reybarry wrote:That shoe fits you. A perusal of the web sites of the great knife makers shows, among other things, why 100% of them always use a full tang and why it is essential. These don't, and have only two rivets holding the handles on where the minimum acceptable is three.

Far better steak knives are available for less than $40. Knives have gotten like super expensive women's shoes, or $200 and up jeans, marketed to people who still believe the long-outdated adage "you get what you pay for."

In a world of target marketing where items are priced on the hype of their advertising image, price bears little correlation to quality.

Are you saying you need a full tang for a steak knife? What are you cutting, the bone?

I thought really wealthy people had people who cut their steak for them? Personally I find that if a steak is prepared right it doesnt take much force to cut it. Although if your a butcher and cut meat on a daily basis you need good stuff. But I think they probably are a investment for someone who really likes quality utensils. I wouldnt spend $2600 bucks on a refridgerator either but I know people who have them, they are nice, but I just dont see the advantages. But if you have a $50 dollar knife, I would recommend the $2600 fridge, just to be consistent.

I'm waiting for the $100 per steak knives. These just won't make me feel as important as a person of my quality deserves to feel.

eggrob wrote:I'm waiting for the $100 per steak knives. These just won't make me feel as important as a person of my quality deserves to feel.

$85 knifes work for you?:

http://www.amazon.com/Shun-Onion-4-Piece-Steak-Knife/dp/B002FCM86K

(Oh, maybe these are a good deal. Beyond my budget, but still nicely discounted.)

ardbeg wrote:Thoughts from an avid cook who ate steak last night:

1. These are more about art than function. A razor edge is more important for dicing herbs and onions than for steak. A $1 serrated MIU steak knife will do a serviceable job for steak (for onions, not so much). Yes these are better, but not 60x better given the demands of the task.

2. Even VG10 will lose an edge VERY quickly cutting on ceramic plates compared to a cutting board. Once these dull, they will cut worse than a cheap serrated, unless you send them off or know how to sharpen (and if you're going to buy $200 knives, please don't shred them with those auto-sharpeners).

3. Be wary of the "it'll last a lifetime" argument. Technology advances (most 25+ yr old knives, even top German ones, are not up to today's standards). And tastes change (you'll want purple knives in 2025). I rarely consider more than 5 years of use in valuing purchases. And it's hard to predict the things you'll still love 15 years later (sometimes it's cheap stuff).

4. I have blown excessive cash on 25+ cooking knives , from Shun (several on Woot), Wusthof, Global, MAC, and more obscure brands. But for steak I found a good no-name $12 paring knife and bought 8 of them for special occasions. I use my $1 MIUs most days. No regrets.

5. When I'm rich, I'll totally have these.

6. Cutco is Knife Amway. Stay away. Get the better/cheaper Victorinox or step up to one of the brands named in #4.

You're right about Cutco. They hire college kids over the summers, don't stand behind their product and their products are fair to mediocre.

NavyDallas wrote:This is the turning point. Woot! has officially lost its wootiness and had its soul sucked out by Amazon.

How many self-indulgent wooters are sitting around thinking "Gee, I bet this filet mignon would taste so much better with a $50.00 knife?"

If you can't cut your rib eye with a fork find a better butcher and learn how to grill.

Funny, my Shun Kaji steak knifes cost double what these lesser Onion series do.

People who actually use knives understand the difference between the common crap and Shun.

What??? Not sold out yet? How can this be with such a cutting edge product? (And I'll bet they are made in China?)

ardbeg wrote:... If you do buy these or other fine-edge steak knives, it's a good idea to learn how to hold the knife and steak in such a way as to minimize plate-knife contact. Watch a posh French guy cut his steak to see what I mean.

OK, I admit you've got me curious and I'm just not picturing this. Do you have a link to a video of a "posh French guy" cutting steak?

rondo13chix wrote:The only knives that can take an edge and keep it are those made from high carbon steel. Today uou don't see many knives made with pure carbon steel as they rust. Any blade that contains any ammount of stainless steel (ss) won't take and keep as sharp an edge carbon steel can. Chicago cutlery makes commercial knives for the trade and they are pure carbon steel and very reasonably priced. If you really are concerned about how the knife cuts and holds its edge carbon steel is for you. If you are looking for good looks buy stainless steel knives but don't expect a professional edged blade.

There,aren't any knives made of pure carbon steel,most only use 1%,or less carbon.Some Stainless steel knives contain more carbon than the carbon steel knives you mention.The advantage of carbon steel knives(ie) 1095,1084,01,W2 to name a few is that they're easier to sharpen,but They could never hold an edge as well as a stainless steel knife using,S30V,BG42,VG10,S90V,or S60V stainless steel,and most contain more carbon than the carbon steel blades you mention.

If you need this kind of knife to cut your steak, you don't know how to cook a steak.

Some people don't like to have steak knifes because they feel that a potential robber could use them as weapons... I say to those people you worry too much.

There are people who appreciate this type of quality and those who don't. What is stunning is the willingness of those who will never understand quality to point out that limitation on a public forum!

