[Shrinky Smurf]

I love knives. My wife gives me a hard time, but there is something nice, in an almost primitive way, about the aesthetic of holding a perfectly matched and balanced blade in your hand. Knives can be very personal. Wustof Classic and Shun are my favorite kitchen knives to date. You can get the Shun steel crazy sharp. The santoku version with the dimples in the blade was a game changer for me. The dimples really help keep veggies (potatoes, onions, etc.) from sticking to the side of the blade, and Wustof’s santoku has enough curve on the belly for a rocking cut motion, it is flat enough to not leave uncut pieces of food sticking to each other. I find a 5 inch santoku blade, paired with a good paring knife, works well as a multi-purpose kitchen blade/combo for me, but it’s a preference thing. Some people like a 10 inch blade. Chef style blades are classic for a reason. Some people like to be able to work knowing where the side of the blade is, using their knuckles to guide. Get what feels good to you. You’ll be less likely to have a mishap if you are comfortable with it.

I like a 2 1/2 to 3 inch blades to field dress and skin whitetail, with specific shapes and jimping to secure my index finger or thumb at times on the top of the blade. But you’ll see some guys at camp prefer 6 inch Bowie’s style knives, and they do just fine. A lot of it is personal preference. Just like audio, it’s fun to play around with the feel of different knives. You will know you have the correct blade for you when it feels like an extension of your hand.

I’ve tried a lot of different ways of sharpening, but have found that hand sharpening on a set of diamond stones works best for me. I use a steel to touch up the edge during general use. It has always worked well for that purpose for me, but is limited in “sharpening.” My grandfather was a butcher before turning to farming, and I have fond memories of him working his carbon steel butcher knife on his well-worn steel. My father also. When I was a kid it just seemed magically dangerous, in some way. I was drawn to it from the allure of a boy looking up to his father and grandfather.