Edit: Update 8.31.222: The Japanese VG10 Export ban has been lifted for a while. After talking to multiple OEM's and pretty much every single one of them told me that imported Japanese VG10 is not possible (Anymore), but 10cr15comov is a Chinese equivalent to the Japanese VG10. Some OEM's told me that VG10 export is banned, so pretty much exclusive to Japan and the knife makers in Japan. (Imported Japanese AUS10 was possible too, but not the Japanese VG10) As you all know, when you guys asked in the comment sections if it was the real Japanese VG10, I always said that I have my doubts or that the heat treatment was not on par with Japanese-made VG10. This pretty much confirms why and why I have pushed AUS10 over VG10 a lot more when it comes to knives made in China. 10cr15comov would not be bad steel if heat-treated correctly. It will indeed sit between VG10 and AUS10.
Hi, I got santoku aus10 knife (3 layers, african handle series) from Grandsharp company. Been using it for some months now and all is well. Edge retention is good so I had to resharpened it only once. Hope steel is genuine aus10 as advertised. ps great review ChefPanko
I have seen the knife currently testing its VG10 octagonal carbon fiber handle. So far I'm happy with it, pretty sure that most knives on his store page are as advertised.
Upon your recommendation, I bought the Findking Nakiri AUS10 knife that you also showed in the video. I am really happy with it but I must say I've only used it for a week now. Thanks for your videos!
From the few different knives I have bought, FindKing and Sowoll both provide knives that are within the ball park of the described steel type. Xituo has lied to me about one, but one other knife did seem believable. XYJ used to match their description like 3 years ago, but nowadays, they do not. I have not received any XYJ knives in the last year that was anywhere near the specified steel type. (I use scratch test to test for hardness) I noticed you have a Wallop knife, I bought a wallop nakiri as well, it had horrendous fit and finish when it came to the seams of wood and metal. The thing felt terrible. On the other hand, I have a supposed VG10 Xituo Chinese cleaver that seemed to be in the ball park for that steel, but also has excellent fit and finish (besides being bent, which can be fixed). I believe it uses a G10 handle, so definitely go with synthetic or G10 handles if you want rivets. I noticed you stated the 7cr17 performed like a Wusthof, while definitely plausible, do keep in mind that a lot of the 7cr17 knives sold on aliexpress actually use 4cr13 or 5cr15 steels. XYJ and Xituo both provided me with these knives that did not match. The 5cr15 being a close approximation to the steel wusthof uses. Both FindKing and Sowoll provided me with accurate 7cr17 knives however. Anyways, looking forward to watching more reviews :)
Thank you for the extra information the thing with the Chinese steel types is all over the place at the moment (in terms of quality control I have 2 9Cr versions and they are definitely not performing the same and the 9Cr on that one is even almost performing like the 10Cr versions, therefore, I can't give a solid recommendation on the Chinese steel-type but I can't really complain about the price but it is something that I noticed). The 7cr17 was very good but one I ordered it again the steel performed less (however I paid $15, I have to update my website too with this information didn't have time to update the website still figuring out a schedule between work, UA-cam and website). The wallops knives especially the wooden handle is terrible with it's finish the G10 versions are good with the finish. Also, the fit is terrible it really feels like using an Axe the handle is just very large wich also reduced the knuckle clearance. (The wallop knives ''4 of them'' were given to me by the manufacturer, the brand owner stopped paying the manufacturer and they needed to clear the remaining stock). It is very interesting to talk to the manufacturer about the process of how the knives are made based on client contact (They take the feedback from the client and create a special mold (profile of the knife and handle is custom made and based on the clients feedback I also asked about the VG10 with hem and they say that their current workflow can't deal with the real imported VG10 from Japan so they can only offer the 10cr version ''Chinese VG10'') and give them a few samples before they push to the final production). A review around 4 Wallop knives (AUS8 and German Steel) will follow but it won't be a positive one tbh the core material and the performance is good but the fit is terrible. And believe me, I don't think the fit is a ''personal'' thing and you confirmed my conclusion (nobody would like it and I have a pretty large hand). I'm happy with Findking overall however the other knife that I'm testing (it is in the lower price range), Is not all that positive and it is using 9Cr18Mov. Sowell I have the opposite experience however only tried one of their knives and it was $8 but completely useless for a Deba (that I showed in this video). There won't be a review about that Deba since I stopped using it after my first try (it is simply buying it and directly throw it in the trashcan). The only concern is the Shipping of the knives like you said some come with a bend (Out of all the knives only 1 came with a bend/''s'' curve). However, the problem is that the knife package is so small that it fits in the letterbox and dependent on the drop of the letterbox and the floor mat even that can damage the blade/tip if it lands wrong. (my delivery guy isn't that carefully if it fits in the letterbox so he never rings the doorbell). Amazon on the other hand but the knives in a box with air pockets (I still take the risk and buy on AliExpress but it is always a concern for me when ordering knives). Thank you for the added information they are always helpful :)
@@chefpanko Very cool that you managed to have a dialogue with the manufacturer :D My experience with FindKings were from two knives, the AUS-10 chef knife that I reground the belly a bit to be flatter, and a $18 7cr17 chef knife that performed as described. I got a few knives from Sowoll, a $20 knife set with cheapo plastic handles that used 7cr17 that were decent, except for the bread knife. I just couldn't believe I can buy a set of 5 knives for $20 with that steel, all with their own sheaths. Though these are basically no tang knives, so they aren't too durable. A $9 thin as all hell chef knife (that was made under a different brand). I loved that knife for its extreme thinness. But it uses 3cr13, so isn't really great for edge retention. And a $17 Nakiri here: www.aliexpress.com/item/32961697316.html that while the fit and finish were petty good and steel seems to be in the right ball park, feels a bit hefty and thick... But I have zero experience with nakiris so I don't know where that stands :P This is why i like these 2 companies, not that they make amazing knives per se, but their knives are at least possibly using the steels they claim they do. As for the Wallop, it went into the bin. It was extremely uncomfortable to hold, primarily because there was a good 1-2mm protrusion of steel parts where they meet the wood. See here: i.imgur.com/7Dfar18.jpg My most recent surprises was this Xituo knife www.aliexpress.com/item/33062162582.html My other Xituo had been a laser damascus "7cr17" chef knife that was much softer than my other 7cr17 knives and was comparable to 4cr13 knives that I have. But this particular cleaver came with excellent fit and finish, polished spine, and scratch test showed it to be at least to be harder than my 7cr17 knives. Though it came bent as well. One thing I must say though, this knife is deceptively light weight. Partially due to its short length, but also its tapered blade profile to the edge(not distal) For now, I have completed my knife collection, got every knife type I want until I see something really cool :P
@@Beliserius1 I think I'm going to change the profile too of the 9cr chef's knife (octagonal handle) from Findking and give it a different sharpening angle. I might give Sowoll a second try but right now I'm going to stop ordering knives since other manufacturers that have seen my videos are sending a few over. I had to decline a few (not from the manufacturers but from resellers), they had a condition they wanted me to tell only the good things about it. I simply can't do that if I find something I dislike or there is something that consumers absolutely need to know I will say it in the review once I made that clear they pulled out did not send me any knives and did not contact me again. Not a big loss for me because if the resellers don't have confident in their own knives that only make clear for me what knives brands to avoid. That is the word I was trying to get! ''protrusion'' English is not my main language so I went with the ''bad finish at the handle''. Thank you! This makes future review videos a lot easier the ''protrusion'' is something I noticed on many wooden full tang western handle designs. Chinese cleavers that is something I will switch over too after my other reviews. I have a few and after transitioning from Japanese cuisine to a Japanese Asian Fusion cuisine I got the opportunity to see the Chinese chef's knife skills. the language barrier is still there but I managed to learn so much from these guys and they work extremely hard but their knife skills are amazing. One thing to note is that they only use the Chinese ''All-purpose'' cleaver and the Bone cleaver they never heard of a Chinese vegetable cleaver. Once I showed them one they were negative but that is because it does not suit the Chinese cuisine. Can't wait to talk about it in a video that they do with the Chinese cleavers blew my mind like scoring (something the western cuisine does with the tip of the chef's knife etc). Also thier knife roll = litterly the Chinese all-purpose cleaver the only knife they need for everything that includes deboning etc a completely different world than my other colleagues that uses specific knives like a Deba, Yanagiba, Gyuto, Nakiri, Sujihiki's for our Japanese kitchen.
