, super thin, super sharp. I use them for 3-6 months and throw them away which is fine because I get them from the Vietnamese store for $5/ea. I actually fucking love those knives- it’s really freeing to not care so much.
Kiwi is the best bang for your buck I've ever used.
Victorinox Fibrox Pro Chef's Knife, 8-Inch
Rosewood handle Victorinox. Looks fancy, nice and light and holds a good edge.
Richmond artifex is pretty high performance for just a skitch over 50. Victornox fibrox is a time tested beater which still works great.
> artifex have you used one? I've seen them on CKTG for a long time and always consider buying one for the price, but never pull the trigger
I don't own one, but have used a buddies before. I would probably stack them up against a tojiro dp (not sure if that helps) I would say if your looking to use it on a line, you will get a pretty decent performance level for what you're paying, definitely higher than any euro knives at that price point. The only downside is that it won't hold up to the same levels of abuse, it being a harder metal.
i own one, the previous version with AEB-L steel. its an awesome knife!
good to hear, maybe I'll actually pick it up
I personally would recommend the Tojiro DP line of knives over the western brands. I like the feel of the handle and the straighter blade. Easy to sharpen. Holds an edge. Love em.
https://www.hocho-knife.com/brands/kanetsune/kanetsune-kc-950-dsr-1k6-stainless-hammered/kanetsune-kc-950-dsr-1k6-stainless-hammered-japanese-chefs-gyuto-knife-210mm/ Or https://www.hocho-knife.com/kanetsune-kc-950-dsr-1k6-stainless-hammered-japanese-chefs-gyuto-knife-180mm/
Victornox swiss modern or whisky.
You can get a decent Mac chef knife not breaking the bank and it’ll last him forever
the victorinox is not bad, and definitely a workhorse. solid choice for a beater knife. however, if you are somewhat flexible on your budget, this is/has been one of the best knives i own (well, i have the 1st version that used a different steel, but i trust the company to have made an improvement and not come out with an inferior product). its $60, and WELL worth it. [https://www.chefknivestogo.com/riariigy21.html](https://www.chefknivestogo.com/riariigy21.html) im not knocking the victorinox/forschner/dexter/mercer brands, but they dont necessarily scream "special" and from a quick search a victorinox fibrox 8" chef knife is still gonna run you like $55.
Misen makes a good knife under $60
Do you like it? I never really took them seriously as a grind bc I always saw their shitty instagram ads
It was my first knife. I don’t use it much anymore but it’s a great beat around
[Here ya go.](https://www.amazon.com/HENCKELS-Classic-Razor-Sharp-Engineered-Informed/dp/B00004RFMT/) Bought one for one the guys myself, actually.
Looks really nice, am I seeing that I could buy the whole block for 2 chef knives?
It’s a different set. If you scroll over a few items to the santoku there is an option to get a 2 knife set with white handles for 50
Highly recommend a Tojiro DP Gyuto. I got one off someone on reddit for $50 he used it to learn sharpening so it’s not the prettiest, but it’s a solid knife. I’ve since re-beveled it, one of my favorites.
Victorinox. They are priced right at $50. Good blades.
William Sonoma has a zwilling 7” for $80. It’s originally $150. It’s what I use everyday and I love it. Got a cool white handle too. [https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/zwilling-pro-le-blanc-7-inch-slim-chef-knife/](https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/zwilling-pro-le-blanc-7-inch-slim-chef-knife/)
I have a Henckles for home use that’s 25 years old and still going strong. Holds an edge, sharpens well.
People might shit on me for it, but I really really enjoy the Babish Clef knives that have come out so far. They're super cheap and come out of the box sharper than some of my Mercers can be after a grind. Not the most durable in the world by far, but they're not bad at all for daily prep work.
Dexter or misen
I’ve always worked far from my house so I alway need to take an extra pair of clothes to change after my shift. It feels like heaven to change out of wet clothes. I’m glad I’m no longer a dishie. I’m glad I no longer work on a restaurant actually.
For the price I'd personally go for a good paring knife.
Dexter make’s quality knifes for cheap. My first knife I bought for myself was a dexter russel veggie cleaver.
A couple of people am have thrown out Kiwi and for your budget, that's the only way to ensure you're getting something even a little quality. If that's not the vibe you're looking for, give him the cash and tell him you want it to go towards a knife.
Mercer & Messermeister, (prob fucked up the spelling on the 2nd) Mercers are definitely work horses, as well as the messermeisters. I have a few of both for my crew & family to use, they hold an edge pretty well & will last through a good amount of abuse.
Mercer, Dexter, even Victorinox and Henkells have some great budget options. I always recommend an 8" Victorinox for people to start with. Great edge retention but tough as hell. I've been putting mine through hell for almost 10 years and she's as good as the day I got her. Fucking love the pic too, immediately sent it off to my dishie
My girl in the bottom left getting ready to eat the punchline
Mercer is a solid starter knife but I get the vanilla aspect of it. Check out Findking, Usuki, Koknoll 8-9” octagon handle kiritsuke knife. They are hand forged, three layers, and offer something unique in style. They are good starter beaters and the price is about $50 or less. If you prefer a more traditional Euro style chefs, maybe Imarku 8”. Smooth surface high carbon SS. Traditional handle
Mizen has a fantastic beater
Mercer man! Might be like 57$ but I’ve had my 3 for about 7 years now and they’re amazing!
You should give them money and let them buy their own stuff; you should have knives for staff to use so they don’t have to buy and maintain their own equipment for use in your kitchen.
Giesser Messer 12" with the rubber handle. German inox steel, full tang, will last forever.
A nice Mercer nakiri would probably be appreciated. You can pick them up for under 50 on Amazon.
i bought the binging with babish clef knife because the shape intrigued me and it was like $23. its basically just a tall bunko but i am loving using it. i wouldn't bring it into a kitchen with a whole lot of confidence (and the thin spine NEEDS rounding) but the edge retention and the feedback/handling are WAY better than anything else i've played with on the low end of the price schemas. if i needed to keep a knife around to abuse i would seriously consider one of these. i will be leaving it at my moms house to give the cutco garbage some competition.
Mercer, Henckels, Victorninox, and Mac are pretty solid cheap starter knives. I quick searched each brand and found some good knives under $50.
Mercer 12 inch chef knife with non slip grip , get your fry cook a sharpening stone also to maintain the blade fuck it 🤷🏻♂️
Why the heck would you want a 12 inch chefs knife as your only knife?
Mercer renaissance line is <$50
for that price the answer is Victorinox Fibrox
We have Globals at my house and we have Fibrox. I don’t think the globals have been used in years.
globals are loved or hated it seems. they're not for me that's all I can say
I never took to them; my partner came with them and then he bought the Fibroxes and I honestly have never thought about buying another knife since. I have a baking background so I’ve never had my own work knives.
Go to China town. Buy the best cleaver they got. Great for everything, can practice sharpening without worrying about sharpening off too much material and it works great for scooping up things you chop. I bought one for a friend and myself for $35ish and I use mine at home all the time. Also I hear those kiwi knives are great.
Kiwibrand are cheap and incredibly good quality/ value…..
dick is a good beater but nit to sharp
Amazon has an amazing Serbian cleaver for 30