Oh lordy, I remember these commercials.

The thing is, they didn't seem quite so cheesy at the time.

Yikes!

Pics or it didn't happen.

Yep, I was going to mention that as well but I had Starbucks on the brain, and their MO is to crush, rather than buy out.

(Unless it's equipment. Then they do both )

TLDR: It's not worth it, and it won't work.

"Specialty" coffees (e.g. espresso-based) require a significant investment in equipment and training. Trying to significantly undercut say Starbucks will require a lot of sunk costs up front. In other words, you will not be able to undercut them and turn a sufficient profit until you're established.

Furthermore, people are (generally) OK with paying current costs for specialty drinks. If you started up a coffee shop and sold drinks at half of *$ cost, you wouldn't suddenly have a lineup of customers. Marketing to actually get people in the door will cost a lot, especially when you're up against the behemoth competition.

BUT, let's say for the sake of argument, that you manage it. You have established yourself as a popular destination that makes good drinks for three bucks less than then competition. You've opened up a few franchises, and things are going well.

That's when Starbucks (or whoever) drops their price by $3.50 to squeeze you out. They can afford it. They can afford to give coffee away for probably six months in a major single market, without suffering too much.

Other TLDR: Capitalism is cruel.

Possibly an NMR facility. Look for warnings about high magnetic fields.

My Ikea knife is no longer available, sadly. It was a clear step above their current (still surprisingly good) offerings, and I only paid $20 for it.

edit: Actually, Ikea's line has grown considerably since I was last there. Depending on the edge angle, they look to be potentially excellent.

> edge retention on the fibrox sucks

Well then you're talking about a knife that's not properly sharpened anymore.

A properly sharpened Victorinox can absolutely be scary sharp. With a steel, it'll stay that way for...a while. Not nearly as long as my Masakage, but when it's first sharpened, it's pretty much on par.

> a cheap knife properly maintained will work far better than an expensive one never sharpened.

Yes yes yes, a thousand times yes!

You can make almost any knife scary sharp. The benefits of better knives come in terms of how long it stays sharp, balance, construction, etc.; but dull knives are miserable to use and dangerous.

I'm not a fan of MLMs to start with, so they have that going against them. For a stamped knife out of mild steel, they're way too expensive - the Victorinox is a better choice there. In fact, the Misen knives are forged out of better steel, and still cheaper. Then there's the hollow-ground edge, which I plain dislike. Then there's the fact that they have a great sharpening policy (free for life except for shipping costs), but you'll have to use it too often.

Bottom line: There are better knives for less money that don't involve questionable business practices. They really don't have anything in their favour.

Absolutely great points.

Out of the knives I have, there are a small few that get used a lot:

• Cheap-ass chef's knife from Ikea (shockingly good steel!) for general purpose abuse
• Really really nice Japanese Gyuto for most of my breakdown/prep work
• A handful of inexpensive and interchangeable paring knives
• A good potato peeler
• A serrated bread knife
• A serrated tomato knife
• A carving knife

These are my used knives though, and will vary from person to person depending on what you cook and eat. Honestly, I could probably lose the carving and tomato knives from that list and be no worse off in the kitchen.

Meanwhile, the boning knife doesn't get much use at all; nor do the cleaver, the santoku, or the mid-sized utility knife (which was my very first good knife, 35 years ago). However, if I were doing a lot of Asian prep, I'd probably use the cleaver all the time. If I were breaking down more primal cuts or whole fish, I'd probably use the boning knife a lot more. My wife finds the full-sized chef's knives uncomfortable, so tends towards the utility knife. It is all about what you do, and what feels comfortable for your cooking.

1. Don't buy a set. Buy specific knives as you need them. Realistically, you may well do with a chef's knife and a paring knife.
2. Realistically most chefs I know use the Victorinox Fibrox knives professionally. They're cheap (although not as much as they used to be!), sharp, easily resharpened, tough, and have an anti-slip grip.
3. Personally though, I like my fancy Japanese knives. Do they cut better than a properly sharpened Victorinox? No, probably not. Will they last longer? Maybe, although we're talking about how many heirs you'd be handing it down to.

Bottom line, most good knives are BIFL; and knives are an intensely personal choice. Go try a bunch out if you can, or just get a Victorinox 10" Chef's knife and call it a day.

(P.S. I would NOT NOT NOT go near Cutco!)

EDIT: I almost forgot - get a good steel and learn to use it!

And as /u/fazalmajid points out, keep your knives sharp! A sharp cheap knife will out-do a dull nice knife any day of the week.

Oh! Look who thinks he's Clever Dan!

Seriously, this makes perfect sense. Roller bearing toilet paper.

But how do you hang it?

Some women.

Some men.

Saying 'a vast majority' is complete bullshit. So is your projection of your personal feelings onto men as a whole.

In shorr, different people, male AND female, like different stuff.

Fluff news if ever there was such a thing.

In short: Atmosphere.

A lot of meteors that come in contact with earth burn up in the atmosphere, and don't make an impact.

Furthermore, there are a lot of impact craters that have been worn down by weather, covered over by plant growth, and so forth - again, essentially due to the fact that we have an atmosphere.

At age five, you start school. Most of your waking life is then spent in education, until you graduate and get a job. You spend the next half a century working to afford a car, house, and family; and eventually you get to the point of financial comfort - right before you die.