Kiwi knife vs more expensive knives

L

lp149

Joined
Dec 13, 2022
Messages
7
Hi,

I just purchased a Miyabi Gyutoh 5000MCD Birchwood Chef knife but have also recently read about cheap Kiwi knives that a lot of people are raving on about.

Has anyone used these kiwi knives in comparison to the more expensive knives, and if so what are your thoughts.

If you could go back, would you just buy the cheap kiwi knives and not the more expensive knives?

Cheers

​

 
I think you have a better chance of getting responses by posting this in the
Kitchen Cutlery & Tools subforum here on BF.
 
lp149 said:
Hi,

I just purchased a Miyabi Gyutoh 5000MCD Birchwood Chef knife but have also recently read about cheap Kiwi knives that a lot of people are raving on about.

Has anyone used these kiwi knives in comparison to the more expensive knives, and if so what are your thoughts.

If you could go back, would you just buy the cheap kiwi knives and not the more expensive knives?

Cheers

​

Click to expand...
Bought one for a few bucks in an Asian market in 1990. Not only would I never pay for another one, I would also not take one if given to me. Super flimsy construction with zero edge-holding ability? No thanks.
 
I do not have a Miyabi Gyutoh 5000MCD.

I do have a few Kiwi knives that I bought at the local Asian store. They are great for the $7.00 or so. I do not like the handles, so I shape them with my bench belt sander, and the edge usually has a bur that needs a steel taken to it, but other than that, not bad at all.

Some blade styles work better than others and the quality can be hit or miss. I have bought and fixed up more than one to give away to friends who need a knife that cuts. In fact last weekend a friend used it to cut up a pineapple and commented on how impressed she was, so was her husband.

If looking for a cheep go too quick don't care if it gets lost knife go Kiwi.
 
I have nice knives, I have cheap knives. Both get used, in different circumstances. A key factor is that I know how to sharpen knives, and have the right set of sharpening tools for both the nice ones and the cheap ones.

If the Kiwi knives interest you, and they are cheap, then get one and check it out. Looks like they are under $10 each, so not a big outlay to satisfy your curiosity.
 
kwackster said:
Some reading material: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/thai-kiwi-knife-zanussi-cutting-board.1696805/
Click to expand...
I remember reading that when you first posted. It is very similar with my experience using my own cheap kitchen knives. The ones I use are made by KAI, look to be a variant of their Komachi brand - the ones in a rainbow of colors, which are a soft 3CR13MOV steel. I got them on sale for like between $3 and $10 per knife as I recall.

Easy to get a very sharp edge using basic tools (honing steel, Arkansas stone, loaded leather strop is what I use for them), and if you are gentle with them and use a good soft cutting surface, they actually do OK for a lot of things.

They dull very easily if you use them for other stuff. But that is the beauty of them, really. If I need to cut up meat that is on a ceramic plate, I use one of those. Does fine, dulls the blade a bit, into the dishwasher (the horror), but plastic handles and coated highly stainless steel blades makes it fine. Quick touch up on the steel, stone, and/or strop, back in their little plastic sayas and into the drawer, ready for the next session of abuse.

But it works for me because I don't mind quick sharpening sessions and I keep the gear out and handy. I prefer to use nicer knives for most of my food prep work, but the cheapos are great for simple things where you don't want to worry about messing up the knife. As long as you drive them in their lane, they are fine.

If time = money, all of those little quick 1-2 minute touch-up sessions add up, and they probably cost me more in that sense. Always a tradeoff.
 
Kiwi's are very inexpensive. But TBH reportedly 2Cr13 stainless at HRC 50/51 really doesn't get me very excited. Maybe for free hand sharpening practice.
There are other inexpensive knives out there that are probably better.
 
There is a saying in some foodie circles "80 million Thais can't be wrong." They are the universal food stall knife in Thailand and are equally well represented in commercial kitchens there. You will also find them in wide use in Cambodia, Viet Nam and Malaysia. Sometimes its the users skill more than the knife. For what its worth, I like the Thai Penguin brand better. A little heaver blade and a bit better finish on the handles.
 
Sidehill Gouger said:
"80 million Thais can't be wrong."
Click to expand...
True enough, and that shows that Kiwi knives are very likely a good value, but it doesn’t mean that they’re comparable to a higher hardness/quality edge.

I’m also in the “variety” camp for my kitchen knives. I like to have some “beaters” that can be easily fixed after taking some abuse, alongside some harder/thinner edged blades that I find are usually reserved for larger quantities of food.

I’m not great at it, but it’s fun to cut up a whole chicken using my very hard, “single bevel”, Mioroshi Deba style knife that takes a very fine, acute edge that likely isn’t achievable with a Kiwi.

