Wusthof or Henkels knives?

[mooglekit]

Originally posted by: Naustica

Originally posted by: Dunbar
I prefer the Japanese kitchen knives, they are generally sharper than the German knives (although not quite as tolerant of abuse). Global is the most popular brand but there are many other great Japanese knives out there. Whatever brand you buy I recommend holding them in your hand before buying them.

BTW, isn't Cutco the knives people sell door-to-door?

I love my Global. My Henkels sit in the drawer.

I love my Globals too...best knives I've ever owned.

 

[zinfamous]

I think it just depends on the grip/balance that works best for you. Both are great knives.

 

[torpid]

As long as they are the "good" Henckels then I don't think there's a huge difference.

 

[Slick5150]

I've never used a better steak knife than Cutco's. It really is quite awesome.

 

[jiggahertz]

Henckles... the cooks at the japanese steakhouse by me use the same

 

[DaShen]

Neither, Globals and Kershaw/Shun's are considered better made nowadays (Wusthofs and Henckles only have the established name nowadays).

Although, if you are talking about the high grade Henckles made a long time ago ... My parent have a set like that. I freaking love it.
Wusthofs are good knives too, but I believe Henckles are thought to be better.

And for you people that say Cutco, you obviously have never really used a high quality knife or have been trained to use one. Good knives are so much better than anything Cutco has. Triple folded, one piece of Damascus steel metal is much better than Cutco and retain their sharpness and quality. Cutco uses thin sheets of plated steel with different serrations on the knife to mimic the ability of a quality knife, but imitation is not as good as thehigh quality stuff.

 

[JasonVaritekMVP]

Both are great brands, especially so if you are willing to properly maintain and sharpen the knives. If not try the Cutco. Despite the fact that working there for a summer was like being in a CULT and quitting was like escaping a cult they really are fantastic knives. Oh and I was always partial to Henckles between the two.

 

[Kaido]

Just got my first Wusthof the other day and love it. Would highly recommend them

 

[Apex]

Henckels Twin Cermax M66, or don't bother getting either brands.

 

[Jawo]

This looks like a pretty sweet knife...

 

[Babbles]

I prefer my Shun knives over my Wusthof and Henkels. I think by far they are superior knives. However between Wusthof and Henkels I favor Wusthof.

I would highly recommend giving Shun a try.

 

[xSauronx]

Originally posted by: Jawo
This looks like a pretty sweet knife...

The blade doubles as a spatula for scooping prepped food into a pan or bowl.

dont believe ive ever seen that when someone was trying to sell a french knife. its certainly usable...but not for much, since its an 8"

 

[xblyx]

Personally I like Shun, but check out this site for some reviews.

http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article.php?id=129

 

[sygyzy]

Japanese, handmade. Try Watanabe blade.

 

[LS20]

fact of life: dont judge a knife by its sharpness
okay, to refine that statement: dont judge a knife by its initial sharpness

dont just go by the link posted above, and follow whichever knife seems to slice through carrots better.

how to get a knife sharp? grind a thin, acute edge. thin edge = comes at trade-off of edge retention. want hard steel alloy? then you've got a more brittle knife.
you can buy the sharpest knife out-of-the-box, and within a week of use, without proper care and maintenance (HONING, for example), it will be as dull as the new 15$ one at Target.

so why by expensive knives at all? durability - from full tang. sanitation - from flush, well-fitting rivets. durable handles. etc

so how to pick between knives? choose whichever feels the best in your hand. SHARPNESS is a function of your care


its analogous to shopping for cameras based on a single photo of a calibration card. you can nitpick on tonal separation, purple fringing, barrel distortion, etc... but what it comes down is whether the controls and menus are intuitive for you to actually use the camera to make good photos with...

 

[Apex]

Originally posted by: LS20
fact of life: dont judge a knife by its sharpness
okay, to refine that statement: dont judge a knife by its initial sharpness

dont just go by the link posted above, and follow whichever knife seems to slice through carrots better.

how to get a knife sharp? grind a thin, acute edge. thin edge = comes at trade-off of edge retention. want hard steel alloy? then you've got a more brittle knife.
you can buy the sharpest knife out-of-the-box, and within a week of use, without proper care and maintenance (HONING, for example), it will be as dull as the new 15$ one at Target.

so why by expensive knives at all? durability - from full tang. sanitation - from flush, well-fitting rivets. durable handles. etc

so how to pick between knives? choose whichever feels the best in your hand. SHARPNESS is a function of your care


its analogous to shopping for cameras based on a single photo of a calibration card. you can nitpick on tonal separation, purple fringing, barrel distortion, etc... but what it comes down is whether the controls and menus are intuitive for you to actually use the camera to make good photos with...

I agree with most of that. Definitely don't judge a knife by its initial sharpness unless you're too lazy to sharpen it for yourself.

Harder steel alloys tend to be more brittle. However, not necessarily so. Cowry-X or ZDP-189 based stuff is simply awesome. They're very very hard, up to Rockwell c68-69 hardness, but are tough, take a great edge, and retain the edge well.

For instance, the Henckels Twin Cermax M66 I suggested above come with this Japanese microcarbide powdered steel, finished to c66-68. It has great balance, very good construction, and are weighted well. They strike a nice balance in thickness, and have a good shape to the blade. The micarta handles resist damage (and germs) well.

