Robert Herder K5 & K6 mini-review

[Jovidah]

So another minor update. A while ago I saw a local sale on the K1M and I couldn't resist. However for the sake of practicality - and because it has a similar handle design I decided to go for the boring 'stainless + POM handle' option. No complaints there... although I'm not a fan of POM handles , as far as POM handles go they're actually quite nice. Also a significant step up from their cheapos. Main perk is that it fixes the potential issues of that wooden protrusion near the heel coming off the blade.
Unsurprisingly it's my favorite paring knife now, but admittedly all of mine are in that <80 euro range, so there's no super high end contenders.
So if you see any of the lines in this series with POM handle that might actually be worth considering over the wood handle versions. It's usually the cheapest option as well.

 

[drrayeye]

I have three much loved small knives, and they all have synthetic handles. My Wusthof precision paring knife sits next to my computer--wider than a Wusthof Classic Ikon. My Ken Onion unusual ergonomic handle works well with the angled hard tool 75 mm steel blade. My Shun Kaji is longer (120 mm), pakkawood infused, damascus, sg2 steel--and fits a different need.

I have two larger (180 mm) knives with wooden handles--no problems with protrusions.

Still wish I could find an excuse to buy a Robert Herder knife. I do have an American Dutch friend who has gotten interested.

 

[Jovidah]

The Wüsthof paring knives IMO don't make a whole lot of sense. They're priced way too high.... without really performing any better than your average cheap crap, and nowhere near as well as the Herders while costing almost as much (or even more than the Herder for some lines).

The protrusion thing is really specific to the design of the handle on the K-series. See post 1. It's not a massive issue (mostly cosmetic - and if you keep the handles properly oiled it doesn't get so bad), but IMO something they didn't have to be a problem at all if they just changed the design a bit.
Using pakkawood might also solve it. No clue why they haven't started using that, since they generally take a lot of influence from Japan.

 

[drrayeye]

The Wusthof Precision and the other two were bought as closeout prices. I don't think any of them are available any more.