# So, What knife makes you smile?



## Smurfmacaw (Jun 30, 2016)

I might have decent collection of knives so I'm wondering what knife makes you smile when you use it?

I have my "reference" cutter made by a certain american maker...cuts better than any other bar none. Among my collection I have a number of other that are fairly nice.


HOWEVER....I have a knife from a Japanese maker that just makes me smile every time i use it......It's thick and stiffer than heck but....dang....it cuts almost as good as my "best" cutter. WAY thicker.....doesn't need to be all "that" sharp to cut like a bomb.....

So...what knife makes you smile?


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## Anton (Jun 30, 2016)

My Burke San Mai
Closely followed by one of Don Nguyen knives, asymetric


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## chinacats (Jun 30, 2016)

Tilman Leder gyuto


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## zoze (Jun 30, 2016)

chinacats said:


> Tilman Leder gyuto



1+


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## preizzo (Jun 30, 2016)

My inexpensive JCK inazuma make me smile a lot before some ******* dropped on the floor and cut into a bone. &#128549;&#128549;&#128549;
Was long ago anyway, now I am always smiling when I am using my kato workhorse!!


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## S-Line (Jun 30, 2016)

Surprisingly, the knife that makes me smile the most is also one of my cheapest knife. A blue #2 Yoshihiro KU gyuto. It's one of my first j knife and it's been thru hella lot with me. Just recently spent a bunch of time giving it some love on my diamond stone as well as my belt sander. It now cuts as well as my more expensive knives if not better. Using it and having it glide thru food without wedging really puts a huge smile on my face.


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## gic (Jun 30, 2016)

MY MAC MT-80 was my first non german knife. I still take it out and use it from time to time for nostalgia's sake, even though it is a 210 and I have many insanely good knives like my Devin. But it is still a damn good knife for the price I pais (like under $100) and using it makes me smile for sure


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## joshsy81 (Jun 30, 2016)

My Kochi 180 nakiri, it blazes through my veg prep. Absolute joy to cut with.


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## Matus (Jun 30, 2016)

Kochi 180 K-tip santoku and Carter 165 KU funayuki.


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## alterwisser (Jun 30, 2016)

Up until recently it was the Dalman Mini, especially with horizontal onion cuts. Now it's Watanabe pro Nakiri. Makes me want to get a Watanabe Gyuto. I don't know if that's even possible, but that guy is seriously underrated IMHO


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## DamageInc (Jun 30, 2016)

Currently it's been my 300mm Toyama suji and my 185mm Catcheside gyuto.


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## XooMG (Jun 30, 2016)

reground Zakuri 120mm nakiri makes me grin like an idiot, but I rarely use it.


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## Iggy (Jun 30, 2016)

TF Denka 210 Gyuto, Xerxes Laser Santoku Damascus San-Mai and CJA Honyaki 240 Gyuto Standard Grind and Shigefusa Kasumi 300 Yanagiba


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## natto (Jun 30, 2016)

My first chuka (made in china) came with a cutting edge. It only needed a little stropping to cut paper. Cutting a lemon into one thin strip by turning it, the seed was cut without affecting the cut. That put a broad grin into my face.


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## Keith Sinclair (Jun 30, 2016)

Carter 145mm Funayuki
Yoshimitsu 180mm Tamahagane


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## ecchef (Jun 30, 2016)

A vintage George Wostenholm chef with a Mikey Riggen handle that Dave Martell did the wa conversion on. 
Has lots of good karma in it.


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## Mute-on (Jun 30, 2016)

Kato workhorse 180 gyuto

Like a little sword rather than a knife


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## F-Flash (Jun 30, 2016)

Catcheside mighty mono. Amazing knife. That's the one I use most atm.


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## aboynamedsuita (Jun 30, 2016)

Smurfmacaw said:


> HOWEVER....I have a knife from a Japanese maker that just makes me smile every time i use it......It's thick and stiffer than heck but....dang....it cuts almost as good as my "best" cutter. WAY thicker.....doesn't need to be all "that" sharp to cut like a bomb.....



I have a feeling we think alike I like my 210 Damascus Kato gyuto a lot, will be getting 210 workhorse gyuto today, so may have a new favourite


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## XooMG (Jun 30, 2016)

I should get a nice knife someday.


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## Godslayer (Jun 30, 2016)

Henckle 10 inch has a lot of memories, my tadafusa is also in the same boat. For like functional use any of my takamura or my hhh. The shimo also makes me feel gitty, such a bad ass lil blade. I suspect my hhh custom could be(better be) my new love.