 

[everman]

Originally posted by: Apex

I agree with most of that. Definitely don't judge a knife by its initial sharpness unless you're too lazy to sharpen it for yourself.

Harder steel alloys tend to be more brittle. However, not necessarily so. Cowry-X or ZDP-189 based stuff is simply awesome. They're very very hard, up to Rockwell c68-69 hardness, but are tough, take a great edge, and retain the edge well.

For instance, the Henckels Twin Cermax M66 I suggested above come with this Japanese microcarbide powdered steel, finished to c66-68. It has great balance, very good construction, and are weighted well. They strike a nice balance in thickness, and have a good shape to the blade. The micarta handles resist damage (and germs) well.

Yes, ultimately you want them to be made of high quality materials, zdp189 blades would be great but expensive. Most people don't take the time to learn about different kinds of steel, but it's worth the hour of research many times over.

 

[Apex]

Originally posted by: everman

Originally posted by: Apex

I agree with most of that. Definitely don't judge a knife by its initial sharpness unless you're too lazy to sharpen it for yourself.

Harder steel alloys tend to be more brittle. However, not necessarily so. Cowry-X or ZDP-189 based stuff is simply awesome. They're very very hard, up to Rockwell c68-69 hardness, but are tough, take a great edge, and retain the edge well.

For instance, the Henckels Twin Cermax M66 I suggested above come with this Japanese microcarbide powdered steel, finished to c66-68. It has great balance, very good construction, and are weighted well. They strike a nice balance in thickness, and have a good shape to the blade. The micarta handles resist damage (and germs) well.

Yes, ultimately you want them to be made of high quality materials, zdp189 blades would be great but expensive. Most people don't take the time to learn about different kinds of steel, but it's worth the hour of research many times over.

Indeed, blades from those steels do tend to cost more.

I picked up the Twin Cermax M66 Santoku for about $150 including a Henckels block and cutting board. They're pretty much the cheapest Cowry-X or ZDP-189 blades around.

 

[psteng19]

Originally posted by: DaShen
And for you people that say Cutco, you obviously have never really used a high quality knife or have been trained to use one. Good knives are so much better than anything Cutco has. Triple folded, one piece of Damascus steel metal is much better than Cutco and retain their sharpness and quality. Cutco uses thin sheets of plated steel with different serrations on the knife to mimic the ability of a quality knife, but imitation is not as good as thehigh quality stuff.

But... but... Cutco uses high carbon 440A grade surgical steel!

 

[dr150]

Originally posted by:

Originally posted by: Apex


Indeed, blades from those steels do tend to cost more.

I picked up the Twin Cermax M66 Santoku for about $150 including a Henckels block and cutting board. They're pretty much the cheapest Cowry-X or ZDP-189 blades around.

What store? That's a decent price with the accessories?

 

[Unmoosical]

Originally posted by: mooglekit

Originally posted by: Naustica

Originally posted by: Dunbar
I prefer the Japanese kitchen knives, they are generally sharper than the German knives (although not quite as tolerant of abuse). Global is the most popular brand but there are many other great Japanese knives out there. Whatever brand you buy I recommend holding them in your hand before buying them.

BTW, isn't Cutco the knives people sell door-to-door?

I love my Global. My Henkels sit in the drawer.

I love my Globals too...best knives I've ever owned.

Another vote for Global!

Originally posted by: DaShen
Neither, Globals and Kershaw/Shun's are considered better made nowadays (Wusthofs and Henckles only have the established name nowadays).

I'm not going to argue that one is better than the other but an established name doesn't necessarily mean good product. I mean that in the same way that Bose is an established name for speakers. That being said I'm not calling Wusthof or Henckles bad knives rather that name doesn't mean everything.

<---------- Written by someone who has not used Wusthof or Henckles.

 

[luckydragon]

where is the best place to buy global knives?

 

[aphex]

Ok well i had a chance to try them out today.... As i noted earlier, I get 40% off at Williams-Sonoma and we have nearly $200 in giftcards, so we are only looking at the models they carry...

The globals were nice, but i didnt care for the all metal handle, it was just not comfortable for me. Ended up liking the feel of the Wustof Classic and the Henkels Professional S. The Shun Onions were beautiful as well, but were $150 more for the same # of knives, just didn't know if the price diff was worth it.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: aphex
Ok well i had a chance to try them out today.... As i noted earlier, I get 40% off at Williams-Sonoma and we have nearly $200 in giftcards, so we are only looking at the models they carry...

The globals were nice, but i didnt care for the all metal handle, it was just not comfortable for me. Ended up liking the feel of the Wustof Classic and the Henkels Professional S. The Shun Onions were beautiful as well, but were $150 more for the same # of knives, just didn't know if the price diff was worth it.

How did you feel about the Shun grips? I like the handles on the Wusthof Classic series a lot...the Shuns seem like they would be harder to grip because of the cylindrical design.

 

[Unmoosical]

Originally posted by: luckydragon
where is the best place to buy global knives?

Just using google you'll get several sites with the same prices. Be extremely careful if you ever look on Ebay because there is a chinese company which makes fake global knives.