![]() ![]() The Dutch were the third largest exporters of “formats”, or camera-ready ideas for television shows, in a global market worth 9.3 billion euros between 20, behind the United States and Britain, according to industry group FRAPA. Subjects range from wilderness survival and weight loss, to high school drama and farmers looking for brides, the finale of which had a quarter of the nation - more than four million viewers - glued to their televisions. Now, when surfing Dutch television on any given night, reality shows dominate. The Dutch television industry has ballooned since the 1980s, when three public channels mostly put out foreign re-runs and only aired programming a few hours a day. Eyeworks has produced a slew of reality shows, including “Obese,” “My Kid is Too Fat,” and “Slumdog Holiday” which aired in 150 countries. Just last week, Warner Bros said it would buy Dutch production company Eyeworks for a reported 200 million euros ($274.05 million). The trend set by De Mol with “Big Brother” became a huge financial success too, earning millions for Dutch investors and drawing the attention of media giants to the Netherlands. Perhaps the original brainwave behind reality television came more easily in a country where people rarely close their curtains on long winter evenings, giving passers-by on the chilly streets of Amsterdam’s 17th-century canal district a view into peoples’ living rooms. So we said: ‘Why don’t we let them build the world they’ve always wanted, a Utopia for themselves’?” “People are worried about their finances, about their jobs, about their futures, about governments interfering in their lives. ![]() ![]() “Our trendspotters came back with one consistent message,” he said. They are contestants in “Utopia”, the latest reality show from John De Mol, the man behind “Big Brother” and many other shows that have made the Netherlands synonymous with reality television.Īnd if “Big Brother”, launched some 15 years ago, presaged a later world of social media, with its proposition that private lives are better widely shared, De Mol thinks “Utopia” reflects the concerns of today’s audiences. LAREN, The Netherlands (Reuters) - In a windswept enclosure southeast of Amsterdam, shivering volunteers are building a home for themselves from scratch, under the constant gaze of television cameras relaying their struggles to the outside world. ![]()
0 Comments
![]() Channel celebrates female excellence at Women in ICT Awards 2023 In Pictures: WatchGuard Technologies A/NZ Partner Summit Welcome reception in partnership with Comstor and Cisco. Played out in front of more than 330 attendees at the Cordis in Auckland - the largest ever in-person audience for the market’s leading gender diversity and inclusion (D&I) awards program - the entire Kiwi ecosystem came together under the Reseller News roof to set the industry benchmark for female achievement and accomplishment. Reseller News is proud to showcase Women in ICT Awards (WIICTA) in 2023, honouring female excellence within the technology channel following an industry-defining celebration in New Zealand. Female leaders honoured at Women in ICT Awards in 2023 Channel celebrates female excellence at Women in ICT Awards 2023 Following an intensive judging process,14 winners were selected across eight categories, in addition to four highly commended acknowledgements. ![]() In total, 108 finalists were honoured from a pool of more than 175 nominations, spanning partner, telco, vendor and distributor businesses. Reseller News is proud to announce the winners of the Women in ICT Awards (WIICTA) in 2023, honouring female excellence within the technology channel following an industry-defining celebration in New Zealand. Slideshows Female leaders honoured at Women in ICT Awards in 2023 From desktop to web and everything in between, Microsoft Office delivers the help you need to work anytime, anywhere.Your essential guide to New Zealand Vendors ![]() Your essential guide to New Zealand Distributors In the future, Lenovo plans to bring its virtual keyboard to Chromebooks as well. But Chromebooks are now getting the ability to run Android applications. With 32GB of storage and 2GB of RAM, the Yoga A12 has features similar to that of a Chromebook - except it is for Android users. ![]() Current Atom-based Android mobile devices are mostly stuck at Android 5 or 6, and won't get Android 7.0. It could get some help from Intel and the open-source community. Lenovo may have to take on the development of a custom Android 7.0 for Yoga A12, which could be a challenging task. Intel - which was responsible for developing Android updates - has scaled back development of the OS for mobile devices, and is focusing more on Windows and Chromebooks. Yet, there are questions on the frequency of OS upgrades. Lenovo said it plans to upgrade Android 6.0.1 to Android 7.0 in the next couple