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## Ruso (Jun 30, 2016)

My 300mm Hide yanagi. Its always fun to use it.
Also Tanaka deba makes me smile, because fileting fish makes me feel good


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## HHH Knives (Jun 30, 2016)

Mert Tansu 200mm san mai Wa.. The more I have used it the more I love it! 

Also my HHH AEB-L 240 western for larger prep sessions its A BOSS!


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## Cheeks1989 (Jun 30, 2016)

Cris Anderson and Mert Tasnsu anything I have tried from them always makes me smile. I also have a chuka coming from Randy that im sure will be added to this thread.


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## WildBoar (Jun 30, 2016)

DT ITK 21000 petty. Follwed very, very closely by a Martell petty.


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## supersayan3 (Jun 30, 2016)

Hiromoto Honyaki gyuto bolster, perfect feel in the hand, hard, beautiful [emoji173]&#65039;
Masahiro VC 24cm gyuto, gets sharp in no time, indestructible and cheap [emoji173]&#65039;


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## Keith Sinclair (Jun 30, 2016)

Ruso said:


> My 300mm Hide yanagi. Its always fun to use it.
> Also Tanaka deba makes me smile, because fileting fish makes me feel good



Yep quality carbon steel Yanagiba's some of the sharpest edges on a kitchen blade gliding through yellowfin tuna.


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## Anton (Jun 30, 2016)

delete


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## Tobes (Jun 30, 2016)

Prepping a Wok stir fry with my Itinomonn 180 Nakiri


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## Benuser (Jun 30, 2016)

Robert Herder 1922 chef's 
https://postimg.org/image/3vqeb1gdb/


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## alterwisser (Jun 30, 2016)

Benuser said:


> Robert Herder 1922 chef's
> https://postimg.org/image/3vqeb1gdb/



Interesting. Been reading quite ab it about that one on the German forum ... you think I should get one ... being a German and so?


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## JaVa (Jun 30, 2016)

Tanaka B2 damascus wa nakiri. 
Right of the stones it always makes me smile in disbelief. It feels like the food just starts to part itself just before the edge touches it´s surface.


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## Benuser (Jun 30, 2016)

alterwisser said:


> Interesting. Been reading quite ab it about that one on the German forum ... you think I should get one ... being a German and so?



I won't take your question grammatically: I'm no German and do not have any thought about what you should get. No, seriously. I could get it at 130. Not sure I would pay 199. I like the almost French profile, and its distal taper. That's what I miss with most Japanese knives. My preferred knives are vintage Sheffields and Sabatiers. But the grinding of modern French is unpredictable, and since some time, Herder does an excellent job, with both blade and handle. I should add the 60 Rc helps a bit as well. I know how to deal with a fingerguard and just love the design. Grinding is very great, very regular. I don't care about the edge. You should know though you loose 1cm with the fingerguard, so you don't get a full 23cm edge.


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## Benuser (Jun 30, 2016)

By the way, their 1922 Trancherard is even thinner, and has no -- very relative -- thickening around the tip. Check knivesandtools.*, both the French and Dutch sites, besides the German .de.


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## KitchenCommander (Jun 30, 2016)

Aritsan 210 Gyuto PM steel. The geometry doesn't look like much and its a bit short at 43mm, but it cuts really well and really defied my expectations after using it. Also has probably my best re-handle I have done to date, so it gets lots of smiles every time I use it.


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## menzaremba (Jun 30, 2016)

I have a thinned out Masamoto KS that I love to bits. It's not the knife that I use most often, but it always makes me smile.


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## Smurfmacaw (Jun 30, 2016)

tjangula said:


> I have a feeling we think alike I like my 210 Damascus Kato gyuto a lot, will be getting 210 workhorse gyuto today, so may have a new favourite



Yep, my 240 Damascus Kato is my "just plain fun to cut with" knife. I like the Damascus better than the workhorse or regular....maybe just dazzled by the pretty patterns in the steel but still it "seems" better.


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## Lucretia (Jun 30, 2016)

I love my Maumasi. Cuts great, insanely comfortable, and beautiful.


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## XooMG (Jul 1, 2016)

Lucretia said:


> I love my Maumasi. Cuts great, insanely comfortable, and beautiful.


My slot is coming up soonish...probably just in time for a delay with his wife expecting (IIRC). With the investment in the project, it's a relief to hear someone is happy with theirs.


