I'd only consider ceramic knives for fruit or peeler, for heavy duty cutting (meat) I'd stick to iron based knifes.

I bought 3 henckels and 1 Wusthof in their professional line-up (can't recall the name) when I was in Germany 7 years ago, have been nothing but happy with them. I'm recently looking to buy a Sashimi knife because of stupid HST... :D, but good japanese sashimi knifes are expensive and hard to find here in Van...

If your just a home cook stay with something with a less angled blade (wustof, henkels, victorianox) its all about sharpness with any knife, yes the ceramic is nice and sharper and can do more, but sharpening a japanese blade is hard, and takes alot of practice to return the blade to 15' sometimes more steeper.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-LYt9egIG8.../Chef+Tony.jpg
mircale blade lol

but seriously as of now some cheap ass blade made from china

ive got a 8" wustoff classic, all i ever needed
and my paring knives are all junk, i consider them to be disposables

i havent cooked pro or competiton in 4 years tho

I don't have expensive hobbies....they are/were professions! :p

(1) Diamond stones are the same as natural stones -- they come in various grits so yes, they can be used to polish to a mirror finish.

(2)Natural stones become concave after use whilst diamond stones do not, hence they 'stay flat' forever.

(3) Yes, they need to be wet but not soaked -- simply rinse the stone whilst sharpening when you see metal slurry in the water.

There are various types of diamond stones but the best are made by an American company called DMT. They cut way faster than natural stones so you get your knives sharpened much much faster.

They sell them at Lee Valley I believe -- but a combination stone from them and test it out if you want.

Actually, that metal slurry acts as a lubricating agent, so it shouldn't be rinsed off completely. I rinse a little bit, but I still keep some on the stone.

Thanks I may try one. Are they expensive?

The slurry (when using natural stones) is not a lubricant, but actually acts like a fine paste which further polishes the blade (think of a car polish like Meguiars 84 where the particles actually break down during the polishing process). On diamond stones the diamond obviously doens't break down so you want to wash off the metal filings often.

They are not that expensive -- maybe 100 bucks for a 2-sided stone. They will last a lifetime though.

Remember though -- some people HATE synthetic stones because they are different to natural ones. The action is a bit different and take some getting used to.. .but if you're open minded and willing to change your technique a tiny bit they're awesome.

I have a Wusthof Classic 7" Santoku
a Henkel chef's knife
and the good old chinese utility knife

henckels 4 star
10" sharpening steel
8" chef
8" carver
8" bread
7" santoku hollow edge
7" filleting
6" utility/sandwich
4" parer
3" peeler
meat cleaver

Sorry for the late bump...

I have trouble picking between two knives... Both are the same brand, same size, however they both have different designs...

Santoku Knife, 7"

Santoku Knife, 7"

Brands doesn't really matter as long I understand what's the difference between these designs...

The dimples is to allow for some air pockets, so if you are chopping quickly, things like cucumber slices etc won't stick on the blades.

The granton edge (air dimples) allows air to go through so it doesnt stick AS MUCH. Still sticks but less and easier to wipe off. So things like meats, cheese, veggies.

I used to work at House Of Knives for 3 years, they are selling the Granton Edge Santoku for $135.99 so if your shipping works out more than that +tax, you should just hit up a HoK and buy it there instead lol.

call me a blasphemous cook but I love my ceramic blades for most things.

i have a set of globals, one shun paring knife, and one shun carving knife

Semi related: Does anyone know where I can get a knife reshaped locally? I have a folding pocketknife blade that I would like a couple centimeters shorter.

Get the shun chef. I love that knife

2 many knives.... lol i'll try and see what i have tomorrow if i remember

I own a cheap 8" Victorinox santoku ($60) from Ming Wo with dimples and the dimples do nothing. Save your money. My "good" knife is a 10" Mac Mighty chefs knife ($250) that I baby like no tomorrow.

I also own a bunch of Victorinox paring knives (7$ at MW) which I use regularly and keep up well (even with regular disheasher cleaning) on my cheap steel.

Thinking about picking up a santoku knife for big momma. What do you guys recommend? My budget is 150 ish.

Globals are always good for the price. I can't stand the feel of them personally, as I prefer more weight, but they stay sharp and are good quality. Lee Valley has nice knives that are just rebranded sabatiers. Last knife I got was a miyabi fluted santoku. It was around 140 at ming wo, I find I'm sharpening it lots, but it is my everything knife in a very busy kitchen.

Depends on what she uses it for and how much. Japanese brands are sharp, costly, but needs care as well. German brands are pretty tanky but also need moderate care. American brands or international are cheap and useable

Just spent a week with a full set of Shun Kaji knives.

I can honestly say they are the best knives I have ever used, period.
Amazing quality, beautiful, effortless cuts.

Felt so natural to use them.

Was a bit scared to let my guests use the smaller knives with food though because the blades are so sharp. But I warned everyone and they all enjoyed using them on steak and veggies.

are House of Knives and Ming Wo my only choices for knife shopping?
I don't mind buying off the internet if anyone knows some reliable sites

They should be. Buying off the internet you need to calculate shipping costs. Ranging from $50+ I would assume. I think if you compare knife price+shipping vs. retail store price, it's about the same