# First Japanese Knife Recommendations



## Erilyn75 (Apr 23, 2013)

Hi guys! I'm new to the site as a poster but I've been reading the forums for a long while. I'm in awe of the wealth of knowledge everyone has and I've learned a lot. I'm ready to take the plunge in purchasing my first Japanese knife(s) and would love to get your thoughts and/or recommendations for the best one for me in my price range. We are stationed out in the middle of nowhere so I don't have the option of being able to test anything out in person so unfortunately it's mail order for me.

I was looking at the shun edo but from reading the boards it seems that shun knives are not liked much. I'm not a chef by any means, just a mommy chef that loves being in the kitchen. I just want a good knife that keeps an edge and doesn't constantly need resharpened/honed after every chopping job and is nice to look at. I'm open to learning how to sharpen with a stone and at the least, I'd send them out to be sharpened. 



*What type of knife(s) do you think you want?*

Gyuto 210mm, paring and maybe a boning

*Why is it being purchased? What, if anything, are you replacing?*

As an upgrade to my Wusthof classics (I bought these as a starter to learn knife skills)

*What do you like and dislike about these qualities of your knives already?*
Aesthetics- too clunky and it feels a little heavy
Edge Quality/Retention- needs honing quite often. Professional sharpening doesn't last very long
Ease of Use- meh. It's good as a starter I guess. Nothing exciting. 
Comfort- it's ok. I tend to over grip and the handle seems thin, not ergonomically comfortable in my hand

*What grip do you use?*

Pinch

*What kind of cutting motion do you use?*

Slice, chop, rocking, some pushing

*Where do you store them?*

Knife block in drawer

*Have you ever oiled a handle?* 

No

*What kind of cutting board(s) do you use?*

End grain walnut, bamboo for stinky stuff and poly for raw meats

*For edge maintenance, do you use a strop, honing rod, pull through/other, or nothing?*

Honing rod but open to learning to sharpen or will send out for professional sharpening

*Have they ever been sharpened?*

Yes

*What is your budget?*

$300ish for gyuto and paring and/or boning

*What do you cook and how often?*

Everything. Lots of chopping, slicing, mincing. I separate my own chicken and debone



Here are ones I was looking at. I would love your thoughts and suggestions. I would prefer a western handle at least until I'm out of the desert and can actually handle a traditional Japanese handled knife. 

JCK Hattori FH 
Suisin Inox
Misono 440 or UX10


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## labor of love (Apr 23, 2013)

Suisin Inox western handle im assuming? I havent tried one yet but they do get alot of love around here. I liked my old Misono 440 but theyre pretty overpriced nowadays. Hattori FH is popular also, but Im pretty sure the Suisin Inox would be easier to sharpen and is more inexpensive. I would suggest a Gesshin Kagero gyuto($215)Suisin Inox parer($75)and a Forschner boning knife. The Gesshin Kagero are supposedly easy to sharpen and have good edge retention, and should be quite a step up in performance from Suisin. Have you considered getting a petty knife instead of parer?


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## Benuser (Apr 23, 2013)

Welcome! Verify the Misono prices, they've been adjusted downward recently, due to the Yen depreciation. A 150mm petty will make both a parer and deboning blade redundant. Have a look at both Fujiwaras and Hiromotos as well. And get two stones.


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## labor of love (Apr 23, 2013)

indeed. Misono 440s in the 210mm size are only $130 plus shipping from JCK, which is much less than what they used to be. I still like the idea of using a $300 budget to get a $200-220 gyuto plus $80-100 on either a petty or a parer/boning knife combo.


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## Erilyn75 (Apr 23, 2013)

If a petty can do the job of a parer and boning knife then I should probably go with one of those and a gyuto. That Gesshin Kagero is pretty sexy. I like the Kanji engraving on the blade.


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## Erilyn75 (Apr 23, 2013)

I remember looking at the Misonos before I got the Wusthofs and the 440 was over $200 which is why I didn't buy it. But, since its come down in price, I added it to my list.


