[PurpleTT]

My son (25) is really into his cooking. Loves his steak / chicken with salads etc and cooks at home here with Mrs P's boggo knives. But I know he'd really like to get a proper knife from Santa. I've done a bit of research, learned that the Rockwell Scale measures hardness. Seen some fab vids on youtube of handmade knife (and sword) making from Japan.

I am thinking a general purpose size shape like this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Henckels-Mi...115937&sr=1-28

That one's right at the top of Santa's budget mind, this one's a ton less and very pretty but not sure it's about looks https://www.amazon.co.uk/Japanese-Da...116050&sr=1-70

Any specialists in internet-land who can guide me please?

[HelmutVisor]

I have a set of Midori (Richardson Sheffield) knives and swear by them. Look great, feel great and are incredibly useable. Nice wooden box with each too. Prob not classed as pro level but do a great job for me (like cooking too) and are a good price. (60 on the HRC scale - British Standard tends to be 52)

Speak to Tr0y on here (he's in the trade) and will be able to give you a good steer no doubt.

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As above ask someone in the trade, beaware lots of cheap Chinese stuff around with fake write ups - especially on Amazon.

I have a mix bag of knives, I tend not to go for all one make, mainly individuals, picked most of decent ones up in Germany.

[PurpleTT]

Oooh yes I do like those. The carving knife looks amazing. Good links thanks.

Hopefully Tr0y will see this thread then!

[PurpleTT]

Originally Posted by Brigand

As above ask someone in the trade, beaware lots of cheap Chinese stuff around with fake write ups - especially on Amazon.

I have a mix bag of knives, I tend not to go for all one make, mainly individuals, picked most of decent ones up in Germany.

Agreed, trouble with Amazon is it's great for buying microfibre cloths - but when you want something a bit special, not really where I should be looking.

[chris300s]

Originally Posted by PurpleTT

My son (25) is really into his cooking. Loves his steak / chicken with salads etc and cooks at home here with Mrs P's boggo knives. But I know he'd really like to get a proper knife from Santa. I've done a bit of research, learned that the Rockwell Scale measures hardness. Seen some fab vids on youtube of handmade knife (and sword) making from Japan.

I am thinking a general purpose size shape like this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Henckels-Mi...115937&sr=1-28

That one's right at the top of Santa's budget mind, this one's a ton less and very pretty but not sure it's about looks https://www.amazon.co.uk/Japanese-Da...116050&sr=1-70

Any specialists in internet-land who can guide me please?

Either of those are really nice choices. Quality knives that he'll use for years.
Kai Shun are another similar Damascus chefs knife to look at. The Henkel Twin's aren't Damascus, or as flashy but their professional quality and will last forever. My personal preference would be an 8" Damascus chefs knife like the Seki. It looks the business.

[HelmutVisor]

Remember;

Guns for show, knives for a pro

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http://www.knivesforchefs.co.uk

Bugger knows if this site is any good, however it came up when I googled my mac knife.

I get wrong off my wife with knives, both buying them and erm playing with them lol.

[PurpleTT]

Great site ta Brigand.

Really like the look of Myabi: http://www.knivesforchefs.co.uk/miyabi-knives-138-c.asp

[charge_hopper]

I'm quite a keen cook and an engineer by (former) trade so put a fair bit of effort into choosing my set of knives especially with regard to cost vs quality.

I went for stuff from the following range, but I do have some other knives too.

https://www.procook.co.uk/shop/knive...scus-x100-vg10

Whatever knives you go for, by far the most important thing is that your son learns how to sharpen knives properly. I've got Japanese waterstones up to 5000 grit, but you don't really need to go to that extreme (I'm just a bit of a nerd). There are plenty of good videos on youtube on how to do it. Practicing on a cheaper knife is a good place to start. Be aware that knives aren't always sharpened properly from the factory, so learning how to profile a knife and get it sharp is essential.

Another essential thing is to learn good knife skills. Apologies if I'm preaching to the converted - but food preparation is a massive part of cooking (obviously!) so knowing how to sharpen knives and how to use a knife properly should be a large part of getting into cooking. Plus it's pretty nice to be able to prep food quickly and safely - speeds up the whole process.

[charge_hopper]

I forgot to mention - whatever you get, don't put them in the dishwasher!

[PurpleTT]

Yes I'll be buying a waterstone too, agreed there's an art to looking after them. He'll be good at the whole fettling thing, he knows the value of doing something properly. He can practice on the existing knives.

5,000 grit, crikey that's fine! Got some wet & dry in the garage at 2,000 and it's barely got a detectable texture!

[charge_hopper]

At that point you're polishing the edge. That's where you go from sharp to bloody sharp!

[Tr0y]

Originally Posted by PurpleTT

Oooh yes I do like those. The carving knife looks amazing. Good links thanks.

Hopefully Tr0y will see this thread then!

I use a brand called Global.