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Old 05-08-2021, 10:04 AM
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billyO billyO is offline
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Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Portland, OR
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tomaswilson View Post
Knife sets vary in so many ways what would you look at when buying?
Unfortunately, this isn't a question that's easily answered. There are a lot of factors to consider that may or may not be important to consider, depending on the individual. In no particular order, the things I think might be worth considering from a maker's point of view:
How much effort does the end user want to put in regarding to care? This can help dictate steel and handle material choice. Non-stainless steels require hand washing and drying.
How much effort does the end user want to put in regarding sharpness? Some steels are harder to sharpen, but hold an edge longer. Some steels are easy to sharpen, but require you to do it more often.

What is the intended use of the knife? (This is probably the most important thing to consider.) Personally, I like my veggie slicers to be really thin, but knives for breaking down animals need a little more weight behind the edge. I also have a couple of really nice knives that are a just bit too long for my tastes, using the tip forces me to raise my grip hand too high.
How does the knife feel in the hand? Too heavy? Too light? Where is the balance point? How comfortable is the handle? Does the handle shape help put your grip in a natural/comfortable position or do you have to fight the grip to make it useful?

One thing that a lot of makers look at is the fit and finish of the knife and handle as a whole, because this can (not will) give some information about the quality of the end product Noticeable gaps between the individual pieces is usually seen as a sign that the maker didn't take the necessary time or effort to do this right, and can be an indicator of a poor quality blade as well, but not always.
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