knives: wusthof vs. henckels?

[swampy]

My aunt bought us a henckels knife set as a wedding present before we'd even registered. Unfortunately, we'd already gone to scope out what we might want, and decided (based on heft, handle size, and curve of the blade) that we prefered the Wusthof knives.

We have to return the set for a larger one regardless, as it doesn't have a bread knife (which I feel to be essential), but the upgrade to either a larger Henckels set or the Wusthof I had my eye on originally is the same price -- we have to return some duplicates anyway, so it's not going to set us out any $$. At any rate, I'm having quite a dilemma re. which we should buy. My aunt kept raving about how much she loved her Henckels knives, how great they were, et c, but I just liked the feel of the others better.

Any opinions? Does it really make a difference? (I've heard that they're both really great knives.) Personal preferences or experiences?

[hockeybrat]

I think quality-wise, they are equal. I use Henckles but I've looked at Wustoff (after I got my Henckles set)

[camberne]

Well, my husband won't have anything besides Cutco in the house, so I'm no use to you at all on this one.

[dana b]

i was always under the impression that wusthof was better, but i'm sure henckles is just as good. i have the wusthof culinar set b/c i liked that is was all stainless. if you want the wusthof and it won't cost any extra money, then i say get the wusthof, you'll just keep thinking about them later.

[swampy]

if you want the wusthof and it won't cost any extra money, then i say get the wusthof, you'll just keep thinking about them later.

heh, yeah. very good point.


I don't want to offend my Aunt, though (as if she would ever find out -- she never comes to my place) ... and if the Henckels *are* better, I'd like to consider them. Anyone else have experience with them?

[hockeybrat]

I forgot to add that the Henckles have different grades of quality. I think the Professional series is the top. I had some that were the classic series and they don't stay sharp as long as the pro series.

I think the pro series has the two little men logo whereas the others have one little guy logo.

[ee_chick]

I think you should buy whatever you feel most comfortable using. Both are known to be excellent brands, so it's just a preference thing IMO.

I have the Henckels Pro S series because that's what felt best in my hand (and hubby liked the way the looked ;) ). I've used them for three years now, and I love them!

[swampy]

Ooh, good point about the different grades. The set we were given is Henckels Pro S series (w/ 2 guys on the logo); the Wusthof we're considering is Wusthof Classic. They seem to be similar in appearance ... full tang, 3 rivets, etc.

[hockeybrat]

The Pro S series is really nice. I think the different grades (holding the sharpness) has to do with carbon content (?). I might very well be wrong but I thought I had read somewhere that it was due to the carbon in the steel.

[LRL]

We have Henckels knives (Pro S) and LOVE them! We decided not to get the Wusthof knives because they did not feel the same when you chopped with them. The weighting was different. I totally reccomend to go and try them out before you make a decision though- this is the only way you will know for sure if you are happy the way they feel.

Yes, I believe the better knives have a higher carbon content. Be sure to try out the different lines as well, because the quality is MUCH different.

We have not had to sharpen our Henckels knives since we purchased them one year ago, and trust me, we do a lot of cooking. Those babies are still super sharp!

[steviem]

We have Wusthof and really like them.

My best friend worked at Williams-Sonoma and they made her go through training about all of the products they carried. She said that overall, Wusthof is a better knife/brand, based on what she learned. I just took her word for it :p

Aside from the above, I've heard great things about Henckels as well. I am sure you will be happy either way ;)

[emc05]

I love my Wustof and they love me!!! ;)

[swampy]

Hmm, just did some research online concerning the carbon content, which I'd never thought of before --

Looks like both have 0.5% ("high") carbon content, for sharpness, and 15% chromium, for anti-staining.

One difference that may or may not be significant is that all the Wusthofs are hand-forged, while Henckels larger than 6 inches are produced by a combination of stamping and forging. Don't know if it matters or not, but there it is...

Most websites seem to agree, as you all are, that both are high-quality brands and should be good & last a long time. :)

I guess I'm still leaning twd. the Wusthof, since those are the ones that we like originally....

