I ask because I have learned that I need a knife with a softer steel, so I can sharpen the darn thing. Harder steel is great, until it gets dull, and then it is such a pain to sharpen that I wind up skipping it and whatever I cut up looks to have been gnawed to bits.
I bought a knife to replace my big chopping knife, which was for sale because it was dull. Ten minutes of careful sharpening later, I have one of the best knives I have ever cut with. My turkey never knew what hit it.
If you’re talking Henckels vs Wusthof, there are a few additional things to consider.
First, depending how you like to chop, you may want to look at the curve of each blade. Typically most people rock their knives. Since Wusthof blades tend to have a much deeper, more curved belly, it can make rocking easier, and reduce fatigue.
Second, you have to be aware that Henckels blades, though they look like forged blanks, are actually three seperate pieces of metal: The tang, the bolster, and the blade. Also, The bolster of the knives is not a solid piece, but is actually made of crushed metal which has been formed into the bolster shape. The three pieces are then attached. In my years in the knife biz’, I’ve had too many Henckels knives returned broken to count, whereas I can recall two Wusthof knives. And I think one of those might have been a weird, had-too-much-to-drink dream.
So I’ll echo everyone else: Feel them all, and pick the line that feels best in your hands. I’m pushing Wusthof, but the others are plain good too.
The lady from our local Williams-Sonoma told me you have to send it back to the factory. Don’t know if this is true or not, but sure sounds like a real pain in the rear.
Mostly, I’m talking Wusthof vs Wusthof–Grand Prix vs Classic. I’m about 99% sold on the Wusthof issue, just trying to find out if there’s any appreciable difference between the two styles in terms of strength, durability, or balance.
That’s one of the things that attracts me to them, the shape of the blade. Several of the other brands I looked at had a much straighter belly, and it seemed that I’d have to do more up and down chopping, which I imagine would be hard on my wrists and hands.
That’s good information as well. I’m leery enough of the quality of certain lines of Henckels to just steer clear of them. I’m aware that the good ones are very good knives, and many people swear by them as equal to or preferable over Wusthof, but I just don’t feel as though I know enough about the subject to ensure I get the right Henckels. Dig?
Although I’m not a professional, and it’s not as though these knives are going to be subjected to major hard labor, I do want to be sure I’m getting the best quality tools for my money. It’s easy enough to determine which ones feel better in my hands, but I don’t feel knowledgable enough to determine, on sight, if the knives I’m being sold are truly good quality or not–so I’m relying heavily on word of mouth, chefs’ forums, the SDMB, and Consumer Reports to decide which are more likely to hold up over the long run.