of months. Dell isn't selling Android tablets with Atom chips, and Microsoft has discontinued Surface 3, which had a Cherry Trail chip. PC makers are also quickly cutting Atom chips from tablets. Only a handful of Android tablets have Cherry Trail chips, including Lenovo's Yoga Book and Panasonic's ToughPad FZ-A2. Most Android devices today are based on ARM chips. That's an indication that Lenovo may use Apollo Lake chips in the successor to Yoga A12. Lenovo said there's a clear upgrade path from Atom to Apollo Lake processors. ![]() Intel has nevertheless committed to keeping the Atom X5 in the market to support the Yoga A12 and other products," a spokesperson said in an email. "When Intel made its announcements about Atom, the Yoga A12 was already well in development. Lenovo had an explanation on why it used Atom X5 in Yoga A12. Intel in May last year discontinued Atom smartphone chips. Intel is replacing Atom X5 chips with newer Celeron and Pentium chips code-named Apollo Lake, which are mainly going into Windows tablets and 2-in-1s. It has Intel's Atom X5 tablet processor, code-named Cherry Trail, which the chip maker is now phasing out. The screen has a resolution of 1200 x 800 pixels, and its components are aging. The Yoga A12 has Android 6.0.1, and will ship in many countries this month starting at US$299.99.īut there are some disappointments. The Android OS also provides a familiar mobile interface. Lenovo is betting that those comfortable with mobile typing will adapt quickly to this touch keyboard. Lenovo said the virtual keyboard provides a user experience similar to on-screen ones on smartphones and tablets. The Yoga A12 has a 12.2-inch touchscreen, and a back-lit input touch panel replaces the hard keyboard. ![]() ![]() ![]() The Complete Collection includes the base game Planet Coaster, Munsters Munster Koach Construction Kit, Knight Rider K.I.T.T. World’s Fair Pack comes with two new coasters, one new tracked ride, and 10 new themes depending on the country of your choosing: China, USA, France, Morocco, Italy, Germany, Japan, UK, Mexico, or Spain.The Bundle Edition includes the base game Planet Coaster plus the World’s Fair Pack. With its beautiful cartoon style, incredible levels of customization, and a small selection of fun modes to choose from, Planet Coaster has set a new standard for the genre. ![]() It’s an understatement to say that Frontier Developments have outdone themselves with Planet Coaster. Good management tools, good building tools, and most of all, it is extremely fun to play. Planet Coaster is everything I could want in a simulation game of this type. ![]() Share your creations and designs with the rest of the world using the workshop tool, get inspired by other people’s creativity and create your own masterpiece and share your creation with the rest of the world.Get immersed in the game’s deep simulation of the customer’s experience, stretch your managerial skills to the limit, control every aspect of the guest’s experience, and watch carefully as the world reacts to your choices in an instant.In planet coaster, you will be able to personalize your theme park in intricate ways using the game’s piece-by-piece construction system and with the thousands of unique building components, the game offers you will have practically endless amounts of combinations to choose from.Play in several game modes career mode lets you play in pre-set parks where you have to complete specific objectives, Sandbox mode lets you free reign on an open space without the stress of management and finances, challenge mode is for hardcore tycoon simulator players start a park from the ground up with a minimal amount of money there are 3 difficulties for this mode easy, medium, hard. Design and build the theme park of your dreams in Planet Coaster, a management simulation game made by frontier developments. ![]() ![]() ![]() Finally, we’ll find a business jet perfect for Cincinnati charter flights. At the same time, a long international trip will require a heavy aircraft. to the other, a super-midsize plane is often the best option. If you’re traveling from one end of the U.S. Each plane differs in size, range, and space inside the cabin. The private jet market ranges from turboprops to heavy jets. Hyatt Regency Cincinnati, 151 West 5th Street, Cincinnati.