Not to jam the chefs knife answers because they are legit but I like my santoku more.

Chef's knife. I expect if you asked 100 people who cook a lot you'd get 95+ saying the exact same thing. There is always a few that prefer a santoku or Chinese cleaver, and that is fine too.

I do 99% of my cutting with a 8" chef's knife and a paring knife.....

8” Chef’s knife is a workhorse in the kitchen. I have one from Global I’ve had for 15 years

Samesame. I rarely reach for any other knife apart for a small curved pairing knife.

If I could only keep one of my knives it would be my Victorinox Swiss Classic Santoku Knife. I use it for almost everything.

Whetever fits in your hand best, and makes you want to use it. It could be 70yr old clunker from grandmas drawer, or a $+500 laser. I know this doesn't answer your question, but it really is the truth.

Kiwi

idk, haven't tried all of them

Konosuke Fujiyama FM

Victorinox pairing for me. Thin and cheap. Even comes in pink handles

The best chef knife is the one you are able to keep sharp and use often.

This is largely up to your budget, and what you will use it for. If your use it for line use during service, something tough and multi use while probably not being too long would be your best bet. So western brands like victorinox or Mercer would be my budget choices with more expensive options being wusthof classic/ikon, zwilling, messermeister, or F. Dick. If you wanted Japanese something like global, Mac, or tojiro would fit the bill. If you do more precise or specialty cutting like butchery or bulk veg prep I’d have different suggestions.

Edit: but as others have said, make sure you can properly take care of a cheap knife before you buy an expensive one. A Stone is cheaper than a new knife.

Bourdain loved that 8" Global chefs knife.

A sharp one.

I’ve had a set of Wusthof for 21 years that are amazing. I consistently use the sharpening steel and then send them out every few years to be professionally sharpened.

Wüsthof are great German-made workhorses. For cheaper you have Victorinox. Treat them well and they’ll last a lifetime

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Chef's choice 15xv. Not to sound rude, but you obviously don't know what you're doing and you're not going to get good results trying to learn how to use a whetstone. Buy this tool. It's pretty much idiot proof and will give you amazing results.

The Wüsthof classic ikon starter set is the best imo

Yeah, I use a whetstone. They're not that hard to learn, and practicing with your current mid-range knives is perfect. You won't be worried about ruining them, and once you get the hang of it you may decide you don't even need new knives.

I would suggest you get a Shapton Pro 1000 stone, which I found just now online for $40.

And I learned to sharpen by watching Youtube videos. I like the series from the following three sources, they basically all teach the same technique so just choose whichever one you vibe with (no need to watch all of them):

• Japanese Knife Imports: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB3jkRi1dKs&list=PLEBF55079F53216AB
• Korin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zRNT1v0-7s&list=PLsSxXLQSZIe__A5THcrFGto9_PSkXWiN6
• Knife Planet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2GZQOgOw68&list=PLyB1Deb7A6Qy-FA8LzZIXnqmgg-whpiB3

https://www.victorinox.com/us/en/Products/Cutlery/Chef%27s-Knives/SwissClassic-Carving-Knife-8-inch-fluted-edge/p/6.8083.20G

Gotta say, this is hard to beat. Just a Fibrox with santoku flutes. If it only came in pretty colors too.

This all the way. Knife is $35 usually and stands the test of time. Super sharp, stays sharp, easy clean.

Advice from a pro chef perspective - you don't need all those knives for home use. Get a Fujiwara FKM or Tojiro DP 210mm chefs knife/gyuto, that is the perfect size for a home cook, large enough to handle home meals, small enough to not be unwieldy. You don't need a santoku or paring knife, and I would not allow the thought of "incase it's dirty and I don't want to clean it." Clean and dry your knife after every use, it's a good habit, takes literally 15 seconds.

Bread knife, just get whatever is cheap, you are only cutting bread. Tojiro bread slicer is a good choice, it's maybe $22.

These two knives will land you around $100, and I would be comfortable working a pro kitchen with just these (though maybe a longer gyuto).

Edit: if you go this route, use the $50 you have left in your budget for a decent wooden cutting board (or a sani-tuff rubber board). A quality cutting board that doesn't beat up your knife's edge is an often overlooked piece of the equation in keeping your kit sharper for longer.

Do you really need chef AND santoku? I was a big fan of santokus until i realized that they are just useless. And chef knife can do it all.

Don’t buy a set! Will get shit you barely use.

For that price I’d look at a good main chef knife as this will be your main work horse kinda thing, and get some cheaper pairing knives and a sharpener / steel.

Other than the main knife, there rest aren’t worth spending much on. I’ve had. £1.50 plastic bread knife for 10 years. I’d never spend £££ on something like that. Better to save it and put more into the main knife, I think.

If your looking for a brand, wusthof is supposed to be good. Classic range chef knife is about £90-£100 on Amazon. They also do a cheaper Gourmet range which has chef knife at £45.

I picked up a utility knife from Misen when it was on sale a while ago. It’s between the size of a chef’s knife and a paring knife and I use it a lot more than I thought I would. I’ve since heard some not great reports on Misen quality (though I’ve had no problems) so I wouldn’t necessarily recommend the brand but I do recommend that type of knife.

Great knives! All you really need is a good 8 inch chef knife, paring knife and a bread knife. Other good brands wusthof, henckel, global. Any proper industrial knives are way better than the home kitchen knives you see advertised. I would stay away from the fancy Japanese knives because they require special care and are more fragile.

I'd combine the santoku and chef budgets and grab a better chef.

