I want to buy a knife but I want to make a smart purchase.

Hello friends.
You have decided to purchase a knife for yourself or for a friend or family.  Good, I hope this blog entry helps steer you in the right direction and prevents you from making some of the mistakes I have in the past.

Let's just say you already have some knives, you just want to upgrade or add to your collection, or, you just to get that feeling back again, that special feeling that only a very sharp knife can deliver. Sadly, many folks only get to experience a sharp knife once, that is the day they buy the knife. After that, we all know what happens, the dulling process begins, that new car smell starts to disappear and the magic has vanished.

Here is a list of things I recommend you don't do:

• Don't purchase a block of knives that are on sale for $75.99, even if they are Henckels. While it sounds like a good deal, the knives are low quality, they will not be that sharp when new and they will all get dull rapidly. Hey, I love Henckels knives, however there are about 11 different levels of Henckels. A block of knives soon leads to a block of dull knives and eventually a level of frustration that you don't need,  so stay away from them. I'm not saying a nice set of 3 good quality knives is bad, just those blocks of knives on sale that we have all seen and lure us in because we all love knives.
• Don't purchase a knife because it looks good or because the beautiful girl behind the counter tells you it is an awesome knife. Do some research, go in with some knowledge about the hardness of the steel, don't let terms like Full Tang and Bolster impress you, they are just marketing terms. My favourite knives don't have bolsters as a matter of fact. I am not suggesting to avoid these things but if the salesperson is focusing on these items instead of asking "what you are going to be cutting?",  "would you like to hold it and see if it is the right fit for your hand?". Now there are some knife sellers out there who know their stuff, but with a little research you can go in there on equal footing perhaps. (Now if the girl is both knowledgeable and beautiful......buy the knife)
• Don't get fooled into thinking a ceramic knife is going to be sharp for an eternity, they won't be, in fact I don't like them at all, ask me how hard they are to sharpen.
• Don't think for a minute that there is knife out there that won't get dull. I had a 3,000 dollar knife in my hands that was useless, they get dull, you should in fact get used to the fact that you are going to make them dull. Heck, you should make it your goal, to make that knife dull because by doing so  you are using it for what it is made for.

Here is the most important tip I can offer.

HAVE A SHARPENING PLAN 

In other words, when you buy the knife you should be thinking "how am I going to keep this sharp".  So instead of blowing your budget on a  bunch of knives,  buy one really nice knife and one good Steel or Ceramic hone. This tool, when used often and properly will play a huge role in maintaining the edge. You need to know that this doesn't sharpen a knife, it keeps a sharp knife sharp. You can't let the knife get dull and then take out the Steel from it's hiding place in some secret cupboard and then brutalise the edge thinking it will be sharp again. Remember, the steel simply aligns the fatigued metal that has rolled over to the side, it pushes it back in place.  Eventually however, that metal needs to be removed by the process of sharpening, you hone a sharp knife, you sharpen a dull knife :)

Ceramic Hone 

Your plan can simply consist of investigating where you can take your knife to get professionally sharpened. You should do some research on that sharpener as well,  look for things like traditional,  or hand sharpening. Sharpening devices that are plugged in should trigger some alarms unless it is a good quality belt sander with sharpening belts. In the right hands they can go great work. 

It is just a matter of spending 10 minutes, call the person and you'll either have a good feeling or you will be looking elsewhere. 

I feel bad for people who buy their $500.00 dream knife and it becomes a source of frustration in a month because that knife is now dull, no better than the 30 dollar knife that your wife said was just as good when you went knife shopping. 

If you are food enthusiast, and love all things related to food then you can appreciate what a sharp knife means to the flavour of food. You know that a dull knife can seriously impact the flavour and even the look of some foods. Cut an apple with a dull knife and watch how fast it gets brown. 

Buy one good knife whether it is a Henckels, Wusthof, Miyabi or MAC,  or Japanese hand make carbon knife, have a plan to keep it sharp in week # 3 and beyond, keep that magic flowing. It's easy, I love nothing better than to take a dull knife and give life back to it.

Of course the best way to do it, and this is not always possible is to learn how to sharpen your own knives, then you will experience true joy. As long as you have a plan to keep it sharp though you will be fine.

Thank you so much for reading this.