įAQ for a Private Jet Charter Flights to Cincinnati.Holiday Inn Express Hotel Bellevue – Newport On The Levee, 109 Landmark Drive, Bellevue.Garfield Suites Hotel, 2 Garfield Place, Cincinnati.Hotel Kingsgate Marriott Conference Center at the University of Cincinnati, 151 Goodman Drive, Cincinnati.Cincinnati Marriott at RiverCenter, 10 West Rivercenter Boulevard, Covington.The Cincinnatian Hotel, 601 Vine Street, Cincinnati.SGH, Springfield, Springfield, United States.RID, Richmond Municipal Airport, Richmond, IN, United States.MWO, Hook Field, Middletown, Ohio, United States.MGY, Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport, Dayton, United States.MDN, Jefferson Proving Grd, Madison, United States.LUK, Cincinnati Municipal-Lunken Field, Cincinnati, OH, United States.ILN, Clinton Field, Wilmington, United States.HLB, Hillenbrand, Batesville, United States.HAO, Hamilton, Hamilton, United States.FFT, Capital City, Frankfort, KY, United States.FFO, Patterson Afb, Dayton, United States.DAY, James Cox Dayton Intl, Dayton, Oh, United States.CVG, Cincinnati/northern Kentucky, Covington, KY, United States.CEV, Mettle Field, Connersville, United States.The airport averages over 31,000 aircraft operations annually and is suitable for charter flights to and from Cincinnati. It serves private aircraft and fleets of local corporations. Cincinnati boasts many sports teams, including the Cincinnati Bengal’s and the Cincinnati Reds.Ĭincinnati Municipal Lunken Airport (LUK, KLUK) is 3 miles from downtown Cincinnati. 2021 travel season is heating up fast, as travelers are ready to hit the skies and proceed with their travel plans. Also, you can relax in many parks, wander the trails, and attend educational programs and various activities. Heading into summer, Ultimate Air Shuttle is ready to jet off to some of your favorite business and leisure destinations from Cincinnati’s Lunken Airport (LUK). When traveling by private jet to Cincinnati, consider visiting the Museum of Art with over 67,000 artifacts from different times, the Over-the-Rhine Historic District, Music Hall, and Carew Tower. With its great culture the city is home to the state’s major commerce, arts and entertainment, and business culture. The city is home to the head offices of Procter & Gamble, General Electric’s Aviation, Toyota North America, and others, making a private jet charter to Cincinnati popular with business travelers.Ĭincinnati is one of the oldest cities in the United States, preserving the region’s rich cultural and historical heritage. Cincinnati is on the border of three states, Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana. It is the third most populous city in the state, with about 300,000 people. Often called the Queen City of the West, Cincinnati is the third largest city in Ohio located on the north bank of the Ohio River. Monarch Air Group offers private jet charter services to and from Cincinnati, OH USA. You can contact her at Follow her on Twitter the latest Cincinnati entertainment and breaking news.Book a Private Jet Charter to and from Cincinnati 7 at .īriana Rice is a trending news reporter for The Enquirer. Ultimate Air Shuttle offers free up-close parking and guests need to arrive only 15 minutes before a flight. Passengers can begin booking flights on Feb. Ultimate also announced that it's expanding flights to Cleveland and will offer more midday charters. There is no non-stop service from any carrier at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport to Nashville. "A lot of our customers travel and a full day's work and still make it home in the early evening," said Rick Pawlak, Ultimate's senior vice president. Weekday flights will be $274 one way and weekend flights will be $199 one way. Some weekend flights will be offered based on demand. The new Nashville flights will begin March 16 and will have morning, midday and evening flights Monday through Friday. ![]() The public charter flight company at Cincinnati's Lunken Airport currently has nonstop flights to Cleveland, Atlanta, Charlotte and Chicago. Ultimate Air Shuttle will soon offer nonstop service to Nashville. ![]() ![]() The changeup is ALWAYS in the back of the hitters mind and because of that it messes up their timing on all the pitches you throw. Developing a dominating changeup can turn an average pitcher into a great pitcher. The first thing you need to have as a young pitcher is velocity. Question #5: Why is having a changeup so important? It could possibly take a little longer for the changeup to be completely game ready. I would say it generally takes a pitcher 3-6 months to feel relatively comfortable throwing changeups. If you put work into it you could learn it faster than others. The changeup is a very practice specific pitch. Question #4: How long will it take to learn? I also recommend holding a Changeup Day once a week to help you focus on learning this pitch. If you’re pitching 4-5 days a week you would want to focus 20-25% of your practice on the changeup. Question #3: How much do I need to practice the change-up? Learning the change-up earlier is preferred because it takes a while to get the feel of it. Pitchers are usually ready around the end of the first year of pitching. Once your mechanics are pretty clean and you’re throwing a decent speed for your age range you can begin learning. Question #2: When can you begin learning a changeup? The last pitch is Lacey’s killer changeup. Notice in the video below the difference between Lacey Waldop’s first and last pitches. Hitters can’t really time the fastball or changeup when the backhand is thrown correctly because they look so similar.