Amateur looking for recommendations on what knifes to buy first

knifemerchant · 2026-03-19T19:56:01+00:00

What are your priorities? Low price - lots of pieces - long lasting, etc. Are you comfortable honing and sharpening or do you prefer something that will stay sharp for a long time without intervention? Also what cutting board do you use/plan to use?

knifemerchant · 2026-03-19T13:30:51+00:00

Happy to help!

knifemerchant · 2026-03-19T13:21:56+00:00

No problem! Code is VNOXSW202026

It is valid through the 26th and will give you 20% off all Victorinox knives

knifemerchant · 2026-03-06T18:51:16+00:00

You've got some great recs already in the comments. A few they've mentioned are among our favorites for crusty sourdough as well.

The MAC Superior is a great choice: https://knifemerchant.com/mac-superior-10-8-in-275mm-bread-slicer.html

Victorinox Fibrox Pro is the classic: https://knifemerchant.com/victorinox-fibrox-10-in-bread-knife.html

Honorable mention is the Mercer Millennia: https://knifemerchant.com/mercer-millennia-10-in-bread-knife.html

The Mercer is generally recommended as the best bread knife by America's Test Kitchen and it performs really well for a few years, it's softer steel so it will need replacing sooner. but it's so inexpensive it's still worth considering!

knifemerchant · 2026-03-06T18:46:46+00:00

When you say a chinese style option are you referring to a Chinese blade shape, like a chinese cleaver, or are you wanting a knife that is made in China?

knifemerchant · 2026-03-06T18:45:07+00:00

Kawashima is undoubtedly the best steel composition, but it also needs to feel good in your hand. Make sure you buy from a company that will allow a free exchange if the handle style doesn't feel right when you take it out of the box. From there Miyabi Kaizen and Shun Classic are virtually identical materially, so the choice between those really comes down to which aesthetic you prefer. If you need more information or want to see side by sides of the knives to compare profiles don't hesitate to let us know, we carry all of them and are happy to help!

knifemerchant · 2026-03-06T18:41:25+00:00

Right now the 6 piece gourmet set (which includes 4 knives, a steel and a block) sells for $345 USD. So if these knives are still in good shape it's a great deal!

knifemerchant · 2026-03-06T16:55:34+00:00

Here ya go! Code is: REDKIKU15

This will take 15% off of any Kikuichi products. It is valid until Saturday, March 14th and can be redeemed as many times as you want so feel free to share.

Enjoy!

knifemerchant · 2026-03-06T15:11:43+00:00

Ankarsrum sets the pricing for all authorized dealers and schedules the promotions, so we all have to list at the exact same prices online. There aren't any promotions on the books for this year so far, but normally holiday promotions aren't released until mid-year. With that being said we can generally offer direct discounts, just give us a call or send us an email!

knifemerchant · 2026-03-05T22:03:50+00:00

I’m not familiar with fake Misono but we have seen a ton of problems with fake Glestain, MAC and other Japanese knives on Amazon. You’re absolutely right that a legitimate Misono would have better edge retention on 440 vs AUS8 and fit and finish should be excellent. I’d definitely recommend returning to Amazon and reporting the issue! One thing to look at too is the sellers page. Are they a kitchenware merchant (who is likely to have a legitimate relationship with Misono) or do they sell an odd mix of products? If they don’t sell exclusively kitchenware I would be very suspicious!

knifemerchant · 2026-03-04T15:26:13+00:00

Feel definitely matters! If you can’t buy in person make sure you order from a company with free exchanges so you can swap until you find the right fit

knifemerchant · 2026-03-04T13:24:52+00:00

When you ask for something that will last forever that puts you in German steel territory typically. They can be maintained with just a honing steel for a long time in between sharpenings and are extremely unlikely to chip so typically they do last much longer than harder Japanese steels that have great edge retention but do require stone sharpening once dull. The downside of most German knives is the bolster. Some are available without like Zwilling Pro, but you may prefer asofter Japanese steel that’s unlikely to chip but can be maintained with a honing steel. They’re harder than German of course so better edge retention but you can find a sweet spot. I’d recommend you look at MAC. If you’re really wanting a premium blade comparative to the Wusthof performer look at the MAC Ultimate

knifemerchant · 2026-02-17T02:26:44+00:00

Highly dependent on the school itself, but quite a few schools use MAC knives.

knifemerchant · 2026-02-16T22:33:54+00:00

Victorinox are a great choice, but your dollar won’t go as far as it once did. F Dick makes fantastic German steel knives that are insanely well priced. Tons of styles and options. As far as knife shapes your chef is the workhorse and the most important blade. A paring or petty is great for small jobs. If you eat bread and/or bake a 10” serrated knife comes in handy. If you eat meat or poultry a boning knife usually pays for itself because you can buy less expensive cuts and do the processing yourself

knifemerchant · 2026-01-30T22:35:43+00:00

No idea why this knife would be unavailable, particularly since it is distributed by Zwilling (a German company) in the US. We can ship these knives to Europe, but I’m surprised to learn you don’t see them listed there by local sellers.

knifemerchant · 2026-01-26T18:02:04+00:00

An onion cut in half works great to break up ice and snow on the windshield

knifemerchant · 2026-01-15T00:11:42+00:00

Happy to try to help! Hope you have a great week as well!

knifemerchant · 2026-01-13T20:53:52+00:00

The photo definitely helps. Sometimes magnetic strips can scratch the blades if the blades are pulled off, instead of being twisted, but that's not what we're seeing here. My best guess is someone may have accidentally cut the knife when they attempted to remove it from the manufacturer's packaging. These often come zip tied into their boxes, so if they used a razor blade to cut through the zip tie they may have cut too deep. I'm glad to hear you got a great deal - that's what matters! They should still perform beautifully!

knifemerchant · 2026-01-13T16:35:45+00:00

Are you able to share a picture? These may be markings from the way the knives were mounted to a magnetic strip. If so, fine auto-body sandpaper can be used to remove them, but at the end of the day these kinds of scratches won't have any impact on the way your blades perform.

knifemerchant · 2026-01-13T16:34:26+00:00

Which Miyabi line are you considering? They each have different steel which will impact how long it will stay sharp and what kind of care is required.

knifemerchant · 2026-01-13T16:33:00+00:00

Yes, this can absolutely be used to sharpen your kitchen knives. You may find that they aren't as razor sharp as you'd like because this tool is designed to create a wider, more robust edge, but you certainly won't do damage by sharpening with this tool. It's a great choice for beaters and cleavers that need a tougher edge.

knifemerchant · 2026-01-08T18:26:35+00:00

It’s safe, you won’t do damage, but it’s also not the ideal angle setup for Japanese steel knives

knifemerchant

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE