G Wiv wrote:At $20 per for 4 & $15 per for 8 I'm tempted by the non serrated version of the Misen Steak Knife
Special pricing for Fathers Day on all products, DAD20, expires June 6th.

Thanks, Gary. Also note that code Cook20 gets you 20% off a first order.

Just curious how you found these. When I go to their Products page, I can't find a link to the Steak Knives, though the link you provided took me right there. Wondering about other colors . . . even though I do not need any more steak knives!!!

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ronnie_suburban wrote:Just curious how you found these. When I go to their Products page, I can't find a link to the Steak Knives, though the link you provided took me right there. Wondering about other colors . . . even though I do not need any more steak knives!!

I was on the original kickstarter, I receive emails from Misen with sales, new products etc. I think, though am not sure, steak knives are only blue for now.

G Wiv wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:Just curious how you found these. When I go to their Products page, I can't find a link to the Steak Knives, though the link you provided took me right there. Wondering about other colors . . . even though I do not need any more steak knives!!

I was on the original kickstarter, I receive emails from Misen with sales, new products etc. I think, though am not sure, steak knives are only blue for now.

That 'splains it. Thank you. What Misen knives do you currently own?

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ronnie_suburban wrote:What Misen knives do you currently own?

Paring and chef. They are AUS-8 at 30% all inclusive, an ok steel, easy to steel, strop and sharpen. A bit more German than Japanese in design, for the price, which initially/when I bought the chef knife, was $50* they are fine. I gave a few paring/chef sets as gifts to friends, they were well received.

If you are looking for a new Japanese chef's knife I recommend a Misono Swedish Carbon Steel Gyutou 8", the 8" don't have that stupid dragon etching, larger have the etching. http://www.korin.com typically has 15% off in July and December on knives.

*I think the chef was $50, maybe $45, don't remember the price on the paring but it was quite reasonable.

Thanks for the heads up on the korin sales. I was gonna buy one but can wait til July.

Comtemplating either the 240 or 270mm misono carbon steel as I already have a good 8in chefs knife. Any thoughts on a larger blade? Minus the dragon etching as it doesn't really bother me.

G Wiv wrote:If you are looking for a new Japanese chef's knife I recommend a Misono Swedish Carbon Steel Gyutou 8", the 8" don't have that stupid dragon etching, larger have the etching. http://www.korin.com typically has 15% off in July and December on knives.

I am not but only because I just ordered one of these . . .

Sakai Takayuki 33-Layer VG10 Damascus Hammered Chef Knife(Gyuto) 240mm

It's about the same money, the same Rockwell (60) and slightly longer than the Misono you recommend (240mm), which is right in my comfort zone. I've never owned a VG10 knife before, so I'm looking forward to that aspect. Plus, I love the Damascus pattern, and the mahogany handle is stunning. But most importantly, being a lefty, I wanted a blade with a 50/50 bevel. The Misono is 70/30, so it's kind of a non-starter for me.

Edit to add: that I see now lefty versions of the Misono are available. I'll definitely keep that in mind in the future.

Of course, we're now drifting away from steak knives but with quality blades, it's damned hard to stay focused!

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WhyBeeSea wrote:Comtemplating either the 240 or 270mm misono carbon steel as I already have a good 8in chefs knife. Any thoughts on a larger blade? Minus the dragon etching as it doesn't really bother me.

Blade size is personal, as is the etching. I have chef knives from 8" to 12" After working in restaurant kitchens, including Barn and various consulting jobs, over the years I'm comfortable at 8" as that is the size knife exchanges such as Superior or Cozzini use.

Though, when friends bought me a couple of beautiful Misono UX10s for a milestone birthday, I opted for a 240/9.5 in the Chef/Gyutou knife. I have a few other older 9.5" and over knives, including a carbon steel 12" Sabatier chef knife from Thiers France I bought for a song at a closeout, which rarely sees light of day.

8" for me is the Goldilocks size. If you haven't worked with larger knives go somewhere you can hold, or better yet try, like Northwestern Cutlery (hold) Sur La Table try (maybe).

Chef knife size can also be dependent on available space. For example, cramped station in a busy restaurant or on a smallish cutting board in a big city high rise apartment kitchen 11"s looks cool but can be unwieldy. Conversely lots of space, big cutting board or butcher block lots of prep work, bigger might be better. Though the best prep cook I've had the pleasure to work with, Balthazar, made short work of 40/lb cases of whole chicken, mountains of onion etc with a knife service 8" chef knife and skill.

ronnie_suburban wrote:Sakai Takayuki 33-Layer VG10 Damascus Hammered Chef Knife(Gyuto) 240mm

Beautiful knife!

ronnie_suburban wrote:It's about the same money, the same Rockwell (60) and slightly longer than the Misono you recommend (240mm), which is right in my comfort zone. I've never owned a VG10 knife before, so I'm looking forward to that aspect. Plus, I love the Damascus pattern, and the mahogany handle is stunning. But most importantly, being a lefty, I wanted a blade with a 50/50 bevel. The Misono is 70/30, so it's kind of a non-starter for me.