Ĭhangeups should be around 25-35% slower than fastball speed but the arm speed should stay the same as the fastball. Back spin is the exact opposite spin of a fastball that has top spin. The backhand change is deadliest when it has tight backspin and super fast arm speed. Dominating changeups are deceptive because they look exactly like a fastball. The changeup is a deceptively slow pitch intended to throw off the batter’s timing. Lacey Waldrop, Rita Lynn’s top student and NCAA Player of the Year in 2014 built her career on a devastating backhand changeup.īelow are the 5 most common questions we get when pitchers begin learning this pitch. I had great success with the backhand changeup in my own career and so have many of our students. If a hitter can’t tell what you’re throwing, they can’t sit on any of the pitches you throw. Because it’s an “equalizer” it takes the advantage away from the hitter or actually gives you the advantage. The changeup is referred to as the “great equalizer” because you can keep the batter on their toes at all times even if you’re not throwing at top speeds. If you have a dominating changeup you can be very successful with just two or three pitches alone. When people come to us for changeup lessons most of the parents and new pitchers have no clue what it is. ![]() Changeups are one of the best tools created to keep hitters off balance. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 'With the voice guidance, five minutes of meditation flew by.'" Self Magazine, April 2011 "Very relaxing and a good way to fall asleep." ".the best guided meditation I have ever found." "Extremely soothing music." "My stress level has dropped, I have more patience, and I am more relaxed before going to bed." With this App you can:- Meditate easily as you are voice-guided step by step- Choose a meditation length of 5, 10, 15, 20 or 30 minutes - Listen to the meditation with or without music/nature sounds- Read instructions to support and enhance your meditation- Listen to music or nature sounds alone- Choose how long the music/nature sounds will continue after the meditation ends- Relax deeply and experience the present moment completely- Enjoy the benefits of meditation easily- Links to support on the Meditation Oasis websiteThe Simply Being meditation is useful for beginners and experienced meditators alike._Created by Mary Maddux, MS, HTP and Richard Maddux, best known for their popular Meditation Oasis podcast and and CDs. 'Other apps offer pretty nature sounds but no instruction, which left me bored,' a tester said. "Let the voice-guided Simply Being app talk you through a relaxing 5- to 30-minute meditation session. In addition, you can choose how long to listen to the music or nature sounds after the voice guidance finishes. You can also listen to the music or nature sounds alone. It allows you to choose from 5 meditation times and gives you to option to listen to the guided meditation with or without music or nature sounds. The Meditation Oasis Simply Being app has been developed by Richard and Mary Maddux, creators of the popular Meditation Oasis podcast. Enjoy the deep relaxation, stress relief and benefits of meditation without prior experience. Meditate easily with this elegantly simple App. Please read our terms and conditions carefully before accessing or using this website for any purposes.RECOMMENDED BY THE NY TIMES, SELF MAGAZINE, YOGA JOURNAL, the HUFFINGTON POST and more. Before using any of the information made available through this website, you should verify the accuracy and applicability of such information for your purposes. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this website or any written material, we disclaim all representations and warranties, express or implied, related to (1) the accuracy, completeness, timeliness or utility of any information contained in this website, or (2) the safety or effectiveness of any products or services mentioned in this website. Therefore, you should not rely on any information contained in this website. Such information is intended to be used in conjunction with professional advice and is not a substitute for professional judgment, treatment or therapy.