Block Set
Sunday, January 3rd, 2010Block Set
What is the best brand to go with when buying a knife block set to use at home?
I'm thinking of purchasing a Stanley Rogers set, and also considering Wiltshire (Staysharp in particular). Would anyone recommend avoiding these?
I'd recommend reading this article on how to choose kitchen knives - http://zknives.com/knives/kitchen/misc/articles/kkchoser/index.shtml
It'd be better if you stay away from both brands you listed, and Cutco and Furi as well.
In general avoid any kitchen knife manufacturer that doesn't state clearly the steel used in the knife. Vague statements like "quality stainless steel" or "surgical stainless steel" are as usual the lowest grade. The only exception being very high end knives, but then you'd know by price,
Second, avoid buying a set. Doesn't matter how good it looks and how attractive the price is, you will get more than one knife in it that you do not need. You can get much better knives individually and still save money compared to the set.
I've had bunch of Globals in the past,(reviews here http://zknives.com/knives/kitchen/ktknv/indexbymk.shtml?Global ) before upgrading to better knives, but I still keep couple of them, they're pretty good knives, but no point in buying the set.
As for the Wusthof, it's ok, but definitely neither the best nor the Ferrari of knives. I am sharpening all the Henckels and Wusthofs my friends own, plus their and my own Globals too. Globals do hold better edge compared to both, Wusthof and Henckel.
Kitchen knives are judged by their cutting ability(mostly) and by that criteria western knives are nowhere near Japanese knives.
Edge angle on German and western knives is 45-50 degrees on average. That's pretty good for an axe or combat knife that you plan chop trees and cables with, but too much for a kitchen knife.
Japanese knives are sharpened to much more acute angle, 30 or so. Therefore, they CUT a lot better. Also, because Japanese knives are thin they weigh less and cause less repetitive stress and exhaustion.
Japanese knives are harder compared to western knives - 54-58HRC on western knives and 58-67HRC on Japanese.
Harder knives hold edge longer and need less sharpening.
I don't dismiss western knives altogether, they're still good for those who don't really want to spend time maintaining their knives and sharpening them. Because they're so thick they take abuse better compared to Japanese blades.
Since it was mentioned already, avoid marketing BS or common knife myths. A good kitchen knife doesn't need neither bolster, nor full tang, nor it needs to be forged.
Stamped Globals out-cut drop forged Wusthofs anytime.
Full tang was introduced back in early 20th century to automate cheap knife production, and contrary to the few thousand years of knifemaking it(full tang) is promoted today as something necessary.
Simple fact - neither katana swords nor Bowie knives have "full tang for strength", yet those blades cut through armor, leather, bones and whatever else. So, think yourself, what you could possibly do in your kitchen more harsh than that?
Forged - The whole thing is based on forged is batter than stamped myth. It's true, generally forged knife will be better, because nobody will spend time and money to forge crappy knife, but it isn't necessary to make a good knife. The same Globals are excellent example. Most of them aren't forged and cut a lot better than bunch of forged blades.
Besides, in today's knifemaking factories no blade is truly forged. So, don't expect artisan hammering your knife out of hot billet of steel. They're cut with lasers and then drop forged by machines.
I have no idea who Emerald Green is, but TV shows and Magazines in general will promote ANY knife or brand as long as they pay the advertisement or sponsor something.
Same is true for most of the celebrity chefs. 95% of the time the knives they use on their shows is made by their sponsors or show sponsors, which has absolutely nothing to do with their real world performance.
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Do You Enjoy Lego's? If You Do, You Will Really Like These New Sets!
It usually goes something like this. You walk into this mega super store looking for toys but they have many different brands available. When looking for Lego's you will notice that there are also a few other choices for you to choose from now. The main company being Lego but there are also Mega-Bloks and Best-Lock.
Now your stuck with the decision of which one is the best one to buy. For many that decision comes easily if they don't mind the higher price tag. Usually Lego's are the most expensive but they are also of high quality. Here is a quick breakdown of the different building block sets.
If you are one that needs the best and always wants the best than the Lego brand is for you. Lego sets have been around forever and they are durable. The quality and fit is also great. Another thing noticeable about Lego's is the weight of the pieces. They tend to weigh more than their competitors and that is because they are of higher quality and strength. Color and color variations are another strong point for Lego's. They have so many different colors that I couldn't possibly list them all in this short article.
Recently Lego's have come down in price so don't think Lego's are too expensive. When comparing the size of a Lego block to their competitors you may notice that the Lego block is slightly bigger. If your someone who likes to combine blocks from different kinds of sets then this may be a problem when you are building something specific. Using their website you will notice that it is way better than their competitors. They are very good with their descriptions of the sets and the pictures really help you see what exactly you will be buying.
Mega Bloks is the closest competitor when it comes to building blocks. There is one area where Mega Bloks is better. They have many sets that are based off of popular movies and games. Popular movies like Spiderman have inspired them to make great looking building block sets that are based off of the movie. The Pirates of the Caribbean and the popular Xbox 360 game Halo Wars have also been big hits for Mega Bloks.
Mega Bloks are made with quality in mind. The pieces fit together nicely and are very comparable to Lego. They cost about the same too. For you next building block set make sure to look around because you may be surprised by the different sets that are out.
About the Author
If you want the newest Lego's then you should check out the Lego Halo Wars. This set looks like a lot of fun. Lego Halo Wars will be a building block set that your children will love.