Customer Reviews

J.A. Henckels Twin Pro S 7-Inch High-Carbon Stainless-Steel Santoku Knife

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I use this santoku knife every day. I cook professionally and my personal collection of knives is worth thousands of dollars. I have all the weird knives no ever uses, all the specialty tools that are supposed to make chopping fun. When it comes to cooking dinner for my spouse and I, I reach for this knife every time.

This knife gives you the edge shape and flexibility of an asian vegetable cleaver with the balance and handle of a lighter chefs knife. I like that. I don't think that softer veggies or butter or chicken breasts always need the heft of a 8 or 10 inch chefs knife. For all-purpose needs at home, this knife is the perfect size and weight. I would highly recommend it as a first knife for someone looking to build a home collection of higher-end knives. Then pairing knife, then chefs knife, in my opinion.

The Henckels Pro series, in general, is of good quality. Like any other knife in this line, however, the Santoku *will not* keep an edge without maintence. No knife, not even those horrible diamond-honed things, will. To keep your knife in good shape, hone it on a steel each time you use it and clean it promptly. Avoid those roller sharpeners: they will tear up your edge. Every few years (more often if the knife is used a lot) get the blade professionally re-ground. Oh, and just in case someone misunderstands: the above does not apply to serrated blades. Only straight ones.

I recommend the Santoku. In fact, I'm thinking of getting a second one: one for veggies, one for meat, so I don't have to keep cleaning my knife while cooking.

After years and years of complaining, swearing, bleeding and nicksbecause of knives that didn't keep their edge, salvation at last! Myfamily and I decided to treat ourselves with a gift of really top quality knives, and knowing that good knives can cost a bundle planned to settle for just two or three.

We had learned that Henckels was supposed to be among the very best, and to our good fortune read that just at the right time they were running their annual warehouse sale nearby. We were unprepared for what we found - tables and tables of every variety of knife one could think of. Again, to our good fortune, we located a very helpful employee who steered us in the right direction.

To begin with, Henckels makes a variety of qualities, and we chose the top of the line. We were told that these knives are hand-made and ice-hardened (whatever that signifies). Even after that choice, we were faced with another decision. There were three knives at this same level of quality and workmanship, the only difference being in the way each was balanced. The Professional chef's knife was the one that I felt most comfortable with, but who can tell for sure, they all felt good. We chose the eight-inch chef's knife to start with because it seemed to be the one with the most uses, chopping vegetables, and heavy slicing. I had always wanted a good carving knife, too, and we stayed with the same quality for this. These knives go for eighty dollars plus, each, retail, and we paid forty-three and thirty-nine respectively, still not cheap but a good deal.

We also sprung for a small paring knife of the same category and one lower quality bread knife. The bread knife is still satisfactory, but I rave about the others. They make what was a nasty chore into a pleasure. No more hacking at the roast chicken or turkey - now I get nice slices so easily. Chopping the veggies is a breeze, too, and no more nicked fingernails or sliced hands. You know, you're more likely to hurt yourself with a dull knife than with a sharp one.

The last purchase of this shopping trip was a new honing steel. We did have an old one, but our informant said that it was probably too soft for the newer hardened knives. He was right. One important caveat: don't put these good knives in the dishwasher. Simply clean them with soap and water right after using them and put them away.

An initial expensive outlay, yes. A good investment, to be sure. I would recommend these knives especially to young families, so that they benefit from top quality for many years.

I bought one of these knives for my wife because she wasn't comfortable with traditional chef's knives, and I didn't like to see her using a pairing knife as a primary kitchen knife. After going to a few different stores and trying out different knives, she decided on the Henckels Pro S 7-inch Santoku. Although I probably would not have picked this knife for myself, I'm now hooked. Here's what I like most: (1) It came with an excellent factory edge. In fact, it was much sharper out of the box than my Global chef's knife. I probably won't use my Global much more until I can get it professionally sharpened. (2) Excellent balance and overall quality. It just feels good in your hand. This is something that everyone needs to try and decide for himself. (3) Versatility. The wide blade is better for scooping up chopped vegetables, herbs, etc than most chef's knives. It is sharp and light enough for relatively delicate work, but long and sturdy enough to handle bigger jobs. (4) Unlike traditional European-style knives, where the blade comes up against the bolster, the entire blade is exposed. This gives you more useful blade space, and is much better for future sharpening (bolsters get in the way of sharpening and stick out once part of the blade has been removed in the sharpening process). The only things I might change are that the 7-inch blade is a bit shorter than I would like, and the handle is relatively small (this is one of the factors that were best for my wife, however). The advice that I would give to anyone purchasing this knife is to please take care of it. Do not run it through the dishwasher, cut on hard glass or marble cutting boards (pure evil), or use any gimmicky home sharpening system. Maintain the edge with a high quality honing steel (a smooth steel is gentlest on the blade), and sharpen only occasionally by someone who knows what they're doing.

