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hmm interesting. not sure if I agree, wonder what the criteria was for their rankings.
 
Well, at least now we all know that thin knives are bad for cutting carrots. This will surely save us lifetimes of hassle!
 
Maybe we need to consult the surprising answers to sex questions. I'm sure we are doing that wrong too.
 
... wonder what the criteria was for their rankings.

#1 - Make sure you cater to the big boys(ie the manufacturers).
#2 - Make sure you don't know jack about knives.
#3 - Make sure you can get the knife at WS or SLT.
 
Dang, I thought this was gonna be Jason's top knives, aka - sh!t I wish I owned.


Instead it's an amazon.com commercial cutlery commercial.

Gotta love consumer rating based purely on OOTB sharpness.
And the idea that the only way to handle carrots is to wedge them until they break apart.
 
Oh! Henkels and Wusthof Classic! And Chicago Cutlery! Of course!

It's not like those are the EXACT MAKES AND MODELS of knives I hear about daily. I can't think of a single conversation with a home cook that doesn't go like this:
"Oh you sharpen knives? Does that mean that if I bring you mine you can sharpen them for me?"
Yep, I certainly can. And I do it all by hand.
"How much does it cost?"
I charge by the inch.
"Oh ok, because we bought a really good set of knives, and spent a lot of money on them. Can't remember what they are called.."
Henkels? Wusthof? Chicago Cutlery?
"Yeah, (insert brand here)! They are nice knives, but they are just really dull and won't cut anything. We use the rod they came with, but it doesn't seem to do very much. Maybe I just don't know what I am doing."

Every time! If all these stupid foodie rags and websites and retailers are so damn convinced that Wusthof and Henkels are the greatest knives of all time, then how come everyone I work for has them, believes they are supposed to be good, and never uses them? Because they suck.

My most recent home cook had Wusthof, Pampered Chef, and Hampton Forge. She did all of her cutting with a plastic handled, rust pitted steak knife with a bent blade. "That one cuts really good", she said.


They make crappy knives that are optimized for manufacturing, lock down contracts with cooking classes, television shows, public kitchens and culinary schools, then they distribute mythological information that describe those two knives exactly to a T, and then lo and behold, Wusthof and Henkels are the only companies IN THE WHOLE WORLD making knives with all the qualities of "every good knife".

I'd be happy to see all three of those companies out of business. It's not the product that gets my goat, it's the company.

:soapbox:
 
I love how the article states that thin knives are ill suited to cutting hard veggies like carrots.
 
:eeew: I couldn't find the vomit smiley, so this one will have to do.
 
So Eamon.....how many knives have you seen where half of the edge is flat because the few times that their yuppies owners used them, they chose to hack at something on a "cutting board" made from a leftover piece of granite or Corian from their counter installation? I just described my mother and my two brothers and sisters-in-law.:rofl2:
Oh! Henkels and Wusthof Classic! And Chicago Cutlery! Of course!

It's not like those are the EXACT MAKES AND MODELS of knives I hear about daily. I can't think of a single conversation with a home cook that doesn't go like this:
"Oh you sharpen knives? Does that mean that if I bring you mine you can sharpen them for me?"
Yep, I certainly can. And I do it all by hand.
"How much does it cost?"
I charge by the inch.
"Oh ok, because we bought a really good set of knives, and spent a lot of money on them. Can't remember what they are called.."
Henkels? Wusthof? Chicago Cutlery?
"Yeah, (insert brand here)! They are nice knives, but they are just really dull and won't cut anything. We use the rod they came with, but it doesn't seem to do very much. Maybe I just don't know what I am doing."

Every time! If all these stupid foodie rags and websites and retailers are so damn convinced that Wusthof and Henkels are the greatest knives of all time, then how come everyone I work for has them, believes they are supposed to be good, and never uses them? Because they suck.

My most recent home cook had Wusthof, Pampered Chef, and Hampton Forge. She did all of her cutting with a plastic handled, rust pitted steak knife with a bent blade. "That one cuts really good", she said.


They make crappy knives that are optimized for manufacturing, lock down contracts with cooking classes, television shows, public kitchens and culinary schools, then they distribute mythological information that describe those two knives exactly to a T, and then lo and behold, Wusthof and Henkels are the only companies IN THE WHOLE WORLD making knives with all the qualities of "every good knife".

I'd be happy to see all three of those companies out of business. It's not the product that gets my goat, it's the company.

:soapbox:
 
Hey Lets not forget to recommend Cutco, my personal favorite. I think what i like most about them is the Double D edge that can never be sharpened. Maybes its the unique handle that requires the cook to only hold the knife in one position. Or maybe its the use of that fance 440 steel. What i like most though is the high cost. Remember your not a "Home Maker" unless you own Cutco. i want to be a Home maker too! :happymug:
 
Oh! Henkels and Wusthof Classic! And Chicago Cutlery! Of course!