@@chefpanko Good on you for keeping your integrity with your video sponsorship. I definitely agree that the Chinese cleaver I linked isn't technically a Chinese chef knife as it is far too fragile. I noticed most of the popular ones are using 4cr13 or 5cr15, allowing them to have an edge that can go through chicken bones without worrying about chips. However, these knives are very common in Chinese stores here in Canada, so I went with a fancy vegetable cleaver :P As for Sowoll, it's a budget brand, no need to revisit it, I just like them for being honest with their steel types. I have had a yanagiba that had a similar handle design as the one you showed on the Deba, where this one had a rather noticeable hole where the tang entered the handle, but the hole isn't filled in with any resin, making it a food contamination issue. Perhaps such handle designs are of poor choice for these super cheap Chinese brands. I am currently looking into finding a cheap but good general purpose diamond combo "stone" that is good enough for most people. Currently eyeing a 600/2000 grit combo for $11 that is in transit. Coupled with a cheap strop and rouge and I truly believe it may be a better choice for home cooks than the usually recommended King combo stones and such given the lower price, ease of use, and no need to flatten.
I bought a set of Chinese knives using VG-10. I specifically contacted them to ask where they get the VG-10 steel. There are a number of companies in China that get real Japanese VG-10 steel from the Japanese foundry to make knives. There aren't that many. Most of the cheaper knives on Amazon that say VG-10, are most likely not real Japanese VG-10. Make sure they get the VG-10 straight from Japan. Also, get G10 grips. Less maintenance, and usually better made.
The Chinese knife industry has rapidly improved. The Japanese VG10 was for a time banned to be imported to China but that has been reverted. During that time there were loopholes to get the steel. Currently, VG10 is free to be imported now, but the manufacturing process has been improved a lot and the Chinese version 10cr15comov is finally getting very close to a VG10 and AUS10 (not from all brands). In the past I find the VG10 from China lacking in consistency in terms of heat treatment and quality control, the knife's anatomy was questionable too, along with the build quality. Most of those are improved a lot, of course, there are just so many resellers/white label brands that it is hard to pinpoint the good ones. Due to the more consistent AUS10 from Chinese manufacturers knives, I preferred that one over the ''Imported Japanese VG10'' in the past and haven't looked back at the ''Imported VG10'' version since then. Despite some of the brands contacting me that they have improved their knives and asking me if I was willing to re-review them, I declined most of those offers since I have too many review samples for which I still need to do a review video. But right now a lot has been changed within the manufacturing process in China and I can see more and more brands improving in what I found bad or had mixed opinions within their knife line-up in the past. Currently in talks with a CEO of a particular brand that does the manufacturing and offers white labels, OEM/ODM. Curious what he has to say when he agrees to do an interview-styled blog post on my website. As the original plan was that he wanted to send me a review sample, but since he is the CEO of a particular brand I asked him if he is willing to do a separate interview-styled blog post. To answer some questions about the ''Imported Japanese VG10'' and what they did to improve the manufacturing process. As many newer knife lines are improved in terms of heat treatment, most of the Chinese manufactured knives are however heavily catered to the home cooks.
@@Condor1970 I can't comment about the Oxford Chef brand name. But YangJiang, China is a huge area with many mini manufacturers and bigger manufacturers a lot of them reachable through subcontractors. Therefore a lot of the same designs but materials used may differ. So when they may look the same, it does not mean that they are using the same manufacturer. Many brands that became bigger shifted to manufacturers that could keep up with the demand and also improved many aspects of the knife. The end product and the service/aftersale/marketing are what matters in the end. We as consumers need to trust the brand that they are not selling under false advertisement or marketing terms. One of the most used lies is with the Rockwell hardness, I have tested many and a lot of them did not even come near to the advertised hardness. But since I contacted a few manufacturers, the reality is they just deliver what the brand requested (many are only reachable through sub-contractors), and what they advertise with is not of the manufacturer's concern. So it is the task of the brands to find a suitable manufacturer, but due to covid, it is not possible to physically attend a manufacturing tour and see the prototypes and be part of the ODM (original design manufacturer) and choose one of the pre designed knives and just slap thier logo on it. And that can lead to many problems, only a select few brands have their own sampling testing when they get a batch fresh from the manufacturing plant to their warehouses. Most are just sending them through an Amazon warehouse and never sample test them and directly selling them. And of course, you have the famous drop shipper's scam. So when it comes to newly established brands always do your own research before ordering. I hope that you like the Oxford knife, I have no comment about that brand as I have never heard of or tried them. And be very careful of reviews, I have been offered money to make a ''fake positive review'' or they wanted me to sign a contract which says ''they can ask for deletion if they did not like it''. And if they like it they are free to clip it and promote it on all social media websites. (of course, I declined them, and why I clearly state at the beginning of a review video how I got the knife). If you want to know more about dropshipping scams. You can visit my website (link in description) and search for: ''Beware of Fake Japanese Knife Scams''
Very informative video! Have you ever tried the Misen knives? Supposedly an American company, but the knives are made in China. Not sure if they're AUS10 or not.
Misen did reach out but during that period we were dealing with the pandemic still are, therefore Misen logistics could not send any review samples out to Europe. Haven't heard back from them since then but as far as I can see from the website the prices are very competitive with a good return, warranty policy. But more than that I don't know how well the knives will perform, but if they say they are AUS10 I believe it (if they say VG10 I will question it as the majority of the Chinese manufacturers can't offer Japanese VG10 but 10cr15comov).
Would review the MX3 mercer nakiri I have seen some reviews say it's a $150 knife that can beat a $400 Japanese knife. Also the Mercer culinary Asian collection and MX3 line might have something that you want to review but they are all made in Taiwan not China.
Unfortunately, the Mercer MX3 series is not available in Europe yet. But I highly doubt that a VG10 core material will outperform an SG2, Shirogami (White Steel #1 or #2), Aogami (Blue steel #1 or #2), Aogami Super (Blue Super Steel). So the Mercer MX3 series is something I would probably want to look into thank you for the tip :) For an overview of my findings of the steel types (the stats are purely on the material themselves so brand/manufacturer is not calculated): www.chefpanko.com/kitchen-knives-steel-type-overview/ As for the Asian collection I saw that it is a 56 +/-1 so either a 55 to 57 HRC they are specialized knives but for the sashimi knife (Yanagiba), for example, I would not buy especially not for professional use (My boss would literally kill me for destroying all the salmon and tuna).
