I have used my new knives for about a week now and am extremely impressed with how easily they but through whatever I'm trying to cut through, and how perfectly they feel in my hand. Their weight, and extreme sharpness, allow you to exert very little effort in slicing through food. I compared them side-by-side to my other store-bought set of knives, and even after using the sharpening steel on the old set, I just couldn't achieve anywhere near the same degree of razor-sharpness as have the Henckels. Not that it matters to me, but the 8 steak knives are stamped, rather than forged, but they are still extremely sharp none the less. Unfortunately, however, the knives do not comes with any care instructions, nor instructions as to how to use the sharpening steel. It took some Internet research and some practice on my old knives to begin to feel comfortable sharpening these. In any case, you can't go wrong, albeit the price is pretty high for this set of knives.
I take exception to Mr. Michael George's (Scottsdale, AZ.) reveiw of this knife set, Henckels Pro "S" series and forged, bolstered knives in general.
If he has been a professional for 14 years then he should have learned the term "bolster" by now...and he should have been able to sharpen his knives properly without wearing the edge out...he's probably using an electric sharpener or sending them out. The culinary school reference is questionable also...Le Cordon Bleu uses Mundail knives...etc.
This a top of the line set and shouldn't be maligned out of ignorance. If you learn how to use the steel that is provided and a good fine stone then these will last you a lifetime.
We defend the honor of these mighty fine blades with 6 mojo*z
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The main knives in this set are advertised... from the Pro S line, beautiful and excellent quality.
However, nowhere in the product description does it say that the steak knives are not Pro S knives, but in fact serrated much lower quality knives from the Gourmet line.
I had gone back and forth in my mind between buying Henckels or Wusthof knives, and was incredibly impressed with some non-serrated Wusthof knives the other night at a nice steakhouse. To find out that I had inadvertently bought a set of lower-end serrated knives was a disappointment. I would have willingly paid more for an all Pro S set of knives, so this is unfortunate.
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I purchased this set in December of 2011 for Christmas. It clearly states on the Amazon advertisement and on the Henkel website (at least before I contacted them) that this is a 18 piece "PRO S" set. No where did it mention, not even on the packaging that it was a 9 piece "PRO S" set and a 8 piece "Gourmet" Steak knife set! I contacted the manufacture about this and there answer was the following. "if you look at the picture of the knives, you will clearly see that the steak knife was stamped and not a forged piece". I do not know about you, but I did not and think that this set is clearly misrepresented. PLEASE NOTE, YOU ARE ONLY RECEIVING 9 "PRO S" KNIVES IN THIS SET!!!. The manufacture knows of this and still continues to market it as an 18 piece "PRO S" knife set. The interesting thing to note, if you refer to the Henkel website now, they made a change immediately after I contacted them which basically admits fault. Just on principle alone, I would not purhcase another Henkel product as they are clearly using a "Bate and Swith" tactic to sell their knives in some instances. I think the PRO S knives are fantastic but this set is not worth the money, even at the "Discounted" price they sell for. Why would you advertise a set as a "PRO S" WHEN NEARLY HALF OF THE KNIVES IN THE SET ARE NOT REMOTELY CLOSE TO THE QUALITY OF THE "PRO S" SERIES!!! As you can tell I am very upset by the whole issue and will not do business with the HENKEL company again. I used to have lots of respect for the Henckel company as they lead me to believe that they were above this type of tactic to sell a high quality knife but I think it is clear to me that in order to maintain their sales volumes,they have sacrificed on quality and have resorted to misleading customers. I completely respect the opinion of those who disagree and hope that you do the same for me. I just want all to know, this is only a "9 piece PRO S" and not the 18 piece PRO S set they advertise.
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Assuming you have also read the other reviews (you should there's good info there) I must concur with Mojostarz. Although I am not a professional chef, I have used this set (completed by the 6" Meat Cleaver and the 7" Carving Flat Fork) for probably over 6 years now, every day. Sharpening knives is a serious hobby of mine. I have sharpened these blades many, many times on my stone in the years I have owned them. They are not bowed, nor are the blades edges at all noticeably shorter than the metal bands at the back. They still cut "all the way thru" just about everything. (So watch out, that means your clumsy fat fingers too.) I can even get the steak knives pretty good on the stone. You just have to ease off right before you feel the serrations on the right side. The steak knives are very difficult to sharpen because they have a kind of undulating shape to the blade, but I can get 'em pretty good if I concentrate.
I'm not going to re-invent the wheel, because a lot of good information has already been said. I will add this:
1) These Professional "S" knives are excellent. If you understand the very fine art of how to restore an edge with a fine grit stone and some oil (my preference) to a blade when the sharpening steel is no longer enough, you will be very happy with the way these Pro "S" series blades respond. I can get mine as good or better than new when sharpened, just wicked sharp. Especially if you have tried to sharpen cheaper knives and wondered why your efforts just don't seem to "take" as well. They are well balanced, the grips have the best ergos ...they're just a pleasure to use. If you don't know anything about sharpening a knife, at least learn how to correctly steel them. There are some excellent videos on YouTube. Maybe the Henckels site includes this in their "Instructional Knife Skills" web video. If you sport this kind of quality in your home, live it.
2) Don't put them in the dishwasher please.
3) The 19 slot wooden Henckels block looks REALLY LOPSIDED and "sad" without the carving fork and cleaver.
4) Don't pass them around with Hors d'Oeuvres or leave them all night on serving tables when you have big parties and everybody gets sloshed. Because when people think they're "helping" they may actually be dumping one of your prized knives into the trash.
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Have been using the Chef master for over a year. Use this Sharpener on a boat for the Filet's Knifes as well for home use and it works great keeping all the knife's Razor Sharp.