Edit to add: that I see now lefty versions of the Misono are available. I'll definitely keep that in mind in the future.

The carbon steel Misono Chef/Gyutou are 59-60 Rockwell, fairly easy to sharpen and don't seem to suffer the blade brittleness gastro gnome astutely implied in his whetstone post. Importantly for you, as a lefty, Northwestern Cutlery, or I'm sure Exact Blade in Northbrook, will reshape to 50/50 40% or less inclusive for a small charge.

Thanks so much for your insight! I'm really looking forward to using this new knife. Both bc it's carbon steel and bc I can have it sharpened for left handed use.

Because their prices are quite reasonable and the reviews are generally very favorable (and I just cannot help myself), I bought some knives from Misen and my initial impressions about them are mixed.

First, the good: the steak knives are not exactly my style visually but they are substantial in weight, feel good in the hand and are sharper than I expected out of the box, much sharper than the J.A. Henckels International 39360 Classic Steak Knives I purchased a while back. I'm initially happy with them. I don't know how long they'll hold an edge or how easy it will be to sharpen them (yes, I'm sharpening my own now) but as I continue to use them, those details will fill in.

Now, the not-so-good: the paring knife is fine. It's not exciting. It's clearly not a high-performance tool. It's a bit heavy. For my hand and preferred grip style, the handle has some hot spots. However, like the steak knives, the ootb sharpness is better than expected. I have at least 5 other pairing knives I'd reach for before I'd reach for this one. I can see using this on poultry joints or in other situations where a small, durable knife (I could risk damaging) would be the best call. In the end, though, I'll judge this blade on how well it holds up; takes to maintenance and sharpening.

I couldn't believe how damned heavy the chef's knife was. And it's clunky. Again, nice ootb sharpness but this thing is just way too heavy for me to use comfortably, especially for a knife of its length (8.2" blade). It's 8 ounces but it feels even heavier, maybe because so much of the weight is in the handle. By way of comparison, I have a couple of 10" German chef knives that weigh less than 1 ounce more. I think fatigue would set in pretty quickly if I had to process a large amount of anything. This is the knife you leave in your block for when less experienced people come over to cook and you need to give them something to use that you wouldn't mind taking some damage.

For me, the bottom line is that Misen knives are decent knives, serious knives but they're quintessential entry-level. On the plus side, they're also priced that way, so there's actually value here. You're not going to start out with a Masamoto KS, so this is as good a place to start as any, especially since they are generally cheaper than Wustoff, Henckels, Zwilling, etc. Because of their heavy profiles, for my preferences, the steak knives outshine the kitchen knives. And they're almost always running some sort of 20% off special. Just subscribe to their emails and you won't have to wait long before a discount code comes your way.

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The chef knife has become a good back up for me. I never noticed the weight but haven't spent a ton of time with it.

I'm no expert but I will say the blade seems a little thin. It made cutting into a watermelon a little difficult

WhyBeeSea wrote:The chef knife has become a good back up for me. I never noticed the weight but haven't spent a ton of time with it.

I'm no expert but I will say the blade seems a little thin. It made cutting into a watermelon a little difficult

Does it get stuck (aka wedge) or is it not sharp enough to get through? Generally, blade thinness prevents against wedging. But a flat grind or an excessively smooth finish can also cause wedging.

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WhyBeeSea wrote:I'm no expert but I will say the blade seems a little thin. It made cutting into a watermelon a little difficult

ronnie_suburban wrote:cause wedging.

I've not got a wedgie from the Misen chef knife and, if anything, the blade seems thick compared to my carbon steel Misono chef/gyutou 8" knife.

As Ronnie mentions, for the price Misen puts out a better than entry level product at entry level pricing.

Not 100% sure what was going on, but I just recall it getting stuck.

Next time I have watermelon, I'll make sure to report back.

And agreed about value. For 65 or so, it's definitely a worthwhile purchase

I'm a knife junkie. I've tried everything, by which I mean everything. Misen has become my go-to. I like the balance, and unlike Ronnie, I think the weight is useful. It takes an edge nicely, and keeps it. The small chef's knife--"Utility" they call it--is a dream, SFAIAC. Perfect size for lots of things.

