Friedr. Dick Premier WACS 8-1/2-Inch Bread Knife

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program If I was just reviewing this knife for myself, I'd only give it three stars. I'll explain why, but I think most people would like it just fine, if you ever managed to get past the sticker shock, that is.

Pros:

Excellent materials, including German steel that "rings" like it's auditioning for a Johnny Depp swashbuckler. Proper forged bolster, nicely-riveted handle, great blade curvature, lovely weight and balance.

The teflon is a nice touch, especially for soft, damp breads and non-bread items this is an excellent tomato knife, for example. The blade also has a really nice extra-sharpened tip.

Cons (my three particular nit-picks first):

I make big, crusty loaves that the knife is sometimes a little too short for.

The scallops are only on one side of the blade, meaning that it doesn't naturally cut straight and is right-handed only, which the description doesn't mention. For the dexterous majority, that's no problem, but for us sinister types, it's a fairly big deal.

I find it too shallow, sometimes scraping my knuckles on the work counter when using thin cutting boards.

I'm not sure how durable the Teflon is: when I did the Johnny Depp "ring" test, I managed to put a ding in it, though I wasn't being remotely rough (or remotely swashbuckling, for that matter).

And finally, back to the sticker shock. I happily shelled out a similar amount for my big Henckels chef's knife, but it's rarely out of my hand when I'm in my kitchen. After writing this, I checked Cooks Illustrated (the definitive source for comparative equipment reviews). They didn't particularly like the (significantly cheaper) F. Dick model they tested, for many of the same reasons I mention above (making me feel simultaneously smug and unnecessary), saving most of their praise for a 10" Victorinox that sells for chump change.

This one would probably work best as a rather spectacular gift, especially if you accidentally left the receipt in the box.

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I enjoy working in the kitchen, though I am no where near a professional chef. I have never owned a knife quite this 'top-of-the-line', but it is excellent. There are not so subtle differences between a $150 knife and a $20 knife you buy at a regular grocery store. The first is the weight it is very light weight, but very sturdy, it is made from the best materials. The shape of the knife allowed me to cut 6 loaves of Italian bread without my hand tiring. The knife of course cuts through bread with little effort.

For fun I used it to cut several other foods, such as a watermelon, broccoli, and a steak no sweat. While the knife was not make to cut through any of those, I was a little surprised at how quickly and easily it sliced through all of them. I own a complete set of Cutco knives, but this F. Dick series easily blows cutco out of the water. I was very impressed.

The presentation in a tin box is fine, but a little excessive. A smaller box with less 'padding' would have been more appropriate. Overall, this comes highly recommended.

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Serrated knives are unique in that, unlike other knives, it's not the quality of materials that matter most when cutting, it is the shape of the knife. That's why you see some cheap knives on TV commercials performing amazing feats: slicing through a boot, an aluminum can, the cutting board! It's the teeth, not the blade's edge, that allow it to saw through these foods. For that reason, I never spent much money on a bread knife. In fact, for years now I have been using an inexpensive (and completely straight) 8" Kitchenaid Bread Knife to cut bread, crusty roasts, tomatoes, pineapples, and cakes.

To be honest, the Kitchenaid works as well today as the day I bought it, never required any sharpening or maintenance, and was a lot cheaper than this knife. That said, this knife is definitely better, due mainly to its curved shape and its nonstick coating. It doesn't change my mind that you should get great chef's and paring knives before splurging on a great bread knife. It does, however, make me realize that a great bread knife is out there and is a wonderful thing to have.

When I unpackaged this knife, I immediately set it to work slicing crusty French bread. The mother of pearl handle is nice looking and ergonomic enough not to slip out of your hands, even if they are a little wet. (It is not a grippy handle, though, like a Fibrox one.) The blade has a dark, nonstick coating applied to it, which looks fabulous and improves performance a little, as you might expect. I noticed that a lot fewer little crumbs clung to it as I cut slice after slice, as compared to my old Kitchenaid. Crumbs sticking to a bread knife are not a huge problem, mind you, but the nonstick coating does help the knife glide smoothly through the bread. What's even better is the graceful curve of the knife's edge, which bulges out a little in the middle. This curve does two good things: (1) it makes it a little easier to start cutting at the top of the loaf; and (2) it makes it a lot easier to cut through the bottom crust.

Befitting a knife of this price, it comes in a nice looking, but useless, presentation box. The box does not contain a foam piece to store the knife in (it just has colored cardboard confetti). That said, it does present well if you buy this as a gift. And, ultimately, this knife belongs in your knife block anyway.

I think this knife would make a great gift to anyone who enjoys cooking or baking and wants a fine knife. It is a bit of a splurge to buy for yourself, but if you want the best, here it is.

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program The (to me) unique feature of this bread knife is that the blade curves upward more than usual, and it does cut bread somewhat faster than a bread knife with a straighter blade. Since this is supposed to be a chef's knife, that might make a big cumulative difference to someone who uses it all day. The knife is very sturdy, it's sharp, and it's easy to handle. The weight is almost identical to that of my eight-inch Henckels bread knife (with which I have been very satisfied for several years). The blade is a modern-looking charcoal gray, and the handle is a light gray, faux mother-of-pearl. The knife comes in a rather large metal presentation box--a bit bulky to keep in the kitchen but probably useful for purposes other than storing this knife long term. This would make a very nice wedding or holiday gift for someone who loves to bake, or to hold parties, and who appreciates the cachet of having a real chef's bread knife.

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It is really strange that all of these reviews on here are from people who got the product for free in exchange for a review...

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