Kitchen Knife(s) for Chef

[BluntCut MetalWorks]

Could it be that it is less about the steel and blade shape on the Victorinox and more about the handle comfort ? This is just my observation and please chime in here with your opinions but I think most kitchen knives are uncomfortable . Little skinny flat handles that are not designed for the pinch grip most american chefs are taught to use . Very non ergonomic and not very controllable if your hands are slippery . This is one of the major reasons I feel Victorinox cooks knives are a staple for so many cooks. Price aside for a moment . Isn't this the reason or at least a major contributing factor ? I can't for the life of me understand the standard kitchen knife handle design . Seems more about ease of manufacture than ease of use . Am I wrong here ?

There are many variations of pinch-grip, so comfort is in the hand of its beholder - definitely a factor. Plus factors: long use fatigue (or lack of); nimble; safety; etc.. I mainly use relax-pinch-grip(2+1) where ring & pinky are curl but not gripping the handle, the middle finger serves as a balance/pivot/seasaw point, making it easy to pull/push/chop with minimal vertical movement of the handle. To use this relax-pinch-grip, the knive needs to be light, thin, acute angle and very sharp. Jknives usually have such attributes. Victorinox moved the finger guard onto the front of the handle, plus non-slip synthetic handle are great for standard firm-pinch-grip (2+3). The hand of its beholder factor

 

[KenOnion]

Well I agree with everything you said but also feel most cooks / chefs have been using what they have been using for so long that they have gotten used to there traditional skinny, flat and unergonomic knives and don't really know any better . Nor have they realized that there knives were never designed for a pinch grip . Victorinox is one of very few lower end cooks/ chef knives that ever factored in to how the knife is supposed to be used. I have been studying this for some time and have looked at just about every commercial kitchen knife on the market and feel very few have been factored this into there design . Most just follow what they deem a kitchen knife is traditionally supposed to look like, go with it because it a safe bet , and haven't even considered designing a knife around the needs of the cook/ chef .

I am deliberately being provocative here because I guess I am hoping some one will challenge me on this and show me where I am wrong and how the standard kitchen knife is optimized for the chef /cook / kitchen .
Almost anything will work for the family that is cooking for 3-4 people nightly . but what about the professional who has to use there knives all day every day? This is why I feel Victorinox is the most popular line of kitchen knives for the commercial kitchen that is out there and why so many cooks use them.

Thoughts ??

 

[BluntCut MetalWorks]

OP - sorry about these side way bits...

I am deliberately being provocative here because I guess I am hoping some one will challenge me on this and show me where I am wrong and how the standard kitchen knife is optimized for the chef /cook / kitchen .
Almost anything will work for the family that is cooking for 3-4 people nightly . but what about the professional who has to use there knives all day every day? This is why I feel Victorinox is the most popular line of kitchen knives for the commercial kitchen that is out there and why so many cooks use them.

Thoughts ??

IMHO, sharpening is the barrier to acceptance of great knives, TCO is ridiculously high if you don't sharpen yours own knives. Start with a cheapo $40 62RC blue or white steel, now if you've to pay $15 for a pro to sharpen it once a month - that's $180/yr. Sure, you can maintain the blade during the month via stropping but eventually the blade is too convexed to continue with stropping. Higher end knives cost $20/knife to sharpen. High end stainless super steels make sharpening into mission-burr-impossible thing for most users, sadly many sharpen pros actually produce sharp but not durable edge for knives with high density of hard carbides (VC, WC).

Yes, ppl want stainless+odorless knives for ease of use without the worry of rust, acid dull, smell, etc.. from carbon and even semi-stainless.

Well, the solution is to come up with an easy way/system to sharpen all sort of knives - soft, med, hard, simple carbon, complicated alloys - heheh I had fun tinkered & solved here & there!

 

[Rapt_up]

OP - sorry about these side way bits...



IMHO, sharpening is the barrier to acceptance of great knives, .....
Well, the solution is to come up with an easy way/system to sharpen all sort of knives - soft, med, hard, simple carbon, complicated alloys - heheh I had fun tinkered & solved here & there!

I think this is true of ALL quality knives and people in general, the cost of purchasing and then more seriously the issue of sharpening. Most people and even many knuts are not good at sharpening. So if you can;t sharpen the knife you have it doesn't matter if its a $20 cheapie or a $500 custom they both cut the same. ...Poorly... And yes comfort in use, (thats not just handle, but weight and balance) are the other factors in making a knife popular. IMO.

on topic, My recommendation is to stay away from commercial knives and find a good maker who will make you good knives that suit you (or your GF in this case) and be there to maintain them should issues arise.