It's not like those are the EXACT MAKES AND MODELS of knives I hear about daily. I can't think of a single conversation with a home cook that doesn't go like this:
"Oh you sharpen knives? Does that mean that if I bring you mine you can sharpen them for me?"
Yep, I certainly can. And I do it all by hand.
"How much does it cost?"
I charge by the inch.
"Oh ok, because we bought a really good set of knives, and spent a lot of money on them. Can't remember what they are called.."
Henkels? Wusthof? Chicago Cutlery?
"Yeah, (insert brand here)! They are nice knives, but they are just really dull and won't cut anything. We use the rod they came with, but it doesn't seem to do very much. Maybe I just don't know what I am doing."

Every time! If all these stupid foodie rags and websites and retailers are so damn convinced that Wusthof and Henkels are the greatest knives of all time, then how come everyone I work for has them, believes they are supposed to be good, and never uses them? Because they suck.

My most recent home cook had Wusthof, Pampered Chef, and Hampton Forge. She did all of her cutting with a plastic handled, rust pitted steak knife with a bent blade. "That one cuts really good", she said.


They make crappy knives that are optimized for manufacturing, lock down contracts with cooking classes, television shows, public kitchens and culinary schools, then they distribute mythological information that describe those two knives exactly to a T, and then lo and behold, Wusthof and Henkels are the only companies IN THE WHOLE WORLD making knives with all the qualities of "every good knife".

I'd be happy to see all three of those companies out of business. It's not the product that gets my goat, it's the company.

:soapbox:

I don't think this is at all fair to Wusthof or Henkel. They make decent, not good, knives that are massively better than what most home chefs use, which usually come in a box with some combination of the words "laser", "diamond" and "pressed" on the sides. People think they're the best knives around because they're so much better than anything else they have ever used.
 
I'm with Craig, the German brands aren't that bad, they just need to be sharpened like any other knife. The finest Japanese blade will be totally useless in a few months if it isn't resharpened. Maybe even more than the German blades because the Japanese edges tend to be a bit fragile in the hands of granite counter top cutting board users.
 
I love how the article states that thin knives are ill suited to cutting hard veggies like carrots.


They don't seem to understand that with a sharp gyuto, hard veggies like carrots are no longer hard... (I think I am referring to the knives...)
 
Again, its not the product, its the company.

They are considered the best because they have all the qualities of a good knife:
A full tang
Drop forged
Full bolster
Thick spine
Balanced in the handle
Soft steel
Big belly

See? Every good knife needs those things! Everyone knows that. Strange thing is, only two companies seem to be readily available that do that, and they come with a warranty! That's what the guy on tv, my cooking school, and bed bath & beyond said. It's not like they were told to say that by the company because they don't know better.


I have heard this from fellow cooks at work, people teaching classes, people making knives, foodies, bloggers, tv personalities, etc etc etc.
Those companies(but especially Wusthof) spent a lot of time and money making sure that every grocery store with a cooking class is outfitted generously with a knife for every student--a Wusthof knife, which they can buy from the giant rack on the wall. Oh, and they gave the instructor a bunch of pamphlets and told him what makes a good knife, so they can pass on the valuable information to the students. Really helpful, considering the guy or gal teaching the class didn't know their arse from a hole in the ground about knives before hand...they are just hired because they know the mother sauces and how to determine learning styles.

I had a coworker come in with a pair of Wusthofs, and I asked why he went with those. He said that's what they gave him in culinary school, and then when they got stolen, he bought them again because "that's what I'm used to" and shrugged.


I think Shun(Classic Santoku) and Forschner(Fibrox Chefs) have managed to come up with a better least-common-denominator, people pleaser knife--the Bud Light of knives. Considering the factors that vary from person to person on which knife is good for them, a knife like a Wusthof Trident Classic is going to be just the right knife for about 5% of people. Though it is what we in the modern world are used to being inundated with, in the grand scheme of knives, it's as extreme a choice to me as a Chinese Cleaver.
 
I don't think your problem is with the companies, I think your problem is with consumers and retailers. I mean you can't reasonably expect Wusthof to go "Yeah, we have worldwide distribution, top market share and incredible brand recognition. What we need to do now is tell people how average our knives are!"
 
But their knives aren't average. They are heavy handled, thick, big bellied, soft, mediocre grind, high tip, sharp spines, etc. If you deleted those two companies, leaving the entire rest of the planet that makes knives, then have those knives show back up...they are pretty dang weird knives.

You can't fault people for being incorrectly informed, and the company has been so aggressive with shoving their knives in every corner of the planet that their marketing spiel has become doctrine.

Imagine if every driver's ed class around the world was stocked with free PT Cuisers, and every mechanics school got them to work on for free, and then got to keep a free one when they graduated. And then all Nascar cars are switched to PT Cruisers. Then TV Networks are given lucrative deals and free PT Cruiser fleets with the stipulation that nobody on any show on the entire network can be shown driving any other car. Then have a Chrysler rep show up to every car related event everywhere in the world, because they have millions of dollars to blow on crap like that. Give it thirty years(one generation), guess what kind of car will be voted "the best"?
 
