I have a complete set of Shun’s Kai Tan Ren that I bought ages ago from NCIX. no idea why a computer store was selling them, but as a white box product I got the set, including block for $200ish when these are knives that sold for $200+ each! I bought several for gifts too.
alas, my wife, with German steel only experience, decimated them. many are still usable but need work to grind out chips and sharpen tips that were snapped off.
anyhow, moved into her parents place recently and they’re packed up somewhere. the knives they have are terribad and after two months of suffering I ordered the Santoku and Nakiri from Tojiro’s Color line. wife doesn’t know so should be very happy when they come in the next day or two.
right now I’m looking to buy a Chinese Mulberry slicing cleaver and maybe a more versatile ‘Civil & Military’ cleaver too.
I’d really like to get a Bunka and Ko-Bunka, but damn do they have a price premium!
what’s your favorite knife to use? while there are knives with focused purposes, there are many that can do it all, especially with some experience when it doesn’t seem.
the amount of money you can pay for a custom made knife is beyond insane, too!
I think that is how they get you - with these one off deals. That is certainly how I bought my first set of Zwilling knives when I got my first real job and thought I was becoming an adult
Personally whilst I can appreciate the materials, weight distribution, machining etc they are not really “hand made” anymore and there is an audiophile like diminishing returns when I really look at the Zwilling Pro to the Miyabi - so 100% overpriced. Luckily GF is a chef so she gets some bigger discounts direct from Zwilling - got just over 60% off on the Miyabis and 40-45% on the Zwilling Pro.
Miyabi 5000 MCD - but these are her’s so I only get to use under supervision even if I bought them
20" Gyutoh
18" Santoku (straight edge)
17" Nakiri
I know she a different style smaller japenese knife but can’t remember what it is
100% agree about a versatile knife - personally I mostly use both the 23" & 20" Zwilling Pro Chef models interchangeably - depending on closeness to hand and me not being lazy and cleaning/sharpening them equally. But I am biased as have used Zwilling for a long time so feels familiar and equally I don’t profess to have her skill or attention to detail when cooking - I like to think I am more an ideas person, whilst I am sure she thinks I am a backseat cooking pain in the arse
I think you meant cm for the knife lengths…not ", as Ive never seen a nakiri anywhere that big! well, that’s kind of a lie…if that’s legit than it’s probably a watermelon knife, LoL!
edit - as for my screaming deal on the Kai Tan Ren set…I bought them from a computer store. they were also white box, so not for retail. my best guess is they got them from sort of liquidation centre. in any case, they did not sell like the hot cakes they thought they would…not until they dropped the price to what I bought them for. like I said, I got the kit for the same price as what one of the better models sold for at retail. it was a STEEL of a DEEL!
then these 
