“High end knife” doesn’t mean much to me beyond price within a category.
For my batterie, I’ve defined slots or categories to fill–but the knives I choose to fill those categories are not necessarily the most “high end,” or even the best quality. They’re the grabbable knives that best fit batterie categories to me–with all my eccentricities–at the moment. They are all subject to challenge, repurposing, and updating.
One factor that keeps me away from most really expensive knives is that they must be cost effective for my kitchen work calculated as a SEU (subjective expected utility), and I’ve had a great deal of trouble justifying some “high end” knives on that criterion alone. For example, it took me quite a few years to find a Fuji 8 1/2" Chef’s knife that finally price justified–in a negotiation on EBAY.
Even knives that seemed to be viable challenges to knives in existing slots that I’ve bought sometimes haven’t worked out in my kitchen–and were given away.
To further complicate matters, I’ve bought some knives that seem to use new technology for comparison purposes that don’t really fit in a batterie category.
Comes out in limited batches, say 10 knives per year, and sold out - literally - within seconds. Will easily fetch double retail price on the second hand market.
Subjectively, it’s in the eye of the beholder. And, imho anything that cuts really really good - like a CCK, so even without a perfect fit and finish. I’d also qualify my MAC bread knife a high end knife because of its superior cutting skills.
And then in my view high end knives are also those that cut really good and also have some nice cosmetic touches, but without going all stratospheric like the Konosuke linked above. For example, I paid extra for special handles when ordering my Watanabe and Masamoto. For me these are high end knives.
First, that konosuke knife does look very nice. Second, I bought my first (also only) konosuke knife from Tosho - a Konosuke HD2 petty knife. The knife performed better than I have expected.
Anyway, yes knives have become more and more expensive since the pandemic, including the Konosukes. The Konosuke Kaiju was intended as a workhorse equivalent of the HD2, so where the HD2 is very thin, the Kaiju was meant to be thicker and be more of a multi-purpose knife. In a way very similar to Watanabe.
But Konosuke invested a lot in a perfect fit and finish, and also in flashy marketing. And that is how it became a big hit. I’m pretty sure it cuts similar as a Watanabe at twice the price.
I ran out of puns. FamishedFunyuns beats me. I am still pretty proud of the fact that I think of pinch grip from my crab. (He is still alive, but not for long… I am boiling water now).
Nice. Do you have active plan to get that Konosuke knife from Tosho? Or just something you are looking at, but no active plan.
CCE
(Keyrock the unfrozen caveman lawyer; your world frightens & confuses me)
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LoL - had a friend tried to sell me on Cutco. That was in between him being an Amway rep and selling Pampered Chef. After PC he may have moved on to Herbal Life or some such; I lost track.
Agree with most that expensive certainly doesn’t mean high-end, but at the same time the hand-made/care/attention to quality and detail that is required in a high-end knife will also mean it is will not be inexpensive or average priced either. There are a lot of decent knives from known brands that strike the right balance between affordability and good performance and are what many home cooks can find with some research. A real high-end knife will be way more expensive than that - let’s get real; we’re not talking another $20-30 more for a high-end knife. The whole purpose of mass market is to make things affordable to the masses, even if it is giving up some of the quality or durability we want. It doesn’t mean that all mass market = bad.
Like many things, brand name will drive up price and doesn’t always translate to quality, or at least quality in the functionality that someone wants in a good knife. For me, high-end tends to mean catering to someone maybe ‘fanatical’ (I don’t mean this in a psycho way) - someone who might deem themselves a pro or expert or a fan and really gets into the most minute details of its craftsmanship, materials, and other finer points of usage that the average user doesn’t pay much attention to.
It has been around so long I cannot recall how we got it, but we have a Cutco spreader. One side is serrated. It is long enough to reach comfortably the bottom of a big jar of Duke’s. It is a high end spreader!
I’m mean seriously how much performance does one truly need for the occasional steak meal . So I guess form and materials for me also meet the high end definition. Special occasion knives or for BYOK to the steakhouse.
Oh my. Everyone.
Anyone still remember the Chef’s Choice (famous for electric knife sharpener) has its own line of kitchen knives. The Tizor knives. They are on major discount sale. Made in USA!
. So I guess form and materials for me also meet the high end definition. Special occasion knives or for BYOK to the steakhouse.
