# Slicer Recommendations?



## swobohe (Oct 12, 2013)

Hello,

I am looking for a nice slicer or carving set and was hoping for some recommendations. My max budget is somewhere around $500.

Any thoughts?


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## swobohe (Oct 12, 2013)

More info: I plan to break the knife out when serving but am not planning on doing any prep work with it.

I don't know where to start so I've been looking at some of the larger brands.

Knives I've seen and thought looked good include:

Zwilling Bob Kramer Carbon Steel

Zwilling Bob Kramer Damascus

Shun Classic Carving Set

Shun Premier Carving set

Sabatier Elephant Carbon steel carving set.


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## Von blewitt (Oct 12, 2013)

Would you like the fork to match? If so that will limit you somewhat

An option would be to find a Wa-sujihiki that you like, then find a fork to compliment it and have Mike Henry give it the full treatment here is a Shigefusa suji & matching fork he did.
http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/showthread.php/9340-Handles-Conversions-and-other-Stuff/page44t


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## swobohe (Oct 12, 2013)

I suppose I would like a matching fork, but it would not be a dealbreaker. I guess my main problem is finding a good knife. I didn't even think of that as an option to buy a blade and knife separately and have the handles altered to make them match... thats an interesting possibility.


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## ThEoRy (Oct 13, 2013)

Want a good knife? Don't buy a shun. Much better choices for the price. Just get a 270mm Sujihiki and the tojiro carving fork.


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## daveb (Oct 13, 2013)

A Japanese slicing knife is called a sujihiki. Typically thinner, harder than European slicer. Good to excellent examples can be found at Japanese Knife Imports, Korin and Epicurean Edge - all are retailers that support this site. 

There is a "new knife questionnaire" at the top of this subforum that will prompt you to answer questions such as stainless or carbon?, length desired? handle type? and more that will lead to suggestions tailored to your requirements. It also will prompt you to consider how you will keep the knife sharp. 

Unless you know otherwise suggest you opt for stainless vice carbon. Stainless is easy. Carbon you should be wiping, cleaning, drying while your guests are eating. 

270mm (approx 10 inch) is good length for an all around slicer. Will do roasts, the turkey, briskets. 240mm is shorter - tenderloins, portion fish filets. Serviceable but not ideal for other tasks. 

Handle type is a matter of preference. But Wa (Japanese) are better.

Of knives you listed I have no experience with the Zwilling Kramer but they're well spoken of. I've used both examples of the Shun, not bad slicers, handles not bad, they are pricey. Shun does offer a sharpening service that may work for you. I've not used the Sab slicer but have used other Sabs. Prob the best bet for a carving "set" of those listed. EE has a line of Sabs (I don't think they are the Elephant). 

Suggest you look beyond your list and consider a 270 stainless suji in the $150-$300 range from one of retailers above. I like the Suisin (western) Inox and Gesshin Ginga. A fork from any of the European knives can be had for less than $100. Sab, Henckel, Wusthof. Buy what you like. Consider a stone(s) to keep the knife (and you do have other knives?) sharp.


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## ChiliPepper (Oct 13, 2013)

Only thing I feel like saying is: if aestetics are not a priority, choose your pieces individually, don't go for the matching set.


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## cheflarge (Oct 13, 2013)

Don't forget to check out the KKF vendors, they all make incredible slicers! A few of my favorites: HHH, Davis, Ingoglia. I know all three of these guy's and after over thirty five years of professional cooking, I can easily tell you their knives are simply the best I have ever held, period. Good Luck.


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## swobohe (Oct 13, 2013)

I appreciate all of your help.

I have done some reading on carbon vs stainless and while I have no carbon steel knives I would be interested to give it a try if there is a benefit. Would a slicer like this be a good first knife?

I'm not really familiar with buying custom knives. How would I go about getting a set rehandled? how would I get a custom knife from one of those KKF vendors you listed?

I filled out the knife form below as well. 

