Wusthof knives??

erniet · August 2005

I remember a post from a while ago about these knives. The wife wants to add to her dime store specials but I want something that's gonna last. We highly trust your opinions. After all...if we didn't we would still be using the old gasser, wouldn't have dr bbqs book, dizzy pig rubs or a BGE. Life is great with support like all ya'll.
TY
Ernie

Unknown · August 2005

MNT (Meat N Taters),
I have had a set of these knives for many years. Life time warrentee. [p]www.cutco.com[p]Jerry

Eggtuary · August 2005

MNT (Meat N Taters),
I love my Wusthof knives. I got the Grand Prix handles, which I understand are changing over to the Grand Prix II (one review said they weren't quite as comfortable as the original). They dull after a while, as will any knife, but a good sharpening will get them back to razor-sharpness in no time. Some folks on here invest in some pretty fancy sharpening equipment to keep all their blades very sharp, often sharper than they come from the manufacturer![p]I understand the Forschner knives are a better deal for a quality blade (like $180 for a nice set with block), so you might look into those if you don't want to spend as much.

ShortRib · August 2005

Eggtuary,[p]What kind of sharpener do you use? I am getting ready to purchase one for my Wustoff knives very soon and would like some ideas...

Eggtuary · August 2005

ShortRib,
So far, I've let the pros do it for me. I considered getting the Chef's Choice EdgeSelect 120, because that's the only sharpener that Wusthof recommends customers use on their knives. However, there was a thread here sometime in the past several weeks about different people's sharpeners. The Chef's Choice is good, but some folks thought others were a little better.

JJ · August 2005

MNT (Meat N Taters),
If you want a good sharp knife that will last and has a forever warranty check out www.cutco.com. i had a set for five years and never needed to sharpen them. you want need too.

Unknown · August 2005

ShortRib,
right now I'm using a cheap sharpener that has worked on the dime store knives for years...(link below)...I'm in the process of looking into a diamond sharpener that wusthof recommends.
[ul][li]the original edge maker[/ul]

clausenk · August 2005

MNT (Meat N Taters),[p]I have an assortement of Henckels, Wusthof, Forschner and miscellaneous. I prefer the Wusthof to the top of the line Henckels. The handcrafted balance is exquisite and they hold an edge well. On the other hand, for less than 1/4 the cost I could happily use the Forschners the rest of my life and not feel like I was missing anything. Henckels has great marketing, just wish the knife lived up to it. [p]Clausen

Skychief · August 2005

MNT (Meat N Taters),
Ditto on the Cutco. I have had a set for over 20 years.
I have sent them in for resharping once. Great customer service.

ccrider.disabled · August 2005

MNT (Meat N Taters), Check out the Shun knives by Kershaw.

Smokin Bob · August 2005

MNT (Meat N Taters),[p]I don't using anything but Wusthof! I worked with a lot of knives while working in restaraunts and went with the Wusthof line after a few years of various knives. I use their diamond sharpening steel. My favorite of the 11 Wusthofs I have is still the deli knife with the off-set handle. I use this knife for everything except fine chopping (parsley, chives, etc). It's great for cutting grilled meats!
[ul][li]Wusthof off-set deli knife[/ul]

HolySmokes · August 2005

MNT (Meat N Taters),
buy what you want, use what you like!
I've a pile of Henckels and use little else.[p]I've bought and tried many other major brands, and
like many of them. Good knives are good friends.[p]Like many a butcher I've met, and descended from, the
REAL answer... you will find A FEW knives you really
like, and use all the time. ALL the time. I use maybe
three knives of my 15 piece set dailly. [p]Any good butcher (care to ask of another profession for
knives???) will say a couple great knives is the core of
their work. You (and I) can have a pile of knives we will
use little. The two/three you sharpen well and use daily
are/or will become great knives.[p]best, HS[p][p]

Unknown · August 2005

SmokinBoB,[p]Nice post and I sure agree with you. I have used these knives for years and like yourself, use only the diamond steel to keep the knives sharp. Not a one of them has ever been sent out for a new edge. I do take very good care of them and wouldn't use anything else. [p]Dave

JSlot · August 2005

Bought my first one two years ago and I'm sold on 'em.[p]Jim

YB · August 2005

JSlot,
I agree with you Jim.
Larry

fishlessman · August 2005

<p />MNT (Meat N Taters),
i think buying the knives that your going to use is better than buying a full set. some knives in the set dont feel right in your hand, an example for me would be a global paring knife. i really like the global single sided blades and the edge holding characteristics, but the paring knife is akward to hold. i use a henkaels paring knife and an old carbonsteel parer. the henkels need to be sharpened more often with a stone or steel but hold up quite well. the globals stay sharper longer, but a steel will ruin them and they are more tricky to sharpen. bunmei makes an incredibe sushi knife that i use as an every day chefs knife. it has the strongest sharpest blade ive ever used. incredibly hard to sharpen, but the edge lasts for ever. for edge holding i like the globals better than the henkels, the only fault with them is that with extended periods of use the back of the blade is too square (sharp) and needs to be rounded or smoothed with a stone. i keep around some old steel knives for crushing thru bone and heavey cutting. i think they are old lamsons. the big fillet knife is a global and i wish it was a knife i could use on bread, my next purchase