The chicken will still be in pieces with the Kiwi, the task just won’t be quite as enjoyable to do.
 
All good points. I would not trade in my high end knives for a Kiwi. Or my Sani Safes for that matter but last weekend I used a Kiwi that I gave to my friend about 3 years ago, which I did modify the scales and ran a steel on it. I have never taken it to a stone and it is her go to knife. I steeled it and did some cutting:
tempImageLCZEQ1.jpgtempImageVqfDAw.jpgtempImage8irP10.jpgtempImageZAgDV4.jpgtempImageP8fjki.jpg


There is more but just an example of what this one did.
 
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The majority of Kitchen knives used throughout the world, regardless where they are made, are lower priced "does the job" knives. Nothing wrong in that, after all it's just a kitchen tool.
It's the knife nuts who harp on the maker, the steel, the F&F, the perfect grind, etc etc ad infinitum.
At the end of the day, while the latter may have better edge retention, better profile, better this better that, at the end of the day
it ends up doing what the former does. .
 
lp149 said:
Hi,

I just purchased a Miyabi Gyutoh 5000MCD Birchwood Chef knife but have also recently read about cheap Kiwi knives that a lot of people are raving on about.

Has anyone used these kiwi knives in comparison to the more expensive knives, and if so what are your thoughts.

If you could go back, would you just buy the cheap kiwi knives and not the more expensive knives?

Cheers
Click to expand...
 
I have a cheapie kiwi chopper which is brilliant but obviously it needs sharpening more often than my bespoke RWL-34 chopper but I love them both.

I used bargain Asian S/S and carbon caidao`s in Hong Kong and Macau for decades and now I can do ANY job with a Chinese Chef`s Knife - carve fruit and vegetable flowers
KIWI-CLEAVER.jpg
or skin and fillet a 200 lb shark on the beach etc.

I don`t need fancy butchers knives or Japanese artisan carbons although my girlfriend loves them and I own a few.

Most Chinese and Asian chefs I`ve known or seen in commercial kitchens just used a cheap carbon or stainless steel caidao and did every job with it.
 
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roaduck said:
I have a cheapie kiwi chopper which is brilliant but obviously it needs sharpening more often than my bespoke RWL-34 chopper but I love them both.

I used bargain Asian S/S and carbon caidao`s in Hong Kong and Macau for decades and now I can do ANY job with a Chinese Chef`s Knife - carve fruit and vegetable flowers
KIWI-CLEAVER.jpg
or skin and fillet a 200 lb shark on the beach etc.

I don`t need fancy butchers knives or Japanese artisan carbons although my girlfriend loves them and I own a few.

Most Chinese and Asian chefs I`ve known or seen in commercial kitchens just used a cheap carbon or stainless steel caidao and did every job with it.
Click to expand...
They call it "knife skills" in China and they don't respect those that lack them.
 
When I was young I just loved cooking and in China in the mid eighties most ordinary folk couldn`t afford to eat out so the elders taught their kids how to cook.

I learnt loads living and working there and I could already cook with just one crappy little knife so using just a caidao eventually came with practice.

I think experience, enthusiasm, imagination and love is more important than a fancy knife.

Everyone uses a knife differently ; people just have to be patient with you until you get the hang of it.

As long as people can cook dinner and the family enjoy eating ; I don`t see a problem if people can`t chop fast accurately it`s not the end of the world.
 
Mr. Roaduck,

If your want to quote a post, and have your comments to appear with that quoted post, after you have pressed the "Quote" button on the post you want to quote, go to the bottom of the page to the "Write your reply..." box, and press the "Insert quotes..." button.
A "Review selected messages" box will appear. Press the "Quote messages" button.
The quoted text will appear in a recessed box in the "reply" area.
Position the cursor underneath the box, and type your own comment.
Press the "Post reply" button.
You're already doing most of what I described.

It's a bit disconcerting to see quoted text without any comment.

Ignore this if things are already working as you want them to.

Joe
 
Aardvark said:
Mr. Roaduck,

If your want to quote a post, and have your comments to appear with that quoted post, after you have pressed the "Quote" button on the post you want to quote, go to the bottom of the page to the "Write your reply..." box, and press the "Insert quotes..." button.
A "Review selected messages" box will appear. Press the "Quote messages" button.
The quoted text will appear in a recessed box in the "reply" area.
Position the cursor underneath the box, and type your own comment.
Press the "Post reply" button.
You're already doing most of what I described.

It's a bit disconcerting to see quoted text without any comment.

Ignore this if things are already working as you want them to.

Joe
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for the advice Joe; much appreciated.
I`m not used to fancy modern forums.I started using computers in 1980 and then had a 20 year break until I got on the net in 1998.

I`m still learning ; every day.

Thanks Again.
 
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