Santoku knife from Loblaws/PC - feedback

[Pantz]

Has anyone bought the Santoku knife being sold by Loblaws? It's very inexpensive (under $30)and manufactured in Portugal with German steel. It appears to be a forged blade. Looks too good to be true and I'm wondering if it's worth buying.

[Finnegan]

Joobu...how much do the Victorinox knives for at Tap Phong?

[Chester Eleganté]

10" - $39.99
8" - $35.99

What a deal. I think the Global 8" is around $90.

[embee]

I can't help with the Santoku, which is what you asked about, as I've never used one to actually prepare food. I'm not convinced (though I'm open to convincing) that a Santoku adds anything to your repertoire if you already have some good quality, sharp knives with conventional blades. The knives at Loblaws certainly look and feel pretty good.

As to conventional knives, I have a variety of styles with the prestigious names (Henckels; Wusthof). They are fine, but they cost a fortune. And not all knives from these two companies are particularly great.

I also have several knives from Forschner/Victorinox. They cost from about $7.00 up to, possibly, $35 for a large chef's knife. They are stamped - not forged. They are well balanced, sharpen beautifully, hold an edge, and are easy to care for. I can't say anything bad about them. They are wonderful. The only thing missing is the high price.

[Joobu]

For what it's worth, Cook's Illustrated retested chef's knives. The Victorinox Fibrox 8-Inch chef's knife came out on top versus Glestain, Kershaw, MAC, Sanelli, Wusthof, and Furi chef's knives by a slight margin. Part of the charm is the thinner spine and the nice grippy handle. It's a nice knife that's a great value. I bought mine at Tap Phong (Spadina & Baldwin) and it's served me quite well. Nikolau's at Queen and Bathurst also carries them (and a host of other knife brands).

[AmandaEd]

Ooh, embee, do try a Santoku! Initially, it feels quite different, and you have to adjust your technique for the flat bottom, but it allows you to get much thinner, consistently precise slices. It's a lovely knife.

[Atahualpa]

I agree, a santoku is fantastic. I have used good quality chef's knives (wusthof, henckels and a global on loan from a friend) and liked them all. I used chef knives for many years and got very adept at using them. Then I bought a Santoku (a wusthof -- it was a gift actually) and have never used my chef's knife again except for major portioning (i.e. sectioning a chicken, dividing a squash -- things where I need the longer reach). The balance of the blade and having the point closer to the board are just so much more ergonomic than a french chef's knife -- for me anyways.

[Finnegan]

The microplane is the ultimate cheese grater

[Finnegan]

I'd like to modify my earlier remarks. Had a look at the PC knives and they aren't bad...good hand feel, well balanced and forged not samped...unless you're a professional chef these are a pretty decent value...remains to be seen how well they hold and edge, etc. over time.

[Kagemusha]

That's the rub, Finnegan--longevity. Still think the PC blades are schlock. Glad jayt90 mentioned Lee Valley.They've carried great knives for years. Their French Peasant's knife is a true bargain, unlike the cut-rate kitchen decor approach Loblaw's takes. Got my first Microplane grater from Lee when they really were just re-purposed woodworking tools.I've also found some nice Japanese blades at fair prices at Mika's Japanese Gifts in Mississauga.

[AmandaEd]

Go check out the promo priced Santokus at Calphalon at King + Bathurst. We bought a 5" one for $30 for an uncle for Christmas. I have the 7" (I think it cost about $50) and love it! It's fabulous quality and just as good as the Henkels 7" my m-i-l owns. Calphalon has one or two promo-priced items in every line of pots, pans and knives that they carry. They're great deals!

[Finnegan]

Buy the best knives you can afford...a good german made knife with a high carbon content will cost you about 3 times as much but will never have to be replaced...the $30 PC knife will probably lose its edge in a few years and will be fit for the garbage. If you cook a lot go to a restaurant supply store like Dinetz, Nicolau and get yourself a better quality knife.

[jayt90]

Just stumbled into this thread. Loblaws PC appliances are on the cheap side, price and quality wise. I don't know about the knife, but I bought the burr coffee grinder (about $30) even though I I had to wait two weeks after the intro for it to hit the shelves. It was so cheap, so plasticky, so sloppy, and so uneven in its grind, that I took it back within a week.

I did find a very good cheap knife last Fall at Lee Valley Tools. It is their $23 French Peasant's Knife, a 7 inch blade with a well balanced handle. I reach for it just as often as my 10 inch Sabatier, and it has held up through the winter season with a few strokes on the steel. Although carbon steel, it is easy to keep shiny. It is made in Taiwan, comes in a sturdy oriental box, and has been really well designed and finished by LV. I'll probably buy two or three more as gifts for new cooks.

[Atahualpa]

I want to know the same thing because I'm awfully tempted. I particularly would like to know about that Santoku blade and the rice cooker. I posted about the whole new line in Cookware hoping for some feedback on it. Nothing yet. Maybe I should bump the thread again and see if there is any new opinions.

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/332835

[Kagemusha]

I'm not all that impressed with Loblaws latest stumbling foray into cookware/kitchenware. They've done it several times before.The appliances are cheesy and no better than the bargain lines at Crappy Tire and Zellers. Same for the knives. I'm seeing many knock-off Santoku-style knives this Xmas season and none look very robust. Saw some "maybe" candidates at Costco but they failed for bad balance and poor handle design, so-so blades notwithstanding.Thanks to FoodTV, serious kitchenware is equated with decor, so looking like the real thing is all that matters--think fake Prada handbags.Zojirushi makes rock solid affordable rice cookers that are downmarket from the Neuro-Fuzzies. For knives, I'd save my pennies for a brand name blade and skip the copies.

[xtal]

Though not the Santoku, I picked up the 8" Chef's knife from a Supercenter store on the weekend. I've used it a bit, and I like it, especially considering its $25 price tag.