School me! Ours are getting some age on them and I'm looking to replace them with something nicer. Is forged that much better than stamped? Wife recommended just buying something for $300-$500 (looking at 16-20 piece set) if we are going to need to replace again. If the higher end stuff is that much better, I will bite the bullet. Been looking at Henckels and Wusthof brands.
I don't know where we are, but we are making darn good time.
Looking at the right ones! Both are good, botb have different levels.
I looked at both brands you mentioned as well as many others. I ended up with Winco Acero which are sold online or at restaurant supply shops. Forged german steel which I have found to hold an edge very well.
Price wise they are very economical as compared to others.
I was looking for some new kitchen knives and found a number of online sources were recommending not spending a lot of money on a set and instead buying different brands based on best value for each type of knife you want. We have a set that is about 13 years old that just hasn’t held up well for the price. I hone and sharpen but the edge dulls quickly. For example on best value knives, Victorinox has a chef’s knife that is like $33 that multiple sites claim is top-notch from a performance standpoint, with the runner up a Wusthof in the $150 range. Same with a pairing knife... $8 vs $50. I bought a couple knives to see if they live up to the hype. If you want to spend the money on more expensive ones go for it, but my thought was I can spend less and if they don’t hold up, go buy the more expensive ones. From reviews the ones I bought are supposed to hold up though so we’ll see!
Buck and Case make some nice knives for their price.
Lake Norman, N.C./New Britain, CT.
An Khe 66-67
A. G. Russell makes some nice ones. I have four or five of those and a couple of Japanese Damascus ones.
Like tools in our house I have mine and my wife has hers, that way I know mine are where they should be and are maintained.
Having said that hers are Chicago Cutlery that are 25 years old. I sharpen them and oil the handles for her a couple times a year and they have held up well to her abuse.
I bought a $600 set of Henckles and they are underwhelming IMO.
When you say a set of 16-20 knives, what knives are you looking for? Maybe look at the working knives as tools; what tools do you need?
Wife has the following:
8 inch chef's knife. Workhorse in the kitchen.
6 inch utility. Does smaller jobs well.
4 inch paring. Does small jobs well.
10 inch produce. Mellons & such.
8 inch bread knife.
6 inch cleaver.
6 inch kitchen shears.
The steak knives don't need to match or be pricey, just work well. Avoid serated steak knives, pain to sharpen.
Her work knives are Shun classic. Damascus steel, hold an edge for a long time. Slightly pricey, but do a great job and last for years. My kids will probably fight over them when we're gone.
The sets are gimmicks. You will be better served by buying a few high quality knives. A good chefs knife, a slicer, bread knife, etc. I appreciate a nice forged knife but honestly the inexpensive stamped victorninox or forschners work just as good.
If you are looking at Henkels make sure you look at the two guys version on the box. It represents Made in Germany. The single guy versions are made elsewhere and not very good.
A really good knife —- non- matching set.
Find a good restaurant supply house.
Buy the best chef knife
Buy the best paring knife
Buy the best boning knife
Buy the best carving knife
Buy the best Butcher knife
Buy the best bread knife
then buy a good set of steak knives.
I have a boning knife from the packing house that is over 50 years old, still holds a really good edge.
Last edited by Bassman Ia.; 08-12-2020 at 07:38 PM.
+1 on the Victronix/Forshner knives. We have a set and they are scalpel sharp. Love them. Get the ones with the Fibrox handles unless you want rosewood. If you go to a butcher these are what they use.Originally Posted by Transom
2012 Phoenix 721 pro xp / 250hp SHO
2003 Skeeter TZX-190 / 150hp OX66
There’s nothing wrong with stamped as long as they are full tang I worked for Chicago cutlery about 25 years ago we made some very nice knives back then they were all stamped.
2023 Phoenix 819 pro
2023 200 Pro XS 4s 3B373365
pond boat
2020 pelican Bass raider 10E
the boning knife from the packing house is a Forshner #407F-6. My fillet knife in the boat is a Victronix.
I quit buying a nice set years ago. When I learned years ago that no matter what. M6 wife was gonna toss them in the dishwasher no matter what. I now keep 3 that are mine. A cleaver, a boner, and a carver. That covers my outdoor stuff. The rest just gets replaced with whatever she finds cheap.
I find that my 7" boner gets the most use.
SHUN Knives.
The CR 4 top rated knife sets are:
Zwilling J.A. Henkel Professional S
Wusthof Classic Ikon #8347 and Classic #8418
Zwilling J.A. Henkel Four Star
All forged. We have the Wusthof Classic. Started with the 9 piece set, and added a Santoku and steak knives. They weren’t cheap, but they’re still razor sharp after a year with only occasional touch up on my Spyderco Sharpmaker.
There are other knives that are probably just as good out of the box, but spending the money upfront on a quality forged knife pays off in the long run.
BassCat Sabre FTD
Mercury 150 Optimax
"It's just fishing"
I will add that if you want to spend the $$ Cutco are darn good. Or at least used to be. My mother has a set she bought probably 30 years ago and are still going strong.
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