I use Shun knives in my kitchen and love them. Shun are not the most expensive knives available (price some Hattori) but for all but the most demanding professionals they are more than adequate.

I paid 119.00 for a 5.5 in Ken Onion utility knife, that was a sale price down from 140.00. The way I look at this Woot (I bought it) is that I just scored four 4.5in Shun Ken Onion utility knives for 200 bucks!

These will not be in a drawer quietly waiting until it's steak night, these will be dicing, slicing, chopping vegetables, opening woot boxes, scraping burned on crud off the stove and all the other things one uses a utility knife for.

blueconversechucks wrote:Uh, I'd rather have a friend who gave honest feedback when they had an opinion than one who bows before some arrogant s.o.b.'s radically overpriced material possessions. Just what are people trying to prove with this stuff anyway? What's next on the list, $100 toenail clippers? After all, the health of your cuticles is very important! And you haven't lived until you've cut your nails with the proper device! I pity you peasants who can't tell the difference!

...psst....you're doing it wrong!

You want to use your $100 CUTICLE clippers on your cuticles, not your $100 toenail clippers!

...sheesh

ardbeg wrote:Thoughts from an avid cook who ate steak last night:

1. These are more about art than function. A razor edge is more important for dicing herbs and onions than for steak. A $1 serrated MIU steak knife will do a serviceable job for steak (for onions, not so much). Yes these are better, but not 60x better given the demands of the task.

2. Even VG10 will lose an edge VERY quickly cutting on ceramic plates compared to a cutting board. Once these dull, they will cut worse than a cheap serrated, unless you send them off or know how to sharpen (and if you're going to buy $200 knives, please don't shred them with those auto-sharpeners).

3. Be wary of the "it'll last a lifetime" argument. Technology advances (most 25+ yr old knives, even top German ones, are not up to today's standards). And tastes change (you'll want purple knives in 2025). I rarely consider more than 5 years of use in valuing purchases. And it's hard to predict the things you'll still love 15 years later (sometimes it's cheap stuff).

4. I have blown excessive cash on 25+ cooking knives , from Shun (several on Woot), Wusthof, Global, MAC, and more obscure brands. But for steak I found a good no-name $12 paring knife and bought 8 of them for special occasions. I use my $1 MIUs most days. No regrets.

5. When I'm rich, I'll totally have these.

6. Cutco is Knife Amway. Stay away. Get the better/cheaper Victorinox or step up to one of the brands named in #4.

How about just eat it with your hands?

Yellowbeard wrote:These knives are stupid!

What do you put your steaks on when you go to eat? Ceramic or glass plates!

Ceramic and glass will dull the blades very quickly!

Get yourselves a good set of ginsu steak knives and eat your steak on your glass/ceramic plates.

The folks that buy these knives should also buy wooden plates to cut and eat their steaks upon.

Maybe I can eat off of those woot grilling planks I bought a few weeks ago...

901Memphis wrote:Hey read my previous post if you want the facts, but truth is i wouldn't buy them unless i was making at least $75,000 a year. These are for rich people, not your every day wooter.

I make over 75k, do not feel rich and would never spend this much on a steak knife. If I could afford these, the steak i could afford better cut itself making these redundant.

I own a set of these knives. When I eat steak, the knife cuts my meat for me.

Michkayaker wrote:I make over 75k, do not feel rich and would never spend this much on a steak knife. If I could afford these, the steak i could afford better cut itself making these redundant.

I don't know where you live, but I know it is necessary to earn way more than 75K to feel rich, if you live in the United States.

RichardCarver wrote:There are people who appreciate this type of quality and those who don't. What is stunning is the willingness of those who will never understand quality to point out that limitation on a public forum!

I use Shun knives in my kitchen and love them. Shun are not the most expensive knives available (price some Hattori) but for all but the most demanding professionals they are more than adequate.

I paid 119.00 for a 5.5 in Ken Onion utility knife, that was a sale price down from 140.00. The way I look at this Woot (I bought it) is that I just scored four 4.5in Shun Ken Onion utility knives for 200 bucks!

These will not be in a drawer quietly waiting until it's steak night, these will be dicing, slicing, chopping vegetables, opening woot boxes, scraping burned on crud off the stove and all the other things one uses a utility knife for.

This RichardCarver dude is brilliant. "Steak knives?" Says who? I can't believe I didn't think of this idea. This is probably the deal of the decade on top quality 4.5 inch "utility" knives.

mdnorman wrote:I don't know where you live, but I know it is necessary to earn way more than 75K to feel rich, if you live in the United States.

Feeling rich is free. I once spent the night in a campground on the beach south of LA. The beach was gorgeous, the view was unreal, and the company was priceless. The actual cost was $8.

If someone tells you being rich is about money, they are about to sell you something.

I used to think woot needed another site for roomba.woot.com, but now I'm starting to think they need veryexpensiveknives.woot.com too. ;-)

drleephd wrote:I'm a butcher at the grocery store where you buy your steaks.
Those are quite good quality knives, however they cost more than the entire set of knives I use every day in my trade.
They're not going to make your steak taste any better, or make you a better chef for that matter either.
They should never be put in the dishwasher, only hand-washed.

for serving steaks at my house I'll stick with my dollar-store set. Buy tender steaks and cook them properly and you won't need fancy knives at home.