Īlthough we use reasonable efforts to post information that we believe could potentially benefit our users at the time when it is added to our website, the information may be incorrect, incomplete or out-of-date, and we do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information. Any information on any products and services contained on this website is provided “as is,” “as available” and “with all faults” without any representations or warranties, express or implied. We do not endorse or warrant any product or service described on this website. ![]() One Mind PsyberGuide is designed for informational purposes only. One Mind PsyberGuide also seeks to ensure that this information is available to all, and that it is free of preference, bias, or endorsement. One Mind PsyberGuide seeks to provide accurate and reliable information about software and apps designed to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety disorders. One Mind PsyberGuide is not an industry website. One Mind PsyberGuide is also intended for professionals and researchers seeking to enhance their knowledge in this area. One Mind PsyberGuide is a non-profit website dedicated to consumers seeking to make responsible and informed decisions about computer and device-assisted therapies for mental illnesses. ![]() ![]() ![]() Mutations and bio-mechanical body parts can be applied to your character after character creation to change their appearance and abilities, for example adding mechanical wings or claws can give the character advantages. The body shape selector is represented by a slider hexagon. Adding a thicker and larger head will increase the intellect of the character, making it have more energy and power for psychic abilities. For example having a thicker and heavier character will make it more resistant to damage and be able to do more damage to enemies as well, but makes the character slower, while a lighter character will do the opposite by making it faster and increase its range but take more damage and do less damage to enemies. You choose the gender, the body shape and thickness, fangs, fur and fur pattern, length, and other attributes of your character, and those choices affect stats for the character. Other characters can be found who will give you services and items such as modifying your Automaton. You control a creature similar to a raccoon in a world with animals that are mutated. The game is a third person action role-playing game in an open world environment. ![]() A Storyteller tells the events of what happens during the course of the gameplay. Player can choose to eliminate those tribes or combine and unite the tribes. There are also six tribes split from their original location. Players must go to the end of each of the five roots and defeat the creatures that are biting the roots of the tree. The Tree-of-Life has five roots through which it gives life to the whole New World. Others pointed out that while it had stunning visuals and rich lore, its gameplay mechanics failed to distinguish it from other action RPG titles.ĭespite its lukewarm reception, THQ Nordiq reported that the game reached 1 million downloads a month after its debut.The Tree-of-Life is being poisoned by a poisonous oil rising from the ground. Some players claimed the creators had not lived up to their expectations. It remained to be seen whether the information was legitimate.īiomutant received mixed reviews from gamers and critics alike. A Portuguese retailer allegedly released promotional material stating that the game would go live on Switch that year. There had been reports that developers initially wanted to port Biomutant to Nintendo Switch devices in 2022. Developers from Sweden's Experiment 101 also ported the game to next-gen consoles a year later. The open-world RPG first landed on PC, PS5, Series X|S, PS4, and Xbox One. It is also up to them to decide the fate of the "Tree of Life."īiomutant came out in 2021. Players can choose whether to fight or forge alliances with the tribes. The story arc revolved around the 'Tree of Life' and six conflicting factions called 'Tribes'. The game's primary campaign takes players into a post-apocalyptic world. The developers have incorporated martial arts elements into it. Combat mechanics in the game do not only feature melee and shooting. In Biomutant, players become anthropomorphic characters in a Wung Fu-fable world. In turn, they set up a webpage counting the days before Switch's launch. They have also set a release date for November 30. The Vienna-based video game publisher announced it would port Biomutant to Switch consoles this year. Publisher THQ Nordic just released a countdown for the Nintendo Switch launch of its action RPG Biomutant. ![]() ![]() ![]() Backtrack to the overhead ledge and grab Zeus’s Lightning to exit the vault.Cross to the next ledge and open the Epic Chest to obtain the Winged Helm of the Eagle.At the far end of the ledge, set the wooden crate on the plate switch.The Vaults in this game always hold a variety of treasures and secrets, so you’ll need to get through these and take all the gifts you can find inside. Pass each one just after a fireball blazes past you, to avoid letting the flames destroy the crate. Here are all of the Vault guides you need for Immortals: Fenyx Rising, Myths of the Eastern Realm. There are fire-breathing dragon heads along