Solingen trip

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merlijny2k

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Since a visit to Japan is not currently feasible I went for the next best thing: a trip to Solingen. Three hours drive from where I live so.... Spent the afternoon in the Deutsches Klinger Museum. So much cool stuff one afternoon isn't enough. Got some really, really nice
modern customs too although no kitchen knife customs. Which is weird as it is otherwise mostly swords and kitchen knives with little hunting or survival stuff. Our hotel is literally next door to the Wusthoff factory, and the n to think my wife booked it (and she wouldn't know what a 'wusthoff' is if you asked her). Tomorrow im going to visit the factory shop and see if they do any tours. After that it's down to the city center to see what's in stores. Expectations for that not so high though. The museum has a knife store and it had nothing much intersting.
 
Today I visited the boker and Wusthof factory shop. Infortunately there's no factory tours. The wusties go at deep discounts. Especially the larger ones. Paring knives not so much. Got myself a nice wooden knife magnet in damaged packaging at a deep discount. The shop is rather small and simple but I was there at openinh hour and it started to fill up right away. After some activities woth my wife and son I went to the Boker factory shop. Smaller factory, much nicer shop, less discounted. Much more a posh shop then an outlet. The shopkeeper was an asian man who let me take as many pictures as I wanted as long as he wasn't in them. What haa been said here many times is really true: Herder is the only mainstream German knife that actually comes really sharp. Everything else I've seen comes with a thick course edge. The blades are otherwise really well made so if you just thin out the sholder a very thin and sharp blade can be had at relatively little effort. Some 5mm up from the edge a german knife isn't thicker than your average J-knife it appears from looking at a LOT of choils. I made plenty pictures though no choil shots as we forgot to take our good camera and the phone can't get the zoom right. Although not there core business I do like the boker kitchen knives a lot. They have a decent balance which is a rare featur in a german knife. For some reason I also dig the sandblasted look on the boker saga's. The only line from Wusthof that is acceptably balanced is the grand prix (and the cheap ones). The gradual th8nning of the crop of an Wustie X-line or a Zwilling pro actually does feel as good in a pinch grip as is advertised. If only they gave it a matching balance.

The city is kind of boring. The Germans are a bit of a grave people. Very serious. Not much life on the streets too. No immigrants or other trying to peddle any stuff too. I think Germany might be the exact opposite from Morocco in that respect. In the town center there are exactly 0 knife shops. You really have to go visit the factory stores. As you drive around you do find many smaller tool, knife, scissor, sword, sabre and razor factory's though. They are however just that: factory's and they don't look very inviting from the outside. Being that I speak hardly any german it didn't seem to make sense to just barge in anyway.

The knife makers seem somewhat on the conservative side somehow. For instance if you look at any Solingen knife with a metal handle you see a clear distinction between crop and handle. There doesn't seem to be a producer who uses the seamless way they make them in China and Japan. Any hybrid construction like in a shun and pretty much any Chinese made knife where the blade is welded to the crop you won't find much if at all around here.

Anyways' tomorrow i'm going back to the blade museum to visit the upstairs rooms properly and take some pics. Post them when I get home.
 
"No immigrants"

Solingen is still infamous for some deplorable acts of racist terrorism that happened there about two decades ago, and had a reputation of being xenophobic and having an active neonazi scene for quite a while after that.

EDIT: not trying to ruin your holiday - just know about it and be really tactful talking to locals about anything to do with immigration or the lack of it...
 
You should definitely look up the Herder factory, Ellerstraße 16, 42697 Solingen. They make the coolest knives in Solingen.
 
Years ago, before the time of my Japanese knives, I was also in Solingen once. I was commuting for some time near Solingen and once I took the time to visit it.

Like you say it is pretty boring and all the factories are looking very gray. I visited Zwilling factory shop and just like you are saying for Wusthof everything was greatly discounted. Mainly the good with some slight damage, like scratches and similar. In any case nothing major. I got Twin Pro stone for about 20eur. It was greatly discounted as the box was slightly damaged. I also bought a few professional chefs knives for my friends and a small petty for my wife. They were half the price, really good deal. At the end they gave me one serrated bread knife as a gift since I bought so many knives.

For sure worth going if you are buying German knives and you are in the neighborhood.

Unfortunately since I got hooked to Japanese knives not much interesting stuff for me there.
 
Last day I went back to the museum for pix and another visit. Many nice things I overlooked earlier. I went to the Herder factory but they don't sell to individuals or allow you in. They did give me a very nice promotional book in dutch though. They pointed me to a shop in the center of Ohligs which is a fifteen minute walk from there. Super crammed with stuff kitchen store with a Herder exhibit on the side of the stairs of all places. Nice older man sold me a paring knife and a butter knife that is also super sharp (forgot the name). They did have a limited edition chef's knife on sale. Didn't get it although it was very nice.
 
The Zwilling shop I didn't come round to visit in the available time. Doesn't bother me much though as you can see most of their stuff pretty much anywhere. All in all I really enjoyed the visit. Especially the blade museum. I hope I can go back someday when they have the major knife show.
 
Hiho!

Yeah the Blade Museum is awesome! There a 2 big events every year the solingen scissor market and knifemaker event

I guess you mean a "buckels knife" maybe.. i love those as breakfast knifes. best shape.
Well unless Herder all the other stuff is boring for me because its all the same boring stainless steel that all companies use and those knifes are boring too.
I live in cologne wich is 20 km away from solingen.

Seeya, daniel
 
Yes, Bockels would be the one I got. I haven't unpacked it yetbut i'm already fantasizing about trying to make one :)
 
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