A while ago I bought a new Wüsthof Classic breadknife, with a 9'' blade. I recently tried it out for the first time and found it almost unusable because it steers so badly, to the left. And by badly I mean I have never experienced anything that came even close to this.
When cutting a perfectly ordinary German bread with a slightly tougher crust I literally have to use my whole strength to cut slices that are halfway straight, even thin slices that offer less resistance from the "slice side". I can feel the handle wanting to twist in my hand like somebody has gripped the blade with a pair of blacksmith tongs and is trying to wrench it out of my grasp. It is is seriously astonishing. If I didnt counteract the steering blade the cut would be angled 45° degrees to the left when finished, in a 1,5lbs loaf four or five inches tall.
It is definitely the blade, because I have a cheap POS Zwilling breadknife that is many years old, and that knife will cut perfect, smooth slices, effortlessly, regardless of thickness and without any guidance at all, just saw back and forth and keep pressing down.
I have already taken a good close look at the blade and there is nothing obvious that could be causing this issue. The blade is straight, both bladefaces are perfectly flat, the bevel is not quite as wide as on the Zwilling so the angle might be a little lower (or the blade is just thinner at the edge), but I cant imagine that this is causing these problems.
Any ideas what is causing this and what can be done to fix it? Sending it back is not an option, I have waited too long before trying it out. Also, I really want that breadknife, but I want it to function well too.
When cutting a perfectly ordinary German bread with a slightly tougher crust I literally have to use my whole strength to cut slices that are halfway straight, even thin slices that offer less resistance from the "slice side". I can feel the handle wanting to twist in my hand like somebody has gripped the blade with a pair of blacksmith tongs and is trying to wrench it out of my grasp. It is is seriously astonishing. If I didnt counteract the steering blade the cut would be angled 45° degrees to the left when finished, in a 1,5lbs loaf four or five inches tall.
It is definitely the blade, because I have a cheap POS Zwilling breadknife that is many years old, and that knife will cut perfect, smooth slices, effortlessly, regardless of thickness and without any guidance at all, just saw back and forth and keep pressing down.
I have already taken a good close look at the blade and there is nothing obvious that could be causing this issue. The blade is straight, both bladefaces are perfectly flat, the bevel is not quite as wide as on the Zwilling so the angle might be a little lower (or the blade is just thinner at the edge), but I cant imagine that this is causing these problems.
Any ideas what is causing this and what can be done to fix it? Sending it back is not an option, I have waited too long before trying it out. Also, I really want that breadknife, but I want it to function well too.