the walls to the left and right. Carry the wooden crate back the way you came, toward the end of the ledge.Cross to the next ledge and head to the far end to find and activate a pedestal, which produces a wooden crate.Head around the right side of the low platform where Zeus’s Lightning is waiting and find a drop off to a lower ledge with an Epic Chest resting on it.The Epic Chest and Zeus’s Lightning Time your passage right to avoid fireballs Image: Ubisoft Quebec/Ubisoft via Polygon After you defeat Cerberos, you’ll automatically receive the Tarnished Phosphor and then you should head through the gate that opens ride platforms to reach a high ledge.Back away if he crouches down and starts glowing, as an explosive blast will soon follow. Hit him fast and hard to inflict as much damage as possible and avoid a drawn-out fight. He mostly battles like a Chimera might, so attack his flank as possible to avoid his fiery breath. Head through the doors and start across the wide area to commence your battle with Hound of Hades, Legendary Cerberos.Activate the lever to the right to open the double doors ahead of you.Grab the healing orb to the left if you need to restore your life ahead of a coming battle. Cross along the ledges and climb the stairs to activate a checkpoint. ![]() How to clear The Hound of Hades Vault of Tartaros Dodge the projectile attacks just like you normally would to win Image: Ubisoft Quebec/Ubisoft via Polygon Head up the steps and ascend the statue’s tongue to reach the chamber where you can drop through the rift to enter the vault.Step on the circular switch to trigger a cutscene, wherein the Cerberus head carved into the nearby cliff opens its mouth.Set the third metal crate on the plate switch with the feather emblem on it, then look back toward the entrance of the area to see the formerly inactive circular switch is now glowing.Head back to the upper ledge and climb some steps to find a third metal crate positioned in a stone throne.Set the second metal crate on top of the first one on the plate switch.Find another metal crate on the same ledge where you found the first one, in a corner behind a broken stone column.Image: Ubisoft Quebec/Ubisoft via Polygon ![]() ![]() ![]() Serum has been an industry-standard for years, and it most certainly still holds up as an amazing instrument. As with any high quality synthesizer, you may run into problems with multiple instances open and running. Many users of both synths have reported unusually high CPU usage, while others have had no trouble whatsoever. Still, everyone’s mileage may vary depending on how powerful your computer is. Vital vs Serum CPUīoth contain optimizations to be as light on CPU as possible. Vital’s quality is comparable, utilizing a similarly low noise floor and a cutoff at the Nyquist frequency for minimal aliasing. The result is one of the cleanest, highest quality sounds you can get out of a modern virtual instrument with no aliasing/artifacts. Serum’s oscillators resample with ridiculous precision and an inaudible noise floor. Perhaps more important is the actual sound quality of these oscillators. Still, Serum gives you more than enough to play with. Now, Vital’s additional oscillator means a bit more ability to shape and morph some pretty wild sounds. Neither leaves much to be desired, though Serum, as a more established instrument, has more in the way of third-party presets than Vital currently does. Vital: 75 presets and 25 wavetables with Basic 250 presets and 75 wavetables with Plus 400+ presets and 150 wavetables with Proīoth Vital VST vs Serum contain come with a ton of presets, and both have their own storefronts for additional packs.Serum: 450+ with a huge market of third-party presets available 144 wavetables.It shows that Vital is a “living” instrument that will continue to expand as time goes on. It’s great that Vital Audio also offers a free version for anyone wanting to play with wavetable synthesis without plunking down the money, and the Plus version provides enough inspiration for most users with minimal investment.įinally, there’s the monthly subscription featuring exclusive perks such as subscriber-only sound packs. The most complete version of Vital comes in at a significant $109 cheaper than Serum. Vital bests Serum in the cost department. Vital: Basic - free Plus - $25 Pro - $80 Subscription - $5/month.Serum: $189 for the complete instrument.Some producers may prefer one over the other, but it ultimately comes down to which is the most inspiring to you. To elaborate, both Vital VST vs Serum are incredible instruments. We’ll compare and contrast the fundamentals below, and while we naturally want to weed out which instrument is the “best,” it’s important to keep in mind the subjectivity of music and music production. I’d argue that that doesn’t change in light of Vital’s existence, as both offer a slightly different take on wavetable synthesis, with certain features unique to each. Serum has a long-standing reputation as a truly great virtual synth. Has Vital Synth Replaced Xfer Serum As the Best Wavetable Synth? ![]() ![]() They’re approachable, they’re thin and light, they hold an edge remarkably well, they sharpen easily, and they come with a lifetime warranty.