[emc05]

"forging" the steel increases it's elasticity....makes a stronger knife. :D

[Janey]

My brother is a chef, and recommended Wusthof knives to us. I think you can't go wrong deciding between Henckles and Wusthof -- but if you prefer the Wusthofs in your hand, there you go.

That said, there are different lines of qualities in each brand, so be careful which line you go with. The Grand Prix and Black Classic (And I believe the Culinar is in the same boat here) Wusthof knives are the same knife, just different handle. The "Gourmet" series is a lesser quality knife. Also of note... if you like the Black Classic handle, that handle is so similar to the Henckle handle that if you have some of each in your knife block, they'll 'match' enough that it's probably fine to have some of both. So, if offending your aunt is a big concern, then you could keep the ones she gave you, and fill in your other needs with open stock Wusthof.

FWIW, B and I registered for the Black Classic knives for everything except Steak Knives, which we could not justify registering for eight steak knives at a whopping $320 -- we just don't eat that much steak ;). We went with the $119 Gourmet steak knives instead.

I hope that helps!

[thedoorchick]

I prefer Henckels. No great reason, really, I just got them and liked them.

Between the two, I really have to say it's a personal preference and there isn't a great deal of "real" difference between them.

[EJM]

We also have the Henckels Pro S and love them. We've had them for 4 years and they still perform great. We picked them (over Wusthof) because we preferred the handles and how it felt.

If you really don't want to offend your aunt, and you don't cook much I would probably just keep them. If it is that important for cooking then I would return them.

[Elenitsa]

I have wustof, but in visiting my neighborhood Costco they carried heckels at a great price. It was I think a 10 pc block with the Santuko knife. They have an 8 pc steak set too that I keep eyeing b/c I don't have steak knives.

[smiles33]

We love our Wusthof set, but truth be told, DH loves his ceramic knife the most! :)

[JennH]

I did a lot of research before registering for our knives and everyone I spoke to said Wustoff was of better quality than the Henckel. (I think I'm spelling both wrong!) We have the Wustoff Classic and I am very happy with them.

[t3h_wookiee]

We have the Henckel 4-Star set, and we love them!

[chefker]

When I was in culinary school, we got some 'standard issue' knives as part of our student kit. Our pastry set (bread knives, etc.) were Messermeister, which were just ok. Didn't like the plastic handle on those, but they kept their edge anyway.

Our chef set consisted of knives from the Wustof classic line. I still have them, 3 years later, and they're sharp as ever. I completed my set from our wedding registry, and I'm very pleased with all my Wustofs.

[gayle]

I have used both and prefer the Wusthof, due to feel. Personally I think how well a knife or knives work for you is all about style of cooking, durablity and feel.

I have also owned both Cutco (don't care for) and Henckels (ok and more than adequate.) My current FAVE knife however is my Shun, Chef's knife, I wouldn't trade that thing for a whole set of any other brand.

[tlew12778]

I have Wusthof Grand Prix and my sister has Henckels. Personally I like the way the Wusthof feels in my hand better but I have a pretty small hand. I felt like her knives were just bigger and heavier. She loves them though.

Next I want to try C. Hugo Potts knives. I haven't been able to find them easily though and I really want to handle a few.

[Dotsie]

I have the 8 piece set of the Pro S series Henckels. I love, love, love them. We received them as a wedding gift and 4 years later I am still in love with them. I get them professionally sharpened once a year and they slice through tomatoes and things like butter. Like other posters have said, it's all about preference. I liked the Henckels better.

[Belm]

We use Henckels knives and we really love them.

[Lizard]

We love our Wusthof set, but truth be told, DH loves his ceramic knife the most! :)

I've wanted a ceramic knife ever since I saw Ming Tsai use one on East Meets West. :) They look SO sleek and stay super sharp! A girl can dream... lol.

[oceaneast]

we use Henckels and love them. I've never used Wusthof though.

