Customer Reviews

Henckels Five Star 18-Piece High Carbon Stainless Steel Knife Set with Block

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

 

 

To clarify a seemingly ongoing debate, the 8 steak knives in this set are in fact Henckels "Gourmet" steak knives. Not Five Star, not Pro S. The "Gourmet" brand is on the low end of Henckels product line, though they are still of high-quality.

This also applies to the other Henckels knife sets, including the top-of-the-line 18-piece Pro S set, it to contains the "Gourmet" steak knives.

If you need further proof, you can enlarge the product photo then compare the steak knives shown here to the Henckels steak knife sets shown elsewhere.

The short story:
Pay a little more money and buy Wusthof cutlery,
and get a lot more bang for the buck.

The long story:
J. A. Henckles make different lines of cutlery. Their
"International" line is lower quality and less expensive
than their top lines "Pro S" and "Five Star."

(The only difference between the "Pro S" and "Five Star"
is the handle. The "Pro S" has a full-tang riveted handle,
and the "Five Star" has a bigger, synthetic handle. Some
people claim the full-tang riveted handles have better
balance.)

Though, Henckels name is more well known than Wusthof
and they sell more knives to the general public, people
who have used the two brands, for the most part, agree
that Wusthof is the better knife. Also, Wusthof seems
to employ much better quality control than Henckels.

Henckels cuts corners when it comes to their sets.

Henckels supplies a relatively small, low grade
sharpening steel with their top line "Pro S" and
"Five Star" sets.

In their top line 18 piece sets, their steak
knives come from a lower line.

Henckels has a recommended retail price and a sale
price on their cutlery. Just about all vendors,
sell Henckels knives at the "sale" price. Henckels'
warranty department will only give you credit for
the sale price of their product, even if you pay
more, and have a receipt to prove it.

On the other, hand, Henckels warranty department is

generous when it comes to replacing old Henckels knives
damaged due to consumer misuse. I thought knives
completely submerged in salt-free water would
not corrode. I thought corrosion needed salt or
air. Wrong. My Henckels knives corroded even
though I just left them submerged in soapy water.

The most popular knife today is the Wusthof
Grand Prix, Santaku knife with a granton
edge. This is the knife used by Rachel Ray
and other chefs on the Food Network. "Granton"

means the knife has semi hollowed-out ovals on
its sides. Granton edges may provide a smoother
cut, with less drag. Vegetables may stick to
their sides less. But knives with granton
edges are not supposed to be sharpened at home.
Moreover, they have very little edge to sharpen
and so have much less life expectancy than an
Identical knife without a granton edge.

If you buy expensive knives with a fine edge,
I recommend buying a RA-03, John Boos,
24" x 18" x 2" cutting board, and a bottle
of John Boos mystery oil for reconditioning
the board every month.

You can NOT beat the quality of these knives. They are more expensive, but the quality is tops. I like the unique shape of the 5* grips. My wrist doesn't rotate as far forward as with more traditional shapes and is less fatiguing when doing a lot of chopping.

To reinforce an oft made point, the steak knives are NOT 5*. They are from the "gourmet" line, which are stamped instead of forged, and have exposed rivets instead of the curvy 5* handles. They are also serrated on the end. I personally find the serrations a little annoying. I don't want to saw through my steak. If you want the better 5* steak knives, buy a smaller set of 5*s without these, and seperately purchase the 5* steak knives and a block (or box) for those. But be ready to pay big bucks. In the end, is it really worth all that money for fancy steak knives? If not, then go ahead and get this 18pc set. The price difference seems to favor the larger set rather than seperate purchases.

Final analysis: Knife quality, as good as it gets. As far as this particular set, consider the steak knife question, and also realistically evaluate your cutlery needs. After a few months, there are several knives that I have yet to use! I could have saved some bucks and got a smaller set.

A last word: Don't put these in the dishwasher. The hot water and detergent will bleach the handles. You should always wash fine knives right away anyway, and not let them sit dirty until next time you do dishes.

I was very surprised at how nice these knives really are! The 8 piece steak knives DID match the rest of the knives, same handle and all, an earlier post stated they were a lesser quality knife, very wrong! Every knife is beautiful down to the smallest detail, they are super sharp and very well made. I give this set 5 stars for a beautiful Five Star set!!!!!

Just to let you guys know, Cutco hires what they call "web solicitors" to hype up their products on sites like this. Also, Cutco is sold through demonstrations by Cutco salespeople only and these salespeople have an interest in bashing other knives on the net. Master Chef Wylie Dufresne told GQ magazine "I have plenty of friends whose parents have Cutco in a knife block. You pull them out and they're all as dull as can be." Norman Weinstein, a nationally recognized kitchen knife skills instructor was quoted by the Baltimore Sun newspaper as saying this about Cutco: "Why, why, would you buy such a knife?"

As i see it the Steak knives are the Pro S Series. NOT by any means a lesser grade steak knife. Pro S are the way to go if you want a completely matching set

People think Henckels are the greatest knives out there. WHY?? Because every store sells them. Well thats not true. Their blades are very thin, and the tips break off very easily. Do not ever drop one or you will be sorry.

I was in a kitchen store and overheard the Henckel sales rep training some employees and he said that most of the different Henckel knife lines are ALL THE SAME KNIFE! just have different Handles! And they can charge more or less money for the same knife by a different handle design, but the blade is the important part.

Most typical kitchen stores will not sell TOP QUALITY knives because they are to pricey. They sell low quality knives. Shop around. Just because you see the same item in every kitchen supply store, does not mean its good and will last. Just means you know where to get more when yours breaks. You get what you pay for when it comes to kitchen knives and kitchen cookware. You want good quality knives that will last you for a very very long time, invest in Global Knives and also get a good oil sharpening stone, and your set for life.

A question. Why does this set of 18 FIVE STAR knives contain a lesser grade of steak knives?

Henckels has a great product. If you like high quality cutlery I highly suggest CUTCO since 1949 with a forever guarantee.
cutco.com

Cutco has the forever guarentee and Henckels does not.