Didn't even see the HRC rating on the Asian collection was that low. I thought it was the same as the MX3. I think your way of reviewing knives is probably the best way on UA-cam it's always better than seeing a guy cut paper then a tomato. Hope to see more reviews in the future.
@@iiMEiii I'm still figuring out on the review format to deliver as much useful information as possible. I got a lot of feedback from you guys on what to include in the reviews so thank you all for commenting and suggesting ideas :)
@@chefpanko you cover pretty much everything I want to know. If you can talk about how the cladding and core steel holds up after 20+ sharpens since you would be sharping multiple time a week. I have seen burrfection videos talking about how you can't shapen some knives at the original angle on a stone because they use a wheel that allows them to get a smaller angle with out touching the cladding.
@@iiMEiii Noted! The wheel scenario is interesting I won't use a wheel on powdered steel like the SG2 or R2. What I do notice is that makers like Shun, Miyabi etc like to add a extra angle to their knives. Wich, I usually remove directly, especially with a Yanagiba. We use extreme sharp knives to use something that we call shaving when we fillet a salmon and for the finishing touch, we need to shave the darker skin off from the orange flesh. But I will see if I can make a video about sharpening in general and talk about the knives and differences. Thank you
Very interesting knives I, unfortunately, did not try them, I'm also not a fan of full bolster since it is a hassle to sharpen those on a whetstone. The Santoku version has a half bolster so that may be the only knife I may test. Thank you for mentioning a knife brand that I was not aware of.
@@chefpanko Thank you for your channel=) I live in Russia and here i buy Century chef for 25$, i just don't see any alternatives for that price. Also i had tramontina professional master santoku knife. It's also nice knife for home cooking. Slightly less hardness and edge retention, but still very good, especially for 13$ price point. They have a plastic grip without bolster, i hope you try them.
@@MrIkarphoto It seems like they have more options in Russia for sale here in the Netherlands I only have a select few of that brand and mostly their steak set and forks are sold here. After reading their steel-type the Rockwell hardness should be 56 the same as a Victorinox Fibrox knife (same steel if I'm correct). That means after 1/2 months you need a whetstone touch up but this steel-type is easy to maintain and to sharpen so if you use a diamond honing rod you can postpone the whetstone touch-up for a longer period of time. I have seen the grippy texture of their brand, but I can't get them delivered here since that webshop doesn't ship to the Netherlands. The Santoku Tramontina Century version is sold for around 35 euro ($42) here. The other brand I can think of with a cheap price is the ''KIWI Brand'' knife made in Thailand very cheap for around $10 heard a lot from subscribers about that knife and I have them here still need to test them.
@@chefpanko I think Fibrox may compared with Professional master series. It's stamp knives with plastic grip and relatively low price (inside brands lineup). Century is forged knife, have more hardness, very close to zwilling (not sure, cause i use zwilling few times). About Kiwi brand - when I was in a Thailand I see only cheap Kiwi knives, like cheap Tramontina lines (for 1-5 bucks) and they look like professional).
@@MrIkarphoto I want to clarify one thing while I don't have the Tramontina Century so I can't say much about that brand, but with Zwilling, on the other hand, they have a few series. While one is sold as a stamped knife, the other knife is what they called forging. However, the forging of their higher-priced knives is actually also stamped. Let me explain, stamped is steel that they just stamp the shape out of a blank steel plate without the heat treatment it is cheaper to make, and the price is lower, but that results in softer steel. Modern Stamping (in which they called ''forged'') is heat-treating the blank steel to a certain point and Rockwell, but they do stamp it after the heat treatment. Can we call this true forging? or just a modern way of Stamping? (Zwilling Pro, Wusthof Ikon, Global, etc.). If Tramontina Century is calling their knives forged, it will most likely mean that they did this method especially considering the price point, and since you say similar to Zwilling, it means a heat treatment to 57 most likely. Since the steel used in their series is the same as Victorinox Fibrox to remove failure rate to Temper the knives to a certain Rockwell. Din 1.4110 comes with an untreated Rockwell of 54 that they temper to up to 58 depending on the failure rate, so many of them will go for a Rockwell of 56/57. Since Tramontina does not specify the Rockwell, it is most likely a modern stamping (what they call forged), and it is using a mono-steel Din 1.4110, and according to the failure rate of this steel-type, it is safe to say that the heat treatment is at least 56 or 57. True forging is using steel and then shaping that steel while heat treating it (no stamping at all). Most Japanese knives are made this way. So there is a tremendous difference in forging and tempering techniques. This does not mean modern stamped knives or stamped knives are not superior to real forging. It just means that the knife is targeting a specific group, not bad or good. While many people now praise the Japanese handmade knives or artisan knives or knives made in Japan but what they forget is who are the knife brands targeting. What does a specific home cook need sharpness? Edge retention? Durability? Rust Resistant? Etc. Same for Kiwi Brand, their knives are lower than 56, probably 54/55 most likely untreated knives and pure stamped. Just wanted to make clear that ''forging'' is usually used as a marketing term to sell more knives. therefore it is essential to look at more forging techniques: - Western knives are most commonly mono-steel (one layer), so they are often limited to hardness below 60. (Even premium steels are risky above 60 in a mono construction). - True Damascus. Multi-layer construction with no discrete core material. (This is generally not as strong as other constructions since there are multiple stress risers on the cutting edge and therefore not usable for the kitchen knives). - San-Mai (3-layer / sometimes Damascus pattern which is only there for aesthetics) with a harder core and softer (and usually more stain-resistant outer core). These blades can have a practical hardness limit above 60. - Honyaki (differential heat treated mono-steel). These can be hardened above 60 but generally are not as desirable as San Mai for ultimate hardness/strength (and usually made thicker for more durability). San-Mai reduces the stress on the harder core. The one steel construction will feel stiffer than a San-Mai construction. The san main construction uses a thinner core material but can reach a higher Rockwell above 60. It is more bendable because of the softer outer layer and therefore increasing the stress levels on the harder core in the middle. One of the reasons it can be heat treated above 60.
Im not a chef, but i just really want to buy some good knife to make my life easyier because what i have at the moment doesn't seem to be cutting very well. I was looking at Keemake knifes on amazon and was wondering how good they are. More specifically i wanted to start by getting their Convex Damascus Chef's Knife 8-inch and slowly get everything i need since i do not have hundreds of dollars to spend buying all the knifes i could need ?
All the Keemake knife while being a convex (pretty much all knives) the grind itself on the edge is a flat grind. the only kitchen knife I have seen with a true convex and a convex grind is Global knives. If you really want a true multi-purpose knife then a Xinzuo 440C Chef's knife will do the work perfectly fine: ua-cam.com/video/PAgGpLy1r_s/v-deo.html The above video is a Nakiri knife but you can read the comment from ''Vic'' that bought the Chef's knife. You don't need a lot of knives just one good knife and the maintaining part is the most important. So a whetstone, honing rod, etc. There is no need for the sharpest knife and the most expensive knife if you don't know how to maintain it. If you want something better looking the Keemake Chef's knife is a good option or my personal favorite the Keemake Bunka: ua-cam.com/video/KVjlkihHf1c/v-deo.html Same profile as a Santoku, same as a Nakiri for better knuckle guide and food clearance. While maintaining the tip of a chef's knife for scoring. The only thing is that you can't go through bones with it. So Cheese, hard bread, bones, frozen/semi-frozen food. In return, you get better edge retention and less sharpening is needed. A Chinese cleaver is an option too but I need to make a different video explaining it since it is not for everyone. Hope that this helps feel free to ask more questions.