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## Erilyn75 (Apr 23, 2013)

Benuser said:


> Welcome! Verify the Misono prices, they've been adjusted downward recently, due to the Yen depreciation. A 150mm petty will make both a parer and deboning blade redundant. Have a look at both Fujiwaras and Hiromotos as well. And get two stones.




I looked at the Hiromotos but they didn't have a 210 in stock. Are they better than the ones I listed or a Gesshin?


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## mhlee (Apr 23, 2013)

Since you're at Edwards, if you can make it to LA, I highly recommend stopping by Jon's shop (Japanese Knife Imports) in Venice. 

I don't think this has been asked, but do you require a stainless steel knife? The Hiromoto has a carbon steel core so it will stain and possibly rust if left wet or if it's not cleaned or wiped down after it's been used. 

And, for what it's worth, I don't think a petty knife and a parer are redundant. Do you use a petty in hand, i.e., gripping the entire handle with your thumb on the blade? I think it's difficult to do the in hand cutting that you can do with a parer with a 150 petty, e.g., using a 150 petty to core strawberries or tomatoes is different than using a parer. I do, however, think that a petty knife and a boning knife are essentially redundant (I often use a 120 petty to debone chicken).

I've used a 210 Gesshin Kagero. I would choose it over a Hiromoto. It's made of tougher steel and will hold its edge longer than the Hiromoto. The fit and finish of the knife is better than the Hiromoto - the handle is nicer, the spine and choil (the vertical part of the knife that is perpendicular to the handle) are rounded. It's also well balanced for a western handled knife.


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## labor of love (Apr 23, 2013)

Im curious what "in hand" stuff youre doing. Do you really need a boning knife?


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## Keith Sinclair (Apr 23, 2013)

Erilyn75 said:


> If a petty can do the job of a parer and boning knife then I should probably go with one of those and a gyuto. That Gesshin Kagero is pretty sexy. I like the Kanji engraving on the blade.



You will use the 210 Gyuto the most,if you can afford it get a premium blade like the Gesshin Kagero,esp. if you like the looks of it.A 120 or 150 petty comes in handy too.Suisin Inox around 69.95 for 120mm.You can debone wt. a petty as long as you go thru the joints,not trying to cut bone.If you order a knife fr. Jon at JKI call him,his online knife sharpening tutorals will get you started.


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## Erilyn75 (Apr 23, 2013)

mhlee said:


> Since you're at Edwards, if you can make it to LA, I highly recommend stopping by Jon's shop (Japanese Knife Imports) in Venice.
> 
> I don't think this has been asked, but do you require a stainless steel knife? The Hiromoto has a carbon steel core so it will stain and possibly rust if left wet or if it's not cleaned or wiped down after it's been used.
> 
> ...




I see your point about the paring vs petty. I hadnt thought of that. I do do a lot of in hand stuff like coring tomatoes, strawberries as well as peeling fruits and potatoes. I didn't have a peeler growing up so to me, it's faster to peel a potato or apple with a knife than a peeler. 

It's not imperative that I get a boning, paring or petty at this moment. I do have the Wusthofs and those pieces aren't clunky as the chefs knife.


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## Erilyn75 (Apr 23, 2013)

labor of love said:


> Im curious what "in hand" stuff youre doing. Do you really need a boning knife?



I do a lot of peeling with a paring knife. I prefer it over a peeler for fruits and potatoes. I don't really need a boning knife. I've been using my 6" utility to break down and debone chicken as well as butterflying them. The most important piece I want is a new chefs knife. Every time I break out the beast I dread it and I really enjoy cooking, just not prep work with that knife.


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## Erilyn75 (Apr 23, 2013)

keithsaltydog said:


> You will use the 210 Gyuto the most,if you can afford it get a premium blade like the Gesshin Kagero,esp. if you like the looks of it.A 120 or 150 petty comes in handy too.Suisin Inox around 69.95 for 120mm.You can debone wt. a petty as long as you go thru the joints,not trying to cut bone.If you order a knife fr. Jon at JKI call him,his online knife sharpening tutorals will get you started.



