Ordered it online and haven't received it yet, but it felt great in the store.
sorry, didn't know she was a she!
but yeah, they retail for around $200 for that knife. A 4.5" onion is about $100
Wusthof makes some very nice knives as well. If you are looking for a nice block loaded with knives, this is a good starter...
http://www.google.com/products/cata...sa=X&ei=FjZOT8LYBo-psALT5u0Q&ved=0CIUBEPMCMAI
Yup, paid $200 on Amazon.
Wusthof makes good German knives, certainly, but unless you're buying a gift, I'd avoid the economy line, go with a higher-quality line of knife, and buy one or two versus a block for the same price. Obviously that's what I did, but I did it for a reason!
That book I posted earlier, An Edge in the Kitchen, was very informative.
Anyway, I decided on Japanese knives because they're harder, sharper, and lighter, much more so than the Germans. The "Ken Onion" series by Shun caught my eye because of the ergonomics, which feels better in my hand, particularly with a pinch grip. The rocking motion is really smooth with it, too. And having been in the military, I knew of Ken Onion and his great knife designs.
Shun had the other things I was looking for like high hardness (61 on the Rockwell Scale), high carbon content, not a full bolster, more acute bevel (16° each side) to be even sharper, and great balance.
Can't wait to start using it! I definitely defer to a chef's knife more than anything.
Finally decided to purchase it.
Such a great game.
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Also got some small kitchen stuff.
Bodum coffee cups.
Some beautiful olive wood tools.
Marble mortar and pestle.
Black Truffle Salt. Quite delicious.