Appreciation post: The guy who swore by a $40 boning knife from a hardware store

I thought he was nuts until I used his knife on a side of beef last week and it held an edge better than my old $150 blade. Has anyone else had a cheap tool completely change their mind?

3 comments

3 Comments

faithpatel15d agoTop Commenter

Oh man, the great cheap knife debate. I love how we all turn into steel experts online. Maybe his old $150 blade was just a bad one, and the hardware store got lucky with a good batch of metal. Either way, my wallet is rooting for the cheap knife.

sam_cooper15d ago

held an edge better than my old $150 blade" is the part that gets me. I've been burned too many times by cheap stuff that feels okay at first but falls apart fast. That hardware store knife might work great now, but I'd bet money it won't last like a proper tool will. You get what you pay for in the long run, and a side of beef isn't the same as years of regular use.

hunt.jennifer15d ago

Yeah, the "side of beef isn't the same as years of regular use" line is so true. I read this thing once where a chef said a cheap knife can feel sharp out of the box, but the steel is too soft... it rolls over fast and won't take a good edge again after a few real sharpenings. That's the hidden cost they don't tell you about.