That is where I planned on getting it from. Thanks! I'll need to learn how to sharpen so the tutorials would be great. Any recommendations for the stones? Also, I have a wusthof honing rod. Will I need a different one for the Gesshin?


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## chinacats (Apr 23, 2013)

Likely won't need to use a honing rod at all...take in the videos and learn how to strop and you will be fine. I like the idea of spending most of the cash on a good gyuto and a few stones. I agree that it may be best to wait until you have a chance to get down to Venice so you can actually handle a few knives and see what feels best; if you keep your mind opened to it you may wind up with a 240 as the J-blades tend to be more nimble when compared to comparable size Euro's. Your parer is likely just fine for now and if you want a boner, I too would recommend a Forschner (mine is curved)--cheap and functional.

Cheers!


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## Erilyn75 (Apr 23, 2013)

chinacats said:


> Likely won't need to use a honing rod at all...take in the videos and learn how to strop and you will be fine. I like the idea of spending most of the cash on a good gyuto and a few stones. I agree that it may be best to wait until you have a chance to get down to Venice so you can actually handle a few knives and see what feels best; if you keep your mind opened to it you may wind up with a 240 as the J-blades tend to be more nimble when compared to comparable size Euro's. Your parer is likely just fine for now and if you want a boner, I too would recommend a Forschner (mine is curved)--cheap and functional.
> 
> Cheers!



I found the Forschner 6" boning knife on clearance for $12.99. Thanks! 

I'd LOVE to go to LA and see all the knives, my problem is 2 kids under 2 that can barely stand the car ride into town let alone a 3 hour drive there lol. Not to mention, we live in military housing so my space is extremely limited. I have a 15x19 board that takes up every bit of available counter space so a bigger knife might make it a bit tricky to cut on the board. 

Besides, I know I won't be in this house anymore than 4 more years and it would give me an excuse to upgrade if I wanted to later :O


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## Keith Sinclair (Apr 24, 2013)

Erilyn you can pick up a Bester 1200 stone for about 49.00.It is a very good Med. stone at a fair price.Even wt. just the bester you will not need the steel rod for home use.Once your blade is trained a quick touch up on the stone works best.Steels work for softer knives like your German blades.The trouble wt. steels is incorrect use which can easy round your edge & also over steeling can fatige the metal.Polishing steels or smooth ceramics I have found work in a production Kit.,Learning to freehand on whetstones is the Key.


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## Erilyn75 (Apr 24, 2013)

keithsaltydog said:


> Erilyn you can pick up a Bester 1200 stone for about 49.00.It is a very good Med. stone at a fair price.Even wt. just the bester you will not need the steel rod for home use.Once your blade is trained a quick touch up on the stone works best.Steels work for softer knives like your German blades.The trouble wt. steels is incorrect use which can easy round your edge & also over steeling can fatige the metal.Polishing steels or smooth ceramics I have found work in a production Kit.,Learning to freehand on whetstones is the Key.




Thank you, I look for that as well. It's an expensive purchase so I want to make sure it's taken care of. 

Another question, I was reading Jon's Gesshin intro thread and he mentioned he wouldn't recommend rocking with this knife. I mince a lot of garlic, herbs and onions by keeping my left hand on the tip and rocking the blade back and forth. Can I still do that with this knife or is there a different technique I should learn?

You all are very helpful. Thank you!


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## wenus2 (Apr 24, 2013)

I love the Kagero suggestion, that knife feels great in hand. I still have a crush on the 210 gyuto. It should be suggested more really, but this does sound like a perfect application.

Yes, you can mince garlic and herb by rocking no problem. Onion maybe not so much.

Call Jon at JKI, he will take care of you. He carries some of the best stones around as well.

Oh, and welcome!


