With a history consisting of just about two centuries, Wusthof continues to provide cooks with well-made kitchen knives and shears, pocket knives, and other accessories. Headquartered in Solingen, Germany, the company is still in the hands of the same family and presently employs over 350 employees, each of whom, we may assume are committed to creating each Wusthof knife set as sharp as its reputation.
Product Lines
The Wusthof knives are constructed through two methods – forging for Wusthof’s more expensive line and stamping for Wusthof’s low-end line. So, depending on your income, you might be the proud owner of some renowned Wusthof knives although coming with varying levels of sharpness.
The forged knives come from the Classic, Ikon, Classic Ikon, Le Cordon Bleu, Culinar, Grand Prix, and Grand Prix II lines while the stamped knives can be found in the Gourmet, Emeril, and Silverpoint lines. You will see a solid difference between forged and stamped knives in any Wusthof knife product line, with knife connoisseurs opting for forged knives nearly every time when choosing their chef’s knives. Stamped knives are often only preferred for steak and paring knives.
With regard to any Wusthof knives set you select, though, all Wusthof knives are comprised of 15 percent chromium, 0.5 percent carbon, and a small amount of molybdenum. Adding this to the company logo – a trident in a circle against a red background – Wusthof blades are easily distinguished from thier competitors’ wares.
Advantages
Without sounding like a sales hype for Wusthof, their knives are considered year after year to be among the best knives in the business. Proof of this statement is Wusthof knives are the chosen blade of professional chefs like Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver and James Martin, as well as being consistently rated as one of the best performing knives by Consumer Reports and Cook’s Illustrated.
For home users, the easily controlled traditional handle lends itself well to many hand sizes that, in turn, enables many family members to feel confident handling the knives in the set. Predictably, these knife blades are extremely sharp and practically never rust, stain or dull. More than anything else, top-notch craftsmanship and materials are the primary traits of a quality knife.
Disadvantages
The primary issue that might dissuade the amatuer from investing in a Wusthof knife set could be Wusthof’s expensive price. Given that the cheapest set of low-end Gourmet paring knives sells for $35, you will probably find different knife brands selling more knives while charging the same prices. For the high-end lines, $300 is peanuts.
Also, there are products that have thinner-than-is-comfortable handles including the Wusthof Classic. Naturally, men are more concerned with this problem thanks to their more substantial hands. Furthermore, some do not care for a stainless steel handle, preferring instead the polypropylene type.
For the most part, Wusthof knife sets can offer greater value for your money. It cuts very nicely and sharply as all high-quality knives ought to, performs for a long time as Wusthof has done, and appears very professional when placed on your countertop. With a product like this, you probably will want to invest in another set as a gift for newlyweds.