Chef Knives Reviews

Excellent for slicing ripe tomatoes and thick-skinned fruit as well as dinner rolls, this is a great little knife to complement a quality set of sharp non-serrated knives.

We admit to being a little partial to Henckels cutlery and have wanted a 5" utility knife for some time for dicing green peppers, fine-slicing onions, and similar tasks. This item has a great smooth feel in the hand, with enough heft in the handle, and enough length on the blade, to provide excellent precision in whatever your smaller cutting tasks might be. "Sharp" goes without saying and our prior experience with Henckels serrated edges leads us to believe the knife might well outlast its owner!
We feel the price paid, especially compared to the Henckels Pro, 4-and-5-star models, was a fine deal and we are so completely satisfied, we highly recommend this outstanding piece of cutlery!

I have been a chef for 12 years there is no better than henckel for professional, comercial, and or recreational cooking.

The Classic series knife was the third individual henckles knife that we purchased. Previously we had purchased knives from the Eversharp line and were not happy with them at all. This knive was a pleasant surprise and led us to experiment with more of the Henckles line until we ended up purchasing a Pro S series set that we absolutely love. Although the Classics are not as sharp as the S series knives they are much more affordable and are very good strong and sturdy knives. The 6 inch utility knife is a great all purpose knive that I find myself reaching for more than any of the others.

This is the go-to knife for just about everything: slicing tasks when the paring knife just isn't big enough, cutting vegetables where you need more control and precision than a larger chef's knife would give you, and even cutting open the occasional box now and again.

It's a great length (not too short, not too long) and has a substantial feel to it. It has well-forged blade and while it's not a Pro-S or a 4-star (and it shows a bit: though it doesn't matter, the finish isn't as nice), mine lasted through two years of heavy use befor needing a professional re-sharpening. And it only needed it a little bit then -- it was still sharp enough to be safe and effective. Mine never stained, and clean-up just involved hand washing with a mild detergent. As with any good knife, you shouldn't put it through the dishwasher.

At this price, I don't mind keeping a couple of these around. The older one gets abuse (opening those boxes and cutting into avocados, during which I often hit the pits) while the newer one gets reserved for more traditional tasks.

This knife is one of the best products I have purchased as of late. The balance and superior feel of this knife puts it into a class of its own. Other than an occasional pass over a steel it has maintained a great cutting edge. The small size enables you to easily tackle many small jobs that a larger cooks knife is just not practical for. Due to the quality and price I don't place these in the dishwasher. But this is a small price to pay for a knife that I will use for years to come and pass on to my children.

Thses knives stack up quite well when compared to Henckel's made in Germany forged knives. The feel and balance are excellent, they are razor sharp (though you will need to hone them regularly to keep them that way) and the quality is apparent when you hold them in your hand. I would also reccomend getting the 5 inch serrated utility knife for slicing ripe tomatoes and smaller pieces of bread. Women with small hands may also like to get the 6 inch chef's knife if they find the large version included to be too cumbersome and tiring to use.

Overall an excellent set, so far I am completely satisfied with them.

Okay, so they are made in Spain rather than Germany...so what? These knives are a great starter set for anyone looking to "upgrade" from the dull knives they got as a hand-me-down or when they went off to college.

Chefs say that a safe knife is a sharp knife, and you just can't get that with inferior knives. This line by Henckels probably gets overlooked because you don't find it on the shelves of Williams-Sonoma, but they are just as good. Cutting is also faster with a well-balanced knife with some weight behind it, which this set has as well. I've added kitchen shears since I bought mine, and I'll probably add the utility knife, carving set and cleaver before I'm done. The knives you start with though are all you need. I find myself using just about all of them (except the boning knife) almost every day.

Two caveats though...don't put them in the dishwasher and don't forget to use the steel either before or after you use your knives. My sister put her knives (not Henckels, but of similiar quality) in the dishwasher on a consistant basis and the edges got nicked from all the banging around that goes on. Also, using the steel will keep you from having to have the knives professionally sharpened.