A buddy put me onto a diamond 'steel' and I give my knives a quick lick every use. Makes a nice difference.

D'acc: a better-than-entry-level knife at entry-level prices.

Geo

G Wiv wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:What Misen knives do you currently own?

Paring and chef. They are AUS-8 at 30% all inclusive, an ok steel, easy to steel, strop and sharpen. A bit more German than Japanese in design, for the price, which initially/when I bought the chef knife, was $50* they are fine. I gave a few paring/chef sets as gifts to friends, they were well received.

If you are looking for a new Japanese chef's knife I recommend a Misono Swedish Carbon Steel Gyutou 8", the 8" don't have that stupid dragon etching, larger have the etching. http://www.korin.com typically has 15% off in July and December on knives.

*I think the chef was $50, maybe $45, don't remember the price on the paring but it was quite reasonable.

Thanks again for the heads up on the Korin sales in July and December. Saved myself a few bucks on the misono carbon steel knife.

ronnie_suburban wrote:. . . And they're [Misen] almost always running some sort of 20% off special. Just subscribe to their emails and you won't have to wait long before a discount code comes your way.

Not sure how long it will last but discount code 4July currently gets you 20% off their entire store.

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I'm done buying steaks knives. I mean it. Seriously. However . . . if a person were still in the market, they might be interested in these Vietnamese-made blades, forged from recycled leaf springs . . .

Daovua Leaf Spring Steak Knife 145mm

And here's a glimpse of how they grind some of their other knives . . .



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The ootb sharpness on the Misen steak knives did not last long. I've only used mine a handful of times and already, I really needed to push to get them through some pretty tender wagyu strip steaks. A quick couple of passes on a ceramic honing rod (8 Mohs hardness) improved them but that shouldn't be necessary after so few uses. I know the steel is relatively soft but they didn't hold their initial edge at all. I'll have to fully sharpen them on a regular basis to even keep them in reasonable working condition. That's fine because I need the sharpening practice I'd be lying if I said I wasn't somewhat disappointed in my purchase.

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We have used a set of 12, it’s actually eleven now, Case Steak knives for at least 20 years.
https://caseknives.com/products/steak-k ... tation-box
They have never been sharpened and are in daily usage for everything besides steak.
Somewhere I have a set of 8 Wusthof forged but have never had the use for them!
I have a Randall Steak on order to go with the Randall Carving set I have but who knows when it will show up and the price is $$$$!
For the semi-Custom Emerson fans, Ernie now sells a steak knife with leather carrying case. Haven’t used it yet but if like all the other Emerson products, it will suffice.
AS to knives in general, As a collector of Custom knives, there are many makers with no culinary experience in the market producing knives.
Some such as Kramer have attained legendary status but the price/value is way out of line except for a collector with big bucks and not much sense.
For Western culinary usage, I have settled on Wusthof Classic because they produce the largest variety of forged knives and the feel is similar throughout the line. They do produce stamped which I avoid.
For Japanese Takeda Hamono laminated forged.
http://takedahamono.com/eshop/index.html
I do have one single steel hand made forged honyaki , ebony, ivory, silver handle and sheath that I acquired with the help of Murry Carter from his mentor, Kenichi Shrikai, while Murray was working in Japan. A thing of beauty and art which rarely make it out of Japan.
Forty years ago I trashed a set of chicago cutlery steak and kitchen knives, junk, in my decades quest for good knives.
There may be good inexpensive steak knives out there but i haven’t found them yet.
As soon as I try the Emerson, I may order one from time to time as cash flow permits but my heart is really with a set of Randall, but there are other more pressing needs.
-Richard

I'll second Geo's recommendation on the Misen utility knife. I've never been super comfortable with chef's knives, especially on the larger end, and I find myself grabbing the utility for darn near everything these days. I have a Shun utility knife someone gave me as a gift but I prefer the Misen, frankly.

Just curious, Ronnie, did you go over to Northwest cutlery and talk to them about steak knives? As I'm sure they have good advice and a range of prices

budrichard wrote:We have used a set of 12, it’s actually eleven now, Case Steak knives for at least 20 years.
https://caseknives.com/products/steak-k ... tation-box
They have never been sharpened and are in daily usage for everything besides steak.

I'm definitely not a fan of serrated or scalloped for steak knives.

budrichard wrote:Some such as Kramer have attained legendary status but the price/value is way out of line except for a collector with big bucks and not much sense.

Just yesterday, this happened . . .

