henckels, wusthoff and oneida? what is this some older active's apt across the street from my frat? what is this show and tell in mrs anderson woodrow wilson third grad class. what is this the cutlery aisle at the mhk goodwill? what is this a poor clueless person knife party and i accidently got an invitation. what is this a message board for people that like to cut food really poorly?
guess you guys don't care about good knives around here in this place.
sounds like we have a sintered knife fan in the house.
regardless. if any of you are buying 440A grade steel knives i will literally kick your ass. at least 440C grade or go home. preferably go with S30V stainless steel. or VG10 like the japanese are using.
also remember to stick with steel with > .95% carbon & chromium, otherwise rust city usa and i will literally kick your ass.
also, if anyone is buying knives that are tempered to about 56 RC (Rockwell hardness scale), i will literally kick your ass. i expect everyone here to be @ > 59 RC.
gmafb. just wipe your knife off, ya dummy.
forged steel is important. You will need to actually sharpen it with more than the steel honing rod from time to time but it will then last forever (not actually forever but a long damn time). there are a lot of places that will sharpen it for you for cheap. sur la table does it. ace hardwares sometimes do it.
there are actually some decent stamped knives out there. a lot of pro kitchens use them.
I'm interested in a new chef's knife. What should I get? Keep in mind I have no idea what I have now and I only sharpen it every now and then with a rod and I'm mostly OK with it.
It really is gonna depend on how much you want to spend on it. if you are in the wusthof and zwilling range then you should also consider Globe. I'd probably take Globe over those other two, but you should find a knife with a weight and balance that feels comfortable to you. I'd stay away from brands like Calphalon (a company that primarily specializes in cookware, rather than knives), but they can provide a decent cheaper option if that is what fits your budget. My first santoku knife was from them (katana series). I still have it, and it sharpens well.
That being said, I've bought a few knives "inspired by" or "modeled after" traditional japanese knife making methods, and there just is no comparison to the real deal. They can get ridiculously expensive, but there are some that float around the same price range as higher end Globes, Wusthofs or Zwilling.
http://www.japanwoodworker.com/category/13167/chef-gyuto.aspxThey will last you forever and keep a phenomenal edge. You could also consider a santoku knife instead of a chefs knife. For the most part a santoku style knife will do what most people in the kitchen do on a day to day basis.
If I were you, I'd just head down to Bernal Cutlery and check out the different stuff for weight, price, balance, type, etc...
As far as sharpening goes, it really is not a tough skill to learn, and, if anything, you can take it to a pro every couple of months to get it back into top shape.