I bought this block set to replace my Chicago Cutlery chef's knife and paring knife, which I've owned for years. The Henckels are excellently balanced and construction is solid. Out of the box, they are not the sharpest knives ever. However, they're likely to be sharper than the knives they're replacing, and if you get them sharpened, they'll hold an edge with good maintenance. I've used every blade in the set and have been satisfied with them all. I have some slight discoloration of the blades, but nothing too terrible. I've been hand-washing them religiously, but a friend has the same set and tosses them in the dishwasher, and his knives have held up better than mine.

Con:
1. Not the sharpest knives ever.
2. Require significant maintenance.
3. Shears should be included in this set.

Pro:
1. Excellent balance, highly functional.
2. All the basic blades are included.
3. They hold an edge well.
4. Block is utterly functional.
5. You will never be able to buy cheap knives again.

Overall, this block set was a fantastic investment. I'd recommend it to anyone getting into cooking. If you're a professional, you'll probably want something better (there are better Henckels, and Wustof too). If you don't cook much at all, this set is probably overkill.

I didn't realize just how much my Farberware knives ... until I used these. They feel firm in your hand but not too heavy. It's only getting 4 stars because it's not washable, and because I feel the block takes up too much space. To accomodate the length of the sharpening steel, the block is actually very long and juts out. The extra slots were great, as I was able to add my own bread knife and carving set.

This was my first set of nice knives. They are excellent for the price. They could potentially be the last set of knives you own, due to the high quality of material used and Henckels outstanding reputation for excellent cutlery (professional chefs know the Henckel name). However, they are the "low" end of the Henckels line. I have since added several knives from their Pro S line. More serious cooks may want to skip the Gourmet line and spend the extra money on a set from the Pro S (or higher) line. Otherwise, like I did, you will find yourself spending more money buying the nicer knives "open stock".

I AM AN AVERAGE COOK, AND THIS HENCKEL'S KNIFE SET IS JUST EXCELLENT. I CONSIDER MYSELF FORTUNATE TO HAVE BOUGHT GERMAN-MADE CUTLERY AT SUCH A GREAT PRICE. THESE KNIVES ARE MUCH BETTER THAN THE TYPICAL DEPARTMENT STORE KNIFE SETS. THEY ARE MADE OF THE BEST STEEL AND HOLD A SHARP EDGE MUCH LONGER. SO I RECOMMEND THAT YOU PAY A LITTLE MORE, AND GET A KNIFE SET THAT YOU WILL BE PLEASED WITH FOR A LIFETIME.

This is a really great set of knives. The wooden handles are beautiful, but I'm a sucker for wood. They're made in Spain instead of Germany, but the quality is excellent. I just wish I could find the cleaver somewhere, they're out and this line looks like it's been discontinued.

This knife set has been a huge hit in our household! I first have to say that my hubby did NOT want me to order knives on-line. He felt he needed to "feel" the knives first. BUT, after shopping in a local store and finding the sames knives were MUCH more expensive, I decided to order them with the knowledge that I could always return them if we didn't like them. Though he was not excited to learn I'd gone ahead and ordered them, once he saw them (and "felt" them...) he LOVED them! They are great quality! We had fairly decent knives, but they could not compare to the quality and ease of cutting we get with these knives. Dicing, slicing, whatever is no longer a dreaded chore. While I used to always let my hubby do the cutting, which I hated, I now prefer to do it myself because these knives cut so smoothly and with such ease. It's almost fun, if cutting up meat and veggies can be considered "fun". I feel like such a Julia Child... ha!

The knives are also very attractive. The block is a very nice heavy weight block of wood -- much heavier and nicer than I even expected. And, apparently, the knives have the right "feel" to my husband. He raves about them whenever he uses them!

So, if you want a great knife set and don't want to pay double the price at a local department store, give these a try! We are VERY pleased with ours!

Knifes cut wonderfully ... I would reccommend it to anyone that needs a nice set of knives but doesnt want to pay over $$$$!

These knives have survived hard cooking for five years and counting, with only two sharpenings. The handle is comfortable, although it can be nicked in the dishwasher.

The knives have good, one-piece blades. Although the handles are not the best, they are by and large sturdy and comfortable (occasional nicks aside).

