Wusthof Classic Chef's Knife

If, like some pros, you like to grip the top of the blade between your thumb and index finger, forward of the bolster, and wrap the rest of your fingers around the handle, this knife is hard to beat. Such a grip is said to give better control, straighter cuts, and narrower slices than wrapping all fingers around the handle allows.

Yesterday I took a knife-handling techniques course offered by a Wusthof rep at a local shop and was amazed by how quickly this knife turned carrots, celery, and nearly anything else into neat slices and chunks. Using the grip described above, one merely rolls the knife back onto the item being cut, lifts the back only, and repeats, sliding the food into the knife. The front of the blade merely rolls and slides on the cutting board, and is never lifted. (Compared to this, the instructor said my lift-and-chop technique was fairly effective, but abusive! *L*) With this knife, you could cut a carrot or celery into neat, thin little slices in less time than it takes to lift the lid off your food processor and get ready to clean it.

I've got other good knives prior to this knife, I already owned Henckels 4-star 6" chef's and fillet knives, a Henckels Pro-S 3" paring knife, and a Wusthof hollow-edge santoku (another awesome tool). The Henckels knives are excellent quality, but do not lend themselves to the forward grip; I tried it with my Henckels chef's knife and found that the forged bolster felt sharp-edged when I gripped the blade this way. Make no mistake the Henckels is an excellent knife and works well, albeit with slightly less control, when all fingers are wrapped around the handle. The Wusthoff knife has a shallower transition fillet from blade to bolster and lends itself to either grip. I'd chosen the 6" Henckels because it felt well-balanced gripping the handle alone, while the 8" seemed heavier and less agile, but with the proper grip the 8" Wusthof Classic is balanced just right. The Wusthof Grand Prix, like the Henckels, tends to encourage an all-fingers-on-handle grip, though the bolster region may be more finger-friendly. I used to look longingly at Grand Prix knives, but last night's class sold me on the benefits of the Classic handle.

Needless to say, after giving it such a thorough tryout I took this knife home with me!

My mom, browsing my Amazon wishlist one day, saw this listed there. She emailed me immediately to ask why I would ever want a knife that is that expensive. Aren't the knives that she gave me as a housewarming gift good enough? They are dishwasher-safe and have a lifetime warranty, she reminded me.

I had to explain that while the knives she gave me were nice, they don't even compare to my Wustofs. My Wustof knives retain an amazing sharpness (even when I'm a little lazy about sharpening them). Their balance is unparalleled. The handle fits my hand perfectly. The knives that she sent me always feel dull in comparision, and the handle is simply uncomfortable.

I consider a good cook's knife to be essential for anyone who cooks. The question of which cook's knife to buy depends on the person who will be using it. There are two different questions: which model to purchase, and which length to purchase.

There are two main knife manufacturers: Wustof and Henckels. I think that Wustof knives are better made. However, some people prefer the handles on the Henckels. The Henckels handle is extremely uncomfortable for me, so I don't even consider them.

The second question is that of length. If you are taller, you will want a longer knife. Shorter people will want a shorter knife. I stand at 5'7" (170cm), and find that the 8" knife is most comfortable for slicing and chopping. My best friend is about an inch taller than me and also prefers this knife. A friend who is a couple of inches shorter than me prefers the 6" cook's knife.

If you have never purchased high-quality knives before, I would recommend that you go to a traditional store and try them out first. You want to see if the handle is comfortable and if the balance is right for you. Then come back here and order it -the Amazon price is much better than that found in any kitchen speciality or upscale department store.

Also, if you have never purchased high-quality knives before, I would recommend two other purchases: a knife holder of some sort and a sharpening steel. The former, which doesn't need to be very expensive at all (my best friend has one that cost him less a dollar; it is simply a plastic tray with slits for holding the blades), keeps the blade from getting nicked while it's sitting in your drawer. The latter keeps the blade nice and sharp. You should sharpen your knives every time you use them. This isn't very difficult, nor is it very time-consuming, but it keeps your knives in perfect condition.

I am extremely happy with my purchase. I am slowly growing my knife collection. You will always find one of these knives on my wishlist. Even my mother has come around -after experiencing these knives herself, she bought one for herself, and sent me the 6" cleaver as a birthday gift!

Buy Wusthof Classic Chef's Knife Now

As a home cook, it took me quite awhile to decide to invest in an excellent knife. I can't stress enough what a difference it makes. This classic 8 inch chef's knife was my first Wusthof. It has exceptional heft and balance, fits comfortably into my hand (I have smallish hands, so this was an initial concern) and, despite my fears and my experiences with other knives, I have yet to cut myself. A cheap, dull knife is more dangerous than a good, sharp one. This knife never slips, it cuts evenly and cleanly, and I *never* have to saw.

