All production knives, including Wusthofs, are much softer than a great quality custom knife. A production knife will be heat treated to around 56 Rockwells. a great quality knife will be treated to a minimum of 58 rockwells, sometimes running up as high as 62 rockwells.
that doesnt sound like a a big difference but in terms of performance they are worlds apart. a harder knife, is much much sharper, and will hold its edge much longer. the reason that production knives are softer is to make it easier for the masses to look after, they are easier to sharpen and less likely to lose a tip if you drop them.
if you are looking for a truly great quality knife then look for a custom knife maker in your area. (there are lots!) but expect to pay a lot more than a shop bought set. but as most people have pointed out you don't need a huge set of knives. get one or two great quality knives and look after them and you won't be sorry.
also whatever you buy get a good quality honing rod (also called a knife steel) which will keep a sharp edge performing well for longer, as it will straighten out the fine edge when it buckles slightly (just make sure the hone is sharper than the knife, so if the knife is 58 Rockwells make sure the hone can go up to 60 rockwells etc). and as has already been mentioned either get a few good sharpening stones or pay someone that knows what they are doing to sharpen it. Oh, and only use a wooden board or you'll ruin a good edge
Okay, I am uncomfortable leaving this unaddressed while brethren read it and believe it.
Aikiyoda, you will get a large number of people supporting this view, it is a commonly believed myth, so lets look at it.
People hear a lot about how "hard" the knife steel is as a selling point. Rockwell hardness indicates toughness, and is not a good indicator of the important qualities of steel used in a knife
Crucial qualities are strength, toughness, creating an edge and holding that edge. These last two are the major factors.
All of the Japanese brands I named are superior to the German makers, including Wustoff, henckels/Zwillings and every other German knife maker.
If you compare to Shun and Global, Shun wins slightly on that, but Global wins on balance and beats Shun by a mile in usage, both lose to the Fujiwara and Masamoto.
All of them beat the European steels used in knives.
Shun loses because of the loss of function due to aesthetic design factors, the top line to point makes it
far more difficult (comparitively)when slicing vegetables or even a bigger drawback when dicing whole onions down.
If going for Shun(which I just wouldn't), I would avoid the Classic line altogether.
They baffled me by using VG-10 steel in their 3 layer damascus blade but they used this exemplary steel in a cosmetic way only, yet it is the far superior knife steel out of the 3 used!!
Cannot fathom that, except it is proof they place form way over function.:doh:
You can order Japanese knives from Japan with a 7 day delivery and total safety, once you know what you want.
Buy a good combination stone, like others have suggested too!
HTH
ray:
