Kitchen knife reviews?

Daren Welsh · 09-28-2005, 01:55 PM

I'm trying to compare a couple knife sets and I haven't found many reviews to help me out:

Henckel's Classic series 15-piece set

vs.

Calphalon Katana 8-piece set

I've only found the one review on Amazon for the Katana set. Now I'll admit I'm letting the coolness factor of the Japanese steel sway my reasoning, but I'd like some opinions/experiences to help me decide. Or, if anyone knows of a good cooking forum that might have more info, I'd appreciate it.

andrew markworthy · 09-28-2005, 02:17 PM

There was a thread about knives a little while ago - a quick search should find it.

One thing I'd add is that it doesn't matter how expensive or well-rated the knife is if it doesn't feel right in your hand. IMHO, try before you buy.

Ted Lee · 09-28-2005, 02:58 PM

hey daren -

here's a few to get you started.

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...hreadid=237644

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...hreadid=237229

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...threadid=35404

i just recently bought a cutco knife and am (surprisingly) satisfied with it. it does cut meat better then any of my other knives (mostly henkels) -- but i suspect my other knives may also need a good sharpening.

SethH · 09-28-2005, 03:07 PM

It seems to me that you're looking at two different levels of knives. One is a $200 set that does not include steak knives and the other is $199 and does include steak knives.

My wife and I got a Henckels set for our wedding. It cost about $150 and did not include the steak knives. We then picked up 8 Wusthof steak knives from Amazon -- mostly because they looked great, got great reviews, and we wanted 8 instead of the 6 that come with most sets.

Here's a link to the steak knives we bought. We've been very pleased.

Marc_Sulinski · 09-29-2005, 06:54 AM

I own the Wusthof Classic knives, and I think they are great, though they are a little pricey. They are comparable to the Henckels Professional line. Just to give you an idea of price, they run about $300 or more for a basic 8 piece set (one piece is the block and another is the sharpening steel, and another is a set of kitchen shears, so you get 5 knives).

If you are looking for something cheaper, the Henckels Classic (which you mentioned in your post) are pretty good.

**HTF Ads**

Andrew W · 09-29-2005, 10:57 AM

Marc, I have to disagree. Your Wusthof Classics are not comparable to the Henckels Pro but are in fact far superior to the Henckels Pro.

Henckels is no longer making knives from a solid piece of high carbon/stain resistant steel. They are welding the blade and handle together which is a failure point.

Wusthof and Messermeister are probably the best knives coming out of Germany today.

Marc_Sulinski · 09-29-2005, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Henckels is no longer making knives from a solid piece of high carbon/stain resistant steel. They are welding the blade and handle together which is a failure point.

I did not know that. I always assumed they were comparable since the prices were about the same (or the Henckels are often a little more expensive).

Brian Perry · 09-29-2005, 10:47 PM

Quote:

Henckels is no longer making knives from a solid piece of high carbon/stain resistant steel. They are welding the blade and handle together which is a failure point.

I guess the relevant question would be: Has anyone ever seen a Henckels knife fail (i.e., break)? I haven't heard of any, so while it may be a marketing advantage for Wusthof to say the handle and blade are cut from one piece of metal, it makes no practical difference.

Now one thing I will say about Henckels is that there seems to be a difference in quality control between their knives coming out of Solingen and the ones made elsewhere. I have purchased several non-Solingen knives that were slightly warped but the ones that say "Solingen Germany" on the blade are always straight and true.

While we're on the subject, does anyone know what the grid markings on German knives mean? (With Henckels, there is a 6 row x 2 column grid of boxes just to the right of the model name, with some boxes filled in and some empty.) I thought it had something to do with the metal composition, but the markings are different on several knives I own that supposedly have the same blade (from the same model line).

Arthur S · 09-30-2005, 06:32 AM

Daren

Pick up a copy of the latest Consumer Reports, November 2005. They tested 38 knife sets.

Standouts:

Henckels Pro S $260

Wusthof Trident $300

And the Best Buy: Chicago Cutlery Metropolitan $60.

Daren Welsh · 09-30-2005, 01:11 PM

Good call Arthur. I checked out the CR and they have the Pro S set ranked 2nd, behind another Henckels set that costs twice as much! I also stopped by BedBathBeyond and looked more closely at the Katana knives. Their marketing is all geared on traditional Japanese steel. I looked at the side markings -- "Made in China"