Had to pick between two knife steels for my first pro set

I was stuck between VG-10 and R2/SG2 for my first chef knife purchase after culinary school. Went with VG-10 because it was $80 cheaper and easier to sharpen at home, but now after 3 months of line work I'm wondering if the edge retention of R2 would have saved me time. Anyone else regret going budget on steel when they started out?

2 comments

2 Comments

mason.paige6d ago

Oh man, I feel this so hard. "Regret going budget on steel" is exactly where I was a year ago. I picked up a VG-10 santoku as my first real knife and I swear I was sharpening it every other shift during busy season. It drove me nuts. I was so worried I'd made a mistake and wasted money. But honestly, you made the right call for starting out. Learning to sharpen on VG-10 is way more forgiving than trying to get a burr on R2, and that skill matters way more than fancy edge retention when you're still figuring out your technique. Plus that $80 saved you can go toward a stone or something practical.

the_val5d ago

Did you find that learning on VG-10 made you appreciate your next knife more once you upgraded?