[SoCoWife]

SIL & BIL met in culinary school and both recommend Wusthof to Sean & I when we registered, they bought them for us. Sean raves about them, I am not sure if I could tell a difference if asked since they were my first quality knives.

Gina

[swampy]

We're going to exchange for the Wusthof set this evening. **excited** :D

I can't wait to start using them!!!

[December27JJB]

We have Wustof and love them. My mom has Heckels and she loves them. I think they both are good, it just depends on a person's preference.

[blessed02]

Whatever you do, go for the Santoku knife. Even if it doesn't come in the standard set - get the Santoku knife! It is steely-bladed bliss. I don't need anything else but my Santoku.

(We're a Wusthof Classic family ourselves.)

[JennH]

Whatever you do, go for the Santoku knife. Even if it doesn't come in the standard set - get the Santoku knife! It is steely-bladed bliss. I don't need anything else but my Santoku.

(We're a Wusthof Classic family ourselves.)

Sooo true!

[stevesbabygirl]

Another vote for Cutco knives! I actually sold them for a brief time, and these things kick butt!

[ginandchris]

Well, for me I didn't know anything about knives until I met my now DH. He cooks as his hobby and loves to make gourment food. So, based on that we have 2 knives. He uses a Global 10" plus he also has the Wustof 8" chef knife as well. When I do cook I use the santoku knife I like it because its easier for me to handle. I tried using my DH's Global and it kind of scared me its really sharp and a longer knife than I'm used to. However, the rest of our set is Wustof. I agree with everyone else here that I think its just based on preference.

[bea_mama]

Wusthof all the way!! We really like them and have quite a set at this point. We recently got the Santoku and it is the best thing ever. :)

[Dotsie]

I just bought my Henckels Pro S Santoku knife. I am in love all over again!! It was on sale at W.S for $90. I just chopped up my dinner ingredients with it.

[greenbunny]

I'm looking to buy DH some Wosthof for Xmas so I thought I'd resurrect this thread. Where do you think is the best-priced place for knives? I have %20 coupons for BB&B but I'm still shopping around.

[Janey]

Greenbunny i think if you read the 'fine print' on those BB&B coupons, you can't use them on Wusthof or Henckles. :/ Macy's sometimes has deals where the knives are on sale, with an extra 10% off if you use your Macy's card. Have you checked Amazon? Sometimes there are some really good deals there.

If your husband doesn't have one already, may I reccomend the Santoku? We have the Wusthof 7" Santoku & my own husband looooves this knife. :D

[tlew12778]

Overstock has some individual Wusthofs. I think they are Grand Prix which is what I have. I am annoyed at myself that I didn't buy the bread knife when it was still in stock and now they don't make it anymore. The Grand Prix line is the same as the classic line but with a grainy handle (less slippage they say... I've still dropped mine).

Also try Amazon. I got my 5-piece Grand Prix block set for $89 last year!

[kindermom]

I am not sure if the price is great but cooking.com sells them for less than retail. The Classic Black Set by Wusthof (8 pieces) retails for $510 they say but they are selling it for $300. They actually have a large knife selection.

http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=301727

[Winter Biscuit]

Another Wusthof family here - we have had the Classic set for 4 years and love them.

When we registered for our wedding 4+ years ago, we personally thought the Henckels line didn't seem to be as well-made. Maybe they just didn't sell the nicer Henckels at the places where we registered at the time (Marshall Fields and BBB), but I remember that all the Henckels we looked at had plastic handles. We preferred the Wusthof at the time, as they appeared more solid and better made and the Classic line didn't have plastic handles. Nowadays, though, I've seen some very nice Henckels so I don't think you could go wrong with either :)

How is Wusthof pronounced? Can anyone spell it out phonetically for me? I have heard it pronounced a few different ways, with both a "w" sound and a "b" sound, and am not sure the correct way?

[Dotsie]

I've always heard wustoff prounounced vustoff.
We have the Pro S series of Henckels and they are very well made. No plastic handles and the knife is all one piece. Either way you can't go wrong.

