Need help understanding kitchen knives

B

BigRott

Joined
Jan 6, 2000
Messages
71
Hello,

When it comes to quality kitchen knives from a factory, the names that usually surface are Henckels, Sabatier, Messermeister, Burgvogel (the company no one seems to know anything about), Wustoff-Trident and a few others. They all seem to have the same materials and construction (i.e. forged high carbon stainless steel blades, full tang, hygenic handles, etc.).

Is there really a large difference in performance between these brands, or is it 6 of one half-a-dozen of the other? Why does it seem like the best kitchen knives come from Germany? Who are the best American comapnies?

My knowledge of kitchen cutlery is sorely lacking!

Later,

MBS

------------------

Nevermind the dog...beware of owner!
 
Because we in Europe know how to cook
smile.gif
and we need good knives to prepare the dishes...

But seriously, I do not know why German knives are so popular. But since I have bought Spyderco kitchen knives (from www.chaicutlery.com) I do not use anything else. They are of excellent quality and good price.

David

------------------
DIVERTI NESCIO

---------------
My Photopoint pictures

Mikov Knives
 
My wife is a certified executive chef. She uses her knives constantly. Even cuts her own steaks. She used to be partial to the Henckels brand.For Christmas, I purchased a couple of Gerber Balance plus knives for her.They are now her favorites. Excellent ergonomics and balance and very good at holding an edge. Check one out!
 
While the German knives are very well made their biggest advantage is in reputation followed by style. Most housewives don't have a broad experience with knives and can't compare their performance. They buy them based on reputation and recommendations, and how well they coordinate with the decoration motif of the kitchen.

If it was just a matter of looks the American, Japanese, and Swiss companies would have driven the German companies off the market based on price. Lately at least one of the German companies has been selling foriegn produced knives under their logo. I guess that the names alone have serious value.

I use a lot of old knives from Flint, Utica, Case, MAC, Kaicut, Forschner, etc. The German knives are great, but they aren't in a class by themselves.

If you want value and a nice traditional appearance, try the Rosewood handled knives from Forschner (Swiss). You can get great deals on the internet. For a more modern look and excellent performance check out AG Russell's line at their website.


[This message has been edited by Jeff Clark (edited 05-02-2000).]
 
BigRott,

I did some detective work some months ago and found out the following. Henckels, Messermeister, Wustoff-Trident, and the Canadian co Grohmann all use German 4/30 stainless steel. (I don’t know about the others you mention, but I suspect it is similar, if not the same.) Its composition (incomplete) is: Carbon 0.7%, Chromium 15.0%, Molybdenum 0.5%. I imagine that that it also has some amount of Vanadium. In any case, among the more familiar steels, these numbers fairly closely approximate those for AUS-8.

Also, Henckels, Messermeister, and Wustoff-Trident all manufacture their knives in more or less the same way. They all state that their knives are “drop forged” (I believe, cannot recall exactly off-hand), which is not the same as forging as it is practiced by bladesmiths. Rather, it is a process by which the blade shape is machine-stamped out of the high-temp steel by a mold. It *resembles* a cross between forging and casting, but in fact is neither. Nor does it gain the benefits of either; the process is simply very fast and efficient for purposes of factory production.

My own feeling is that the higher end “bigname” kitchen cutlery would be okay at maybe a third of their price tag. Their retail cost does not nearly match the quality of their production -- one is REALLY paying for the name, and little else. The highest end lines of Henckels et al aren’t even very practical, as their bolsters extend all the way down to the cutting edge -- which becomes a problem when you want to use the heel of the knife for cutting, and esp. when you need to sharpen it. Those bolsters go for looks at the expense of function.

If you’re willing to pay the price for Henckels, etc, but want good cutlery, there are better alternatives. Like most folks, I use one or two knives for 99% of all kitchen chores. I picked up the Spyderco 9.5” AUS-10 kitchen knife w/paper Micarta scales from Spyderco’s factory outlet for $60.95, s&h included. The other knife is a 4.5” Kyocera ceramic fruit knife w/black laminated wood handle, for $48.10 plus shipping. Both are very elegant. Their thin blades are far sharper, keep an edge far, FAR longer, and perform much, MUCH better than their brand name rivals. (And no, the ceramic is NOT as fragile as most people fear; nor is it “impossible” to sharpen: one only needs a superfine diamond hone.)

Okay, enough procrastinating!

Glen
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top