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## apicius9 (Jul 1, 2016)

Carter 195ish HG funayuki with a mammoth ivory - sterling silber - Belize rosewood burl handle 

Stefan


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## Sharpchef (Jul 1, 2016)

The knives that make me smile while cutting are:

Herder 1922 Chefknive (like written bevore, it is a little overpriced now, but i get mine for about 105 (Plum handle), and that was the best for the money right now.)
Kato Workhorse 270mm, as long as i use it at home, it is the perfect knife, that sexy cut is awesome! But don`t like it in pro kitchen, because of lacking edge retention.
My Xerxes 310mm Knechter Gyuto, far and away my best knive! I could not go to bed if i don`T use it at least once a day.

Greets Sebastian.


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## lucabrasi (Jul 1, 2016)

Watanabe pro 240. Not unique or anything, but still leaves me in awe as it plows through potatoes without any stiction, yet glides through horizontals on onions as though it were a Ginga.


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## CB1968 (Jul 1, 2016)

DT San-Mai mystery tool steel core, SS Gengetsu, Tsourkan S grind western in AEB-L.


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## AlexBarham (Jul 1, 2016)

I recently picked up a Gesshin Kagekiyo suji and it is absolutely flawless. Definitely recommend for the price.


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## Castalia (Jul 1, 2016)

Shigefusa 210 kasumi gyuto makes me smile.


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## easilver (Jul 1, 2016)

AlexBarham said:


> I recently picked up a Gesshin Kagekiyo suji and it is absolutely flawless. Definitely recommend for the price.



I recently got a Gesshin Kagekyo 240 Gyuto and is my current favorite. Definitely makes me smile when I use it.


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## Badgertooth (Jul 1, 2016)

The holy sh*t moment I have every time my Toyama 270mm makes me feel like Moses and product feel like the Red Sea.


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## Mute-on (Jul 2, 2016)

Badgertooth said:


> The holy sh*t moment I have every time my Toyama 270mm makes me feel like Moses and product feel like the Red Sea.



Classic! ROFL


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Jul 2, 2016)

Then the geometry must be a tad on the thick side


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## cheflarge (Jul 2, 2016)

HHH 240mm Starfeather Damascus Gyuto
Scorpion Forge 190mm Honyaki ko Gyuto
Tansu 173mm Suminagashi Petty/mini Gyuto

No particular order...... anytime I use either of these knives, it makes me smile. Awesome cutters. :cool2:


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## spoiledbroth (Jul 3, 2016)

The knives I find myself most attached to are those I had put the most work (thinning, sharpening etc) into...


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## SousVideLoca (Jul 3, 2016)

Bought a 210mm Gesshin Ginga White #2 wa-petty a few weeks back. Has quickly become one of my all-time favorites. Just a tiny little featherweight I keep on the line for proteins and random service stuff, but holy crap it's fun to use.

Every time I pick it up:


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## Reede (Jul 3, 2016)

Rader integral Wa 250mm. Still after quite a few years.


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## panda (Jul 5, 2016)

which ever one i am using at the moment because all my knives are awesome, but the one that makes me smile hardest is masamoto ks gyuto, the profile really is magical.


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## skewed (Jul 5, 2016)

panda said:


> which ever one i am using at the moment because all my knives are awesome...



Pretty much the same. A fresh edge on any of my knives in rotation is sure to make me smile. I will add that nakiris and chukas for me are just a little extra fun to use. I don't use them too frequently since I don't find them as versatile as a gyuto or a long petty but they are so fun to swing around on the board.


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## PieMan (Jul 6, 2016)

Using my breadknife (Wüsthof Classic) to cut tomatoes makes me smile. I don't know why! So effortless.


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## Mrmnms (Jul 6, 2016)

my HHH customs and the incredibly comfortable Maumasi. Haven't used much else lately. My daughter loves the Catcheside petty.


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Jul 6, 2016)

Any Nakiri going through a stack of thin slices of something crisp - kohlrabi, beets... to julienne ... Something is strangely satisfying about the series of very light bumps you go through...

Anything that allows you to do something freehand (off board) that you thought you could not.


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## Chef Doom (Jul 6, 2016)

What ever knife I'm pulling out of my enemy's heart as I am walking out of the Thunderdome.

:nunchucks::viking:


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## USC 2012 (Jul 7, 2016)

Chef Doom said:


> What ever knife I'm pulling out of my enemy's heart as I am walking out of the Thunderdome.
> 
> :nunchucks::viking:



That knife makes me smile too!


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Jul 7, 2016)

That escalated fast ...  Glaswegians around?


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## daddy yo yo (Jul 7, 2016)

apicius9 said:


> Carter 195ish HG funayuki with a mammoth ivory - sterling silber - Belize rosewood burl handle
> 
> Stefan


Pictures or it didn't happen!!! 

As for me, I have some stunners in my kitchen. But those making me smile every single time are my Shigs. There's smth magical happening...


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