Victorinox kitchen cutlery

silenthunterstudios

silenthunterstudios

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I was actually disheartened to see Kai knives discontinued at Wegmans grocery stores. I saw some lower quality cutlery, but didn't get anything from their home goods section except for a ceramic sharpening rod. I was there Monday evening, and decided to see if they had any knives I would be interested in.

Full Victorinox cutlery stock, all made in Switzerland! I am thinking about getting a santoku. I don't have any outstanding kitchen knives, just the following

Old Hickory paring, butcher
knife block set of Tramontina black handled kitchen knives with sharpener
knife block set of Japanese made Carvel Halls with sharpener
three knife Tramontina red handled set
Spyderco PE kitchen knife, similar to a santoku.

I've seen Victorinox kitchen cutlery in SMKW, and remember seeing them written up in several different publications. Any experience with them?
 
Victorinox kitchen cutlery is I believe sold under the Forschner name and it gets really good reviews all of the time in the cooking magazines. It is always the best buy in Cooks Illustrated who does kitchen knife testing every year or so. Never comes in first, but is generally 100-200 cheaper than the outright winner and beats out a lot of very expensive kitchen knives. I think (and I don't have it in front of me) that the only complaints are that they are a little light compared to the ones that usually win.
 
I have the I have the 10" chef's knife. I would agree with it being on the light side but it is a great knife and probably the sharpest knife of any sort I've ever felt out of the box. Really pleased with mine.
 
I love the Victorinox/Forschner knives. You could easily spend a whole lot more for a whole lot less. Just like their pocket knives they represent a phenomenal bargain for what they are.
 
I have their chef's knife, cleaver, and cimeter. I've been very pleased with them. They take a nice edge which lasts with an occasional steeling. The price can't be beat either.
 
I have large scimitar,7 inch boning knife and a skinner...i personally find their steel to be soft...just my 0.2cents worth.....FES
 
I have a couple of their knives, a chef knife and santoku. They're my sharpest kitchen knives. The handles are comfortable but nothing fancy.
 
Forschner Victorinox knives are awesome for the price. Anything better costs five times as much. They're pretty stiff, take a nice edge that can be kept useful with a honing steel for a good long while, and the ones with Fibrox handles are NSF certified, meaning they can be run through a commercial dishwasher every day for years without a problem. Fibrox also keeps a good grip when wet and/or oily.

I have the 8, 10 and 12 chef's knives. The 12 is my favorite, the big heavy blade makes short work of most prep work. But the 12 has a rosewood handle, so it needs a little TLC after work, and lacks that all-weather grip.

I have much more expensive knives, notably a couple of 10-inch Sabatier chef's knives, and yes, they are better performers. I also have a commercial-use Dexter 12 that gets and stays sharper than the Forschners but is not nearly as stiff, which makes a real difference.

I also have a hawkbill Forschner paring knife that took me a while to learn to sharpen, but now that I have it down, the little honey is indispensable.
 
Forschner is probably the best value in quality kitchen cutlery on the market today. Bar none. Inkslave is right, to actually get something functionaly better (which is going to be really awesome) is going to cost probably 5 time as much. Get Forschner!
 
I have the 10" chefs knife, and in the past 2 years, haven't sharpened it once, and I have a set of paper wheels in the shop that I use all the time (particularly on my Wusthoff) . I steel it regularly, but it's still sharp as hell. And, as far as I remember, it was like $30 or less at my restaurant supply place. A little light, like other people have said, but really is my go-to knife in the kitchen, and unbelievable value.
 
inkslave said:
and the ones with Fibrox handles are NSF certified, meaning they can be run through a commercial dishwasher every day for years without a problem.
Click to expand...
I think it's worth noting that washing knives in the dishwasher can dull the blades faster.
 
This is true. But then you get to sharpen them. I love sharpening them.

In commercial kitchens and in my house, where I am the only blade freak, being able to drop a big sharp knife in the washer when you are done with it is a godsend. When I'm home and the music is on in the kitchen and I'm having find and I bring out the high-carbon Sabatier for the sheer joy of how well it works, I know I will be hand washing it and hand drying it moments after I am done with it, and this doesn't bother me. It's part of loving it. But when you have three sides of beef or 200 pounds of onions to get through, or your family members are on dish detail, the washer is a nice option.
 
I'm honestly confused how a dishwasher can save time on stainless knives. It takes all of 15 seconds to rinse, and dry them with a towel. (Not a hyperbole) Beef and/or onions? A 3-second rinse and a second to wipe dry. Something a little more water-resistant just needs a quick wipe with a soapy sponge. Unless you get melted cheese or something stuck on there, where it takes more like 30-60 seconds depending on how stubborn the stuff is.

I get them you may not get a carbon knife dry enough that quickly, but most stainless is fine as long as you don't leave stuff on them and you don't leave them soaking in water.
 
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