Learning how to sharpen your knife will go a lot farther than the type of knife you have!
Even hand made/custom sushi knives are < $200 (in Japan)
Even hand made/custom sushi knives are < $200 (in Japan)
(Like anything from Jacques Pepin, this is super useful).
I guess it depends on what you mean by "pay off". In my experience, a sharp kitchen knife means I can cut faster and more safely.
As to cost, I use a $30 diamond stone[1]. Mine is more than 20 years old and it still works great. I love diamond because I can use it dry, so it really cuts down on sharpening time.
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