Thanks again for all your help, clearly I'm quite a noob with all this.



LOCATION
What country are you in? *USA*



KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in (e.g., chefs knife, *SLICER*, boning knife, utility knife, bread knife, paring knife, cleaver)?

Are you right or left handed? *RIGHT*

Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle? *I AM NOT CERTAIN OF THE BENEFITS OF EITHER, I HAVE FAIRLY LARGE SHORT FINGERS. I have a couple wusthoff, a couple shuns, a global and a victorinox set and i like them all*

What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)? *9-10 inches*

Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no), *STAINLESS IS NOT A REQUIREMENT. I DO NOT OWN ANY CARBON KNIVES BUT AM OPEN TO THE INCREASED MAINTENANCE REQUIRED FOR OWNING THEM.*

What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?* $600*



KNIFE USE
Do you primarily intend to use this knife at home or a professional environment? *HOME*

What are the main tasks you primarily intend to use the knife for (e.g., slicing vegetables, chopping vegetables, mincing vegetables, slicing meats, cutting down poultry, breaking poultry bones, filleting fish, trimming meats, etc.)? (Please identify as many tasks as you would like.) *SLICING MEATS*

What knife, if any, are you replacing? *Victorinox slicer (I'm looking for a real step up)*

What improvements do you want from your current knife? If you are not replacing a knife, please identify as many characteristics identified below in parentheses that you would like this knife to have.) *Better slicing, pointed blade, better aesthetics (of both blade and handle), better edge retention*

*Better aesthetics *(e.g., a certain type of finish; layered/Damascus or other pattern of steel; different handle color/pattern/shape/wood; better scratch resistance; better stain resistance)? 

*Edge Retention* (i.e., length of time you want the edge to last without sharpening)?



KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.) *I have both wood and synthetic cutting boards*

Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.) *no, I typically use them until they have dulled (honing in between) then bring them in for sharpening
*
If not, are you interested in learning how to sharpen your knives? (Yes or no.) *not at the moment.... hopefully at some point*

Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives? (Yes or no.) *no*


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## CoqaVin (Oct 13, 2013)

Ok, I understand that a Yanaigba is a single bevel knife and a Suji is a double bevel they are both good for slicing but the suji is more all around did I get that right?


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## GrizzleyMo (Oct 13, 2013)

I would have to agree with a lot of what Dave said. A 270 sujihiki is the superior choice as far as a slicer goes. I've owned the Shun and the Sab and they are both good, but for the money you are willing to spend you could do much better. As far as carbon vs stainless I never really recommend carbon to someone unless I know them and feel that they are at least a little OCD in their nature. That said if you do want to try a carbon steel knife, a slicer is the knife I would recommend. Since beyond your rub or marinade it will not spend much time with highly reactive ingredients. I would also give a wa handle a try as it would open up your options to a larger variety of knives at that price point.


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## pleue (Oct 13, 2013)

Take a look at bloodroot blades, they make really nice fork and slicers. Or perhaps think about getting a vintage carbon fork (dexter?) and a suji and getting the handles custom made


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## CompE (Oct 15, 2013)

Since you only plan to break the knife out for serving, I would recommend stainless; plan on a way to clean and dry the knife when it will sit at the table.

Do you plan on putting your meats on a cutting board when serving at the table, or a ceramic or glass serving plate? No knife will stay sharp if it's making contact with ceramic or glass. Also, meat crust can put micro chips in hard blades. Hard knives also don't take kindly to grooved steel honing rods, so you may need a new honing rod depending on what you already have and what knife you get.


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## cheflarge (Oct 15, 2013)

All you have to do too contact the KKF vendors is post on "their" threads on the main page. Worth a look.


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## daveb (Oct 15, 2013)

Nice stainless Nenox slicer on b/s/t right now. http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/showthread.php/14889-Fowler-and-Nenox-Suji-s

If you want to spend more you can.