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## Benuser (Apr 24, 2013)

http://www.cookfoodgood.com/?p=405


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## Erilyn75 (Apr 24, 2013)

That's for the info. I think I will give him a call once my little terrors take a nap lol.


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## stereo.pete (Apr 24, 2013)

I would recommend the Misono 440, I purchased a set for good friends of mine for their wedding and they love them. I sharpen them once every 6 months and they are very easy to get hair popping sharp on the stones. They also feel good on the stones, which isn't always true of stainless steels. They are also very thin so they slice through anything and the fit and finish is very nice.

If you want to try carbon steel, then I would look starting with a Fujiwara FKH 210mm. They are very cheap but they take a very nice edge, stay sharp (certainly much longer than any German steel) and you won't feel terrible about messing up a $75 dollar knife. The Fujiwara was my first Japanese Knife and I still use it all the time.


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## labor of love (Apr 24, 2013)

Also, the misono moly 210mm is only $90 at JCK. I liked my 440 back in the day, but honestly i would probably prefer the moly due to it being a lighter, perhaps even thinner knife. Those misono moly paring knives and pettys are pretty inexpensive now too....


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## Keith Sinclair (Apr 24, 2013)

A paring knife is a cheap fix.Even the Forschner works well.A forum member turned me on to the Opinel Carbone,they are thin cheap & get very sharp.Use mine for coring strawberries to cutting pork chops & steaks.I noticed Opinel had their Inox paring knives on sale too.

As mentioned you can debone wt. a petty,however it is a matter of preference,I used boning knives at work,it is a good design suited for it's purpose & the one you picked up should serve you well.


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## Erilyn75 (Apr 24, 2013)

I've been watching YouTube videos to see techniques used with Japanese knives and someone deboned a whole chicken with a petty in under 3 minutes. It was impressive lol. I also watched one by saltydog (is that you Keith?) making short order of an onion. 

The thing that kinda scares me about the Gesshin is the very thin tip. It's a big investment and I'm scared ill break it trying to learn how to use it over the Germans. I'm wondering if I should maybe start with a less expensive knife to learn with and then later on venture to LA to go knife shopping. I'm glad I have a husband that indulges my love of kitchen accessories because looking at some of the sexy knives on this site, it could turn into an addiction lol.


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## wenus2 (Apr 24, 2013)

Erilyn75 said:


> I've been watching YouTube videos to see techniques used with Japanese knives and someone deboned a whole chicken with a petty in under 3 minutes. It was impressive lol. I also watched one by saltydog (is that you Keith?) making short order of an onion.
> 
> The thing that kinda scares me about the Gesshin is the very thin tip. It's a big investment and I'm scared ill break it trying to learn how to use it over the Germans. I'm wondering if I should maybe start with a less expensive knife to learn with and then later on venture to LA to go knife shopping. I'm glad I have a husband that indulges my love of kitchen accessories because looking at some of the sexy knives on this site, it could turn into an addiction lol.



Saltydog is.... Saltydog on here. Good job guessing he's a member. A lot of the decent knife technique vids do come frome users actually, check out YouTube user PCCkitchen (goes by Theory around here) for some great ones.

Your concerns for the Gesshin are unfounded, the Kagero is fairly sturdy, but even if it were a laser there would be no reason to be concerned. It's very unlikely you will break it. Even snapped tips can be fixed with amount too much ado. (just send them to Jon, lol)

It is an addiction, run now before we infect you.


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## Erilyn75 (Apr 24, 2013)

wenus2 said:


> Saltydog is.... Saltydog on here. Good job guessing he's a member. A lot of the decent knife technique vids do come frome users actually, check out YouTube user PCCkitchen (goes by Theory around here) for some great ones.
> 
> Your concerns for the Gesshin are unfounded, the Kagero is fairly sturdy, but even if it were a laser there would be no reason to be concerned. It's very unlikely you will break it. Even snapped tips can be fixed with amount too much ado. (just send them to Jon, lol)
> 
> It is an addiction, run now before we infect you.