I was recommended this set of knives by a professional chef, and they work more than well in my non-professional kitchen. The only problem with this block set is that it lacked two necessary items--kitchen shears and a bread knife. However, buy them separately--there is space for them in the knife block.

...this set is a great deal and will more than adequately serve even the busiest amateur chef.

Talk about quality. This is a superbly crafted knife set. The knives are so sharp I can shave the hair off my arm with them. There is NO comparison to the typical department store $30.00 to $50.00 knife set. The blades are very strong and don't bend while cutting things like big white boiler onions. My cheapo set couldn't even cut these mungo onions without bending and ruining my attempt for a nice uniform slice. Love EM.

This is a terrific present for someone who's getting serious about cooking--that's how I got mine! There's no piece of equipment that's more important than a good set of cooking knives. These have held up over ten years, three households (with some careless users), and numerous sharpenings and show every sign of outlasting me.

This is a wonderful knife for the average guy. It cannot match the superior quality of the more expensive Henckles but you get a big bang for the buck. It is sharp and well balanced. This one is produced in Spain. If you want the best, look to spend much more. If you are on a budget DO NOT settle for the cheaper brand of knives, this is a far better investment.

(Love You Sue)

This is like a mini chef's knife. It's very high quality and fits perfectly with my other Henckels knives. It's almost like a sandwhich/utility knife.

This Henckels Chef Knife is the perfect size to use for just about anything you do in the kitchen. It is a wonderful starter piece to the Henckels collection of knives.
I never have to work with a dull knife again, this Chef's knife keeps a sharp blade longer than any of the other brands I have used, and it is not a difficult process to sharpen and maintain it, as well.
This knife has always been known for the highest quality of knives, this price is a steal.

This knife is very high quality and is especially good for slicing through ham, etc... I would highly recommend it.

Henkles, Wusthoff ect all have different ranges of knives ranging from so-so to excellent. Well these are the so-so ones. If you are a weekend cook, these would be fine but if your in the kitchen daily and want a quality knife that you would use often for many types of food, get a better high-carbon, FORGED one from any company.

I have this exact model and after less than a year of hand washing, I noticed a crack in the handle. Now it's almost falling off. I only use it as a back-up.

It's too light for harder foods like carrots and requires a lot more effort to cut anything requiring force to cut. Even after it's sharpened I find it awkward chopping larger, harder foods. It just doesn't have the weight, even if it was a chef's knife which is honestly probably more of the functions I use it for. It's about the same weight as a cheaper bread knife. For the types of cuts this knife is supposed to be designed for, it's just too light to be effective. It's just too hard (and too dangerous) to make good chopping cuts with such a light knife.

Spend the extra $5-$10 to get a forged knife from any company, Henkels or not.

This knife is great, it's light weight, sharp, and it has all the good things you expect from a Henckels knife. It's also affordable for household kitchens.

it's easier to handle than a cleaver, which was what i used before this (I am from a Chinese family, we use cleavers for everything), but I do have one gripe, the blade is not big like a cleaver, so when i am slicing carrots into thin strings, sometimes my knuckles run into the cutting board. it will take some getting used to.

I have been using a typical chef's nice since starting my career in the kitchen and have an AMAZING case of carpal tunnel sydrome/ RSI as a result. I was recommended a Santoku knife as a change and the difference is UNBELIEVEABLE.
Yes, you cannot "rock" with a Santoku or break bones, but a cleaver comes in handy for bones and I could NEVER get the razor-thin slices I can get with this nice little baby!
I have never been a fan of rocking and have taught all my fellow chefs to do what feels right for them ... and they do not rock their knives, either ... and if any handles crack, that is why Henckels guarantees EVERYTHING for life (www.zwilling.coM for an FYI if you read the review about me where he said he only uses it for back up now that he has a cracked handle).
I would highly recommend this knife ... the divots in the Wustof are nice, but jusdt a fancy addictive ... that is what a bench/dough scraper if for.
Buy this knife and you will be ecstatic ... I am going to buy them as gifts for everyone I know for thei b-days this year!