Chef Knives Reviews

My mother bought this exact set (handles were different) for me when I first moved out approx. 20 yrs ago and they have lasted since then. They hold their sharp edge for a VERY long time! I am donating that older set to a sibling and purchasing this NEW set for myself. Remember, there is nothing more dangerous than a DULL kitchen knife! You will NOT be dissapointed with this set!

If you want SUPERIOR grip (by far the best grip designed) with a sharp full knife, this is the one to get. Affordable compared to its TWIN star cousin.

Henckels has always produced an excellent product. The 5-star line is their latest innovation. Not only does the high-carbon steel blade take an edge and hold it, but the ergonomically-designed handle is a real bonus. These are worth the price!

Well, you will never buy another Ginsu set again.

Don't even waste your money on cheap knives, ever. Get one set of good ones, and have them for years, like chefs do.

What knives do you really need? An 8 inch chef's (This is a 12, frankly a bit of overkill except for certain applications), a paring knife of the same quality, a block to store them (OUT OF THE DRAWER please) and a steel. A diamond block to sharpen is also a must unless you have a true professional sharpener in your area (the factory guy comes to our hardware store yearly and makes them practically lethally sharp; you may not have such an advantage.) Get a good chopping board; a huge plastic one is a great choice, as you can wash it and sterilize it easily.

12 inches is a bit large; I prefer the 8 for most applications. However, for vegetables and Chinese foods, this is a super size. The handle (very important) is well designed and comfortable. BE WARNED: you must NOT chop chicken bones or you will damage the fine edge. If you want to chop and debone meats, get a cleaver or boning knife. I like a Chinese cleaver for this type of work.

Be careful shopping for name brand knives; some lines have "cheap" starter brands that aren't worth the illustrious name stamped on them. This Henckels knife is a real pro, and worth the money.

This knife is definately overkill for many jobs, but for attacking watermelon & other large fruit for fruit trays it's great. I also like it for jobs like chopping parsely where the knife never seems long enough. If your not used to using a tool this big it will take some time before it feels comfortable in your hand. I like to bring my hand's first knuckle up onto the blade for the best control w/a chef's knife & the 5-star handles are great for this. It really shows it's usefullness at jobs where you push down at both the blade & handle end like cutting butts of meat in half in preperation for slicing or pushing through club sandwiches where even a reasonably sharp serated knife can catch on a tuff peice of bacon & tear apart the sandwich. If I was a prep cook this would be my main weapon.This may not be a great choice for around the house for many, but in a hotel setting it can quickly prove to be indespesable. As with all high end Henckels the blade holds an edge very well. When the job calls for a knife of this size, this mutha rocks!

The short story:
Pay a little more money and buy Wusthof cutlery,
and get a lot more bang for the buck.

The long story:
J. A. Henckles make different lines of cutlery. Their
"International" line is lower quality and less expensive
than their top lines "Pro S" and "Five Star."

(The only difference between the "Pro S" and "Five Star"
is the handle. The "Pro S" has a full-tang riveted handle,
and the "Five Star" has a bigger, synthetic handle. Some
people claim the full-tang riveted handles have better
balance.)

Though, Henckels name is more well known than Wusthof
and they sell more knives to the general public, people
who have used the two brands, for the most part, agree
that Wusthof is the better knife. Also, Wusthof seems
to employ much better quality control than Henckels.

Henckels cuts corners when it comes to their sets.

Henckels supplies a relatively small, low grade
sharpening steel with their top line "Pro S" and
"Five Star" sets.

In their top line 18 piece sets, their steak
knives come from a lower line.

Henckels has a recommended retail price and a sale
price on their cutlery. Just about all vendors,
sell Henckels knives at the "sale" price. Henckels'
warranty department will only give you credit for
the sale price of their product, even if you pay
more, and have a receipt to prove it.

On the other, hand, Henckels warranty department is

generous when it comes to replacing old Henckels knives
damaged due to consumer misuse. I thought knives
completely submerged in salt-free water would
not corrode. I thought corrosion needed salt or
air. Wrong. My Henckels knives corroded even
though I just left them submerged in soapy water.

The most popular knife today is the Wusthof
Grand Prix, Santaku knife with a granton
edge. This is the knife used by Rachel Ray
and other chefs on the Food Network. "Granton"

means the knife has semi hollowed-out ovals on
its sides. Granton edges may provide a smoother
cut, with less drag. Vegetables may stick to
their sides less. But knives with granton
edges are not supposed to be sharpened at home.
Moreover, they have very little edge to sharpen
and so have much less life expectancy than an
Identical knife without a granton edge.

If you buy expensive knives with a fine edge,
I recommend buying a RA-03, John Boos,
24" x 18" x 2" cutting board, and a bottle
of John Boos mystery oil for reconditioning
the board every month.

You can NOT beat the quality of these knives. They are more expensive, but the quality is tops. I like the unique shape of the 5* grips. My wrist doesn't rotate as far forward as with more traditional shapes and is less fatiguing when doing a lot of chopping.

To reinforce an oft made point, the steak knives are NOT 5*. They are from the "gourmet" line, which are stamped instead of forged, and have exposed rivets instead of the curvy 5* handles. They are also serrated on the end. I personally find the serrations a little annoying. I don't want to saw through my steak. If you want the better 5* steak knives, buy a smaller set of 5*s without these, and seperately purchase the 5* steak knives and a block (or box) for those. But be ready to pay big bucks. In the end, is it really worth all that money for fancy steak knives? If not, then go ahead and get this 18pc set. The price difference seems to favor the larger set rather than seperate purchases.

Final analysis: Knife quality, as good as it gets. As far as this particular set, consider the steak knife question, and also realistically evaluate your cutlery needs. After a few months, there are several knives that I have yet to use! I could have saved some bucks and got a smaller set.

A last word: Don't put these in the dishwasher. The hot water and detergent will bleach the handles. You should always wash fine knives right away anyway, and not let them sit dirty until next time you do dishes.

I was very surprised at how nice these knives really are! The 8 piece steak knives DID match the rest of the knives, same handle and all, an earlier post stated they were a lesser quality knife, very wrong! Every knife is beautiful down to the smallest detail, they are super sharp and very well made. I give this set 5 stars for a beautiful Five Star set!!!!!