[greenbunny]

Greenbunny i think if you read the 'fine print' on those BB&B coupons, you can't use them on Wusthof or Henckles. :/

Hmm. I read the coupon and I think I saw that it specified no Henckels, but not Wusthof. I should double check, but I remember being psyched that they neglected to mention it. I definitely know it says no Dyson. :(

Thanks for the recs, I am going to surf a bit and poke around. :)

[greenbunny]

I have old coupons from early November from BB&B that don't specify no Wusthof. The ones I got this month do. So I guess they caught up with me. :(

Anyway, BB&B doesn't sell the Grand Prix a la carte, only one 8-piece boxed set. Only the Classic are sold individually. So I have to look elsewhere b/c I think DH would prefer the Grand Prix. I've looked on Amazon but I really want to go to a store and hold them. LnT doesn't have them at all. I guess I'll check department stores next.

[tlew12778]

You can hold them at William Sonoma I think. At least the last one I was in had the entire line so you could compare them.

[greenbunny]

You can hold them at William Sonoma I think. At least the last one I was in had the entire line so you could compare them.

Hmm. I don't know where those are. I don't think we have one. Do you know if Macy's, Strawbridges, or JC Penney has them?

[Janey]

Macy's has them. If you have a Friends & Family card, you still get the 20% off through the weekend! :)

[amew]

I love my Henckels Four Star knives. The Williams-Sonoma clerk told me that Henckels and Wustof are more or less of equally good quality and that it comes down to personal preference. I picked my knives by holding a bunch and going for the knife and handle that felt best in my hand. I recently saw a Consumer Reports knife review, and I remember the Henckels Pro S being rated very highly, with the Four Star shortly behind. Wustof Grand Prix was very highly rated as well. It was mainly a mix of Henckels and Wustof lines at the top, I think.

[mgrace]

The Williams-Sonoma clerk told me that Henckels and Wustof are more or less of equally good quality and that it comes down to personal preference. I picked my knives by holding a bunch and going for the knife and handle that felt best in my hand.
I was told the same thing as well (not at W-S, though). You really do need to hold them to see how they feel in your hand. I was leaning towards the 7 in. Santoku, but when I held it, it just seemed too big in my hand.

In case anyone is interested in Henckels, Macy's has the Classic 5" Santoku Hollow Edge on sale for $36.00.

greenbunny, you might be able to use your old BB&B coupons to get the 20% off. Sometimes they let you use expired ones.

[KB57]

DH works at Crate and Barrel and based on the training he had to take, Wusthof is the better quality brand. We have a Wusthof set (the one in the blocK) and also a steak knife set. But its true, you really have to go and feel what's better in your hand. I don't know too much about Henckels but I do know that I love my Wusthofs!!!

[mb1197]

DH is an Executive Chef and he swears by Global knives. I really like the way they feel and they maintain their edge really well.

[justHB]

We returned a bunch of wedding gifts four years ago from BB&B to get our Wusthof knives. I love them!

[mgrace]

Just thought I'd bump this back up since I'm shopping for knives.

[Janey]

Oh yeah! Greenbunny how does your hubby like his new knives??

(I almost typed knew nives. don't tell anybody.)

[Mrs U]

All of our knives are from Victorinox. We're lucky since the factory shop is 20 minutes away.

[greenbunny]

Oh yeah! Greenbunny how does your hubby like his new knives??

:D He loves them! Although, to be honest, the hollow ground santoku doesn't prevent sticking the way it said it would. Stuff still clings to the side of the blade. But still they are excellent knives, and he's excited about cooking again!

For future birthdays and other holidays I'm going to finish out the set with a la carte pieces based on what he says he wants. It won't really be a surprise, but he'll be happy.

Thanks again to everyone for all your help.

[Jaycee]

After reading this thread, I thought I'd check out overstock.com to see what they had in knives and I came across this set called The EX..

http://images.overstock.com/f/102/3117/8h/www.overstock.com/images/products/3/L10108096.jpg

http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?PAGE=PROFRAME&PROD_ID=1745882