Advice on choosing between two knife sets? (German Wustof vs. Spanish Zwilling J.A. Henckels)

Hi all, I'm choosing between two different knife sets and could use some advice.

The first is a made-in-Germany Wustof set (HERE) and the second is a made-in-Spain J.A. Henckels set (HERE).

They're both basically same in the number of knives (one offers a few more steak knives), both are stamped, they're approximately the same price ($200 vs. $150) and both are German steel.

The main difference is the slightly more expensive Wustof set is made in Germany, while the Zwilling JA Henckels set is German steel but manufactured in Spain. I don't cook very often (1-2 times per week tops) but am looking for something that is reliable, well-made, and will last a long time. I guess my main question is, is "made-in-Germany" versus Spain worth the extra $50? Does German manufacturing produce substantially better results in the long term and in performance compared to knives manufactured in Spain, even for light users?

Thanks!

(This question also posted on BladeForums.com)

Two things you should know about this forum:

1) We normally advise against sets

2) We are 99.99% biased in the fact we use Japanese knives.

Sets come with a lot of knives you will never use and/or knives that don't come in appropriate sizes. Look at the first set for example... The chefs and bread knives are undersized and it comes with two paring knives (3" & 2.5"????).

If you are cooking once or twice a week, I would seriously consider getting get a Fujiwara 210mm gyuto for around $80, and a parer from Victorinox/Forschner. If you want a bread knife, Forschner again.

There's not much difference between the 2 sets you linked to, but you could do a lot better. If it does come down to a choice between those just choose whichever you prefer.

I have a couple of questions:

1) Do you actually want the steak knives?

2) Are you gentle with your knives or do you tend to abuse them (chopping bones, opening cans, etc)?


If you're not entirely set on one of these 2 sets and not beating up your knives, consider:

Tojiro ITK Bread Kinfe $55
Fujiwara 210mm Gyuto $80
Victorianox Parer $5

That would give you a much better set than either you linked to and would leave plenty of change for a block, a set of shears and some steak knives.

I agree with Tim... I would use your budget to get a nice Chefs knife (gyuto) and fill the voids with inexpensive but reliable options (victorinox fibrox, etc)

If you're set on German then suggest that Messermeister is one of the better offerings. Prob not at cheap stores but Amazon has them. The Meridian Elite doesn't suck and has a half bolster to facilitate sharpening.

Between the Wustie and Henks I would go Wustie but reach a little deeper for Classic or Ikon. Henckels has not made a knife I would own since the "Four Star" line. If you start with a chef knife in lieu of a "set" your dollar will go further.

Those are both just awful. Youre throwing 200 dollars down the drain. Take that and get yourself a quality chefs knife and build a kit individually . You can choose wusthof if you want, but i suggest you do some research into japanese knives and youll understand why we use them almost exclusively here.

You only really need like 3 knives so let's find out what you really need. Fill out this questionnaire and we can narrow it down.


LOCATION
What country are you in?



KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in (e.g., chef’s knife, slicer, boning knife, utility knife, bread knife, paring knife, cleaver)?

Are you right or left handed?

Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?

What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?

Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)

What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?



KNIFE USE
Do you primarily intend to use this knife at home or a professional environment?

What are the main tasks you primarily intend to use the knife for (e.g., slicing vegetables, chopping vegetables, mincing vegetables, slicing meats, cutting down poultry, breaking poultry bones, filleting fish, trimming meats, etc.)? (Please identify as many tasks as you would like.)

What knife, if any, are you replacing?

Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.)

What cutting motions do you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for types of cutting motions and identify the two or three most common cutting motions, in order of most used to least used.)

What improvements do you want from your current knife? If you are not replacing a knife, please identify as many characteristics identified below in parentheses that you would like this knife to have.)

Better aesthetics (e.g., a certain type of finish; layered/Damascus or other pattern of steel; different handle color/pattern/shape/wood; better scratch resistance; better stain resistance)?

Comfort (e.g., lighter/heavier knife; better handle material; better handle shape; rounded spine/choil of the knife; improved balance)?

Ease of Use (e.g., ability to use the knife right out of the box; smoother rock chopping, push cutting, or slicing motion; less wedging; better food release; less reactivity with food; easier to sharpen)?

Edge Retention (i.e., length of time you want the edge to last without sharpening)?



KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.)

Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.)

If not, are you interested in learning how to sharpen your knives? (Yes or no.)

Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives? (Yes or no.)



SPECIAL REQUESTS/COMMENTS

On the one hand, you are looking at two equally poor options. Not very astute. But you ended up here and asked the right questions. You are very smart indeed!

Hoola, people using go for sets because they look pretty. People who don't know much about knives like to have knives look the same. But the best thing to do is to get excellent knives from different makers, just like you would with clothes or appliances (a company that makes a great fridge may make a mediocre mike or dishwasher).

Wait on the block until you build your collection. You might find you need a smaller or bigger block eventually. The block is really a loss leader to get people to buy sets. These companies also figure you'll be hooked on buying more of their brand in the future.

All you need to start is a really good chef's knife, a 3.5 inch parer and maybe a bread knife. I'd recommend a Kanehide 210 mm chef's knife (gyuto) for $100, a Wusthof Classic 3.5 parer (get on eBay for about $30-$40) and the Tojiro bread knife recommended by others.

Hi all

Thanks a ton for your feedback. When I think about it, I really don't need the million knives they include with these (like 2 types of utility knives!) anyways -- just need a good chef's knive, bread knive, paring knife, and maybe a couple steak knives (tops).

I'll look at the brands and knives you guys suggested. I honestly didn't even think about Japanese knives before, since all the stores near me tend to have Made in Germany or that Made in China crap.

Thanks again!

~~

You will not find many knives that are actually worth buying in German shops. I would suggest you sped some time browsing around here. If you fill in that questionaire (see Theory's post) we can help you a little more.

A few shops that are worth checking out:

JNS (Maxim) in Denamrk (free shipping for orders above cca 130€)
JKI (Jon) in US
JCK in Japan (cheap shipping)
CuttingEdgeKnives in UK

There are several others (check the KKF vendors and their sub-fora), but this is a good start.

Both JKI and JNS offer some really excellent sharpening stones - something you will need sooner than later (and should try to locate some budget for)

Of course - anything you will buy from outside EU will be subject to taxes (19% + another 8% if the total value including shippinpg is more than 150€)

Matus said:

Of course - anything you will buy from outside EU will be subject to taxes (19% + another 8% if the total value including shippinpg is more than 150€)

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27%!

I thought we had it bad at 20% VAT + a £15 flat rate handling fee...

20% VAT and 8.5% excise duty if you are unlucky. Plus the ridiculous "handling" fee...

Timthebeaver said:

20% VAT and 8.5% excise duty if you are unlucky. Plus the ridiculous "handling" fee...

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I didn't know they could charge excise duty on kitchen knives!

hoolahoolahoolahoop said:

Hi all

Thanks a ton for your feedback. When I think about it, I really don't need the million knives they include with these (like 2 types of utility knives!) anyways -- just need a good chef's knive, bread knive, paring knife, and maybe a couple steak knives (tops).
~~

Click to expand...

The best value steak knives I've found are, admittedly, German. Messermeister Avanta. About $55 for four. Excellent sharpness and darn good looking for relatively little money. Perform as well as much more expensive steak knives I've used.