Cutlery Reviews

My wife and I are both serious amateur cooks, and we own nothing but Henckels Pro-S knives. Steak knives, bread knives, chef's knives -- we use them all.

When we read Henckels made a blade that never needed sharpening, we were intrigued, but wary.

But since we needed a new utility knife, and it's the cheapest knife Henckels makes in their Twin Star Plus line, we figured it was worth the risk.

Take our advice that we learned the hard way: It isn't worth it, not if you really use your good knives.

The blade was razor sharp, but has dulled noticeably over the last few months. Jobs it used to breeze through now require more effort.

And because of the special diamond coating on the edge, we'll never be able to sharpen the blade. Not once. Not ever.

Within a year, this expensive knife will be limited to cutting the tape on Amazon packages and slicing chunks of better.

Do yourself a favor, and spend the money on a good Henckels Pro-S knife. It won't be as gimmicky, but it will certainly last a lifetime.

This knife is so sharp, it's scary. Razor is a good word since you can easily shave the hair off your arm with it. It also has a permanent edge that never needs sharpening--nor can you sharpen. On the downside, the Twinstar series is incredibly limited, so you'll have an oddball set no matter what. I also prefer the 4-Star handles which are maybe less "ergonomic," but I think have a much better no-slip grip. Considering the outrageous price and since you can't sharpen the blade, I'm paranoid to use it as much as I would like to. I'm afraid that one accidental slice on the wrong material will ruin it.

I thought this would make a nice Christmas gift so I purchased 3 of them several weeks before Christmas. The stock available showed 5 at the time. A week before Christmas, I received a email from Amazon saying the item was back-ordered. Called their support and found out that the items "should" be there by Christmas. Although I panicked through the week, I eventually received all 3 on Christmas eve. But the situation got even worse, it turns out that they sent me the cheaper gift set with the aluminum box and not the wooden one. Called their support back and they said that they had no more of the wooden gift boxes left so they sent the aluminum ones. Since these arrived at 6 p.m. on Christmas eve with no time to go out and find some different gifts to give, I had to keep the 3 screwed up sets that Amazon sent. Thanks again Amazon for making this holiday one of the worst for me.

I too purchased this carving set as a Christmas gift and received the aluminum box instead of the advertised mahogany-stained box. I contacted Amazon about the mix-up and they immediately sent me a replacement, which also included the aluminum box. But I am not really that disappointed, the mahogany-stained box would have been cool, but the aluminum box is still very nice and holds the carving set securely. The important item, the carving set itself, is just beautiful! I am not a connoisseur of fine kitchen utensils, so I did some research before purchasing. Wusthof has been making quality cutlery for years and almost every review I have seen gives their items the highest of marks. I am especially impressed with the craftsmanship of the Classic series. The blade and tang are one continuous piece of forged steel, so it feels very solid and balanced. The grip is comfortable and the knife cuts extremely well. The price may seem a little high for something that you might only use on holidays or special occasions, but this is a set that will last forever and can be passed on through the generations. You get what you pay for. If I carved more turkeys, I wouldn't hesitate to buy a set for myself!

These are a well made pair of cooking shears, I particularly like the ease with which they can be taken apart for cleaning, the only problem is that they are very uncomfortable, if it hadn't come in the Calphalon 15-piece set I bought, I wouldn't use them.

I bought this item and it was broken. Getting a new one was a pain in the rear. Nobody knew how I could get this item if the current store did not have this item. buying from Taget was a real lousy experience. I usually shop at Walmart and unless I get a response from the email I set earlier I will start doing all my shopping at Walmart. Better service when returns/exchanges are done is greatly in need of improvement. A dissatisfied customer. James Snow

The first thing I noticed when I held this knife was how heavy the handle is. This 4" knife weighs 110 grams compaired to 55 grams for Wusthofs 3 1/2" knife. Even Wusthofs 5" utility knife only weighs 60 grams. I would be curious to know how much an 8" chefs knife would weigh. The handle while very nice looking feels bulky in dimention as well as weight. I think anyone with smallish hands would find these knives uncomfortable to work with.
The second thing I noticed is that the blade is stamped CHINA. That information is not included in the product description as well as another detail though minor, the handle is gray.
There is not that much of a price difference between the Boulud and Wusthof paring knife and having both I think the Wusthof is a better value. There is a big difference though in the open stock price of the 8" chef knives. I think it could be a good value for someone who would not be bothered by the size and weight of the handles but in general I think the Wusthof knives are well worth the difference in price especially for someone who uses their knives extensively.

The only thing I was disappointed with about this knife is that the silver on the three rivets was chipping off. I noticed this was occuring with some of the other international classic knives as well. I didn't even run them through the dishwasher!People say that if they are Henckels, they shouldn't be doing that!

For the price this set is ok. I prefer a heavier knife but my wife loves the set . She likes the feel and they are very sharp. Time will tell how they will stand up to heavy usage.

i got these as a gift two years ago...they are starting to break now...the knife part is coming away from the handles...can't even cut soft cheese with them anymore...very disappointed with them....gave them a three because they did last me acouple years and for the price i guess that is not a bad deal

All these Sabatier Elite Knives are NOT symmetrical, uneven, NOT well balanced, NOT smooth at all and NOT straight on both handle and blade. I went to a local store and looked at 3 new sets on the shelf, none of them look identical. The salesman said they are hand crafted. Umm.. So the look really disturb me. Compare with Henckels International Classic, Henckels are perfect on the blade, straight and slick, handles are not perfect but far more even and symmetrical then the Sabatier Elite.

Cutting and Slicing feels smooth and effortless, really beyond my expectation and worries. I will keep the set.

Well, it's not quite.
I was excited to get my first set of decent knives. These come from a reputable brand, and a 7-piece set sounds like the right amount of pieces.
Well the set I received look like it missed quality control. The steel is totally misshapen and flawed on every knife. The chef's knife, for example is crooked and has a few pits in the tang. It's still functional, and it's still high carbon steel (I hope), and it's still triple riveted, but someone wasn't doing his job, and these should be sold as factory defects. These knives are made in China and have synthetic handles, so I guess you get what you pay for. Don't think you're getting a deal, though.