Reddit reviews Kai 6720C Wasabi Black Chef's Knife, 8-Inch
We found 10 Reddit comments about Kai 6720C Wasabi Black Chef's Knife, 8-Inch. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Japanese style chef's knife, multi purpose knife used for slicing, dicing and general kitchen prepMade with Daido 1K6 high-carbon, stainless steel for superior edge retentionEmbellished with the japanese character for' wasabi'Blades are bead-blasted to an attractive finish, handle is sturdy, clean polypropylene blendHand wash only; limited lifetime warranty, made in Japan
Kai 8" Chef Knife - $24.94 - 6720C Stainless
Same company that makes Shun. Light weight helps for long hours of restaurant prep
I have several knives.
My most used knife, and the one I like the most is a 8 inch Wüsthof classic. I really like the balance and the grip of this one.
I also have a Mac Chef's Knife, 7-1/4-Inch. This is stamped, not forged, but for just a few dollars more than the Victorinox you get a knife that actually sits and balances well in your hand and it's made of much better steel. I actually bought it in a brick and mortar store for about $20.
It's not as well balanced as the Wüsthof, but I like the fact that it doesn't have a full bolster. It's much easier to sharpen. If I would start anew I would get half-bolster designs for my expensive knives, but it's really no big deal at all.
I also have Tojiro DP Gyutou. The price varies, now it's a few dollars more expensive than the Victorinox, but I bought it cheaper. This is an excellent knife with better steel than the above knives. The grip is fantastic. The balance is good, but not quite as good as the Wüsthof, nothing really gets there for me, but it's good. Again the lack of a full bolster is a great feature of this knife.
Personally now I think that the Wüsthof Ikon lines are better than the classic series, because of the half-bolster design, but I didn't know this years back when I bought my classic.
Also, I keep saying that these knives feel so good in the hand compared to the Victorinox but this is a very subjective thing and people should try for themselves. I know some people love the Victorinox, if that's the case, go for it; personally, I can't stand it. PinchGrip4Lyfe.
I also have a J.A. HENCKELS INTERNATIONAL Forged Synergy 8-inch Chef's Knife. This is cheaper than the Victorinox. The balance is pretty good, but the grip is not as good as the knives posted above. It's still light-years better than the Victorinox grip though.
If I had to buy a cheap knife I would get Kai 6720C Wasabi Black Chef's Knife, 8-Inch. This is way cheaper than the Victorinox. That being said, I haven't tested it.
My goal here is not to convince anyone that the Victorinox is awful. I know some people really like the grip, but to make clear that at around the same price point there are many knives, and you should get which one feels best in your hand. Victorinox is not the only option for cheap knives, unlike what the reddit gospel says!
The steel in the victorinox is definitely softer. Here's my current suggestions for people thinking about buying cheaper knives.
(Copy and pasted from something I've posted before, but with some updates)
TL;DR: In the category of budget knives. For longer lasting edges, Tojiro DP Santoku or Gyuto for $43 and $52 (now $62) respectively, or the Augymer for $30. For easier maintenance, Kai 6720C or Henckels Forged Synergy for $32 and $35, respectively.
As a caveat, budget knives of all sorts are not going to have the fit and finish of higher priced knives. For Knives that are easy to obtain lump you into two categories that have pros and cons, German hardness and Japanese hardness. Which is mainly a trade off between sharpness/edge holding vs durability/ease of maintenance. Although you can sharpen really soft metals to be stupid sharp and a really acute angle, it will not last long at all. But when the edge gets rolled over from a cutting session, it can be easily honed back into place. Harder knives can still be honed back into place, but techniques and tools are slightly different--I would never touch my harder knives with a grooved steel.
German hardness is usually around 56-58 hrc. Hard enough to hold an edge for a bit, but soft enough to not chip and easily steel/hone back into place.
The Victorinox Fibrox at about 55 hrc used to be suggested all the time when it was $20 and even when it was about $35. But now that it is $40-45, that's just too much for what is a very cheap knife.
