There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
J.A. Henckels International CLASSIC 8" Chef's Knife https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004RFMT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_UquCAbA3Q5FFY This is the one I personally own. It's cheap enough for a starter knife but provides great performance. Go for this instead of the Victorinox knives. You can learn to sharpen with this one since the steal is not so hard.
Wusthof Classic Ikon 8-Inch Cook's Knife, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000YMURSE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_3uuCAbETYJBDX This is one of the Big Boys. Universally praised. Some people won't like the handle. Innovation and tradition in one.
Zwilling J.A. Henckels Twin Pro S 8-inch High Carbon Stainless-Steel Chef's Knife https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004RFLI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_yBuCAbA1AYPYW More traditional than the wusthof. An upgrade to the international classic.
Shun DM0760 Classic Asian Chef's Knife, 7-Inch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004M3ZF2O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_lFuCAbVB5829V This is more like a hybrid one. Looks nice and has Damascus pattern. 7 inches though.
Tojiro DP Gyutou - 8.2" (21cm) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000UAPQGS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_3GuCAb0J0J56D This is a gyuto. A hybrid of a chef knife and a santoku. Pretty cool.
Mac Knife Chef Series Hollow Edge Chef's Knife, 8-Inch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000LY29NQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_pKuCAbVNHJM1D They can this knife the chefs secret. It's a pretty cool knife.
Shun DM0702 Classic 7-Inch Santoku Knife https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000Y7KFO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_SLuCAbGDMYW5E This is a cool santoku knife. Shun has good quality. (They used to have edge problems but I think it's cleared up)
I hope you like my list.