I'll prob be labeled a heretic but will suggest that you will not derive any benefit from carbon over stainless unless you invest some resources (considerable time + some money) into learning freehand sharpening.

Good luck.


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## Timthebeaver (Oct 15, 2013)

If you've got the cash:

http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com...su/gengetsu-270mm-stainless-wa-sujihiki.html#

Gengetsu semi-stainless is killer stuff, easy to sharpen, very tough and will look really cool after you've sliced a few roasts


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## wenus2 (Oct 16, 2013)

Timthebeaver said:


> If you've got the cash:
> 
> http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com...su/gengetsu-270mm-stainless-wa-sujihiki.html#
> 
> Gengetsu semi-stainless is killer stuff, easy to sharpen, very tough and will look really cool after you've sliced a few roasts


Agreed that would be a nice setup.
Jon sell handles like that too iirc, maybe a guy could buy one and throw it on a fork.


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## swobohe (Oct 22, 2013)

What do you think of these yaxell gou suji's?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...IN=B0073P08ES&linkCode=shr&tag=tkqoezjfe05-20

http://www.hocho-knife.com/yaxell-gou-101-layers-sg2-damascus-slicing-knife-255mm/

To me it looks like a beautiful knife made of extremely hard steel which might fit the bill for what I'm looking for.

Also, just an update on my plans, I decided to purchase an edgepro apex system to help me start getting serious about keeping my knives sharp.


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## Timthebeaver (Oct 22, 2013)

Not my cup of tea at all. The handle looks identical to the one on my $60 Zhen Gyuto. The bulge in the handle and the very narrow profile look all wrong to me.

If you want SG-2/western handle I'd consider Blazen.

http://www.epicureanedge.com/shopexd.asp?id=85488


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## daveb (Oct 22, 2013)

swobohe said:


> What do you think of these yaxell gou suji's? To me it looks like a beautiful knife....



Yawn. Don't know the manufacturer but looks like someone else is trying to emulate Shun's market success. Housewife Knife. There are some good suggestions in here, none that really suck.


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## Timthebeaver (Oct 22, 2013)

swobohe said:


> What do you think of these yaxell gou suji's?
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...IN=B0073P08ES&linkCode=shr&tag=tkqoezjfe05-20
> 
> ...



If you're sold on that Yaxell, this thing looks awfully similar (minus a rivet)

http://www.japanwoodworker.com/product/156151/10-Damascus-Pattern-SushiSlicing-Knife.aspx


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## swobohe (Oct 23, 2013)

They do look similar... I can see why the shape of the Yaxell is somewhat suboptimal, the handle isn'tall that important as I likely will get it replaced at some point. I guess both the appearance of the blade and the fact that the Yaxell is made of Sg-2 was attractive to me. There is little info about that other knife so I probably wouldn't go for it.


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## Gravy Power (Oct 23, 2013)

swobohe said:


> What do you think of these yaxell gou suji's?
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...IN=B0073P08ES&linkCode=shr&tag=tkqoezjfe05-20
> 
> ...



Agree with what others have said. These look like knockoffs.


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## K-Fed (Oct 23, 2013)

Personally, with a budget like that, I would get in touch with Mike Davis. He's a forum member and the sujihiki that I have of his is absolutely amazing. I'm sure he'd be able to make you something within your budget that will blow any factory made knife out of the water. It's the blade on the bottom.


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## Gravy Power (Oct 23, 2013)

^sexy


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## ThEoRy (Oct 24, 2013)

swobohe said:


> What do you think of these yaxell gou suji's?
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...IN=B0073P08ES&linkCode=shr&tag=tkqoezjfe05-20
> 
> ...



With your budget, just buy a custom from one of the makers here and a couple of stones. Skip the sharpening gizmos, save some coin and learn to truly care for your investment.


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## toddnmd (Oct 24, 2013)

Check out the Hiro 300 AS with Dave Martell re-handle in BST! You'll have plenty of money left over for a fork.


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