A couple knives still in this range, which are better quality than the fibrox anyway are:
Kai 6720C Wasabi Black Chef's Knife, 8-Inch at 57-58 hrc for $32
https://www.amazon.com/Kai-6720C-Wasabi-Black-8-Inch/dp/B000YL4NY4
So this one is actually made with Japanese steel by the same company that makes Shun. But, because it's hardened to only 57-58 hrc, I'm lumping it in with the german steel category.
and The Henckels International Forged Synergy 8-inch Chef's Knife at about 57-58 hrc for $32
http://www.amazon.com/HENCKELS-INTERNATIONAL-Forged-Synergy-8-inch/dp/B000FMVS4A
Henckels International (not regular Henckels) used to be really bad because they made their knives to 53-55 hrc, which is way too soft to hold an edge to get through a cooking session without nearly constant honing. I've heard their international classics are still being made w/ the crappy steel.
So your choice between these two are having that big bolster (which I'm not a fan of) and general aesthetic.
Japanese hardness is usually at least 59 hrc, with a good chunk in the 60-62 range. This means potentially better, longer lasting cutting performance between honing/sharpening. The tradeoff is that it becomes more difficult to get to this stage without specialty tools or sending it to a professional sharpener. At this point I personally don't even consider knives under 59 hrc, unless it's something that really takes a beating.
For the cheapest price point, while still having quality. I would really only recommend the Tojiro DP at 60-61 hrc. It used to be about double the prices, but the grinds also used to be more even. Either way, it's still a great buy.
The chef/gyuto is $52 (now $62 hopefully it'll come back down soon)
http://www.amazon.com/Tojiro-DP-Gyutou-8-2-21cm/dp/B000UAPQGS/
And the Santoku is $43
http://www.amazon.com/Tojiro-DP-Santoku-6-7-17cm/dp/B000UAPQEA/
So the main difference here is whatever knife shape you prefer (and the price). I've gotten some cheaper harder steel knives, but I've had to do way too much touching up to be recommended.
There's also the Augymer 8" "Damascus" for $30 allegedly hardened to 62 hrc:
https://www.amazon.com/Augymer-Japanese-Professional-Stainless-Sharp-Damascus/dp/B01H6KWUWC/
I'd be really afraid of fit and finish problems, and generally lower tolerances throughout the process of making this knife. You can even see the uneven grind on the Amazon page. I'd also assume that the hardness is a tad lower than specified (maybe 60 hrc), but it should still be a pretty good knife if you want to pinch your pennies. This could be a great knife with some TLC, especially if you send it to someone who knows what they're doing.
Victorinox, Henckel, or mercer are all good for a reliable American style blade. They are very good for beginner cooks. They will run you anywhere from 60-200 depending on the knife/quality.
If you want to go a step up, check out Shun. Japaneseish style blade, although the cheaper ones are not traditional Japanese edges/metal. You can get their bargain brand (Wasabi I believe its called) for as low as $80 (for an 8 inch chef knife). But I really shun will run anywhere from 120-300+. I was given a Wasabi by some salesmen at my reaturaunt, I actually like it for certain things. Light weight, durable, ergonomic. It has the feel of a Japanese knife with the durability of an American one. I looked on amazon and found it for around $80.
I would either recomend that, or a Victorianox for around the same price.
I like knives.
Edit: here's a couple.
This is the Wasabi. I guess it's only around $50 on Amazon, and on sale right now.
www.amazon.com/Kai-6720C-Wasabi-Black-8-Inch/dp/B000YL4NY4
This is the equivalent victorinox:
www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008M5U1C2/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1450865367&sr=8-2&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=victorinox&dpPl=1&dpID=21fDfo37ZPL&ref=plSrch
What about something relevant to the area you're getting married in? I'm getting married in Maine and giving each bridesmaid a rope bracelet along with some custom earrings from another Etsy jewelry designer.
Here are some other ideas I had that weren't the typical bridesmaid gift:
Where are you getting married? Find something local.
I've been using this knife for the past 6 months after it was recommended in a similar thread. No regrets.
If money is an issue for her, I recommend this knife. It has to be, by far, one of the best deals for a knife in this price range.
Kai Wasabi Santoku or Chef's knife. The WASABI BLACK Series is very affordable.
EDIT# Added price.
$34.95 for the Chef's knife/Santoku if you are in the US. Its about £40 if you are in the UK.
Would a Wasabi be close to what you're looking for? They're not high quality or anything but decent budget knives.
If you miss your Shun you could get a Wasabi. They're made by the same company and the profile is basically identical. Decent grind, steel is a few points harder than Victorinox.
Tojiro DP has come back down to ~$60, cuts about as well as a Shun.