(Red Royal Knives) Royal, BM 1-EYE-DAN 1* (One Ass To Risk) 2 Jakes Custom Knives 29 Knives 3 Dog Knife (3DK) 365 Knives 3LEGDOG Knives (Riaan Manser) 4:44PM Watches 4T5 Design 5.11 Tactical A.C. But for everyone else, these Benchmade knives are a great choice. If you know enough about your personal taste in knives and have the money to order a custom knife, then that is what you should do. For this price, you could order custom knives, like my fellow chefs did years ago. A good knife doesn’t have to be expensive my favorite knife has no markings on it, and I can’t recall where it came from or how much it cost. The other big question is whether they are a good value for the money. That’s true, though there are two options for the Benchmade set, either CPM-154 or 440c, the former being what I tested. They will rightly point out that there are harder steels out there. Knife fanatics might roll their eyes at this sort of thing, but these knives won’t make them happy anyway. But more than that, there’s just something intangible about them that makes you want to pick them up and use them. They don’t have a crazy swirling pattern in the steel, and they don’t look like they need hours of care when you’re done with them (because they don’t). They look like most people’s idea of chef’s knives. Some of it might be that they’re less exotic-looking than many knives I test. I don’t have a logical explanation for my family’s willingness to grab these knives. My kids also use these knives without hesitation. The Benchmade knives are the first test knives my wife has ever used regularly. All of them live in the kitchen drawer (I know, the horror, but it’s a good stress test). Thanks to that knife guide, I test dozens of knives every year. I can’t pin down exactly why that is, but I have observed it in the rest of my family. ![]() They are somehow more approachable and easier to work with than many of the knives in our knife guide. It’s worth noting that, more than a knife for the fanatic, these are great knives for the newcomer. That can be tricky to maintain, but I used a Work Sharp field sharpener ( $30 at Amazon, $34 at Work Sharp), which has 20-degree guides, and then just brought it down to 14 from there. That may be due to Benchmade’s proprietary SelectEdge technology, which uses a 14-degree angle. These seem to hold an edge better than my Benchmade folding knife. I have only sharpened them twice since I got them, which is far less than I sharpened my own knives in the same time period. They hold an edge remarkably well, which means less time spent sharpening. After several months of using them, I find that about 80 percent of the time, I still reach for the 6-inch utility knife. Otherwise, these are good-looking, light, highly responsive knives. The handles are comfortable and well-balanced against the blade, although I question the wisdom of having pivot ring holes in a chef’s knife, as they’re more likely to collect food and grime than they would in a folding knife. A good tool allows you to operate on instinct and experience that way. The blade was thin and slid under the flashing on a skirt steak I was cleaning without my having to plan it. When the Benchmade set arrived, I immediately grabbed the utility knife (which is what I would call a petty knife), and about 10 minutes later I forgot I was holding it (in a good way). And if you’re really interested in becoming a better cook, few investments will pay off as well as an excellent knife and plenty of practice with it.Ī good knife is more than a tool it’s an extension of your hand. They’re not cheap, but they do have a lifetime warranty, so you can think of them as a one-time investment. The maple-handled set with carbon fiber bolster that I tested costs $910, over $300 per knife. The cheapest handles and inlays will still set you back $750, or around $250 a knife. I did not go in on this deal, and I’ve regretted it ever since.Īll of this is to say that good knives cost money. I still thought of being a chef as a way to pay for college, not something I’d end up doing full-time for the next seven years of my life. ![]() ![]() If memory serves, it worked out to about $200 per knife, which was way out of my budget. About six months after I started, several of the more experienced chefs pooled their money and ordered custom Japanese knives. I got my start in professional cooking as a garde-manger at Five and Ten in Athens, Georgia, under chef Hugh Acheson. ![]() |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |