medium priced camp kitchen knife set...

[theksmith]

inexpensive camp kitchen knife set...

warning... the following is not suitable for serious knife connoisseur

I've seen quite a wide diversity in price for what people carry as camp kitchen knives... everything from Victorinox professional knives in a dedicated knife roll to the trusty pocket knife that was just used to cut a tire-plug now serving steak.

I've been looking for something in the middle for a while now and ran across what seems the perfect answer at Walmart tonight.

For $6.97 each I picked up one general purpose 5" Serrated Knife and one 5" Santoko Knife, both medium sized and complete with sheath.

The knives are Farberware and the included specific-sized sheath with each knife was the main selling point for me. That, and the 2 seemed like together they could accomplish most any task without the need for 10 knives.

The 5" Santoku is intended for chopping, dicing and mincing. The Serrated one is for fruits, vegetables and bread. You can still use your pocket knife for trimming tire plugs!

They both feature:
- high carbon stainless steel blades
- tight fitting plastic sheath
- balanced plastic handles
- eco friendly construction (uses less fossil fuels to make the plastic as it is 70% plant material and 30% traditional plastic)

They are also a combination of black and a not-to-annoying bright green. The bright green should help you see them around camp at least.

I'll let you know how they hold up over time... but for $14, how can you loose?

 

[RgrBox]

Victorinox is the best kitchen knife on the market. I have a Canadian friend who's also a Pro. Chief. He taught at the Lausanne School here in Switzerland which is one of the top Cooking Schools in the world. Anyway, he tells me that they are the best. I myself have a set of Cold Steel Knives.. they work very well for me. But I have to sharpen them a lot.

RB

 

[Mike_rupp]

Victorinox is the best kitchen knife on the market.

The best? While I'm sure that they are really decent knives, it is really hard to say with certainty that they are the best. Eric Ripert and Thomas Keller both claim that MAC knives are the best. Plenty of other top chefs like other knives.
Unless you give some sort of reasoning for saying why one is the best, it's pretty silly to do so.

 

[BKCowGod]

Mike - he did give reasoning. Expert testimony from someone whose resume implies that his opinion has some weight to it.

Anyway, I personally use Henckels knives at home (though I have found that you have to be careful which series you buy these days). For field knives, I actually go down to my local Marshalls/TJMaxx. Sometimes there's nothing, but I have gotten All-Clad, Lodge, Henckels, Wustholf, Kuhn-Rikon, and many others for pennies on the dollar.

I agree on the sheath - by far the best selling point for a camp knife.

 

[muskyman]

just saw a intresting review on kitchen knives

they compared knife sets from $50 to $300 from all the big names

the winner was the chicago cutlery full tang set with a SRP of 69.99

I think its kinda funny because when I was married 18 years ago we recieved 2 complete knife sets. one chicago cutlery and one Zwilling J.A. Henckels

I voted for the Henckels and my bride wanted the chicago cutlery, we kept the Henckels and they turned out to be total crap. Over the years we have replaced them one by one with ...you guessed it the chicago cutlery and those knives are awesome. they hold a great edge and actually sharpen with the whitestone back to the initial sharpness.

I carry a pair of chicago cutlery knives in my camp kitchen 61S & 63S and am very happy with them. The one thing that I really like is that the wood handles are not as slick when working in the rain or wet conditions a camp often brings.

 

[Hank]

Saying what knife is "best" is silly. That's like saying a DT is better than an ARB; or that Ford is better then Chevy.

 

[rusty_tlc]

I think it is a waste to buy really good knives for camping. Kind of like buying top quality tools that don't see daily use. For most of us Craftsman will do the job and then some.

That said, as I upgrade my household knives the older lower quality knives go into the camping bin.

 

[Hank]

Why does your camping knife need to be the old stuff or of lesser quality of that you would use in your home? Do you also take your old tent camping or your old boots hiking?

A good knife is essential both at home and in the field.

 

[theksmith]

Why does your camping knife need to be the old stuff or of lesser quality of that you would use in your home? Do you also take your old tent camping or your old boots hiking?

A good knife is essential both at home and in the field.

essential depending on what you are attempting to prepare... i doubt much of anything other than a pot, a fire, and a stick are essential to the average person's camp meal!

apparently many of you missed my first sentence: "warning... the following is not suitable for serious knife connoisseur"

it's funny how people get carried away with different gear.. for example: i don't care at all about the knives, i only picked these up to get the girlfriend to stop complaining about the crappy $2 knife i used to pack! however i am a flashlight geek (candlepowerforums style), and i do appreciate the best in tools (but just can't afford snap-on or mac right now).

some people have the absolute best of everything, but for most of us mortals, we pick our passions.

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

If it helps I've found that T.J. Maxx around here is an excellent source of high end cutlery for not a lot of money at all. I would guess its closeout or surplus. My vote is stock your kitchen with the good stuff, I think a good block or magnet similar to home is a good approach if you ask me. One of my favorite knives is a Cuisinart that I think was only $7 at T.J. Maxx that is sort of my go to versus even the fancy schmancy Wusthof or whatever our home set is.

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

That is great info if you ask me. I do like that they come with sheaths...

warning... the following is not suitable for serious knife connoisseur

I've seen quite a wide diversity in price for what people carry as camp kitchen knives... everything from Victorinox professional knives in a dedicated knife roll to the trusty pocket knife that was just used to cut a tire-plug now serving steak.

I've been looking for something in the middle for a while now and ran across what seems the perfect answer at Walmart tonight.

For $6.97 each I picked up one general purpose 5" Serrated Knife and one 5" Santoko Knife, both medium sized and complete with sheath.

The knives are Farberware and the included specific-sized sheath with each knife was the main selling point for me. That, and the 2 seemed like together they could accomplish most any task without the need for 10 knives.

The 5" Santoku is intended for chopping, dicing and mincing. The Serrated one is for fruits, vegetables and bread. You can still use your pocket knife for trimming tire plugs!

They both feature:
- high carbon stainless steel blades
- tight fitting plastic sheath
- balanced plastic handles
- eco friendly construction (uses less fossil fuels to make the plastic as it is 70% plant material and 30% traditional plastic)

They are also a combination of black and a not-to-annoying bright green. The bright green should help you see them around camp at least.

I'll let you know how they hold up over time... but for $14, how can you loose?

 

[Mike_rupp]

For all of you leave the good stuff at home and bring the old stuff along types:

"A sharp knife is a must.

A dull knife, as any line cook knows, leaves a bigger nastier wound - and worst of all, does a lousy job. If there is one investment that you absolutely cannot live without, one thing you need above all else, it is a decent knife ..."

-Anthony Bourdain, Les Halles Cookbook

 

[Desert Dan]

I have some old "Ginsu" steak knives in my camping kitchen but also have other special purpose "blades" around camp.

 

[mudbutt]

Great info!

While Faberware might not be considered top-of-the-line, I was given a used set of pots and pans as a bachelor 25 years ago. After I got married they were moved to the tent trailer. Then moved through 2 more trailers and used outdoors for the last 15 years. They are still there and get used camping about once a month.

Sounds like a great deal on a decent knife to me....

 

[rusty_tlc]

For all of you leave the good stuff at home and bring the old stuff along types:

"A sharp knife is a must.

A dull knife, as any line cook knows, leaves a bigger nastier wound - and worst of all, does a lousy job. If there is one investment that you absolutely cannot live without, one thing you need above all else, it is a decent knife ..."

-Anthony Bourdain, Les Halles Cookbook

Even an expensive knife will get dull, with out the skill to sharpen a knife the best in the world is no better than the cheapest.

Properly sharpened the cheapest can be as good as the best.

So one could argue that the ability to sharpen a knife is more important than the knife itself.