Smokin Bob · August 2005

fishlessman,[p]I know I have already mentioned my favorite utility knife but I did not mention how well it cuts bread. The scalloped-serrated blade is perfect for meats (like my london broil the other night) and delicate french bread as it slices with ease.[p]Anyone else have or tried one of these? I bought my first one in 1997 when they came out and then another (w grand prix handle) in 2002. The first one still works great and it's only been sharpened once![p]Cheers![p]B o B
[ul][li]Wusthof Off-set handle deli knife[/ul]

fishlessman · August 2005

SmokinBoB,
thanks, thats what im missing.

Gretl · August 2005

SmokinBoB,
I have a set of Wusthofs and use them all. I take VERY good care of them, and use the diamond steel for sharpening. Never a problem. Oh, and I never put them in the dishwasher. HTH,
Gretl

bigmikej · August 2005

ccrider,
I concur!

Smokin Bob · August 2005

bigmikej,[p]I'm not sure what it was but I could never get use to the angle on those Alton knives...

ccrider.disabled · August 2005

SmokinBoB, Not all have the angle.

Smokin Bob · August 2005

ccrider,[p]True, just the Alton version. Just never got use to the ones that did.

Mike Oelrich · August 2005

MNT (Meat N Taters),[p] Wüsthoff makes very nice knives. From the wedding receptions I've been to, I'd wager that Wüsthoff and Henckels represent the highest percentages of knives used in U.S. households. But, as others have said, if you buy a complete set, there are likely to be three knives you use regularly and seven you don't. But, buying a whole set does usually mean getting a discount so it is a good idea to think about what you might use (for most people, this means a chef's knife, a paring knife and a serrated bread or tomato knife -- an egger might also consider a nice boning knife essential), then compare costs between a few useful knives and a set of not-so-useful ones. My own collection (I know I posted a picture here a long time ago but darned if I can't find it at the moment) includes many brands and styles. If you really plan on using a knife a lot, it is probably worth your time to hold onto a few for a bit and maybe even try them out at the store. The perfect knife for one person can be horribly uncomfortable for another to hold. Also, some knives are heavier/lighter than others and this can affect how much you're willing to use it. There are also many blade sizes and shapes. Chef's knives range from little 4" ones to 14" and larger monstrosities. I have a really nice 10" Global chef's knife that some of my friends are afraid to use! So, I bought a nice, inexpensive Calphalon (made by F. Dick) 7" knife for friends that want to help out in the kitchen. The most common shapes the standard chef's shape, which has a nice curve to the blade allowing you to rock the knife easily during slicing and the santoku, which is a style somewhere between a chef's knife and a cleaver. This style is hugely populare now, but if you like to be able to rock, rather than chop, it may not be for you (incidentally, some manufacturers have realized this and are now offering santoku-style knives with more curvature on the blade . . .).[p]Having said all that, if you don't want to spend a lot and really want the best value in a knife, then you can't beat Forschner. Their blades are stamped, rather than forged, so they cost less. However, they are of very high quality. Cook's Illustrated reviewers think very highly of them and routinely rate them, cost independent, above other expensive forged knives.[p]To add a bit more to the great knife debate: For one really wanting to look around, rather than hit the local Macy's or Bed, Bath and Beyond, there are endless choices (note that I don't think there is anything wrong with shopping at either of those places -- they sell Wüsthoff and Henckels, which work pretty well for most people, and I'd wager the majority of people get their knives in just this manner). My personal tastes have lately had me leaning toward Japanese-style knives. My current favorite brand is Glestain. The blades are hollow ground (meaning they have oval-shaped depressions ground into them to keep food from sticking), but unlike the standard hollow-ground blades you find these days that don't seem to work as advertised, the Glestain ones do work because the küllens (the depressions) are larger and there are two rows of them. In addition the knife is a bit lighter than some others. Other very nice brands are the Hattori HD series (beautiful -- compare these to the Shun series everyone talks about, but the Hattoris are better looking and sharper) and MAC (lightweight and sharp -- another Cook's Illustrated favorite as well). I'd encourage anyone interested in Japanese-style knives to chek out www.japanesechefsknife.com for good prices (including shipping from Japan for $7) and nice pictures. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that some Japanese knives are ground on one side only or have different angles on each side so standard sharpening machines may not work.[p]As for Cutco: I know people that absolutely love them. However, my mother got a set from one of her neighbor's sons (Cutco knives are normally sold through local independent representatives and he was selling them for college money) and I am not a fan. I find the handles to be supremely uncomfortable and slippery and the knives, while very pretty, don't seem to work as well as the others I've used. Of course, like I said above, not every knife works for every person so your mileage may vary . . .[p]Hope all this rambling is useful.[p]Mike

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