I was under the impression that Wusthof sacrifices performance in favor of durability, which seems fair given the habits of the general public (rarely sharpening, running knives through the dishwasher, etc.).
 
I've seen enough chipped, broken, dented, and rusted Wusthofs to know that they won't do any better than any other stainless knife with poor care. Dishwashers, drawers, glass boards, hacking at ice, leaving food on the blade...nothing is going to stand up to that.
 
I thought Wüsthofs are incredibly well made (compare a 70$ Wüsthof chef to the avereage 70$ J-Knife) and suit many people's cooking style (rock chopping, going through small bones, etc.). HT is consistent and nowadays these come 58 hrc. There is a lot more left to be desired in terms of f&f in an 8" Tojiro DP compared to an 8" Classic and the DPs are 30 bucks more (at least here in Germany). Besides, a Wüsthof is a major upgrade on what most people I know use in their kitchen. I don't particularly like them but I think they're okay for what you pay. And marketing - hey, aren't it the Japanese that will advertise any hundred dollar knife as all hand-forged top quality samurai cutlery from the blacksmith family's last surviving member? At least Wüsthof is honest about the fact that you get no more than a factory made standard.
I don't like them for pushing their knives but that's what everyone in the world does.
 
Again, its not the product, its the company.

They are considered the best because they have all the qualities of a good knife:
A full tang
Drop forged
Full bolster
Thick spine
Balanced in the handle
Soft steel
Big belly

See? Every good knife needs those things! Everyone knows that. Strange thing is, only two companies seem to be readily available that do that, and they come with a warranty! That's what the guy on tv, my cooking school, and bed bath & beyond said. It's not like they were told to say that by the company because they don't know better.


I have heard this from fellow cooks at work, people teaching classes, people making knives, foodies, bloggers, tv personalities, etc etc etc.
Those companies(but especially Wusthof) spent a lot of time and money making sure that every grocery store with a cooking class is outfitted generously with a knife for every student--a Wusthof knife, which they can buy from the giant rack on the wall. Oh, and they gave the instructor a bunch of pamphlets and told him what makes a good knife, so they can pass on the valuable information to the students. Really helpful, considering the guy or gal teaching the class didn't know their arse from a hole in the ground about knives before hand...they are just hired because they know the mother sauces and how to determine learning styles.

I had a coworker come in with a pair of Wusthofs, and I asked why he went with those. He said that's what they gave him in culinary school, and then when they got stolen, he bought them again because "that's what I'm used to" and shrugged.


I think Shun(Classic Santoku) and Forschner(Fibrox Chefs) have managed to come up with a better least-common-denominator, people pleaser knife--the Bud Light of knives. Considering the factors that vary from person to person on which knife is good for them, a knife like a Wusthof Trident Classic is going to be just the right knife for about 5% of people. Though it is what we in the modern world are used to being inundated with, in the grand scheme of knives, it's as extreme a choice to me as a Chinese Cleaver.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. You mean to tell me that a big company uses tons of marketing to increase their sales!? I'm shocked. I'm sure Wustof/Henckels are the only corporations to do this, and the only ones to embellish the qualities of their products. It's in their best interest to do this and it is in the consumers best interest to do their own research.
 
Do you think that they might have their faith in mankind shattered if they discovered that those German knives are not drop forged like they used to be, but have the bolsters forge welded to a strip of steel coming off of a huge roll?:bigeek::biggrin:
Again, its not the product, its the company.

They are considered the best because they have all the qualities of a good knife:
A full tang
Drop forged
Full bolster
Thick spine
Balanced in the handle
Soft steel
Big belly

See? Every good knife needs those things! Everyone knows that. Strange thing is, only two companies seem to be readily available that do that, and they come with a warranty! That's what the guy on tv, my cooking school, and bed bath & beyond said. It's not like they were told to say that by the company because they don't know better.


I have heard this from fellow cooks at work, people teaching classes, people making knives, foodies, bloggers, tv personalities, etc etc etc.
Those companies(but especially Wusthof) spent a lot of time and money making sure that every grocery store with a cooking class is outfitted generously with a knife for every student--a Wusthof knife, which they can buy from the giant rack on the wall. Oh, and they gave the instructor a bunch of pamphlets and told him what makes a good knife, so they can pass on the valuable information to the students. Really helpful, considering the guy or gal teaching the class didn't know their arse from a hole in the ground about knives before hand...they are just hired because they know the mother sauces and how to determine learning styles.

I had a coworker come in with a pair of Wusthofs, and I asked why he went with those. He said that's what they gave him in culinary school, and then when they got stolen, he bought them again because "that's what I'm used to" and shrugged.


I think Shun(Classic Santoku) and Forschner(Fibrox Chefs) have managed to come up with a better least-common-denominator, people pleaser knife--the Bud Light of knives. Considering the factors that vary from person to person on which knife is good for them, a knife like a Wusthof Trident Classic is going to be just the right knife for about 5% of people. Though it is what we in the modern world are used to being inundated with, in the grand scheme of knives, it's as extreme a choice to me as a Chinese Cleaver.
 
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