As promised, here is my initial review of the Kiwi knives.
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I'm a self-admitted knife freak. I love the smell of sharp steel in the
morning. My usual blades are Japanese
Global knives. They are brutally
sharp, feel great in your hand, are solid stainless steel, and hold an edge
very well.
Recently I've read quite a few
reviews that sing the praises of Kiwi knives.
Last week I read
this review, and it prompted me to see what all the hype
is about. I ordered the 11" blunt "meat knife" and the paring knife from
The
Wok Shop. Including shipping, they cost me $10.90. Yes, you read that
correctly. They were $3.95 and $1.95, respectively, plus shipping. I
ordered them Tuesday afternoon and they were at my door Friday, so I
give kudos to The Wok Shop for their prompt service.
Having read about the incredible sharpness of these knives, I was more
than a little curious when I tore open the box. Now, for just shy of $11 to
my door, I was not expecting all that much. Man, these things take "scary
sharp" to a whole new level. They are like razor blades with handles --
seriously. You hear about "knives you can shave with", well, these things
should have "Gillette" stamped on them. I'm not intimidated by knives, but
these made me pay very close attention to what I was doing.
As for the quality, I will say that, along with the sharpness, I was surprised
at how thin and flexible the blades are. Most knives have a taper from the
tip to the heel. Well, these are clearly stamped out of a flat sheet of
stainless steel, so there is no taper, which brings me back to my comment
about them being like razor blades with a handle. They are very light and
feel comfortable in my hand.
I put the knives through some trials this weekend and I am very pleased so
far. Of course, one weekend of cooking is clearly not nearly enough of a
workout to gauge the overall quality and usefulness of anything in the
kitchen. I will continue to use them and report back in a few months with
my final verdict.
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John