Ill check those out tonight after the babies go to bed and my mind is free. 

I was looking at Pierre Ridrigue's website last night and his knives are beautiful. I could totally see myself with one in the future lol. My husband thought I was a little nuts getting excited over knives but I quickly reminded him of his Star Wars Lego obsession


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## Benuser (Apr 24, 2013)

Nothing wrong with Pierre's blades, but perhaps it's better first to find out your own preferences about profile, geometry, material, weight, balance and perhaps fine tuning your technique. A middle of the road basic J-knife may be a better introduction.


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## Keith Sinclair (Apr 25, 2013)

Nope the original Salty wt. video.We both worked kit. many yrs.I'm retired now,but staying busy teaching at the culinary school here.Thats why I like to push freehand sharpening it's not gender related at all.my sister & niece I taught.Also a large % of culinary students are female & quite capable of mastering freehand tech.


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## Erilyn75 (Apr 25, 2013)

keithsaltydog said:


> Nope the original Salty wt. video.We both worked kit. many yrs.I'm retired now,but staying busy teaching at the culinary school here.Thats why I like to push freehand sharpening it's not gender related at all.my sister & niece I taught.Also a large % of culinary students are female & quite capable of mastering freehand tech.




I would have loved to have gone to culinary school but I didn't develop my passion for food and cooking until my mid 20s when we were stationed in England. Two British chefs opened my eyes to the wonderful world of yummies lol. Then we moved to Okinawa and it was just amazing. Watching the sushi chefs in action and the habatchi chefs putting on their shows was fascinating. One even taught me how to make curry soup. 

I've always wanted to learn the ways of sharpening knives but The Lord blessed me late in life with 2 more babies 15 months apart. It's never ending chaos around here right now but things are starting to mellow out some as they are getting older which will give me some much needed "me" time to play with knives lol.


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## Kijiji9 (Apr 27, 2013)

The Misono UX10 Santoku is a nice Japanese knife. A little on the pricey side though, for a knife.







http://amzn.to/12y6err

Best of luck on your search :clown:


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## Igasho (Apr 27, 2013)

Carbonext knives are good as well, and inexpensive


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## Erilyn75 (Apr 28, 2013)

Thank you everyone for your help and input. I decided to go with the misono for right now. The main reason being the price. My kitchenaid blender had the audacity to die on me yesterday so that pretty much decided it for me as I had to buy a new one. But, we are going to Knotts and Midevil Times next summer so it gives me a really great excuse to stop by the knife shop for an upgrade


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## labor of love (Apr 28, 2013)

which misono? the 440? good deal either way.


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## Erilyn75 (Apr 28, 2013)

labor of love said:


> which misono? the 440? good deal either way.



Yep the 440. I bought it from Korin so it should be here in a few days. I'm so excited. I can't wait to see how different they are from the Wusthofs


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## ruscal (Apr 28, 2013)

congrats on the purchase!

your new knife will probably be a lot sharper than youre used to. maybe your technique is super safe, but if not then check out this video. its super basic, and based on german style knives so ignore the bit about steeling, but worth a quick look. just trying to help you avoid cutting yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGQltxIipFg&sns=em

now you just need a whetstone (around 1000 grit will do you fine while youre learning). and something to keep the top of the whetstone flat. 

if youve bought from Korin already, then the kind of thing you want is something like this:
http://www.korin-france.fr/nos-collections/pierres-affutage/medium-nakato/mizuyama-medium-1000.html
and this:
http://www.korin-france.fr/nos-coll...age/egaliseur-pierre/peacock-stone-fixer.html

sharpening is a PITA for a while, but just practice and it'll get easier. learn to find the burr. holding the right angle will come eventually, just takes practice for your body to "get it"

keen to hear what you think of the Misono after it arrives!!


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## daddy yo yo (Apr 28, 2013)

for me, the gesshin kagero looks pretty much like an akifusa...


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## stereo.pete (Apr 28, 2013)

Make sure to take pics of your new knife when you receive it!