@@chefpanko I don't think the cleaver would fit me very well. Never tryed one but it seem a bit akward for your everyday cooking. I don't have really any knowledge about sharpening but there is one in my city that actually does whetstone. I'll take a look at what you proposed.
@@alzakiel2212 The choices are on you, The Santoku is mostly good for an all-purpose knife. You don't have to go to a cleaver. (it really depends what cutting style you prefer rocking or forward chopping?) I'm currently doing a video series about each type of knife (it can help you in your decision to find a knife that will suit you): ua-cam.com/video/N1r1g25jr5M/v-deo.html As for how often to sharpen, it depends on the Rockwell. The higher the Rockwell the longer it keeps an edge. But the higher the Rockwell the brittle the knife becomes etc. There is no real answer to how long the knife stays sharp since the usage and on what type of food is important to determine how long it needs before you need to sharpen again. You can also use a honing rod to extend the edge retention a bit before you need a sharpening stone.
Not that I'm aware of, Shun knives are most likely made in Japan. I have no idea if they have outsourced it to China, but I do know that some other companies did, but eventually stopped. The market share where they are active depends on what knife they release in which part of the world (in this case they may opt to outsource the manufacturing process to gain better access). There also can be some counterfeits, that come from China, therefore, it is advisable to double-check the seller if they are trustworthy, since many reviews can be faked (on either Amazon or AliExpress, etc.). As for Shun, not that I'm aware of any changes in their manufacturing process as of right now I believe that they are still manufacturing most if not all their knives in Japan. I do know that even shun makes very cheap stainless steel knives too, vs their more premium-priced knives. But even the cheaper stainless steel version where they do not list the core/blade material but uses the generic name ''stainless steel'' is made in Japan. They also released a lot more Shun series in Asia (with a budget-friendly price tag) that are not sold here in Europe or in NA. (These series are widely available at the Japanese discount store called Don Quijote which has expanded outside Japan and has multiple stores across Asia). However, Don Quijote does sell made in china products so it is not all made-in-Japan products in their store (but they are clearly stated on the product packaging as to where they are made).
why do so many people always buy this cheap junk from China??? I never understood why people buy Made in China although there are also cheap and good knives from well-known manufacturers of good quality such as Ballarini (Made in Italy and owned by Zwilling) ore SekiRyu (Made in Japan). often for under $90 a whole set. 🤔
I have no idea, never tried that version from Tuo Cutlery I did try their Ring Series: ua-cam.com/video/uGD8NAhYCCo/v-deo.html They told me that they would send me one to test but never responded or send the Tuo Fiery series.
Ehh, Zwilling and Wusthof claimed ''Forged'' knives aren't really forged, the only actual forging taking place is when the bolster area is heated to red hot and dies comes hammering down to form the bolster. After that they get stamped out (bolster area still hot, rest of the blade is normal/cold) then it gets ground/shaped with some grinding/sanding and then put in an oven for a certain amount of time in roughly 1200C and then tempered. Not that they are bad knives, they're not, but they are not really what the company claim they are.
No, I did not try that, but after reading the website and steel type, it seems like they are using high stainless steel. And the steel can reach a Max Rockwell hardness of 54 (according to thier website it is 53); this means it is budget steel. So the knife is a budget knife, and looking at the prices, it seems way too high for what it delivers a Rockwell of 55 or lower is a budget knife even the Victorinox will do better. The pricing for those Rockwell are the following: 52-54 HRC: Cheap chefs knives, mostly very cheap 8/15 euro (10/18 dollars) made in China. Needs to be sharpened/honed every time.
Definitely, but still read the reviews per store, some resellers sells bad quility or knives that can't be fixed (for example, a badly glued knife on an octagonal or false advertising about the core material).
@@chefpanko For sure, I bought a knife I know is fake VG10, but it stays sharp very long. But I can understand "real" chefs wanting a better quality knife, and they dont buy cheap ones just for that reason to them beeing sharp longer cause usally harder steel in them. For home users any knife above $50 bucks and get your own stone to sharpen your solid for life. I bought a few $50 Chinese knifes and couldnt be happier, they look good, stay sharp long and perfect for home use. A chef on the other hand might not agree on quality on it. But for a home user a knife for +$150 is not worth it. Sure they will be nice but you dont "need" that quality for home use most often unless your a cook and want that quality. I've seen some owning professional grade knifes and then F destroy them cause they think they are cooks just because they buy a expensive and super hard blade. It doenst work that way :)
@@BalubishTech, in general, I'm surprised by the quality of the $50 to $60 price range of the knives from China, most of those knives are exceeding my expectations, and can compete with Japanese knife that is sold around $150. The only noticeable things are that the spine distal taper is non-existent in most Chinese made knives something that the Japanese and german knife makers include in their knife (it is a small detail and probably not noticeable for most home cooks). And some seller's quality control is very poor, so there may be a defect on arrival (quite a gamble sometimes if there is no information about the new brand or resellers store page). But overall I'm surprised by the quality and the great price point that they are currently selling for. Some of them are even worth $100, but anything higher then they are nearing the Japanese fusion knife range that is made in Japan even when the quality matches each other identically I'm pretty sure most people will still be biased towards the Japanese made knife.
@@chefpanko Ur totally right on your points and I agree :) And yeah I woulnt spend +$100 on a chinese knife, I rather go for a Japanese knife then. And when it comes to most people I sharpen friends knifes, and they have knifes that cost around $25 max that I help them with sometimes. They dont understand the value and fun having a good knife in the kitchen and also good looking one, so I know what you mean :)
@@BalubishTech That is true, I gifted a few knives away that are better quality than their Ikea ones, they now understand the joy of a sharp knife but they have a long way to go they don't use a honing rod or a sharpening stone (They never researched it the basically buy a new knife once the old one becomes dull for $10 to $20). Very nice of you to sharpen their knives for them :), I would only do that if I wanted to learn how to sharpen but since I already know that, I simply don't want to shorten the lifespan of my stones......I'm a horrible person ;) (But also because I don't have much free time because of the restaurant working hours and over-time work during the holidays).
Edit: Update 8.31.222: The Japanese VG10 Export ban has been lifted for a while.
After talking to multiple OEM's and pretty much every single one of them told me that imported Japanese VG10 is not possible (Anymore), but 10cr15comov is a Chinese equivalent to the Japanese VG10.
Some OEM's told me that VG10 export is banned, so pretty much exclusive to Japan and the knife makers in Japan.
(Imported Japanese AUS10 was possible too, but not the Japanese VG10)
As you all know, when you guys asked in the comment sections if it was the real Japanese VG10, I always said that I have my doubts or that the heat treatment was not on par with Japanese-made VG10.
This pretty much confirms why and why I have pushed AUS10 over VG10 a lot more when it comes to knives made in China.
10cr15comov would not be bad steel if heat-treated correctly. It will indeed sit between VG10 and AUS10.
the inconsistent sharpeness on the edge just means the heat treat is subpar.
Yeah I'm thinking the same, very unfortunate since the AUS10 performs like expected.
Hi, I got santoku aus10 knife (3 layers, african handle series) from Grandsharp company. Been using it for some months now and all is well. Edge retention is good so I had to resharpened it only once. Hope steel is genuine aus10 as advertised.
ps great review ChefPanko
I have seen the knife currently testing its VG10 octagonal carbon fiber handle. So far I'm happy with it, pretty sure that most knives on his store page are as advertised.
