There is a tremendous difference between cheap and expensive knives when it comes to their characteristics. They define the applicability of one or another option to various tasks, while both types have their pros and cons. Therefore, to distinguish the knives by the price, it is vital to assess their principal features alongside considering their suitability to perform operations to make an informed decision when purchasing.
The first aspect of the matter, the characteristics of expensive knives, are related to their design. In general, they have integral bolsters, shorter knife heels, slight hollow and full flat grinds, and exposed tangs (Epicurious, 2018). These parameters allow ensuring smoother food release, and greater safety for people using them due to protective measures, such as finger guards (Epicurious, 2018). However, the presence of these features does not necessarily indicate their suitability for any situation.
The obvious advantages of expensive knives derive from the principles applied to their manufacturing, which are described above. Meanwhile, the selection of cheaper alternatives, which are generally thicker and heavier, is justified when one needs to use them for multiple purposes or for cutting larger and heavier products (Epicurious, 2018). Therefore, the drawbacks of pricy items are connected to their limited applicability in terms of the tasks at hand.
To summarize, the choice of a knife significantly depends on the operations which are supposed to be performed with it. The expensive goods are safer due to their distinctive characteristics, which, however, do not guarantee their usefulness in any case. Their pros deriving from the specificities of design are accompanied by their suitability strictly to particular operations, whereas cheap knives can be optimal in the situation when one intends to use them for various objectives.
Reference
Epicurious. (2018). Knife expert guesses cheap vs. expensive knives | Price points | Epicurious [Video]. Web.