The best knife manufacturers – which company to choose
When choosing knives in a store, it is easy to get confused – they are so diverse and not similar to each other. However, first of all, you need to look not at the beauty of the handle or the shape of the blade, but at the name of the manufacturer engraved on the canvas.
It is believed that the best knives in the world are made in Japan, although it is quite difficult to single out a leader in this market. In the Land of the Rising Sun, individual families are engaged in the manufacture of blades, passing down the secrets of ancient gunsmiths for centuries.
There are also large companies that are engaged in the mass production of knives:
- Hattori.
- Kukuichi.
- Global.
- Masahiro.
In Europe, the Germans (Wusthof, Fissler) and the French (Ever cut, Sabatier) are considered the best manufacturers of kitchen tools. Italian, Swiss and British brands are a little lower in this hierarchy, although their knives are also among the best.
With the most successful of their lines, you can find in our review. In the meantime, let’s figure out how to choose a good knife for your kitchen.
Types of knives
The classification of modern Damascus knives is too branchy and confusing: among them, there are both real all-rounders and tools of narrow specialization. Each species has its purpose, and it would be wrong to say that one knife is better than another.
It will be much easier to navigate their diversity if you conditionally divide kitchen knives according to the material of the blade. After all, it is on this that their main characteristics, service life,d features of caring for kitchen utensils depend.
Steel
The most popular material for making knives is an alloy of iron with carbon and various alloying elements.
There are dozens of steel grades that can be used to make knife blades, but they can be divided into three main groups:
1. Carbonaceous
inexpensive, hard, easily sharpened alloys with low corrosion resistance. With improper care and storage, such knives quickly become rusty but retain their sharpness.
2. Stainless
alloyed alloys, devoid of the disadvantages of carbon steels. Alas, they quickly become dull, so they will have to be constantly sharpened, significantly reducing the life of the blade.
3. High-carbon stainless
combine the advantages of the two previous types of alloys, so that they can be called almost ideal.
No less popular are multilayer forged knives made using the same technology as the famous Damascus steel. They are easily recognizable by the beautiful stains on the blade. These are very expensive, but strong and sharp blades that are not afraid of any blows or deformations.
Pros:
- Always a great choice – the lion’s share of knives on the market is made of steel.
- High strength combined with sufficient toughness.
- Corrosion resistance (for stainless alloys).
- Possibility of self-sharpening.
- Adequate price.
Minuses:
- They dull faster than any other knives.
- There are many fakes on the market made of low-quality steel.
Ceramic
These beautiful knives are now at the peak of popularity. They are made from molded zirconium powder, which, after high-temperature firing, forms the correct fine-grained structure. It is she who provides the ceramic blade with incredible strength, approaching the indicators of a diamond.
These knives may vary in color. And although there is not much difference between them, it is believed that black blades are denser and stronger than white ones. The main feature of zirconium blades is that they keep sharpening for an incredibly long time and do not dull for years.
Read other: How to choose a Damascus pocket knife
If the time has come to sharpen ceramics, it is not recommended to do this at home. We’ll have to carry the knives to the workshop, where the blades are turned on diamond wheels.
Pros:
- Will, not rust, scratch, or stain with products.
- Do not give a “metallic taste”.
- Very durable.
- Sharp and well-kept sharpening.
- Undemanding in care.
Minuses:
- May break if dropped or hit.
- The blades are not flexible.
They get dull when working on glass cutting boards, and you won’t be able to sharpen the knife yourself.
Titanium
A rather rare type of knife in our kitchens, although advertised by TV stores as an eternal tool. In fact, according to some performance characteristics, titanium alloy is seriously inferior to steel and ceramics.
If the blade is simply Ti-coated, then you gain nothing but an attractive appearance. But titanium knives are hygienic, do not leave a taste of metal, are insensitive to most household acids, and certainly do not rust.
Pros:
- Differ in small weight.
- Very sharp.
- Strong and flexible.
- Scratch-resistant.
- They have an attractive appearance.
Minuses:
- They dull quickly and require frequent sharpening.
- Too expensive.
Read More: What is a Nakiri knife used for?