In addition to discount store block knives (a waste of money, despite them being so much cheaper), I've regularly used Chicago Cutlery and strongly prefer the Wusthof. It is much easier to clean (no wood handle to harbor microbes), contours comfortably into my hand (CC does not), and I find it holds its sharp edge more readily (CC needs frequent sharpening).

When I finally decided to buy it, I went to a cutlery store and tried out the Henckles and the Wusthof Grand Prix. This knife has much better balance and heft than did the Henckles (though I only tried it in the store) and just felt more comfortable in my hand than the Grand Prix. Additionally, Cooks magazine did a comparison test of chef's knives (ala Consumer Reports) and put this knife at the top of their list, too.

The downside is that this knife is expensive, and it is hard to justify the expense for the regular home cook. In my experience, a high quality Wusthof is not a splurge. It is the right tool for the job. I buy one Wusthof knife at a time, and always keep them on my amazon wish list. This was my first, and is the most useful for generalized chopping tasks.

A drawer full of cheap knives is much less practical than a small collection of a Wusthof Classic chef's knife, paring knife and utility or "sandwich" knife. These three can tackle any job expertly. Do yourself a favor, get the right tool for the job.

Read Best Reviews of Wusthof Classic Chef's Knife Here

Let me begin by saying that i cook professionally. I am the Sous-Chef of a Fine dining Gastro-Pub specializing in Southern American Cuisine. I switched from Henckel Pro-S knives to Wusthof Classic knives 2 years ago, and was immediately happy with my decision. While all the steel in Solingnen comes from the same production facility and is the basis for Henckel, Wusthof, and Messermeister knives, the major difference is in the blade and handle design. My old Henckels, while comparable to the Wusthofs, had blocky handles that, after a 17 hour shift, I found to be quite uncomfortable. The Wusthofs are far more comfortbale, with better weight distribution, and the whole knive has a very aero-dynamic look and feel to it that can't really be understood until you julienne a 50lb bag of onions or brunoise a 6th pan of golden bell peppers. This knife will make any professional cook happy.

Like any knife, it will loose its factory edge after a few days (or hours, if you work in a prep-intensive kitchen like i do) of use. This knife is worthless without a steel, and i've found that after about a dozen proper passes over a diamond or sharpening steel (not a honing steel, so use a flat one, not a round one for all you home cooks out there) the knife can be returned to a state just short of its factory edge, which is practically unheard of with most knives. So if this is your first, or only knife, BUY A STEEL. And not jsut any steel, buy the Wusthof steel for this series (or if you want to get technical, any steel that has a higher rating on the Moh's Hardness scale than the knife does).

The one drawback I have found with this entire series of knives (i had 12 different wusthof classics) is that the polypropelene handles are prone to cracking after about a year of use. This can be due to heat, stress, dropping (i know some of you gasped at the thought, but in a fast-paced kitchen it happens) or other things, but after a time the handle will completely shatter. This happened first to my Santouku to the point that the knife was no longer usable. 5 of my other knives have hairline fractures running throught the handles. Recently, while opening a new concept in South Park, Charlotte, NC, my handle literally fell apart while i was using it. The blade and tange were still fine and i was able to glue the handle back together, but this knife will be retire to home-use only. 2 years is a long time for a professional knife, but part of me still expected more. I am unsure if Wusthof knives come with a factory or lifetime warranty, but be aware that handle fracture or shattering is a possibility after extended use. This also why i gave these knives a 4 instead of a 5.

In summary, these knives rock and beat out the competiton by a longshot. Better than japanese brands (MAC, Misono, Kikuichi, Global) by far a a straight-up workhorse for its durability and ability ot keep and hold an edge. After about a year of heavy professional grade use, however, look at replacing or upgrading as handle fracture could lead to the handle shattering. All around spectacular knife.

IF YOU ARE A HOMECOOK ONLY: Buy this knife. It will be the only one you ever need.

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The right chef's knife can change prep time from a chore to a joy: mincing herbs, chopping veggies, opening squash and melons, even carving meat in a pinch. Wusthof makes some of the best forged of high carbon stainless to keep an edge without being fragile, fully tanged and bolstered for heft and balance, with a comfortable, ergonomically-correct handle that can stand up to water and wear. You will use this for a lifetime.

SO: DON'T buy the five-inch because it's the cheapest one in the line. A chef's knife that's comfortable in the hand is a perfect tool. A knife that's too small is not worth the money. Anyone can use a five-inch knife for occasional fine mincing, but for chopping and carving, the five-inch is about right balance for a petite woman or very small man. Measure your chopping hand from the base of the thumb to the end of the pinkie if that length is between five and six inches, this is your knife. If not, get a bigger one.

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