If you enjoy cooking Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, or any other Asian foods you will find this knife a joy to use, and a welcome friend in the kitchen.

In the past I've used my Henckel 8" or 6" Chef's knives to prep veggies and meats for stir fry dishes. They did a fine job..but this knife makes the job so much more effortless. Beautiful for thin slivers of meat or all forms of vegetable cutting...slant cut, diced, nituke, jullianne.

One thing I appreciate about this knife is the 7" length and the lighter feel in my hand. It still has the nice balance that you would expect from a Henckel knife, but with a bit less heft. A pleasure to use!

If you love cooking with great kitchen tools...you'll love this one!

L

I'm sure by now, you're confused by which brand you should choose... is it the Henckels or the Wusthof Santoku? If that isn't your dilemma, skip on down to the next reviewer. I just got the Santoku for a steal of a price... and that is why i went for this over the Wusthof which goes for $5 more (Classic hollow-edge). I was looking at the Wusthof for over a month and was completely impressed w/ the feel and balance. I think the Henckels still comes in just below the Wusthof. There are hundreds of other knife manufacturers in Solingen, Germany... it's only that Henckels spent tons of money on global marketing. Back to the knife... once i got home, I quickly dug for a carrot (tougher to chop) and a cucumber. I tried to chop the carrot like i was banging on a drum... and it chopped fine. As far as the traditional, knuckles out cutting technique, it worked fine. My only advice for you is to definitely try out both knives and look for the most comfortable. You'll notice that one may have a heavy-heel/light-handle feel to it(vice versa)... it is ALL PREFERENCE. I actually got kind of tired chopping the carrots b/c theAlso keep in mind... the hollow edges on the knife really don't make a difference. If anything, it's an aesthetical bonus. So try out the non-hollow edged ones... it may be a few $$$'s cheaper. Also keep in mind, the difference between the Pro 'S', "4-Star" and "5-Star" knives are the handles. I didn't like the "5-Star" knives b/c of the ergonomic handle. Anyone can tell you that you're not supposed to wrap your hands around the whole handle. Instead you should be using your thumb and index to grip the finger guard/bolster. So thus, the Pro 'S' is a good pick, but I'm still going to give the 5-star rating to the Wusthof Classic 7" Santoku.

I received this Henckels Santoku knife as a graduation present, along with a full set of Pro S knives, when I graduated from Culinary School. I had done a lot of research about different brands of knives and felt that the Henckels Pro S series was the best for me. The grip is not cheap and I love the weight of the knife in my hand. And the santoku knife is excellent. I have been using it almost everyday for 4 years. It has replaced my chef's knife as my primary knife and I now use it for simple tasks like cutting up vegetables such as onions and potatoes. And I also use it for more difficult tasks such as cutting up a chicken. This is a great knife that with proper care and sharpening will last for many years.

I'll make this quick, since the other reviewers were apparently shooting for extra credit.

Pair this knife with either the Henckels 6-inch or 8-inch chef's knife, and you have the perfect starter set for any kitchen.

These two knives will cover most every job -- and no one makes a finer blade than Henckels.

'Nuff said.

After working in amatuar kitchens and going through the school of hard knocks I finally got into a real restaurant where I was expected to have my own knives. I looked around quite a bit for a good knife and as soon as I held this one in my hand I knew it was the one and I have not been dissapointed. The weight and balance are perfect. It's still sharp after over 2 months of everyday use chopping everything from chives, parsley, and limes to opening plastic bags and slicing open baked potato's . All I do is hone it everyday before I go into work and the edge stays all night. As long as that is done I'm sure it will provide me many years of valuable service.

This is the knife I use everyday in the kitchen. Blade is the perfect size for pretty much doing everything and remains sharp for while, if honed regularly. It's also lighter than the chef's knife. My only complaint about the knife (therefore dropping it half a star) is that the blade is not perfectly straight,there's a slight curvature of the blade. This makes it a little difficult to do some tasks. Other than that, a very good knife.

This is a wonderfully balanced all purpose vegetable knife. It is idea for herbs and very thin slicing. Perfect for Asian preparation. Well worth the price.