Kintaro's Dream by Bob Kramer

Yep, that Kramer custom knife fetched nearly ~$25k auction. Who am I to say if it's overpriced, right?

justjoan wrote:Just curious, Ronnie, did you go over to Northwest cutlery and talk to them about steak knives? As I'm sure they have good advice and a range of prices

No, it never crossed my mind. They've messed up sharpening enough of my knives that I don't take them as seriously as I once did.

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ronnie_suburban wrote:

budrichard wrote:We have used a set of 12, it’s actually eleven now, Case Steak knives for at least 20 years.
https://caseknives.com/products/steak-k ... tation-box
They have never been sharpened and are in daily usage for everything besides steak.

I'm definitely not a fan of serrated for steak knives.

budrichard wrote:Some such as Kramer have attained legendary status but the price/value is way out of line except for a collector with big bucks and not much sense.

Just yesterday, this happened . . .

Kintaro's Dream by Bob Kramer

Yep, that Kramer custom knife fetched nearly ~$25k auction. Who am I to say if it's overpriced, right? :P

justjoan wrote:Just curious, Ronnie, did you go over to Northwest cutlery and talk to them about steak knives? As I'm sure they have good advice and a range of prices

No, it never crossed my mind. They've messed up sharpening enough of my knives that I don't take them as seriously as I once did. :(

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oh, good to know. Have you ever use the knife sharpening guy at the Logan Square farmers market? I ask not because I have, but I'm curious if he does a good job.

justjoan wrote:Have you ever use the knife sharpening guy at the Logan Square farmers market? I ask not because I have, but I'm curious if he does a good job.

No but I will try him at some point . . . with a lower level knife and see how he works/does.

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justjoan wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:

budrichard wrote:We have used a set of 12, it’s actually eleven now, Case Steak knives for at least 20 years.
https://caseknives.com/products/steak-k ... tation-box
They have never been sharpened and are in daily usage for everything besides steak.

I'm definitely not a fan of serrated for steak knives.

budrichard wrote:Some such as Kramer have attained legendary status but the price/value is way out of line except for a collector with big bucks and not much sense.

Just yesterday, this happened . . .

Kintaro's Dream by Bob Kramer

Yep, that Kramer custom knife fetched nearly ~$25k auction. Who am I to say if it's overpriced, right?

justjoan wrote:Just curious, Ronnie, did you go over to Northwest cutlery and talk to them about steak knives? As I'm sure they have good advice and a range of prices

No, it never crossed my mind. They've messed up sharpening enough of my knives that I don't take them as seriously as I once did.

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oh, good to know. Have you ever use the knife sharpening guy at the Logan Square farmers market? I ask not because I have, but I'm curious if he does a good job.

I've always been skeptical of the guys who do farmer's market sharpening. They have a single piece of equipment that (I believe) is not as heavy duty or powerful as something that you'd have at a fixed shop with NW Cutlery (because it has to be portable). So just from a gear perspective I think they are at a disadvantage.

I also wonder if the expectation that customers expect to leave with their knives after 15-20 minutes of sharpening can lead to a rushed job. Of course, the same thing could happen at NW Cutlery, but they are also used to pros dropping off knives and getting them later so it's not all quick-turnaround work.

All that being said, I have never used a farmer's market sharpener so I can't really comment first-hand on the job they do. My suspicion is that the service they are primarily delivering is convenience. If they make a knife sharper than before, then I guess they are helping, but not sure how the work measures up to what is done elsewhere.

In Montréal, you hear a particular sort of bell-ringing out in the ruelle (the alley) and it's a guy in a small truck, with a big ol' round stone wheel rotating. You takes your knives out to him, he grinds them, you give him a couple of bucks, and he moves on, his bell ringing. That's how we do it there.

Geo

Geo wrote:In Montréal, you hear a particular sort of bell-ringing out in the ruelle (the alley) and it's a guy in a small truck, with a big ol' round stone wheel rotating. You takes your knives out to him, he grinds them, you give him a couple of bucks, and he moves on, his bell ringing. That's how we do it there.

Sounds cool, charming and convenient but also maybe a little concerning. Not sure I'd be comfortable having a prized knife serviced in this way.

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Exactly, Ronnie. I always took out the crap knives, just to let the neighbors know that I was in on the program. But the good German and Japanese knives stayed in place.

I *will* say this tho': my Old Chicago cleaver hasn't been the same since we left MTL 5 yrs ago. It took to the bell-ringer best of all. Man, but didn't he do a job on it!

Geo

We had the old guy pushing the cart down the sidewalk when I was a kid on the south side. (I hear he's still out there at times). For a housewife in the 60's he was a godsend - although my dad was really good with the stone.