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## Keith Sinclair (Apr 29, 2013)

Erilyn75 said:


> Yep the 440. I bought it from Korin so it should be here in a few days. I'm so excited. I can't wait to see how different they are from the Wusthofs



Congrads the Misono is a step up,should be lite nimble compared to your Wusthofs.Just keep those sharp blades away fr. the little ones.I like making Curry Stews too,good stuff.


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## Erilyn75 (Apr 29, 2013)

ruscal said:


> congrats on the purchase!
> 
> your new knife will probably be a lot sharper than youre used to. maybe your technique is super safe, but if not then check out this video. its super basic, and based on german style knives so ignore the bit about steeling, but worth a quick look. just trying to help you avoid cutting yourself:
> 
> ...



Thank you ruscal for the links and the info. I'm surprised Jamie Oliver uses German knives. I would have thought he would use Japanese for sure.


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## Erilyn75 (Apr 29, 2013)

stereo.pete said:


> Make sure to take pics of your new knife when you receive it!



I will. Although I have to admit, there is nothing uber sexy about it lol


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## ayeung74 (Apr 29, 2013)

Enjoy your new purchase...but be careful because once you get the taste of satisfaction of working with a high quality knife you are just going to want to get more!


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## ruscal (Apr 30, 2013)

Erilyn75 said:


> Thank you ruscal for the links and the info. I'm surprised Jamie Oliver uses German knives. I would have thought he would use Japanese for sure.



well, he uses his own brand of knives... at least when he's on TV... he's not short on revenue strings thats for sure


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## Erilyn75 (May 2, 2013)

Here it is! It's not as sexy as some of the knives I see here but it's quite nice for my first Japanese knife. I can't get over how light it is compared to the Wusthof. 









Here's a side by side comparison. Big difference.


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## MowgFace (May 2, 2013)

Congrats! Now show some veggies you mean business!


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## rdpx (May 2, 2013)

It's great!

Bienvenue au club!



Erilyn75 said:


> Here it is! It's not as sexy as some of the knives I see here but it's quite nice for my first Japanese knife. I can't get over how light it is compared to the Wusthof.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Johnny.B.Good (May 2, 2013)

"Big difference" is right!

Have fun with it!


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## labor of love (May 2, 2013)

the 440 is actually a heavier knife compared to most J knives. I guess it makes for a good transition,coming from Germans.


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## Erilyn75 (May 2, 2013)

Really? I thought it was light as a feather. I can't imagine one being even lighter than that. Sliced through a head of cauliflower and cabbage like butter.


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## MowgFace (May 2, 2013)

Wait till you hold a laser!


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## Benuser (May 2, 2013)

Great blade, love the profile. Did you choose Korin's 'initial sharpening' option?


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## chinacats (May 2, 2013)

Profile looks sweet...congrats! Please let us know how it's working out once you've had a chance to use it a bit.

Cheers!


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## Erilyn75 (May 3, 2013)

Benuser said:


> Great blade, love the profile. Did you choose Korin's 'initial sharpening' option?




Yes I did. I've already nicked myself with it too lol.


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## Benuser (May 3, 2013)

Erilyn75 said:


> Yes I did. I've already nicked myself with it too lol.


That's great - I mean having chosen the Korin sharpening...
The Misonos come OOTB with a nice but overly convexed edge which is hard to reproduce. That's much easier with Korin's waterstone edge. You won't have to set bevels with a coarse stone, you may just restore the existing edge.


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## wenus2 (May 3, 2013)

Erilyn75 said:


> I've already nicked myself with it too lol.



It's been said around here that you don't truly own a knife 'till its tasted your blood.

So... Congratulations!


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## dannynyc (May 3, 2013)

Welcome to the addiction.


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## Erilyn75 (May 4, 2013)

Benuser said:


> That's great - I mean having chosen the Korin sharpening...
> The Misonos come OOTB with a nice but overly convexed edge which is hard to reproduce. That's much easier with Korin's waterstone edge. You won't have to set bevels with a coarse stone, you may just restore the existing edge.




