I have knives from the Henckels Pro-S, Sabatier Grand Chef, Wusthof Classic, and Shun lines. I was curious to try the new Wusthof Ikon line, and I have to say, I'm hooked. There is a substantial premium over the regular Classic line of knives, but I'd have to say it's worth it.
Aesthetically, the new design is more pleasing, and has modern, flowing lines. The classic Wusthof red sticker is formed into the blade itself, so no more of the sticker coming off during washing! Also, the tang extends all the way to the bottom of the handle, ending in a sleek metal cap. Lastly, the bolster is much thinner, making the knife easier to sharpen.
Out of the box, my Ikon was as sharp as my Shun Nakiri. A few swipes on my steel made it even more so. After an hour of cutting, I greatly appreciated the new ergonomically designed handle. It really makes prepping much more comfortable. The overall balance is skewed slightly towards the handle, but not noticeably so.
In conclusiona great update on the Classic line, with functional improvements. This is now the first knife I reach for from my block.
I don't have experience with other high quality knives, this is my first. I have worked half a year in a restaurant using low quality knives that don't get really sharp and get dull fast, and compared to that, this knife is a lot more sharp, ergonomic/light, and therefore require less effort to use.
I was very pleased when I tried to cut some potatoes, with a little slicing motion it cut through a potato almost like it was fluff. Slicing many things is almost effortless, but the thickness of the blade does slow you down sometimes with things that don't want to "give way", like when preparing an onion to be diced by making multiple, incomplete cuts into it. I don't consider this a "con", as the thickness does make it more durable than thinner and more acute angle blades.
Since it's pretty much all I could wish for in a 6" chef knife, what I'm about to say aren't really complaints, just things I think people should consider if they are looking at this particular knife.
1. I have medium-size hands for a man, and this knife is too small for me to comfortably hold it with thumb and index finger pinching the blade. The long contoured handle makes it so you can grip it with good control and less fatigue... including the popular one with all fingers behind the bolster. When I need more precision, I pinch the bolster, but 90% of the time it is unnecessary. If you are a fan of pinching the blade like me, you may prefer the 8 or 9" chef knife. If you have large hands, don't get this knife as your "go to" knife! Unless you actually are comfortable with a 6" chef knife as your primary knife.
2. I BELIEVE that the blade is made of the same composition as the classic ikon black and classic ikon creme, but classic ikon black does have that ugly red sticker formed into the blade. If I am correct, the blackwood handle increases the price considerably. I personally don't think it's that pretty, my knife (all should be unique) is darker than most pictures online, and in person you can see micro-streaks and micro-pores. The wood should be treated with food grade mineral oil once a month, $2 a bottle at the pharmacy. The plastic handle on the classic ikon black and creme I presume is very high quality and durable, and should be more hygienic and require less care than the blackwood handle.
3. This knife cuts totally different from dull knives. With a dull knife, you make a lot of forceful movements, and know you don't have to be that careful because for most cuts to get anywhere you have to apply heavy pressure and a heavy slicing motion. This dullness may give you the habit of thinking a blade can't cut without force so you aren't that mindful of your food or non-knife hand. With a sharp knife, positioning the blade for a cut must be done delicately with a lot of awareness of where your food and non-knife hand are, or you risk messing up the food or really injuring your hand. For most things to be cut, all it takes is a slicing motion, often with you actually pulling away from even the weight of the knife to minimize slicing into the cutting board. It's truly that sharp, and if you don't want such a sharp object in your house, do not get this knife.
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I'm extremely happy with this product!!! The product arrived sharped and ready for use. It's a pleasure to recieve a true product of value.
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This knife is made of quality steel. However, the design of this knife is off balance. The pressure point of this knife makes me move my hand too close to the blade in order to cut through hard food items. Over all, I have had better knives for less the price of this one.
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This knife was purchased to replace an eons old Sunbeam Electric Knife. This Proctor Silex is heavy and too large in diameter not for arthritic hands and the first use to slice an Artisan Loaf of bread was such a trial that I gave it up and used my regular bread knife. This was not purchased from Amazon but rather from a local retailer and now I'm shopping Amazon to find a good electric knife which is what I should have done in the first place. Hope the Amazon reviewers of electric knives are telling their true opinions of the electric knives recently purchased.
