Quick knife question

Much cheaper than the set I got several years ago from William - Sonoma... I like the knives...

You can go down the rabbit hole of either budget or esoterica with knives. That knife set will serve you well, and will give you a base to determine if you want more, better or have just enough.

Best advice I ever got about Knives. "A name is like a pretty face, Buy the Steel not the name". I'm not saying that Wusdorff don't make a good knife I look for the same steel in an off brand for less money, such as Victornox

Wustof Classic and Ikon series are VERY nice and good quality... personally, i like the classic.
Gourmet and Silver..(something) are are the "economy" series... i have those steak knifes, they're ok but nothing to write home about..

You can't go wrong with Victorinox (or Forschner) knifes, best bang for the buck... nothing fancy but worth every penny.... maybe they don't belong in a wedding registry, just keep them in mind ..

congrats, btw

I use 3 knives:
The bread knife, the cleaver, the Dexter 6" firm fillet knife. ($15)
I have other knives for fishing, hunting/gutting,
but I find I use that 6" Dexter more than any other. Cleaning chicken, pork and beef,
de-boning deer, filleting smaller fish (like 40 lb tuna or 20 lb wahoo and 5-12 lb. chicken dolphin.)
For me, that block of knives is a waste of money, better spent on something you will use alot.
I don't need a name brand, I need a knife to fit the circumstance.
I'd use that money to buy 3 or 4 knives you'll actually USE!

Be sure that you are aware that the steak knives are from their cheaper Gourmet line, while the rest of the knives are from their Classic line. Nothing wrong with that, just be aware that they are not all from the Classic line as they appear to be from the heading for their listing.

As Bludawg and Bebe pointed out, Victorinox makes excellent knives if you are price conscious. If not, I really like the Wusthof Classic line of knives. I have a set myself.

I'm personally a fan of Henkels. Alot is the steel, the rest is personal opinion. Whatever brand you get in the long run, get a Santakou, best knife style of the bunch

Bludawg said:

Best advice I ever got about Knives. "A name is like a pretty face, Buy the Steel not the name". I'm not saying that Wusdorff don't make a good knife I look for the same steel in an off brand for less money, such as Victornox

Click to expand...

I have a couple victornox knives. I like them and are reasonably priced.

Blu you must be slippin. Surprised you didn't use this opportunity to talk about your 7 inch stiff boner.:tsk:

smokin30-06 said:

I have seen a few threads about knives on here so I am hoping someone with a little experience can offer some advice.
My Fiance and I registered for our wedding. The single item I picked out was the Wustof 13 piece set. I don't know a lot about knives. With that much money in a set of knives - is that the best place to put it or should I look into exchanging/returning/or finding another place to get a better set?
Thanks in advance,
John

Click to expand...

See how they feel in your hand.
They are decent knives for kitchen work, get a stone and learn how to sharpen and they should serve you well.
As landarc said, things will get very complicated quickly if you are looking for the best you can do.
I agree Victorinox are good value, but I wouldn't switch those for Victorinax, no way.

Have you put these in your hands? If the answer is yes and you liked the way they felt then my answer is this.

Either put the smaller set of just classic series on the registry at 299 or get the full set of 12 classics for 499(price?).


If the answer is no, then it's important for you to go and lay hands on as many knives as ya can. If a knife feels good in the hand it'll perform better in my experience.

Example. I like a balanced mid-weight knife and I use a pinch grip and don't like much if any of a bolster on my knives. So take the knives you handle and do a slicing or chopping motion(no surface contact.....and no crazy motions to get ya kicked out please). You'll know what feels closer to right after that.


Be sure to handle some of the "Japanese style" knives as well. Shun and global I think are available there.

I like a good knife and a set in a block is fine because you just may use them for more than cutting meat. I would go for a good to fine quality set and then learn to sharpen them very well and use a good steel to keep the edges aligned. A dull knife is a poor tool and some knifes will hold an edge much better than others.

I agree with mchar69. A set is generally not a good value. I would rather pick out a chef's knife, carver, and some other utility knives then buy a set. I rarely use steak knives and that is just fill in a block set.

It is a good knife set. You will enjoy using the main knives and they are very easy to keep sharp if you take care of them. I have had my wusthof knives for about 16 years and they still look almost new and are super sharp. I would add the 9" slicer to the set.

The gourmet steak knives aren't in the same category as the classic but they will be great for when you are serving steaks. They won't get the daily use of the other knives.

Don't let anyone talk you out of this set. The victorinox are okay and good value but they aren't in the same category as the Wusthof classic.

you'll never go wrong with wustof or some models of henkels just remember they take alot more care like don't wash them in the dishwasher or hot water (warm) i've gone to all forged knife's they just hold up better.

well, now that all these answers have muddied things up, here is my thinking:

1. The heart of this set is the 8" Wusthof Classic Chef's knife, this is the model I own, it can and has done everything I have ever asked of it. It is not the finest knife I own, but, it does everything almost as well.

2. The bread knife is sort of a ridiculous knife, unless you are cutting bread. I own one, because I do cut bread, and although I could use any number of other knives, it works great.

3. This set has a 6" utility slicer, the most useless knife in the world for most people, except for women without professional training, who prefer the lighter weight and smaller blade. In Japan, this would be called a Petty knife, and no decent knife collection would not have it.

4. The small paring knife they are including is terrific. I have owned one for years, it is one of the most heavily used knives in my kitchen, if I was to buy a bunch of knives individually, this is still one that I would buy.

In short, of the 4 larger knives in the set, they are all top quality affordable knives and each are of a type, size and quality, that I would buy them, even not in a set. The scissors are actually not great for poultry, as they do not disassemble, but, that very model, I have used often for herbs, general cutting and cleaning up veggies and they are quite useful.

As for the steak knives, assuming you are not a hermit, you will have people over, and you will serve steak, or pork chops or whatever, you are going to want steak knives. I have seen these, and almost bought them, as I like the smooth edge and clean shape. Sure they are cheap, how great a steak knife do you really need? Plus these look nice.

I have everything from handmade knives from a small forge in Oregon, to a 60 year old Gyuto carbon steel knife from Japan, and everything in between. Including Victorinox and Dexter-Russel Sani-safes. As I said, you can go down the rabbit hole, but, this is a great knife to start a life off with, start a household off with and to look nice on the counter.

I have had the chef's knife for almost ten years and it's my go to knife for just about everything except bread.

lantern said:

Have you put these in your hands? If the answer is yes and you liked the way they felt then my answer is this.

Either put the smaller set of just classic series on the registry at 299 or get the full set of 12 classics for 499(price?).


If the answer is no, then it's important for you to go and lay hands on as many knives as ya can. If a knife feels good in the hand it'll perform better in my experience.

Example. I like a balanced mid-weight knife and I use a pinch grip and don't like much if any of a bolster on my knives. So take the knives you handle and do a slicing or chopping motion(no surface contact.....and no crazy motions to get ya kicked out please). You'll know what feels closer to right after that.


Be sure to handle some of the "Japanese style" knives as well. Shun and global I think are available there.

Click to expand...

Global are a stainless steel of pretty average quality, and you can buy a Shun quality knife for half the price, or less.
If you look at Japanese quality knives, Fujiwara are incredible value, and Masamoto are heirloom tools too!
I prefer linear handles over oval, it feeds unconsciously exactly where the knife blade is at all times, but you won't know until you try.

Landarc, as to the scissors, my Classic set is a little different than the OP's, but they do come apart. Not sure about those in that set.

I keep holding off buying the, "Perfect Knife" and use a number of the pretty good knives listed above. I have had to in turn learn how to sharpen knives... over and over and over and....
You get the idea.