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Spent $140 on a decent chef knife, my wrists finally forgive me | Chefs - Free To Speak

Spent $140 on a decent chef knife, my wrists finally forgive me

After 12 years working kitchens, I always bought the cheap $20 knives from restaurant supply and just dealt with the hand cramps and constant sharpening. Last month I finally dropped $140 on a proper Japanese-style chef knife with a thinner blade and a handle that actually fits my grip. The difference is night and day, I can chop a case of onions without stopping to shake out my hand, and the edge holds for a full week of service instead of one shift. I used to think expensive knives were for show, but now I see they are really about saving your body over the long haul. My only regret is not doing it sooner, I probably spent more on pain cream and replacement cheap blades over the years. Does anyone else have a tool that they wish they had upgraded way earlier in their career, or am I the only one who suffered needlessly for a decade?

2 comments

2 Comments

ivanbell19d ago

Bought a $300 pair of work boots back in 2014 after ten years of buying $50 ones that fell apart every six months. My feet used to ache so bad I’d soak them in epsom salt three times a week, but I figured expensive boots were just for guys who wanted to look cool on the line. Now I’m on year five with the same pair, and I’ve only had to re-sole them once. The math was always there, I just refused to do it because I thought suffering was part of the job. Glad you finally got the knife, but now you’re gonna start looking at every tool different and that’s a dangerous rabbit hole.

hannah32019d ago

The boots thing hit close to home. I spent six months driving with a cracked heel because I thought replacing them meant admitting I was soft. Turns out I was just being stubborn and dumb, which is kind of my whole brand. That rabbit hole you mentioned, yeah, it's real. I bought a decent flashlight last year and now I'm sitting here researching torque wrenches for a car I don't even own yet. It never ends. But honestly, the cheap stuff costs more in the long run. My back and my wallet both agree on that one, even if my ego still wants to fight it.