Rant: I was wrong about cheap boning knives for 3 years

I always thought spending $30 on a boning knife was stupid when a $10 one did the job. Then my elbow started hurting after every shift at the shop downtown. My coworker finally talked me into trying his Victorinox, and the difference in how much less force I used was crazy. Over the next month my elbow pain faded and I stopped needing to resharpen every 20 minutes. Anyone else held out on upgrading tools and regret waiting so long?

3 comments

3 Comments

ward.jamie1mo ago

Wait, have you tried cutting with a dull knife after using a sharp one for a while? It's like night and day. I had a similar thing happen with my old chef's knife at home, not a boning knife but still. I used this cheap one for years and my wrist started popping every time I chopped onions. Finally got a decent one from a garage sale for $5, and my wrist stopped making noise within a week. Funny how we put up with pain because we think the cheap stuff is good enough.

the_terry1mo ago

That $5 garage sale find is a steal man. I picked up an old carbon steel chef's knife at a flea market for $3 and it changed how I feel about even just slicing a tomato.

aaron_perry1mo ago

Man it's wild how that works with all sorts of tools. I think most people just get used to the extra effort and don't realize they're fighting their gear every day. Like my neighbor used the same rusty pruning shears for years until his hands cramped up bad. He grabbed a cheap new pair at the hardware store for like twelve bucks and suddenly trimming bushes didn't wreck his grip anymore. It's the same story with kitchen knives, garden tools, even computer mice if you think about it. People just settle for what's familiar instead of what actually works.