first thing to come to mind my father bought a knife set at the rodeo back in the mid 80's . No clue about the brand but we called them Ginsu just for the hell of it. 35 years later he's still using them.
Gave one to my wife for her birthday. I was struck by how lightweight it is. I’m a pleb when it comes to knives.
My wife got me some Miyabi Kaizan knives about 5 years ago. They are Japense style (made in Japan) and are beautiful and work wonders. They are made by J.A. Henkels/Zwilling, which is one of the top German manufacturers. They have several lines. I like the Kaizan because they often go on sale, and the blades are every bit as good as their more expensive Miyabi counterparts. It took me getting used to a little because I was used to Euro style knives. Also, while I hone them myself, I don't even attempt to sharpen them, I take them to a place to get sharpened. The blades are harder, but also can be more "brittle". If you get a set, make sure it comes with a Santoku style knife. It changed my world. I rarely use the "chef" knife anymore. Onions don't stand a chance anymore.
I ended up going with the Miyabi SG2 birch wood 8 inch chefs knife. Reasons: excellent reviews, wanted something that was both beautiful and high performance since this should last a decade, it is on sale currently, and perhaps most importantly, I stumbled onto the fact that Sur La Table carries it, so I was able to touch and feel and even cut with it. I have rarely ventured out for things beyond food, but this has been on my mind. As soon as I held the knife, I knew it was the right one. Razor sharp out of the box, cut paper and veggies like a light saber. Two huge factors: Perfect D shaped handle that other brands don’t have and very light compared to other 8 inch chefs knives. The sales person was kind enough to put out a number of Shun, Miyabi, Wusthof and other branded knives, and none were close in terms of feel. I prepped a bunch of food this afternoon and it was so much fun. I know I paid a premium for the look and a grade of metal that I’m not sure I fully appreciate just yet, but glad I did. @Supermac34 i have a Wusthof sankotu that is in very good shape and performs very well, so I couldn’t justify buying one. But I think I’m going to want a Miyabi sankotu after a while because the chefs knife I just bought is so dang incredible.
Also, @Supermac34, the Mizu are awesome and such a better price for same steel as the birch wood. I just couldn’t get over the aesthetics of the matte band on the blade. The handle is beautiful.
