WARNING: Going to Knife Wear will likely make you an addict to spending a few hundred bucks on knives... :-)
I'm an aspiring home chef that's never been quite comfortable with the traditional German/Western types of knives. Living in Inglewood, I've passed by Knife Wear almost on a daily basis so I decided to stop by and see what they can do for me.
Like previously reviews have mentioned, Knife Wear is dedicated to ONE thing and that is pairing up prospective owners with an incredible piece of instrument. Most of the knives in the shop are hand made in Japan by some of the greatest masters.
My journey started by narrowing down what type/size of knife I was interested in. I choose a santoku around the 6.5" mark and was shown around a dozen or so variations. You are expected to handle each one to feel how it fits in your hands so go ahead and touch them!
After 15-20 minutes and giving a few knives a try on the cutting board, I picked the Masakage Kumo and thought I was done. NOPE! In front of me now were 3 of the Kumos but since these are made by hand, each one will feel slightly different. Again, you want to pick up each one, study it, and feel for the balance and fit.
To make a long story short, the fine folks at Knife Wear are dedicated and passionate about what they do. They will take the time to show you around, explain the different steels, and types of knives!