I was perplexed when I saw Twin Four Star, as I'd never heard of such a beast. I went to the Zwilling website to discover, there was no such series as a Twin Four Star There's a Twin series with several product lines and there's a Four Star series.
My husband then suggested that I look up the model number to see what other site's listed. Sure enough, when you plop the model number into a search engine, you get a listing corresponding to the FOUR STAR series along with the prices all upwards of $400.
So, to my dismay when these were listed @ $218, I jumped on it. I'd carelessly lost one of ours from our current FOUR STAR block set (only 9 pieces) and to replace it would have cost us $60. So for $218 to have 16 more knives was too good to pass up.
Needless to say that I love these knives, which is why I was on here trying to replace the one I'd thrown away.
PS, We bought our original set while we were in Germany. What we were told by the knife guy (assuming he knows what he's talking about) is that the only difference between the FIVE Star and FOUR STAR series is the handle.
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Update: I've received my knives and I have a mixed review. The knife sharpener is not the same one I received with my first Four Star set. It's of a lesser quality, and a bit shorter. The steak knives leave much to be desired as well. The blade may be good, but the handles look cheap. I compared the other knives to these and they are exactly the same, so no complaints there. The only other difference was the block; the Henckel logo was stamped, as opposed to a nicer metal doodad.
When I saw these on sale, I regretted buying my in-laws the 20-piece Calphalon set only days before (on sale for $200). But after my experience with the steak "Banquet" knives, I'm happy I bought them the Calphalon set instead.
If I paid a cent over $219, I'd be upset, give it 3 stars, and return the set for a lesser count. But, at that price, the set was a great deal.
Hello: To begin with, this is my first complete set of decent knives. I have been using the Henckels gourmet series steak knives, cleaver and chef's knives brought individually, though. The set is definately cheaper than buying the knives individually(I paid 219 shipped). Hence no complaints there.
The knives from the Four II series are good enough even though I like the pro or the 5 series better (in looks). My biggest complaint with this set is the cheapo steak knives that they have included with the set. These are the Banquet series knives with terribly cheap looking handles. The steel seems reasonable (a little flimsier than the gourmet series if you ask me). I wish they had included the four star steak knives to make this a perfect set at the price. I would definately not have paid 400 bucks for this set (which it regularly sells for), but 219 is OK.
All in all, a good knives set but you will need to spend extra on steak knives ($100 for 8 gourmet series) and might try to ebay the banquet steak knives that came with this set.
Buy J.A. Henckels Four Star 18-Piece Block Set Now
I had purchased a single 4 star utility knife some years ago and loved using it. It fit well in my hand, was a good weight, and did a great job slicing. I have recently bought the larger package, and am getting the same results. They are a delight to use on everything from meats, bread and tomatoes. A great purchase.
Read Best Reviews of J.A. Henckels Four Star 18-Piece Block Set Here
I purchased this set at a bargain price of $218. I've used it for over a year and am pleased with my purchase. My knife skills are probably average, so I find it helpful to have a large set. I mostly use the large chef's knife. I've added to the set, finding Four Star paring knives at TJ Maxx and Tuesday Morning. I just bought a Chef's Choice electric sharpener and find that keeping my knives very sharp speeds me up in the kitchen and is helping me produce more uniform slicing results. Would recommend without hesitation. I've also used the Five Star knives. Other than the handle shape, I notice no difference in performance.
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When I received my ginsu koden I noticed that the black block was damaged, so I return it to Amazon and receive a new one.
