Henckels Four Star Santoku or a japanese knife?

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Levi

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Hello, folks!

I would like to know your opinion on Henckels Four Star Santoku knife.
Since it's a forty-year celebration of the Four Star Series, they all come for half the price in my country (Czech Republic).
That means I can buy it for 50 dollars.
What's your experience with it? Is it worth it or should I look for a japanese knife, for example Fujiwara FKM? I don't mind paying a bit more but it shouldn't be twice the price or more.

I'm an experienced cook, though not professional, and I can make a good use of a fine knife. That's also why I would like to buy one that'll work the best and last long.

Thank you for the suggestions!
 
The best cheap knife is voctorinox fibrox, $40 usd and will last a life time in a home kitchen.
 
One of the best entry-level Japanese knives is a Tojiro DP. In the US, the 170mm santoku or 210mm gyuto are available for $60~65. Don't know if you are able to purchase these for the equivalent prices in the Czech Republic with shipping. I think the Tojiro is a nicer knife (better, harder steel) than the Henckels.

For price comparison, the Henckels you mention is $40 in the US, and sometimes discounted to $32.
 
laxdad said:
One of the best entry-level Japanese knives is a Tojiro DP. In the US, the 170mm santoku or 210mm gyuto are available for $60~65. Don't know if you are able to purchase these for the equivalent prices in the Czech Republic with shipping. I think the Tojiro is a nicer knife (better, harder steel) than the Henckels.

For price comparison, the Henckels you mention is $40 in the US, and sometimes discounted to $32.
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Thank you for the answer. I can buy pretty much anything here including Tojiro or other knives available in the US with reasonable shipping.
From your post I see the Henckels is even cheaper across the ocean - but what about the original price? Should I take it as a 40, not a 100 dollar knife if I'm considering quality?
 
I would pass on the Henkels. I came into this Japanese knife thing with a full arsenal of Henck 4 stars and thought at the time they were the best knives ever. My first Japanese knife (Shun) dispelled that notion. Hencks are soft, thick, made to be used with a steel to realign the edge frequently. These same properties mean the edge won't last but the abrasion resistant part means they are a beetch to properly sharpen.

Even an inexpensive J Knife will be an improvement in performance. I like the Suisin Western Inox or Gesshin Stainless as entry level, they retails right about $100 usd. The Torijo is less expensive, may not be pretty, but will work. Tanaka VG10 is in that neighborhood as well.

And I wouldn't be me if I didn't discourage the Santoku in favor of a Gyuto or Chef knife, the latter being much more versatile in the kitchen.

Good luck.
 
If you were to consider this as a $100 knife, then know that similarly priced J-knives will far outstrip it from a cutting performance standpoint
Just in case you are a lefty - I would not recommend Suisin Western Inox. It runs right biased in the grind, or at least, the one I used last weekend does. At the least needs a deliberate bevel adjustment to account for steering
 
Levi said:
Should I take it as a 40, not a 100 dollar knife if I'm considering quality?
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I saw the Henckels 40th anniversary 7" chefs knife at a local kitchenware store. It looked to be the same fit and finish as the other Henckels chefs knives selling for ~$100, so I believe the low price is just the promotional offer.

Henckels knives still serve a purpose. Thin and hard Japanese blades tend to be more brittle than the softer steels used by Henckel, Wusthof, etc. If you are rough on your knives, or are working around bones or with hard squash, then a softer steel might be preferable. I believe that even the most devout Japanese knife proponent here has a "beater" knife to do heavy lifting.
 
My J-knives do fine with Kabocha, though I haven't had many of the other types of squash/pumpkins to say that there is a type I would avoid using my J-knives for.
 
One of the nicest things about J-knives is sliding right through a chunky winter squash. They are not fragile though good technique is important. My beater is whatever gyuto is in my hand at the time:)
 
I'll echo the Tojioro DP.
It's a good improvement over the Henckels in terms of performance.
 
Yeah for $50 USD or even $40 USD, I say skip the Henckels Four Star santoku. I had one over ten years ago, and I'm glad I don't anymore. It's kind of the worst of both worlds. It's relatively lightweight, but it doesn't have anywhere close to the cutting performance/geometry of a Japanese knife. The steel is soft, but the light weight means I can't use it for heavy duty tasks that I could with a heavier, sturdier European chef knife.

Yeah go for a Tojiro DP. I will throw in the twist that I much prefer the Tojiro Pro stainless steel handle version of the DP instead of the regular riveted Western handle. Fit and finish is better, and the handle is more comfortable and the "tornado pattern" provides very good grip even in wet and slippery conditions.
 
I do a lot of pumpkins for my wife and inlaws. Japanese knife doing just fine. Original edge was so thin it was barely visible and inevitably chipped. After grinding the chips out it still cuts miles ahead of anything else i've held in my hands, and it didn't chip again on the hard pumpkins.
 
richard said:
Yeah for $50 USD or even $40 USD, I say skip the Henckels Four Star santoku. I had one over ten years ago, and I'm glad I don't anymore. It's kind of the worst of both worlds. It's relatively lightweight, but it doesn't have anywhere close to the cutting performance/geometry of a Japanese knife. The steel is soft, but the light weight means I can't use it for heavy duty tasks that I could with a heavier, sturdier European chef knife.

Yeah go for a Tojiro DP. I will throw in the twist that I much prefer the Tojiro Pro stainless steel handle version of the DP instead of the regular riveted Western handle. Fit and finish is better, and the handle is more comfortable and the "tornado pattern" provides very good grip even in wet and slippery conditions.
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Thanks a lot for the replies!

Actually, now I work with a budget IKEA french-style chef's knife which can nevertheless perform very well when sharpened before use. So I'm counting on using it on tasks like chopping bones etc.

I'll order the Tojiro DP Guytou and I'll get another one for my mom, too :). Is 210 mm the right size for general use?

Also I'm wondering about sharpening the knife. I'm sure the european honing steel I'm using now is not the right choice (though it's a good quality one). Could you recommend me an universal stone to sharpen the knife with? A budget option would be preferable - I wouldn't like to spend as much on the stone as on the knife itself.
 
OK, I'm going to draw a lot of hate for that statement, but here goes:

Any kitchen gear commonly (and I mean, in practically any case where the particular seller intends to continue stocking the model) sold at a discount is worth at most what it is commonly discounted to.

"Four star" probably refers to the amazon rating ;)
 
Agree 210 mm is ideal for home use, and unless your work space is really cramped, the gyuto is more versatile choice than the santoku.
 
LifeByA1000Cuts said:
OK, I'm going to draw a lot of hate for that statement, but here goes:

Any kitchen gear commonly (and I mean, in practically any case where the particular seller intends to continue stocking the model) sold at a discount is worth at most what it is commonly discounted to.

"Four star" probably refers to the amazon rating ;)
Click to expand...

No hate at all - it just makes sense. If it's a commonly discounted price, then that is its worth and not a penny more. Prices advertising so much "off" Manufacturer's Recommended Selling Price or similar figures just show the real prices that attracts buyers but still makes the manufacturer, distributor and retailer happy. You can value an item at any fanciful figure you like. However, its worth is defined by what people are prepared to pay for it.
 
Don't forget the Tojiro MV if you don't want to deal with sharpening VG10.
 
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