Kitchen Knives; Wusthof, Henckels or Ginsu

[Sterling Cooper]

I have Wusthof classics and love them. Out of the big 4 (Wusthof, Henckels, Shun, Global), it came down to that I hated the hollow, slippery handled globals, the shun didn't work for me as a left hander and I thought that Wusthof>Henckels.

The only knife that I'm really looking to add is a 9 or 10 inch slicer. For that, if I just don't go with a hollow edge Wusthof, I might look to try one of the Japanese makers that Jim recommends.

 

[Rushman2112]

Henckels Professional "S" - I bought a set back in 2001 and they are still in great nick, but I just got a brand new set so the old ones will go to our place in France

 

[brucered]

Look at that, 3 knives for less than the cost of 1 high end Wustof. Go for it! If you want to invest in a high end knife in the future, you have that option, but for a quick immediate upgrade, you can't beat Victorinox.

[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica][/FONT]well amazon.ca finally has them back on 1/2 off...a few out of stock, but i ordered at the 1/2 off price and got the following en route or on back order for $62.75 shipped...we'll add the CHEF knife when it goes on sale.

Victorinox Swiss Classic Santoku Knife, Fluted
Victorinox Swiss Classic Bread Knife, 21cm
Victorinox Swiss Classic 3-Piece Paring Knife set

 

[daveinsweethome]

a wusthof classic 10 inch bread knife is a holy grail experience to use

 

[StubbleTrouble]

 

[dfoulk]

Yeah, the Wustof Classic knives are really nice and very impressive. They feel great in your hand as well and cut wonderfully. They have a lower cost forged line that you'll want to avoid completely. Henckels has the same lower cost line so make sure you skip that one as well if you go that route. the quality just isn't there on the lower lines.

You can buy a decent pull through sharpener if you don't want to bother yourself with buying stones and learning how to sharpen. Sometimes these sharpeners or small cutting boards are offered in some of the special offerings. You can also take the knives to someone to have them sharpened.

The most important thing is that these don't go in the dishwasher as that kills an edge quickly, will void any warranty, and will make them look they are 40 years old as well. Mine have never seen the inside of a dishwasher and look brand new after several years. They keep a nice edge for a very long time too.

You really don't need a whole block of knives, just a Chef's knife, a paring knife and a bread knife. You can add a slicer as well as it'll be especially useful for the holiday meals. Your wife may enjoy a Santuko which is like a smaller chef's knife with a rounded tip more geared for cutting vegetables. I have mine in a $20 slotted wood drawer knife tray that I got from WalMart as the wife doesn't want to look at a block of knives on the counter. Maybe she watched too many horror movies as a kid.

The Wustof Classic knives are generally price locked but I've found that they carry them at Bed Bath & Beyond and do take the 20% off coupons for these as well as the Henckel's lines that they carry.

The Victorinox Forschner knives get good reviews but they appear to be stamped, aren't full tang knives and just aren't that nice. They will cut well but certainly don't feel like quality and aren't something that impresses you when you are holding and using it.

If you buy high quality knives and take care of them they will likely last you the rest of your life so I'd rather buy some nice ones if you're planning on taking care of them and they're going to be around a while.

The Wustof and Henckels higher level knives are pretty comparable so maybe just go to the local Bed Bath & Beyond and check them out. They'll let you hold them and get a feel for what you are buying. You'll see the differences in quality as you compare their nicer offerings with the lower quality ones they offer as well.

Skip the Victorinox unless you're main goal is to just pick up something cheap. They are about the best really cheap knife out there but they certainly don't compare quality wise to the higher level knives. I ordered some on Amazon and was disappointed in them when they arrived.

 

[Cendrillon]

I'm not a Santoku fan, but that's a personal preference type of things lots of guys like the style and its less intimidating to many people than a large chef's knife.

I think you'll be very happy with these - as would most amateur chefs if they could get over the utilitarian appearance and fact that they're not made of some uber special steel.

Before the knife gurus dump on me, I'm not trying to say that the Forschners (or other quality "food service" type knives) are the best knives out there, just that they represent some of the best values and are more than up to the tasks that the average family asks of their knives.

Yes the steel is softer than higher-end knives, but that's easily fixed with a ceramic rod sharpener for ongoing maintenance and a good pull thorugh sharpener for whenever the ceramic rod doesn't seem to be donig the trick.

I agree about the santoku, I think a chef's knife is more versatile. You can use it for rock chopping, cross chopping and to filet some big fish as well as regular chopping and slicing like you could do with the santoku. I find the santoku to be more of a one trick pony. An 8 in chef knife is the perfect size for my husband and I.

I would really research the pull through sharpener though, some eat up way to much metal. If your knife as a hardness of less than 63 on the rockwell scale (which is the case with the forschners) you can also strop it to replace the edge instead of stealing. It's longer but less aggressive than a rod if you are not sure of what you are doing. I personally use the lansky system for sharpening and a leather strop for honing. It's a system with a claw and some rod to help maintening a constent angle. Other company also make similar systems if you are also not comfortable with freehand sharpening.


A softer steel means that your edge won't be maintained as long, but it also mean that it will tolerate abuse much more than Japanese blue paper steel for example.

 

[01HDFXD]

... I looked in Consumer reports and their best buy is by Ginsu. I have to admit that this conjures up images of late night 1970s commercials but they now make higher quality forged knives...

Hey, don't knock those 1970's tv commercial Ginsus. My wife bought one with a serrated blade. We have used it for everything from kitchen to gardening, including cutting small tree limbs, and have generally beaten the crap out of it for the past nearly 40 years, and it still sharp. I wish she had bought a whole lot more of 'em.

 

[SFsc616171]

HI.
I have read the comments, and i do agree, DO NOT BUY A SET!!! The companies that make 'sets', will always stick a cheap this or that into it, or overcharge you for that real nice block of wood. Just the way they like to sell a set of pots and pans.

I agree with: getting A chef's knife (bucket of worms one); a paring knife ( I bought the 4 knife set from Chicago Cutlery for example); a slicing knife - bread, roasts, etc.. I bought a chef's knife and a santoku knife from Jones sharpening, and get a deal for once a year sharpening from them.

I know somw folks here, might suggest an Oriental style knife pairing. Get the pieces you feel fit you and your's, get comfortable with them, and if you wish to 'graduate', then see what you like.

I wish you well with your choices.

 

[mightyeskimo]

Great thread!