Hear hear!

I was a professional chef for about twenty years and though I'd never skimp on a good knife set for my JOB I'd laugh in someone's face if they tried to tell me there was some outward justification for spending so much money on STEAK KNIVES.

These aren't pro kitchen knives, they're for cutting meat at the table. So far as I can see they are for impressing the heck out of dinner guests because trust me, no one goes to someone's house for a GOOD steak and even notices the damned steak knife.

Actually at my house we don't HAVE any steak knives at all. Because I know how to cook a steak.

If you really want to impress someone at dinner, hand them a (minutely serrated) butter knife with their steak. If they can use it effortlessly then you've just impressed the hail out of them with your COOKING skills, not your steak knife budget.

idontkn1 wrote:Futhering your logic... If you use them 5 times a week (pretty healthy usage for even a Texan) then they pay for themselves about 5 months into the 39th year you use them.

cost of Shun Ken Knives = $20/set * 10 sets = 10000 uses.

10000 uses/5 uses per week = 2000 weeks.

2000 weeks/52 weeks in a year = 38.4 years.

Sorry, but I don't want to have to fret about who gets the steak knifes in my will.

For fun:
If you eat that much steak you may not live long enough to see them pay for themselves.
For fun the sequel:
In your math you failed to account for inflation. What would have happened if you invested the $200 in savings bonds?

Wow - who knew WOOT could offer an item that would lead to some of the dumbest posts ever. These are knives!

It's good iron amalgam... buy it if you know how to use it, otherwise fuggedaboudit...

If I buy the steak knives I can't afford the steak.

smitchell76 wrote:If I buy the steak knives I can't afford the steak.

Maybe you could go "rustle up" some with these knives...

Ah, knife day...I think the most entertaining woot comment day of all. The "you'd have to be stupid to pay this much" crowd vs. the "you don't know about knives" bunch. And today there's the extra added bonus of "you don't know how to cook steak" and the all the people who think they're the first one to make the "buy these and you can't afford steak" joke....

What a hoot.

Yellowbeard wrote:
The folks that buy these knives should also buy wooden plates to cut and eat their steaks upon.

Here's some!

is there anything like the wootalyzer for mac yet?

ardbeg wrote:Thoughts from an avid cook who ate steak last night:

1. These are more about art than function. A razor edge is more important for dicing herbs and onions than for steak. A $1 serrated MIU steak knife will do a serviceable job for steak (for onions, not so much). Yes these are better, but not 60x better given the demands of the task.

2. Even VG10 will lose an edge VERY quickly cutting on ceramic plates compared to a cutting board. Once these dull, they will cut worse than a cheap serrated, unless you send them off or know how to sharpen (and if you're going to buy $200 knives, please don't shred them with those auto-sharpeners).

3. Be wary of the "it'll last a lifetime" argument. Technology advances (most 25+ yr old knives, even top German ones, are not up to today's standards). And tastes change (you'll want purple knives in 2025). I rarely consider more than 5 years of use in valuing purchases. And it's hard to predict the things you'll still love 15 years later (sometimes it's cheap stuff).

4. I have blown excessive cash on 25+ cooking knives , from Shun (several on Woot), Wusthof, Global, MAC, and more obscure brands. But for steak I found a good no-name $12 paring knife and bought 8 of them for special occasions. I use my $1 MIUs most days. No regrets.

5. When I'm rich, I'll totally have these.

6. Cutco is Knife Amway. Stay away. Get the better/cheaper Victorinox or step up to one of the brands named in #4.

Great post! And I can second at least the Wusthof knives, I've had mine for almost two years now, and am totally pleased with them. I picked up a nice 15 piece set from Bed, Bath, and Beyond with a 50% off coupon for a VERY reasonable price, given the brand.

I'll have to stick to my ginzu knives that cut through an aluminum can!

I hope Fridays woot is a set of 4 Shun Ken spoons.

is there an option 'i don't want one'?

is there an option 'i don't want one'?

I hate being reminded of that mad man Jeffrey Dahmer but that SOB used this exact knife to...well I'm not going to go into details but come on, this particular set needed to be taken off of the market a long freaking time ago.


Led Zeppelin rocks the world, still!

nech wrote:I hate being reminded of that mad man Jeffrey Dahmer but that SOB used this exact knife to...well I'm not going to go into details but come on, this particular set needed to be taken off of the market a long freaking time ago.


Led Zeppelin rocks the world, still!

You are a trucking reamer - these knives were not even conceived when the incident of which you refer occurred -- piece of toast...

and don't corrupt the artistic amplitude of The Blimp with your ineptitude... piece of toast.

cnherrick wrote:Thanks, but no thanks.

I'd rather cut my steak with my chain saw ... which cost less than these 4 knives.

You sir, have a schmitty chain saw.

en,might be a sharp knife but it's just too expensive for me.