Unless you want to learn everything about Japanese knives the victoriaknox fibrox is the best in terms of value for a western style chef knife.
It’s sharp out of a box, decent steel with decent edge retention, very comfortable handle and good geometry and thinness so it passes through ingredients very easily. I wouldn’t seriously consider most other knives unless they are Japanese style knives (what I use) or a certain shape that you want.
It’s only 30$. It sounds too good to be true but most of the characteristics of a good knife purely come from good design (comfortable handle, blade geometry, thinness, etc).
I started with a Santoku brought from a business trip to Japan, don’t think it was a special brand. It was 50 EUR (that was almost 15 years ago), but for me that’s how I got into it. Now I am lucky enough to have a friend who’s a blacksmith to get custom made knives.
I usually recommend the Haiku Chroma series as entry level, or if you are looking for a western style chef’s knife, I’d go with a Wusthoff classic. Both are a bit more than 100 EUR, so I’d always recommend to go to a shop and get a feel for them and what works best for you. Important thing is western or Japanese style handle (shaped vs. round), and a length and weight you feel comfortable with.
What brand did you choose. I always want to get one but they are 200-300 bucks here.
Unless you want to learn everything about Japanese knives the victoriaknox fibrox is the best in terms of value for a western style chef knife.
It’s sharp out of a box, decent steel with decent edge retention, very comfortable handle and good geometry and thinness so it passes through ingredients very easily. I wouldn’t seriously consider most other knives unless they are Japanese style knives (what I use) or a certain shape that you want.
It’s only 30$. It sounds too good to be true but most of the characteristics of a good knife purely come from good design (comfortable handle, blade geometry, thinness, etc).
I started with a Santoku brought from a business trip to Japan, don’t think it was a special brand. It was 50 EUR (that was almost 15 years ago), but for me that’s how I got into it. Now I am lucky enough to have a friend who’s a blacksmith to get custom made knives.
I usually recommend the Haiku Chroma series as entry level, or if you are looking for a western style chef’s knife, I’d go with a Wusthoff classic. Both are a bit more than 100 EUR, so I’d always recommend to go to a shop and get a feel for them and what works best for you. Important thing is western or Japanese style handle (shaped vs. round), and a length and weight you feel comfortable with.