Here’s are some of the knives recommended by America’s test kitchen:

Victorinox Fibrox Pro Chef's Knife, 8-Inch Chef's https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008M5U1C2/

Mercer Culinary Millennia Bread Knife, 10-Inch Wavy Edge Wide, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000PS1HS6/ — https://youtu.be/GWewefvCZXM

Victorinox 1-Piece Paring Knife Fibrox Handle 3-1/4-Inch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001V3UYG/ — https://youtu.be/wBRLzf4iBno

I was a professional cook for a little while, these knives are popular in restaurants and culinary schools and you don’t really to need to spend any more than their price.

Note: for whatever reason, I can’t find ATK’s video on their chef knife recommendation, but here’s a statement from their website: “Update FEBRUARY 2019 Year after year the Victorinox Swiss Army Fibrox Pro 8” Chef’s Knife takes home top honors in our tests. For more than a decade, we've stocked at least 50 of these knives in our test kitchen and our cooks use them every day for slicing, dicing, mincing, and carving. The Victorinox has truly withstood the test of time and remains our top knife choice for most home cooks”

I think the santoku plus chef knife is redundant, especially for someone on a budget.

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/ccksmclstha.html

What about a Chinese cleaver? That one is all, and I mean all, stainless.

As for your sharpening frequency, more than once a year will probably be required for any knife you plan to use regularly. To extend the periods between sharpening sessions, a high quality end grain or Hasegawa style cutting board and proper technique will go a long way.

Get a Masutani !

https://carbonknifeco.com/collections/nakiri-usuba/products/masutani-vg1-hammered-nakiri-165mm

Here's an example of a Chinese cleaver that a Chinese home cook might buy:

https://wokshop.com/shop/product/shibazi-all-purpose-cleaver-m0717-1/?v=7516fd43adaa

$25

This one is from the wok shop in San Francisco

At restaurant supply stores,, consider CCK, Dexter Russell

the most expensive might cost $100

I gotta say for a first real knife I would go with a gyuto regardless of what your cutting. A nakiri is a specialized knife a gyuto is a basic knife

The whustof classic 8 inch chef's knife is considered by many to be the gold standard.

BTW, here's the Amazon List of Chef Knives Recommended by other Reddit Members here.

Tojiro DP Gyutou - 8.2" (21cm). Pro grade knife for very reasonable price

BTW, here's the Amazon List of Chef Knives Recommended by other Reddit Members here.

The whustоf clаssic 8 inch chef's knifе is considerеd by many to be the gold standard.

BTW, here's thе Amazon List of Chef Knives Recommended by other Reddit Members here.

It's highly personal, no one right answer. I started with a Wusthof and it served me well for 20 years, then I finally bought a nice Japanese knife, and I love it. German knives tend to be heavier and softer steel, but easy to sharpen, although the full bolster can be an issue. Japanese tend to be thinner and lighter, but harder to sharpen. That said, theyll hold an edge longer on average. Honestly, as long as it is forged, not stamped, and is made from high carbon steel, should do the trick, try a few at a home goods store and see which feel best in your hand. Wusthof, Henckels, Global, are all decent quality. Learn to sharpen and use a steel or send out for sharpening every 6 months to a year, and you will be happy. If you wanna get crazy, check out chefknivestogo.com for the handmade Japanese knives.

Wrong sub but I can point you to my response in this other off-topic post in this sub: https://www.reddit.com/r/Kitchenaid/comments/v0w9io/looking_to_purchase_a_solid_kitchen_knife_set_but/

the TLDR is: buy cheap food service knives. Victorinox is most people's go-to but Mercer, Messesrmeister, etc also work. If you want high-end knives you can check out /r/ChefsKnives but that's for if you are looking for a new and expensive hobby.

Wusthof. I've had mine for years, they are incredible knives

Victorinox will have something for around $100.

What’s your budget?

We use the Victorinox religiously and love it. We actually have the whole set. Victorinox Fibrox

I finally bought this Dalstrong knife block, After years of buying various knives for kitchen use. It was transformational in terms of kitchen work. What a difference! The knife is comfortable, and it cuts through meat and vegetables so smoothly and easily without any 'tearing'. I was so impressed, I spent the money to get this entire knife set. My wife started to use them and had the same experience - she could not believe we lived all these years with lower-quality kitchen knives. If you wonder if spending money on quality knives like this is worth it - the answer is a definite yes! It makes food prep easy, and there is a knife for every job. You will not regret this purchase and can give away all those inexpensive, pretty, brightly colored knives in your drawer

These - Dalstrong Knife Block Set are amazing knives. They cut the best. I've never had knives that cut so smooth through meat, veggies, and fruit. I purchased a much larger set than I need, so now I need to see what the other knives can do. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

This Zwilling knife set is Ameizing! I cannot believe I held off investing in buying a good set of knives until now. I love cooking and do a lot of it. These knives make a world of difference and are light which is my preference. I was a bit skeptical when a lot of reviews mentioned that the knives fit loosely in the block and was worried about them falling or looking unorganized. I have to say that they aren’t snug, but they also aren’t hanging at different angles/loose or easy to tip. When the package arrived, my husband was being sarcastic about how it was a waste of money and wanted to test them. Needless to say, he was like WOW. Recommend, worth investing!

These Dalstrong knives have been with me for about a year. I decided to hold off on writing a review until after I had had some use.
The knives are excellent. They are incredibly sharp and I use the provided honing rod. I use every knife, but I use the chef's knife the most because it's heavy-duty and well-made.
As soon as we use them, we hand wash and dry them. There have been no rust problems for us. Additionally, there haven't been any issues with the handle breaking.
The one small complaint I have is that, contrary to my liking, the steak knives are not serrated.
All things considered, I believe the knives are a good set and well worth the cost.