Where can I buy a knife?

[DilemmaDelilah]

I want to buy a good kitchen knife. I have one I bought from Sainsbury's about 40 years ago that is perfect. It is the right weight, the right size, the right shape, not too flimsy, it's perfect.... Except that the tip got broken off several years ago and I'm finding that I just can't get it sharp any more.

I made the mistake of buying a kitchen devil cooks knife a month or so ago - on a recommendation - and it's just too flimsy. It bends! It came all sealed in plastic so I couldn't tell how flimsy it was before I got it home. It's OK for meat, but show it a swede or a decent sized carrot and it trembles....

so - I want to know where... in an actual physical shop.... I can look at and handle proper sharp kitchen knives before I buy one. Is that even possible any more? I live in a small city that used to have a couple of good Cooks Shops, but they have gone now. We don't even have a Debenhams any more. We do still have a John Lewis - would they have kitchen knives that a customer can handle?

Please don't just recommend brands of knives - I need to handle a knife to know if it is any good. Just point me towards a place where I can do that please. If it helps... I'm in the South West...

Highly recommend Sabatier knives. I got mine from John Lewis

My Mum has a really sturdy chopping knife which she got from Lakeland. Here. Doesn't wobble at all.

I love Sabatier knives, and Homesense usually has some decent ones in.

I have 2 lovely knives from Victorinox

I got some Jamie Oliver knives from the home store years ago and they're still going strong!!! Lasting for much longer than I'd expected tbh!

John Lewis do have knives , but you may need to ask for assistance as they're kept out of reach nowadays . I'm sure if you explain they'll bring you out any you'd particularly like to look at / handle .

Is there a ProCook shop near you? They will give you loads of advice and even keep chopping boards and veg in store so you can try actually using the knives before you buy. I have 3 of their knives and they are brilliant.

Borough Kitchen

South West is huge - if you can get to Exeter, John Lewis may have some to try?
Do you have any cook shops near you? They're usually your best option for try before you buy.

Oops, sorry, I did that MN thing of not reading your OP 🫣
I remember a fabulous cook shop in Princesshay, but I guess that's gone?

There’s a great shop in Coal Drops yard if you’re ever in London. https://www.kitchenprovisions.co.uk/
I know what you mean about knives though … when you’ve found the one, it’s hard to use another. I bought a Japanese steel knife from the 50s/60s by Dionne Lucas, in a thrift store in New York about twenty years ago - it cost a dollar. I’ve used it ever since & bought several more from eBay over the years. My sister has one and I have one in our little caravan too 😂 nothing works the same!

Kitchens in Bath will be able to help you.

Sorry, just checked. Seems it's had a rebrand to ProCooks. It's on Quiet Street and been there forever. They were brilliant and I could try and hold all the branded ones. I still have my Globals and Sabatier bought 25 years ago.

If you're deepest darkest south west and near Truro. Pro cook are really helpful and Mallets Homehard ware have a good selection too.

Home Sense usually a good section of knives …. Locked up but staff are helpful, some not in plastic .

As others have said John Lewis would be good as they have a large selection - not sure how far south west you are but there are also shops like Lakeland you could go to. Wimborne in Dorset has a lovely kitchen supplies store called Salamander that have a variety of knives you can try.

This. I have had mine for 30 years since I did catering as part of my degree. Bought 2 more recently from Boundry Mill.

John Lewis. Personally I prefer JL to Sabatoer but you can try them out. It was a sad day when my favourite knife gave up the ghost.

I've never been able to find a physical shop that sells them, unfortunately, but my best knives have all been victorinox.

Before you go to John Lewis I would check that you can actually handle the knives - it might just be ours but I was told that they weren't allowed to open the display cabinet during store opening hours which wasn't very helpful!

I got my Sabatier knives from TK Maxx .

If there's a Nisbets near you have a look there.

I want to try them out too, OP. I do an awful lot of chopping up of veg, and use an old Prestige knife with about a 15 cm serrated blade. After it went missing for a bit dh ordered 2 fairly expensive replacements - American - but they’re no good, not for me - they don’t cut straight! Where can I find a knife like my old one - around a 15 cm serrated blade, that isn’t bendy??

Robert Welch at John Lewis or one of their shops. We have their cutlery and a few kitchen knives. Well worth trying.

Tk max?