Good point, Paul810...and something I don't always think about. I tend to think of good tools as being a long term investment, but if you use them daily they will wear out. Funny, I'm acutely aware of this re knives. You often read in the magazines that a good kitchen knife "will last a lifetime" but it certainly won't in a pro kitchen! Knives are a consumable. At home you might sharpen them once a year but a pro cook will sharpen his every few weeks, or even daily in the case of an Itamae. In a few years your chef knife can look like a boning knife!