Upon your recommendation, I bought the Findking Nakiri AUS10 knife that you also showed in the video. I am really happy with it but I must say I've only used it for a week now. Thanks for your videos!
That knife was the only wooden handle that did not came with some minor flaws for me. Thank you for watching :)
From the few different knives I have bought, FindKing and Sowoll both provide knives that are within the ball park of the described steel type. Xituo has lied to me about one, but one other knife did seem believable. XYJ used to match their description like 3 years ago, but nowadays, they do not. I have not received any XYJ knives in the last year that was anywhere near the specified steel type. (I use scratch test to test for hardness)
I noticed you have a Wallop knife, I bought a wallop nakiri as well, it had horrendous fit and finish when it came to the seams of wood and metal. The thing felt terrible. On the other hand, I have a supposed VG10 Xituo Chinese cleaver that seemed to be in the ball park for that steel, but also has excellent fit and finish (besides being bent, which can be fixed). I believe it uses a G10 handle, so definitely go with synthetic or G10 handles if you want rivets.
I noticed you stated the 7cr17 performed like a Wusthof, while definitely plausible, do keep in mind that a lot of the 7cr17 knives sold on aliexpress actually use 4cr13 or 5cr15 steels. XYJ and Xituo both provided me with these knives that did not match. The 5cr15 being a close approximation to the steel wusthof uses.
Both FindKing and Sowoll provided me with accurate 7cr17 knives however.
Anyways, looking forward to watching more reviews :)
Thank you for the extra information the thing with the Chinese steel types is all over the place at the moment (in terms of quality control I have 2 9Cr versions and they are definitely not performing the same and the 9Cr on that one is even almost performing like the 10Cr versions, therefore, I can't give a solid recommendation on the Chinese steel-type but I can't really complain about the price but it is something that I noticed). The 7cr17 was very good but one I ordered it again the steel performed less (however I paid $15, I have to update my website too with this information didn't have time to update the website still figuring out a schedule between work, UA-cam and website).
The wallops knives especially the wooden handle is terrible with it's finish the G10 versions are good with the finish. Also, the fit is terrible it really feels like using an Axe the handle is just very large wich also reduced the knuckle clearance. (The wallop knives ''4 of them'' were given to me by the manufacturer, the brand owner stopped paying the manufacturer and they needed to clear the remaining stock). It is very interesting to talk to the manufacturer about the process of how the knives are made based on client contact (They take the feedback from the client and create a special mold (profile of the knife and handle is custom made and based on the clients feedback I also asked about the VG10 with hem and they say that their current workflow can't deal with the real imported VG10 from Japan so they can only offer the 10cr version ''Chinese VG10'') and give them a few samples before they push to the final production). A review around 4 Wallop knives (AUS8 and German Steel) will follow but it won't be a positive one tbh the core material and the performance is good but the fit is terrible. And believe me, I don't think the fit is a ''personal'' thing and you confirmed my conclusion (nobody would like it and I have a pretty large hand).
I'm happy with Findking overall however the other knife that I'm testing (it is in the lower price range), Is not all that positive and it is using 9Cr18Mov.
Sowell I have the opposite experience however only tried one of their knives and it was $8 but completely useless for a Deba (that I showed in this video).
There won't be a review about that Deba since I stopped using it after my first try (it is simply buying it and directly throw it in the trashcan).
The only concern is the Shipping of the knives like you said some come with a bend (Out of all the knives only 1 came with a bend/''s'' curve). However, the problem is that the knife package is so small that it fits in the letterbox and dependent on the drop of the letterbox and the floor mat even that can damage the blade/tip if it lands wrong. (my delivery guy isn't that carefully if it fits in the letterbox so he never rings the doorbell). Amazon on the other hand but the knives in a box with air pockets (I still take the risk and buy on AliExpress but it is always a concern for me when ordering knives).
Thank you for the added information they are always helpful :)
@@chefpanko Very cool that you managed to have a dialogue with the manufacturer :D
My experience with FindKings were from two knives, the AUS-10 chef knife that I reground the belly a bit to be flatter, and a $18 7cr17 chef knife that performed as described.
I got a few knives from Sowoll, a $20 knife set with cheapo plastic handles that used 7cr17 that were decent, except for the bread knife. I just couldn't believe I can buy a set of 5 knives for $20 with that steel, all with their own sheaths. Though these are basically no tang knives, so they aren't too durable. A $9 thin as all hell chef knife (that was made under a different brand). I loved that knife for its extreme thinness. But it uses 3cr13, so isn't really great for edge retention. And a $17 Nakiri here: www.aliexpress.com/item/32961697316.html that while the fit and finish were petty good and steel seems to be in the right ball park, feels a bit hefty and thick... But I have zero experience with nakiris so I don't know where that stands :P
This is why i like these 2 companies, not that they make amazing knives per se, but their knives are at least possibly using the steels they claim they do.
As for the Wallop, it went into the bin. It was extremely uncomfortable to hold, primarily because there was a good 1-2mm protrusion of steel parts where they meet the wood. See here: i.imgur.com/7Dfar18.jpg
My most recent surprises was this Xituo knife www.aliexpress.com/item/33062162582.html
My other Xituo had been a laser damascus "7cr17" chef knife that was much softer than my other 7cr17 knives and was comparable to 4cr13 knives that I have. But this particular cleaver came with excellent fit and finish, polished spine, and scratch test showed it to be at least to be harder than my 7cr17 knives. Though it came bent as well. One thing I must say though, this knife is deceptively light weight. Partially due to its short length, but also its tapered blade profile to the edge(not distal)
For now, I have completed my knife collection, got every knife type I want until I see something really cool :P
@@Beliserius1 I think I'm going to change the profile too of the 9cr chef's knife (octagonal handle) from Findking and give it a different sharpening angle.
I might give Sowoll a second try but right now I'm going to stop ordering knives since other manufacturers that have seen my videos are sending a few over. I had to decline a few (not from the manufacturers but from resellers), they had a condition they wanted me to tell only the good things about it. I simply can't do that if I find something I dislike or there is something that consumers absolutely need to know I will say it in the review once I made that clear they pulled out did not send me any knives and did not contact me again. Not a big loss for me because if the resellers don't have confident in their own knives that only make clear for me what knives brands to avoid.
That is the word I was trying to get! ''protrusion'' English is not my main language so I went with the ''bad finish at the handle''. Thank you! This makes future review videos a lot easier the ''protrusion'' is something I noticed on many wooden full tang western handle designs.
Chinese cleavers that is something I will switch over too after my other reviews. I have a few and after transitioning from Japanese cuisine to a Japanese Asian Fusion cuisine I got the opportunity to see the Chinese chef's knife skills. the language barrier is still there but I managed to learn so much from these guys and they work extremely hard but their knife skills are amazing. One thing to note is that they only use the Chinese ''All-purpose'' cleaver and the Bone cleaver they never heard of a Chinese vegetable cleaver. Once I showed them one they were negative but that is because it does not suit the Chinese cuisine. Can't wait to talk about it in a video that they do with the Chinese cleavers blew my mind like scoring (something the western cuisine does with the tip of the chef's knife etc). Also thier knife roll = litterly the Chinese all-purpose cleaver the only knife they need for everything that includes deboning etc a completely different world than my other colleagues that uses specific knives like a Deba, Yanagiba, Gyuto, Nakiri, Sujihiki's for our Japanese kitchen.
@@Beliserius1 I completely forgot with what object/tool are you doing the scratch test? and what to look for? I'm curious.
