[seano]

Which makes more sense: owning one quality $100 knife for 30+ years, or going through 10 $20 knives over the course of 30 years?

It depends. The $100 knife could become lost, stolen or damaged. Improved or cheaper knives, or even a new technology to replace the knife as we know it, could appear in the next 30 years. You could even keep two cheap knives so you have a spare whilst the other is in the dishwasher.

[sc]

Even if you never go through 10 $10 knives and "save money", you lose out in time and happiness (dull blades perform poorly, and every day you prepare food is wasted time with a poor knife, and a blow to your own mood, because dull blades are more apt to slip and cut you, mar your food, and generally put you in a fowl mood).

If you don't cook, though, no worries.

[seano]

You can get a decent knife for $10 and I've honestly never had a knife put me in a fowl[sic] mood.

[blackguardx]

This is true.

The $10 knife and the $100 knife were probably made from the same material in the same factory in China. The $100 knife was just marketed differently.

If you want good performance, learn to sharpen your knives. The best way to learn is to sharpen many many knives. You can put a razor edge on any knife out there. There is no magic to it. Don't buy any fancy gadgets. Just get 3 good sharpening stones. You can get 3 good ones for under $100.

The $100 knife usually won't have better edge retention because it is probably made from the same material as the $10 variety. It was probably heat treated in the same way too. The only difference is that the $100 knife probably has better quality control. It probably looks nicer and feels nicer in the hand. These things matter to some people, but don't fool yourself into thinking that it will cut better. It won't.

[gaius]

So it is not worth buying good knives but it is worth buying good sharpening stones? Hmm.

I don't see why anyone wouldn't want something that feels nicer in the hand. Wouldn't you also want a chair that feels nicer on your arse? Even tho' you could make do with a cheaper one?

[blackguardx]

1. Under $100 translates into about $20 if you shop around or buy at garage sales

2. Some people value things differently. Nice feeling is worth $1 to some people and $100 to others.

[mynameishere]

^ Only sane comment in this whole stupid thread. Anyone who pays 100 dollars for a knife is a sucker.

[jonknee]

I'm guessing you either don't use knives very much or haven't used a really nice one. I use a chef's knife every day, having a good one does not make me a sucker. It's like paying for the leather option when buying a car--it's not essential, but it's damn nice to have. The knife's a lot cheaper too :).

[jcl]

Coincidentally enough, this conversation has come up on HN before, and the consensus was that professional chefs actually use knives that cost around $30; $100 knives are for people who want expensive knives that are functionally indistinguishable from $30 ones. It's more like paying for a "free-range" leather option when buying a car. :)

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=269945

[jonknee]

I commented there too :). I have the knife that Cooks Illustrated recommended, the Forschner. It's a good knife, worth the $25. Probably worth more, but it's not remarkable. I also have a Shun that's the same size and it's an amazing knife. Priced as such too, it's around $100. The differences are subtle, but because the Shun is perfectly balanced it's not hard to notice. My chef friends love it. Novice cooks who pick it up immediately notice something different. It's a very well crafted tool. Switch the prices and I'd still say the same thing, I'm all about getting a bargain.

If we're doing car comparisons, it's like a Camry versus a Lexus. The Lexus can't get you anywhere that the Camry can't, but you'll enjoy yourself more.

That said, I'm sure there are expensive knives out there that are simply shit. Price is a marketing technique sometimes. But there are real gems out there too. If I had to buy over again, I'd still get a Shun.

[sc]

Good catch ;) My thinking was revolving around cooking.