Stay sharp with the country's best knife shops

Those who know, know: A good kitchen knife is an investment that betters your today and alters your future. Cooking becomes easier; a slicing accident becomes rare. It was once a prolonged adventure finding a high-quality knife. These days, encountering a suitable knife is a click away. Gift one for your people who love to cook — or who want to cook more. Or treat yourself. A new knife always inspires.

Bernal Cutlery, San Francisco

Vintage cooking tools murmur with history and allure, and Bernal Cutlery has a soft spot for the antique. The holidays are encroaching, so maybe a vintage carving fork and knife for that end-of-November bird or that end-of-December ham? If newness is your game, select unused knives from Japan, France and the United States, of course, but also Spain, Sweden and Turkey.

Carbon Knife Co., Denver

More than 10 Japanese knifemakers are the stars of Carbon Knife Co.'s blade stock. The knifes range from the wee (petty and paring knives) to the grand (cleavers and vegetable knives). Surround those new knives with well-made accessories like a pocketed canvas apron from Blue Cut and a plastic cutting board from Hasegawa.

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Coutelier, New Orleans

Japanese knives are also the focus of Coutelier, and the stock features both single-beveled and double-beveled knives from a range of Japanese makers, including legendary, multi-generational bladesmiths like Moritaka. There are American knifes, too, from companies such as Town Cutler, Middleton Knives and Jamison Chopp. And books, bar tools and tea accessories. If it is durable, beautiful and lives in the kitchen, Coutelier just might sell it.

District Cutlery, Washington, D.C.

The world of Japanese knives can be overwhelming. There are endless styles and only an expert knows their gyuto (long, pointed chef's knife) from their santoku (round-tipped chef's knife). District Cutlery's website cracks the confusion by organizing their selection by style rather than by bladesmith. That way, you can see what style of knife you want before you start filtering through the maker options. The company also sells a range of folding knifes, including ones from bladesmiths in the States and China.

Korin, New York City

The stalwart, in many ways, of the good-knife retailers in the United States, Korin has been around since 1982. Long before Japanese-made kitchen knives became a cultish purchase. Over its 40-plus years of existence, the store's offerings have multiplied, as you might expect. You can order everything from a range of grit-grades of sharpening stones to ramen supplies, like bowls and spoon, or for the hardcore enthusiast, a high-end Yamato ramen noodle-making machine.