@@chefpanko Good on you for keeping your integrity with your video sponsorship.
I definitely agree that the Chinese cleaver I linked isn't technically a Chinese chef knife as it is far too fragile. I noticed most of the popular ones are using 4cr13 or 5cr15, allowing them to have an edge that can go through chicken bones without worrying about chips. However, these knives are very common in Chinese stores here in Canada, so I went with a fancy vegetable cleaver :P
As for Sowoll, it's a budget brand, no need to revisit it, I just like them for being honest with their steel types.
I have had a yanagiba that had a similar handle design as the one you showed on the Deba, where this one had a rather noticeable hole where the tang entered the handle, but the hole isn't filled in with any resin, making it a food contamination issue. Perhaps such handle designs are of poor choice for these super cheap Chinese brands.
I am currently looking into finding a cheap but good general purpose diamond combo "stone" that is good enough for most people. Currently eyeing a 600/2000 grit combo for $11 that is in transit. Coupled with a cheap strop and rouge and I truly believe it may be a better choice for home cooks than the usually recommended King combo stones and such given the lower price, ease of use, and no need to flatten.
I bought a set of Chinese knives using VG-10. I specifically contacted them to ask where they get the VG-10 steel. There are a number of companies in China that get real Japanese VG-10 steel from the Japanese foundry to make knives. There aren't that many. Most of the cheaper knives on Amazon that say VG-10, are most likely not real Japanese VG-10. Make sure they get the VG-10 straight from Japan. Also, get G10 grips. Less maintenance, and usually better made.
The Chinese knife industry has rapidly improved. The Japanese VG10 was for a time banned to be imported to China but that has been reverted. During that time there were loopholes to get the steel.
Currently, VG10 is free to be imported now, but the manufacturing process has been improved a lot and the Chinese version 10cr15comov is finally getting very close to a VG10 and AUS10 (not from all brands).
In the past I find the VG10 from China lacking in consistency in terms of heat treatment and quality control, the knife's anatomy was questionable too, along with the build quality.
Most of those are improved a lot, of course, there are just so many resellers/white label brands that it is hard to pinpoint the good ones.
Due to the more consistent AUS10 from Chinese manufacturers knives, I preferred that one over the ''Imported Japanese VG10'' in the past and haven't looked back at the ''Imported VG10'' version since then. Despite some of the brands contacting me that they have improved their knives and asking me if I was willing to re-review them, I declined most of those offers since I have too many review samples for which I still need to do a review video.
But right now a lot has been changed within the manufacturing process in China and I can see more and more brands improving in what I found bad or had mixed opinions within their knife line-up in the past.
Currently in talks with a CEO of a particular brand that does the manufacturing and offers white labels, OEM/ODM.
Curious what he has to say when he agrees to do an interview-styled blog post on my website.
As the original plan was that he wanted to send me a review sample, but since he is the CEO of a particular brand I asked him if he is willing to do a separate interview-styled blog post.
To answer some questions about the ''Imported Japanese VG10'' and what they did to improve the manufacturing process.
As many newer knife lines are improved in terms of heat treatment, most of the Chinese manufactured knives are however heavily catered to the home cooks.
@@chefpanko That's good to know. I personally bought the "Oxford Chef" brand name, which I believe is made by Sunnecko/Dalstrong makers.
@@Condor1970 I can't comment about the Oxford Chef brand name. But YangJiang, China is a huge area with many mini manufacturers and bigger manufacturers a lot of them reachable through subcontractors. Therefore a lot of the same designs but materials used may differ. So when they may look the same, it does not mean that they are using the same manufacturer.
Many brands that became bigger shifted to manufacturers that could keep up with the demand and also improved many aspects of the knife.
The end product and the service/aftersale/marketing are what matters in the end.
We as consumers need to trust the brand that they are not selling under false advertisement or marketing terms.
One of the most used lies is with the Rockwell hardness, I have tested many and a lot of them did not even come near to the advertised hardness.
But since I contacted a few manufacturers, the reality is they just deliver what the brand requested (many are only reachable through sub-contractors), and what they advertise with is not of the manufacturer's concern.
So it is the task of the brands to find a suitable manufacturer, but due to covid, it is not possible to physically attend a manufacturing tour and see the prototypes and be part of the ODM (original design manufacturer) and choose one of the pre designed knives and just slap thier logo on it.
And that can lead to many problems, only a select few brands have their own sampling testing when they get a batch fresh from the manufacturing plant to their warehouses.
Most are just sending them through an Amazon warehouse and never sample test them and directly selling them.
And of course, you have the famous drop shipper's scam. So when it comes to newly established brands always do your own research before ordering.
I hope that you like the Oxford knife, I have no comment about that brand as I have never heard of or tried them.
And be very careful of reviews, I have been offered money to make a ''fake positive review'' or they wanted me to sign a contract which says ''they can ask for deletion if they did not like it''.
And if they like it they are free to clip it and promote it on all social media websites. (of course, I declined them, and why I clearly state at the beginning of a review video how I got the knife).
If you want to know more about dropshipping scams. You can visit my website (link in description) and search for: ''Beware of Fake Japanese Knife Scams''
Very informative video! Have you ever tried the Misen knives? Supposedly an American company, but the knives are made in China. Not sure if they're AUS10 or not.
Misen did reach out but during that period we were dealing with the pandemic still are, therefore Misen logistics could not send any review samples out to Europe. Haven't heard back from them since then but as far as I can see from the website the prices are very competitive with a good return, warranty policy.
But more than that I don't know how well the knives will perform, but if they say they are AUS10 I believe it (if they say VG10 I will question it as the majority of the Chinese manufacturers can't offer Japanese VG10 but 10cr15comov).
Would review the MX3 mercer nakiri I have seen some reviews say it's a $150 knife that can beat a $400 Japanese knife.
Also the Mercer culinary Asian collection and MX3 line might have something that you want to review but they are all made in Taiwan not China.
Unfortunately, the Mercer MX3 series is not available in Europe yet. But I highly doubt that a VG10 core material will outperform an SG2, Shirogami (White Steel #1 or #2), Aogami (Blue steel #1 or #2), Aogami Super (Blue Super Steel).
So the Mercer MX3 series is something I would probably want to look into thank you for the tip :)
For an overview of my findings of the steel types (the stats are purely on the material themselves so brand/manufacturer is not calculated):
www.chefpanko.com/kitchen-knives-steel-type-overview/
As for the Asian collection I saw that it is a 56 +/-1 so either a 55 to 57 HRC they are specialized knives but for the sashimi knife (Yanagiba), for example, I would not buy especially not for professional use (My boss would literally kill me for destroying all the salmon and tuna).
Didn't even see the HRC rating on the Asian collection was that low. I thought it was the same as the MX3.
I think your way of reviewing knives is probably the best way on UA-cam it's always better than seeing a guy cut paper then a tomato.
Hope to see more reviews in the future.
@@iiMEiii I'm still figuring out on the review format to deliver as much useful information as possible. I got a lot of feedback from you guys on what to include in the reviews so thank you all for commenting and suggesting ideas :)
@@chefpanko you cover pretty much everything I want to know.
If you can talk about how the cladding and core steel holds up after 20+ sharpens since you would be sharping multiple time a week.
I have seen burrfection videos talking about how you can't shapen some knives at the original angle on a stone because they use a wheel that allows them to get a smaller angle with out touching the cladding.
@@iiMEiii Noted! The wheel scenario is interesting I won't use a wheel on powdered steel like the SG2 or R2. What I do notice is that makers like Shun, Miyabi etc like to add a extra angle to their knives. Wich, I usually remove directly, especially with a Yanagiba. We use extreme sharp knives to use something that we call shaving when we fillet a salmon and for the finishing touch, we need to shave the darker skin off from the orange flesh. But I will see if I can make a video about sharpening in general and talk about the knives and differences. Thank you
I got a SKYLIGHT (Aus10) 6" chef knife and its sooooo fucking sharp! I love it! Only $10.
It's my new go to in a knife rack in 1000's$
Have you test the Tramontina Century knifes? Its european style knifes from brasil.
Very interesting knives I, unfortunately, did not try them, I'm also not a fan of full bolster since it is a hassle to sharpen those on a whetstone.
The Santoku version has a half bolster so that may be the only knife I may test.
Thank you for mentioning a knife brand that I was not aware of.
@@chefpanko Thank you for your channel=)
I live in Russia and here i buy Century chef for 25$, i just don't see any alternatives for that price.
Also i had tramontina professional master santoku knife. It's also nice knife for home cooking. Slightly less hardness and edge retention, but still very good, especially for 13$ price point. They have a plastic grip without bolster, i hope you try them.
@@MrIkarphoto It seems like they have more options in Russia for sale here in the Netherlands I only have a select few of that brand and mostly their steak set and forks are sold here.
After reading their steel-type the Rockwell hardness should be 56 the same as a Victorinox Fibrox knife (same steel if I'm correct). That means after 1/2 months you need a whetstone touch up but this steel-type is easy to maintain and to sharpen so if you use a diamond honing rod you can postpone the whetstone touch-up for a longer period of time.
I have seen the grippy texture of their brand, but I can't get them delivered here since that webshop doesn't ship to the Netherlands.
The Santoku Tramontina Century version is sold for around 35 euro ($42) here.
The other brand I can think of with a cheap price is the ''KIWI Brand'' knife made in Thailand very cheap for around $10 heard a lot from subscribers about that knife and I have them here still need to test them.
@@chefpanko I think Fibrox may compared with Professional master series. It's stamp knives with plastic grip and relatively low price (inside brands lineup). Century is forged knife, have more hardness, very close to zwilling (not sure, cause i use zwilling few times).
About Kiwi brand - when I was in a Thailand I see only cheap Kiwi knives, like cheap Tramontina lines (for 1-5 bucks) and they look like professional).
@@MrIkarphoto I want to clarify one thing while I don't have the Tramontina Century so I can't say much about that brand, but with Zwilling, on the other hand, they have a few series.
While one is sold as a stamped knife, the other knife is what they called forging.
However, the forging of their higher-priced knives is actually also stamped.
Let me explain, stamped is steel that they just stamp the shape out of a blank steel plate without the heat treatment it is cheaper to make, and the price is lower, but that results in softer steel.
Modern Stamping (in which they called ''forged'') is heat-treating the blank steel to a certain point and Rockwell, but they do stamp it after the heat treatment.
Can we call this true forging? or just a modern way of Stamping? (Zwilling Pro, Wusthof Ikon, Global, etc.). If Tramontina Century is calling their knives forged, it will most likely mean that they did this method especially considering the price point, and since you say similar to Zwilling, it means a heat treatment to 57 most likely.
Since the steel used in their series is the same as Victorinox Fibrox to remove failure rate to Temper the knives to a certain Rockwell.
Din 1.4110 comes with an untreated Rockwell of 54 that they temper to up to 58 depending on the failure rate, so many of them will go for a Rockwell of 56/57.
Since Tramontina does not specify the Rockwell, it is most likely a modern stamping (what they call forged), and it is using a mono-steel Din 1.4110, and according to the failure rate of this steel-type, it is safe to say that the heat treatment is at least 56 or 57.
True forging is using steel and then shaping that steel while heat treating it (no stamping at all). Most Japanese knives are made this way.
So there is a tremendous difference in forging and tempering techniques.
This does not mean modern stamped knives or stamped knives are not superior to real forging.
It just means that the knife is targeting a specific group, not bad or good.
While many people now praise the Japanese handmade knives or artisan knives or knives made in Japan but what they forget is who are the knife brands targeting.
What does a specific home cook need sharpness? Edge retention? Durability? Rust Resistant? Etc.
Same for Kiwi Brand, their knives are lower than 56, probably 54/55 most likely untreated knives and pure stamped.
Just wanted to make clear that ''forging'' is usually used as a marketing term to sell more knives.
therefore it is essential to look at more forging techniques:
- Western knives are most commonly mono-steel (one layer), so they are often limited to hardness below 60. (Even premium steels are risky above 60 in a mono construction).
- True Damascus. Multi-layer construction with no discrete core material.
(This is generally not as strong as other constructions since there are multiple stress risers on the cutting edge and therefore not usable for the kitchen knives).
- San-Mai (3-layer / sometimes Damascus pattern which is only there for aesthetics) with a harder core and softer (and usually more stain-resistant outer core). These blades can have a practical hardness limit above 60.
- Honyaki (differential heat treated mono-steel). These can be hardened above 60 but generally are not as desirable as San Mai for ultimate hardness/strength (and usually made thicker for more durability).
San-Mai reduces the stress on the harder core.
The one steel construction will feel stiffer than a San-Mai construction. The san main construction uses a thinner core material but can reach a higher Rockwell above 60.
It is more bendable because of the softer outer layer and therefore increasing the stress levels on the harder core in the middle. One of the reasons it can be heat treated above 60.
Im not a chef, but i just really want to buy some good knife to make my life easyier because what i have at the moment doesn't seem to be cutting very well. I was looking at Keemake knifes on amazon and was wondering how good they are. More specifically i wanted to start by getting their Convex Damascus Chef's Knife 8-inch and slowly get everything i need since i do not have hundreds of dollars to spend buying all the knifes i could need ?
All the Keemake knife while being a convex (pretty much all knives) the grind itself on the edge is a flat grind. the only kitchen knife I have seen with a true convex and a convex grind is Global knives.
If you really want a true multi-purpose knife then a Xinzuo 440C Chef's knife will do the work perfectly fine:
ua-cam.com/video/PAgGpLy1r_s/v-deo.html
The above video is a Nakiri knife but you can read the comment from ''Vic'' that bought the Chef's knife.
You don't need a lot of knives just one good knife and the maintaining part is the most important.
So a whetstone, honing rod, etc. There is no need for the sharpest knife and the most expensive knife if you don't know how to maintain it.
If you want something better looking the Keemake Chef's knife is a good option or my personal favorite the Keemake Bunka:
ua-cam.com/video/KVjlkihHf1c/v-deo.html
Same profile as a Santoku, same as a Nakiri for better knuckle guide and food clearance.
While maintaining the tip of a chef's knife for scoring.
The only thing is that you can't go through bones with it. So Cheese, hard bread, bones, frozen/semi-frozen food.
In return, you get better edge retention and less sharpening is needed.
A Chinese cleaver is an option too but I need to make a different video explaining it since it is not for everyone.
Hope that this helps feel free to ask more questions.
@@chefpanko I don't think the cleaver would fit me very well. Never tryed one but it seem a bit akward for your everyday cooking. I don't have really any knowledge about sharpening but there is one in my city that actually does whetstone. I'll take a look at what you proposed.
@@chefpanko How often would any of those knife require maintenance to keep it's sharpness ?
@@alzakiel2212 The choices are on you, The Santoku is mostly good for an all-purpose knife. You don't have to go to a cleaver.
(it really depends what cutting style you prefer rocking or forward chopping?)
I'm currently doing a video series about each type of knife (it can help you in your decision to find a knife that will suit you):
ua-cam.com/video/N1r1g25jr5M/v-deo.html
As for how often to sharpen, it depends on the Rockwell. The higher the Rockwell the longer it keeps an edge.
But the higher the Rockwell the brittle the knife becomes etc.
There is no real answer to how long the knife stays sharp since the usage and on what type of food is important to determine how long it needs before you need to sharpen again.
You can also use a honing rod to extend the edge retention a bit before you need a sharpening stone.
@@chefpanko Thanks for the information, i'll take a look at the video you have linked! And well im mostly used to rocking.
Hi , is kai segi magoroku benifuji good knife??
Great question I did not try any of them but Kai is a well-known brand. I may review them in the future.
Have you tried a Shan Zu knife?
Unfortunatly not, currently I have too many to review. But heard about them a few times so who knows maybe I get to test them in the future.
@@chefpanko
Okay, thanks for answering :)
I thought Shun is made in Japan… did that change?
Not that I'm aware of, Shun knives are most likely made in Japan. I have no idea if they have outsourced it to China, but I do know that some other companies did, but eventually stopped.
The market share where they are active depends on what knife they release in which part of the world (in this case they may opt to outsource the manufacturing process to gain better access).
There also can be some counterfeits, that come from China, therefore, it is advisable to double-check the seller if they are trustworthy, since many reviews can be faked (on either Amazon or AliExpress, etc.).
As for Shun, not that I'm aware of any changes in their manufacturing process as of right now I believe that they are still manufacturing most if not all their knives in Japan.
I do know that even shun makes very cheap stainless steel knives too, vs their more premium-priced knives. But even the cheaper stainless steel version where they do not list the core/blade material but uses the generic name ''stainless steel'' is made in Japan.
They also released a lot more Shun series in Asia (with a budget-friendly price tag) that are not sold here in Europe or in NA.
(These series are widely available at the Japanese discount store called Don Quijote which has expanded outside Japan and has multiple stores across Asia).
However, Don Quijote does sell made in china products so it is not all made-in-Japan products in their store (but they are clearly stated on the product packaging as to where they are made).
why do so many people always buy this cheap junk from China??? I never understood why people buy Made in China although there are also cheap and good knives from well-known manufacturers of good quality such as Ballarini (Made in Italy and owned by Zwilling) ore SekiRyu (Made in Japan). often for under $90 a whole set. 🤔
ChefPanko what do you think of the TUO Fiery brand??
I have no idea, never tried that version from Tuo Cutlery I did try their Ring Series:
ua-cam.com/video/uGD8NAhYCCo/v-deo.html
They told me that they would send me one to test but never responded or send the Tuo Fiery series.
Want a trusted knife with exceptional quality.
Anything made and comes from Solingen Germany.
Ehh, Zwilling and Wusthof claimed ''Forged'' knives aren't really forged, the only actual forging taking place is when the bolster area is heated to red hot and dies comes hammering down to form the bolster. After that they get stamped out (bolster area still hot, rest of the blade is normal/cold) then it gets ground/shaped with some grinding/sanding and then put in an oven for a certain amount of time in roughly 1200C and then tempered. Not that they are bad knives, they're not, but they are not really what the company claim they are.
Hi jist wondering if u have ever used baccarat knifes?
No, I did not try that, but after reading the website and steel type, it seems like they are using high stainless steel.
And the steel can reach a Max Rockwell hardness of 54 (according to thier website it is 53); this means it is budget steel. So the knife is a budget knife, and looking at the prices, it seems way too high for what it delivers a Rockwell of 55 or lower is a budget knife even the Victorinox will do better.
The pricing for those Rockwell are the following:
52-54 HRC: Cheap chefs knives, mostly very cheap 8/15 euro (10/18 dollars) made in China. Needs to be sharpened/honed every time.
@@chefpanko hello chef thanks so much for the reply what brand would u suggest for japaneese that will keep there sharpness the longest?
Great video bud.
Thanks 👍:)
So, I'm looking to purchase a car. Let's compare Honda and Ferrari. They representing Japanese cars and Italian cars. Well...
Made in china more cheap than made in japan, in quallity maybe made japan a little bit better but more expensive, so i like china knife
Chef would it be possible to add you on Facebook please the guidance of knives woukd be great please
I don't use Facebook but you can DM me on Instagram:
instagram.com/chefpanko/
They are good enough for common people.
Definitely, but still read the reviews per store, some resellers sells bad quility or knives that can't be fixed (for example, a badly glued knife on an octagonal or false advertising about the core material).
@@chefpanko For sure, I bought a knife I know is fake VG10, but it stays sharp very long. But I can understand "real" chefs wanting a better quality knife, and they dont buy cheap ones just for that reason to them beeing sharp longer cause usally harder steel in them. For home users any knife above $50 bucks and get your own stone to sharpen your solid for life. I bought a few $50 Chinese knifes and couldnt be happier, they look good, stay sharp long and perfect for home use. A chef on the other hand might not agree on quality on it. But for a home user a knife for +$150 is not worth it. Sure they will be nice but you dont "need" that quality for home use most often unless your a cook and want that quality. I've seen some owning professional grade knifes and then F destroy them cause they think they are cooks just because they buy a expensive and super hard blade. It doenst work that way :)
@@BalubishTech, in general, I'm surprised by the quality of the $50 to $60 price range of the knives from China, most of those knives are exceeding my expectations, and can compete with Japanese knife that is sold around $150. The only noticeable things are that the spine distal taper is non-existent in most Chinese made knives something that the Japanese and german knife makers include in their knife (it is a small detail and probably not noticeable for most home cooks). And some seller's quality control is very poor, so there may be a defect on arrival (quite a gamble sometimes if there is no information about the new brand or resellers store page). But overall I'm surprised by the quality and the great price point that they are currently selling for. Some of them are even worth $100, but anything higher then they are nearing the Japanese fusion knife range that is made in Japan even when the quality matches each other identically I'm pretty sure most people will still be biased towards the Japanese made knife.
@@chefpanko Ur totally right on your points and I agree :) And yeah I woulnt spend +$100 on a chinese knife, I rather go for a Japanese knife then. And when it comes to most people I sharpen friends knifes, and they have knifes that cost around $25 max that I help them with sometimes. They dont understand the value and fun having a good knife in the kitchen and also good looking one, so I know what you mean :)
@@BalubishTech That is true, I gifted a few knives away that are better quality than their Ikea ones, they now understand the joy of a sharp knife but they have a long way to go they don't use a honing rod or a sharpening stone (They never researched it the basically buy a new knife once the old one becomes dull for $10 to $20).
Very nice of you to sharpen their knives for them :), I would only do that if I wanted to learn how to sharpen but since I already know that, I simply don't want to shorten the lifespan of my stones......I'm a horrible person ;) (But also because I don't have much free time because of the restaurant working hours and over-time work during the holidays).
Id you think about the price, 1kg of good steel won't exceed 10€, so mainly the real price of a knife is the craftsmanship...
MADE IN JAPAN 💖🇯🇵💖 VS MADE IN CHINA. 😭🇨🇳😔
hahaha you absolutely CANNOT trust the steel from a chinese knife is the same as the steel from a genuine japanese knife
C!!!.