Ahhhh sharpening. I think I may go buy a cheap $10 knife to practice on before I attempt it on a $130 one. I think I'd cry if I messed it up. I just had to replace my brand new cutting board because I accidentally left it outside too long and it warped and split. That was painful as they are not cheap so I definitely don't want to mess the knife up too lol.


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## Erilyn75 (May 4, 2013)

wenus2 said:


> It's been said around here that you don't truly own a knife 'till its tasted your blood.
> 
> So... Congratulations!



Lol Ty Ty! I do have quite the bloodthirsty blade for sure


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## Benuser (May 4, 2013)

Sharpening is nothing to be afraid of, it's supposed to be fun.
Generations of men have sharpened their razors and tools. It can't be that difficult.
As long as you don't use powered equipment, you may undo everything you do. It's very, very hard to definitively ruin a blade.
Get yourself a cheap practice knife, but get one made of carbon steel. Cheap stainless is often made of inferior stuff that just won't take any edge. 
Carbon steel is very easy to get the basics with: thinning, raising a burr, chasing it, deburring.


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## chinacats (May 4, 2013)

Inexpensive carbon can be found here.

Cheers


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## xuz (May 5, 2013)

Erilyn75 said:


> Ahhhh sharpening. I think I may go buy a cheap $10 knife to practice on before I attempt it on a $130 one. I think I'd cry if I messed it up.


Good thinking. 
If you truly screw up though, you can have it sent to me, and I can hone it for you for the cost of shipping. (I'm sure many honers here would do the same.)


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## Erilyn75 (May 5, 2013)

Benuser said:


> Sharpening is nothing to be afraid of, it's supposed to be fun.
> Generations of men have sharpened their razors and tools. It can't be that difficult.
> As long as you don't use powered equipment, you may undo everything you do. It's very, very hard to definitively ruin a blade.
> Get yourself a cheap practice knife, but get one made of carbon steel. Cheap stainless is often made of inferior stuff that just won't take any edge.
> Carbon steel is very easy to get the basics with: thinning, raising a burr, chasing it, deburring.



Thank you for that info. I'd have bought a cheap stainless at Walmart and probably gotten frustrated. From the videos I've been watching, sharpening looks quite relaxing which is something I can definitely use with a 20yr old, 2yr old and 6mo kids. Never a dull moment around these parts!


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## Erilyn75 (May 5, 2013)

chinacats said:


> Inexpensive carbon can be found here.
> 
> Cheers




Thank you for that link. I didn't have a clue where I could get one. 

Do you guys suggest only a 1000 grit stone? What's the purpose having multiple stones?


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## Erilyn75 (May 5, 2013)

xuz said:


> Good thinking.
> If you truly screw up though, you can have it sent to me, and I can hone it for you for the cost of shipping. (I'm sure many honers here would do the same.)



Thank you for that offer, I may need to take you up it lol


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## chinacats (May 5, 2013)

Figured you might enjoy a link to one of the best sharpening youtube pages here.


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## xuz (May 5, 2013)

Erilyn75 said:


> Thank you for that offer, I may need to take you up it lol


Yep! Just send me a PM.


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## Colorado_cutter (May 5, 2013)

chinacats said:


> Inexpensive carbon can be found here.
> 
> Cheers



Agreed on carbon being a better steel for starting out sharpening than cheap stainless. But aren't those Kiwi knives stainless?


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## chinacats (May 6, 2013)

Colorado_cutter said:


> Agreed on carbon being a better steel for starting out sharpening than cheap stainless. But aren't those Kiwi knives stainless?



Doh! I hate to give bad information...and I have been misinformed myself. You are right, these are stainless, so sorry.


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## Benuser (May 7, 2013)

1095 is an excellent carbon steel.

http://www.knivesplus.com/OLD-HICKORY-KNIVES.HTML


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