Cutlery Reviews

I have used a number of steels in my life, and though there may be some that are better, this steel is as good as any I have used, and is priced right. The diamond steels are a tease, but they do not seem to last very long. Also, the main job of a steel is to "allign" a blade. In practise, they will improve the sharpness of a blade, but that is just a small bonus. When a blade gets dull, you hone it on a stone (get a good one). If you use a steel for it's intended purpose, this one will do the job well.

I just received these knives today.

I have a set of Henckels "International" Pro knives which I bought at Costco for about $150. The Henckels went dull very quickly. I looked at the blade, "Made in Spain". OK, now I know better -- only buy steel made in Japan or Germany.

So, I bought these Calphalon's based on the great reviews and the German steel in the advertisement here on Amazon.

Here's the revelation -- upon examining these knives, they are clearly stamped, "Made in CHINA. German Steel"

I'm not sure if I should feel good about these or not. Time will tell, but I wanted to stay away from products made in China and thought that I was getting a German product.

Having used them today, I can say that despite being made in China, they are very balanced and have an excellent weight to them. I found my hand subconciously and very naturally gripping around the neck of the handle, bolster, and blade and using the weight of the blade to chop down, something like how I'd use a cleaver.

I'm waiting to see how the German steel holds up on these Chinese knives, but so far so good. Minus 1 star for the misleading origin of these.

I've had this set for 6 months now, and am extremely happy with it. They are far superior to the less expensive Henckels and Wüsthof sets. I wouldn't go as far a saying they are the same quality as the top of the line Henckels and Wüsthof sets, but they are very close and cost a LOT less. No problems with rust or discoloration (the maids even ran the chef's and paring knives through the dishwasher by mistake). The stamped steak knives are not the best,(I have the forged steak knives as well)but they work good for everyday tasks. All in all, you can't go wrong with this set.

Friedrich Dick knives are a staple in culinary schools. Their blades have a higher carbon content than most, which makes them a bit harder and capable of holding an edge longer. (Friedrich Dick knives are also sold under the name Calphalon Professional Cutlery). Perhaps this is why the gentleman had a problem with rust. These knives are slighly more prone to rust than some others. All the good qualities described in the other reviews here are true, and with a little more care you get a superior set of knives at an excellent price/performance ratio bettered only by the Farberware Pro Forged set which are 85-90% of the quality for half, or less, the price.

I'm an enthusiastic Calphalon cookware user; have been for some time, can't explain my addiction, but their stuff works for the way I spend time in the kitchen. I recently saw this knife at a price that I think is pretty much scandalous, and decided to give it a try.

Yes, it says it's made from German high-carbon stainless steel; this is a correct statement. However, this does not mean it's a German knife any more than eating hush puppies means you're eating suede shoes. It's actually forged in China (look carefully on the box, you'll see the note). Nonetheless, it seems to be a reasonable alloy, comparable to the various European manufacturers.

It's quite substantial - "fully forged" means the blade, bolster and tang are one solid piece of metal, heated and beaten into shape with forges. Thus, it feels like a much more expensive knife than the price tag would indicate. The blade styling is typically German (tall, somewhat blocky) rather than French or Asian. If you like large knifes, and have large hands, you'll find the balance and control quite good. People with smaller features may not find this length the most comfortable, and should consider the 8 inch knife, found elsewhere on the site.

I was not highly impressed with the factory edge on the knife; I've had better - even in stamped (cheaper) knives. It's nothing that a professional sharpening wouldn't cure, and even at the cost of that, you'll still be substantially cheaper than a comparable knife from other manufacturers.

Overall, I'd recommend this knife for all but the most serious (or neurotic) chefs. Even for the most passionate home cooks, this knife is a stunning value and will let you reduce a big something into a pile of little bits of something in nothing flat.

Even though I am a fan of the Calphalon cutlery line (I really think they beat the pants off of the German competition), this block leaves a lot to be desired. The block that came with my 15 piece set was pretty nice, and I ordered this block to house the additional knives that I bought. It appears to be the same design, but the quality control is awfull. Several glue joints were split open when I recieved the block, and the finish was not quite up to par. Given the low cost, I chose to glue and clamp the block into submission, rather than to send it back, but you might be better off buying a more expensive block to start with.

I've had this knife block for 5 months now and it shows absolutely no signs of falling apart. Calphalon must have improved the quality of their blocks or the other writer just got a bad one.

Mine is as good looking now as the day it came into my kitchen. I wiped it down (one time) with mineral oil--as I do with all my wooden kitchen products--and remains fully functional and I can find absolutely no signs that it will be any less 10 years from now.

After all, you don't use it for anything but knife storage, so how could it deteriorate?