Buy it for life | This versatile Japanese chef’s knife has lasted longer than some of my relationships

Basically anything short of a stamped metal boning knife is "buy for life" if you actually know how to sharpen it. No, not the grinders but a whetstone. And then just hone it (optimally every time you use it... so like once every other month).

Different metals will dull/misalign faster but basically no home chef will really have to worry about that. It is only really an issue when you are dicing dozens of pounds of veg a day (so restaraunt and some recipe developers). And the big difference there is just that you are sharpening once or twice a week instead of two or three times a year.

The real benefit to a more expensive knife is almost always balance and ergonomics of the handle. And unless you know what you want, you are just going to waste a lot of money.

Saying "this knife is buy it for life" is like saying "this hammer is buy it for life".

One other caveat. A lot of people will see a youtube chef cut through the joint of a chicken leg or carve out the spine or something similar. Unless you know what you are doing, that is where those cheap stamped metal boning knives come in handy. THAT is how you chip and break a blade because you weren't actually cutting through the cartilage (?) connecting the joints and were instead hacking through the bones themselves.

I recently replaced my hammer because it wore out.
- If you’re serious, certainly you are working with it daily?!
BIFL tags for kitchen knives differ for the average buyer since I assume most people do not sharpen their knives. So how well knives retain their sharpness will be the main factor for the average buyer.
- No, they don't.
  A dull knife is a dangerous knife that is frustrating to use. And if you use a knife, it will dull. Saying "this is BIFL even if you don't sharpen it" is like saying "this car is BIFL because you only have to change its oil half as much".
Yep, I’ve still got the same bog standard Sabatier set from 1990 or something that my parents gave up because they think sharp knives are more dangerous to cut with.
- "Treaded tires are more dangerous to drive with than bald ones."

I have a Kershaw Shun 10" chef and 4" paring knife set that has lasted longer than all of my relationships put together (~20 years). I sharpen them on a 1000 grit stone. The wood handle still sits seamless with the pommel, and they will cut through paper loosely held. I keep them in simple leather sheaves that I crafted myself.

Point being, I think any good quality Japanese chef knife has the potential to be BIFL.

Real Japanese knives are all BIFL. Japanese bladesmiths take pride in quality above all else.
My MAC knives are older than I am.
- That fucking rules.

I'm 90% sure this whole fancy chefs knife thing is a scam. My knife is the cheapest one I could find. Been 15 years and it still does the job. I mean you have to sharpen it but that's about it. Granted I'm also not a chef so this is for daily cooking

Maybe I'm not using my knives enough and/or I don't care about dullness, but my cheapo knives are lasting a long time too. Haven't had to throw one out yet.

Get them sharpened, and you will notice how dull they are. It usually happens so slowly with infrequent use that you just don't notice it.
- Hell, just get a whetstone and spend a little time rubbing your cheap knives. Does fine, and is pretty much all the knife deserves.
True story, we have a serrated knife, that was given as a free gift during some grocery store demo (for something I don't remember) at least 23 years ago.
We use still use it daily 😂

Love Global knifes. Wish I could afford a full set.

Paywalled, but that's a picture of a global knife. I have a few - not a full set. People really hate to hear this, but the reason I love them is that since they are one piece and all steel, they hold up really well in the dishwasher. Yes it accelerates dulling, but I have a knife rack in the machine and I sharpen them every six months.

Provided they don't bump around too much in the dishwasher that's not so bad, a quick hone afterwards should realign the edge after its been warped by the temperature differences.
My old victorinox from apprenticeship days goes through the machine all the time, I pay a lot of attention to the handle for that reason but it holds up reasonably well for soft steel with a quick hone.

I've had my set of Henkels Professional S knives for over 20 years. Non-stop use.

My wustof is rolling up on 10 years. Loving it.

Victorinox Fibrox boning knife for the win. If you know you know. Cheap, excellent oversized handle. Multiple certifications. Great knife. It's my go to kitchen knife. I Home cook everyday from raw and base resources.

I'll stick with my affordable Nikiri knife thanks.

Friends don't let friends buy knives with bolsters.

I have a carbon steel knife a buddy of mine made, has lasted 10+ years. Holds a decent edge, so I can even shave my arm hair with it when it's freshly sharpened.

Also have some cheap ass Kiwi brand paring knives made from kind of extremely soft stainless steel. Very easy to sharpen. They get used as steak knives, for cutting cheese, apples, etc.