[jressey]

I worked in kitchens for about 10 years and the most common model I am aware of is to pick up the knives weekly and drop some other ones off. I assumed the knives belonged to the sharpening folks. They were garbage knives, but garbage knives are as good as your $300 tempered Japanese knife if you sharpen them.

[SketchySeaBeast]

And then for a couple of days after you gotta tell all your fellow cooks "watch the knives" or you'd all cut yourself after a month of handling what amount to stainless steel rods.

[black-tea]

A blunt knife is a dangerous knife. It's stupid to use a blunt knife at all, let alone for weeks on end.

[wl]

While you can get a good edge on a knife made with garbage steel, the edge goes away quickly.

[mywittyname]

Those cheap restaurant supply knives he's talking about can hold an edge just fine. They look cheap because they have that plastic handle, but they are very durable in my experience.

[fhood]

Durable yes, good edge retention? Not so much. Restaurants like this tend to prefer softer more durable steels, like that found in your classic Henkels (usually refereed to as German stainless). A chef's personal knives tend to be a very different style. Usually modeled after the Japanese style of knife (very thin stock, very high (62+) hrc). And the steel tends to be either carbon steel or vg-10 or better for stainless.

[aquadrop]

But if you think about it, maybe that's much better type of knife for the sharpening company. You need their service all the time.

[sandworm101]

Many sharpening companies provide knives and keep them sharp for a flat rate. The more they have to be sharpened, the faster they get worn out. If it is on the sharpening company to replace worn blades, they will want to strike a balance between lifespan and replacement costs.

The fancy "Japanese steel" knives cost the earth, but high-quality commercial knives (99% identical) don't. Commercial knives are designed with a different approach to safety. They usually have larger grips/guards that, while cumbersome to noobs, reduce injuries. A blade destined to be used constantly and resharpened many many times will also be substantially heavier. That may seem a problem for cutting tomatoes in your kitchen at home, but try prepping a few hundred chickens each day for a week and you will appreciate the heft.