ChefKnivesToGo Old Forum Site

For those of you who have been paying attention we've made some big changes to our product lines over the past 5 years and have slowly been getting rid of the name brand German stuff and lines that don't sell very well, in favor of small Japanese makers, small US makers and my own line of knives. If you look at our close out section you can see what's on the way out: http://www.chefknivestogo.com/closeouts.html

Last May's trip to Japan was an eye opener for me and I picked up a ton of stuff from makers I didn't even know existed a year ago. I'm planning another trip to Japan in the spring and I want to continue the process of pruning lines that don't fit our store's current theme to make room for the new items we will be picking up next year.

So, feel free to suggest knives and stones and accessories you think might be worth dumping. I'll be going through the same process and it's always helpful to see not only what you guys like but also what you don't like.

I would say dump the F.Dick, unless it's a hot seller. I prefer Victorionox...

Yeah we only sell their rods well and could certainly dump the knives. Australian customers buy them frequently for some reason.

I wouldn't dump shun. Searching for shuns is how I found your site. And my eyes are now wide open . But they are one of maybe two japanese knives that most regular folks know. I would think having them gets you a much wider audience.

I could see dumping tamahagane, they don't ever seem to get recommended.

second LucaBrasi, I found the site looking for shuns and walked away with a couple of konosuke HD's. what an eye opener that was

Shuns fit the store well. They're more mass market but that's ok if the knives perform well and they do. I'm thinking Messermeister knives should be discontinued.

We've got more good stuff coming so I need shelf space.

Not sure I want to pick up MORE stones! We have too many as it is.

Would you consider dropping Konosuke and Takeda, I cannot afford them right now

The Messermiester, the best of the German knives I've seen from a sharpening standpoint, beats the heck out of any standard production Henckels. Probably one of the best German knives nobody has heard of. I won't recommend a Henckels to anyone. Unfortunately most remember the Henckels name because the market is flooded with them.

"The Messermiester, the best of the German knives I've seen from a sharpening standpoint, beats the heck out of any standard production Henckels."

Funny, I like the Messermiester best of the German brands. That said I wouldn't buy one, so I hesitate to protest if Mark dumps them.

I would look at dumping some the sharpening accessories like the blade guides and polishing cloths. Other things like Wusthof sharpener,
Kyocera sharpener, Tojiro Pro Roll Sharpener or some of the other roll sharpeners. How many do you need? Basically more of the gadget stuff that might not sell well.