Looking for a knife for work...

[Nifty_Nives]

Hello folks!

I am an avid Spyderco fan, and I actually haven't posted here in quite a long time, but I know most of the folks here are very level-headed, and I need some advice. At work, all of our knives are dull and poorly maintained, so I'm planning on purchasing a nice knife or two, as well as a steel to maintain them. Now for the information you actually need.

I am a butcher.

It's funny that the butcher shop has horrible knives, but such is life. I know that I want a very good knife that will last me for a LONG time under the wear and tear of cutting daily. I generally only cut boneless meat, and 80% of it is cutting boneless ribeye or strip loins. That being said, I don't know what *kind* of knife I need for work. I've been told many different things, and I'm not quite sure what I'm looking for.

I have been looking at suggestions from Henckels, Alton Brown, etc. and the only information that is very clear to me is that having Grantons on a blade is a good idea if I'm going to be cutting meat. Since I'm exclusively cutting meat, I figure having grantons is a good idea. Other than that, I'm kind of lost. I'd like to spend under $100 for this single knife, though I would be willing to spend more if it's worth the price. Thoughts?

[Chinook3]

My martial arts teacher is a retired meat cutter, I purchased an 8" GripTex knife from him and it works good, it's called a "breaker". It's nothing fancy I think they go for about $25 online, again nothing fancy but works good and holds a pretty good edge.

[tvenuto]

There has been universal praise for Phil Wilsons knives. If you get him to make you one and tell him what you're using it for, I have no doubt he'll nail it. It will most certainly be more than $100, but if you're using it day in and day out I would think it would be worth it.

[Blerv]

One of Spyderco's Phil Wilson fixed blades might be the ticket for edge retention but I think CPM-S90v and blood could be a bad combination.

I have the 4" and 6" Spyderco kitchen knives in serrated and plain edge. The MBS-26 steel is terrific and the blades are extremely thin. My knowledge of high-end kitchen knives is minimal bordering on nonexistent but these "cheap" Spydies are the best kitchen knives I've ever used. I be the Santoko would be a great user for you and probably cut well above it's price bracket.

[Nifty_Nives]

I have the 4" and 6" Spyderco kitchen knives in serrated and plain edge. The MBS-26 steel is terrific and the blades are extremely thin. My knowledge of high-end kitchen knives is minimal bordering on nonexistent but these "cheap" Spydies are the best kitchen knives I've ever used. I be the Santoko would be a great user for you and probably cut well above it's price bracket.

My main worry is that I'm working exclusively with meat, and knives that are designed for prepping vegetables might not hold up to cutting meat for several hours each day... Do you think that the edges would last even a full day?

[Donut]

I think that the Spyderco kitchen knives are reasonably priced enough that you can try them to see if they work for you.

[Nifty_Nives]

I think that the Spyderco kitchen knives are reasonably priced enough that you can try them to see if they work for you.

I would just prefer not to play a little game where I spend $80 every few weeks until I find exactly what I want

[SpyderNut]

Spyderco is also a dealer for WÜSTHOF knives. My wife and I have had own kitchen set of WÜSTHOF's for seven years (since we got married) and we've been very pleased with them.

[Donut]

The problem with choosing a kitchen knife for work is that: it's all subjective.

[Blerv]

I have the 4" and 6" Spyderco kitchen knives in serrated and plain edge. The MBS-26 steel is terrific and the blades are extremely thin. My knowledge of high-end kitchen knives is minimal bordering on nonexistent but these "cheap" Spydies are the best kitchen knives I've ever used. I be the Santoko would be a great user for you and probably cut well above it's price bracket.

My main worry is that I'm working exclusively with meat, and knives that are designed for prepping vegetables might not hold up to cutting meat for several hours each day... Do you think that the edges would last even a full day?

What are you using now?

The "cheap" Spyderco knives I've mentioned are touted to compete if not exceed some mega-buck commercial chef knives. Many of those use mid-carbon SS. Wusthof I understand uses X50CrMoV15 (.5% carbon, 15% chromium). Others something akin to 420j2 to 440c. Shun mainly uses VG10 as I recall. Other chefs use carbon blades which are closer to 1% carbon without relying as much on carbide wear resistance but the price they pay for these "clean steels" are heightened corrosion susceptibility.

Spyderco kitchen knives have THIN blades that are ground properly. MBS-26 is made by one maker in Japan who absolutely nails the processing of it. It's higher carbon than most chef SS's (.85-1%) with a number of other elements for hardening and carbide formation. A great combo of a tough blade that will also take a screaming edge. The injection molded handles just keep the price reasonable for the performance.

If you want a blade that will cut for days if not weeks without a sharpening try one of the 6" serrated knives. Blade thickness is about 1mm. In my kitchen use the 4" one hasn't been sharpened in about 3 years and it still cuts very well. Not bad for $25.

If you want an extreme knife I would reprofile a Southfork and just watch the rust. The only thing that would probably out-process that thing would be a professional grade superblue or white steel sushi knife.

[Dr. Snubnose]

Look for the Spyderco "Santuko" I have been using two of them in the kitchen for over 20 years...I don't need any other knife, and I do a tremendous amount of cooking....Doc:)

[Nifty_Nives]

What are you using now?

Right now I have these cheap Victorinox plastic handled knives, as well as some other brand. The main issue is that other people use them, so the edges are wavy and not maintained well.

I'll definitely check out the Santoku, it looks nice, although plastic handles turn me off for a kitchen knife.

[twinboysdad]

Noteworthy is what type of cutting board you will be cutting into? Plastic will dull your edge fast. Worth getting a wooden board although health dept might not allow that for commercial use. If I cut meat on one of my wooden boards, I never cut anything else before washing it. As far as knives, Wustof and Henkles are great and I have lots of both.

[gingerninja]

Ive worked in kitchens with chefs from all over the world. Ive cut and seen them cut meat, bone in and bone out, vegetables and fruit and find it hard to go past wusthof. At home I have wusthof, shun, mundial and victorinox but nearly always reach for a wusthof.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Have you considered a Spyderco Pacific Salt, Serrated Edge, and, a Spyderco Endura, Serrated Edge? These ought to do well. One issue may be cleaning bits of meat and stuff from pivot points.