Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

The short story: Pay a little more money and buy Wusthof cutlery, and get a lot more bang for the buck. The long story: J. A. Henckles make different lines of cutlery. Their "International" line is lower quality and less expensive than their top lines "Pro S" and "Five Star." (The only difference between the "Pro S" and "Five Star" is the handle. The "Pro S" has a full-tang riveted handle, and the "Five Star" has a bigger, synthetic handle. Some people claim the full-tang riveted handles have better balance.) Though, Henckels name is more well known than Wusthof and they sell more knives to the general public, people who have used the two brands, for the most part, agree that Wusthof is the better knife. Also, Wusthof seems to employ much better quality control than Henckels. Henckels cuts corners when it comes to their sets. Henckels supplies a relatively small, low grade sharpening steel with their top line "Pro S" and "Five Star" sets. In their top line 18 piece sets, their steak knives come from a lower line. Henckels has a recommended retail price and a sale price on their cutlery. Just about all vendors, sell Henckels knives at the "sale" price. Henckels' warranty department will only give you credit for the sale price of their product, even if you pay more, and have a receipt to prove it. On the other, hand, Henckels warranty department is generous when it comes to replacing old Henckels knives damaged due to consumer misuse. I thought knives completely submerged in salt-free water would not corrode. I thought corrosion needed salt or air. Wrong. My Henckels knives corroded even though I just left them submerged in soapy water. The most popular knife today is the Wusthof Grand Prix, Santaku knife with a granton edge. This is the knife used by Rachel Ray and other chefs on the Food Network. "Granton" means the knife has semi hollowed-out ovals on its sides. Granton edges may provide a smoother cut, with less drag. Vegetables may stick to their sides less. But knives with granton edges are not supposed to be sharpened at home. Moreover, they have very little edge to sharpen and so have much less life expectancy than an Identical knife without a granton edge.