Customer Reviews

Wusthof 979779 Classic 6-Inch Cook's Knife

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have Wusthof chef's knives that range in size from this 6 inch up to the 12 inch Wusthof, The 6 inch seems to be the one that gets used the most for kitchen chores. Most "professional" chef's and even Wusthof sales literature call the Wusthof 8 inch cook's knife the "flag ship" of their line. Indicating that it's a "must have" for the home kitchen. Since Amazon doesn't allow price quotations in their reviews check for yourself, the difference between the 6 inch and 8 inch Wusthof Cook's knives.
For the difference, I can also buy another knife I truly feel IS a "must have" - a good Wusthof paring knife.
The 6 inch model is well balanced, sharp from the factory as are all Wusthof knives, easy to maneuver. If you're building a good knife set I recommend looking at the 6 inch Wusthof and comparing it to the 8 inch. The extra difference in price could be better spent on the paring knife. The 6 inch is made with the same high quality metal as the 8 inch too.

John Row

This high quality model with its forged blade, good weight, and full tang handle is an excellent choice, overall. However, knives need to be bought with the end user in mind. The first question--how big is your hand?--is THE critical question to answer before buying an expensive chef's knife for the average home cook. (Professional chefs trained in culinary techniques have their own needs, which will differ from the rest of us.)

If you are a woman with small to average sized hands, you may prefer a 6 inch chef's knife for most of your chopping/slicing needs. If you are a man with large hands, the 6 inch size will likely feel too small.

Our kitchen has both the 6 and 8 inch sizes. The 8 inch was a wedding gift, bought to fit my husband. I tend to use the larger one when cutting heavy or thick items, but the majority of the time, the 6 inch chef's knife is the one I reach for. (I bought that after trying to accommodate unsuccessfully to the larger size.) However, when I'm cutting something really big or dense, I do reach for the 8 inch knife.

For most people looking for quality knives, this will fit the bill. I recommend that you consider starting with this one.

A final note: Please don't put a knife of this quality in the dishwasher. If you're worried about salmonella after using it on poultry, a spray of kitchen disinfectant or of a dilute bleach solution will take care of that. (After all, you can't put the countertop in the dishwasher!) Plan to hand wash it immediately in hot soapy water, learn to use a steel properly and sharpen with a good quality sharpener as needed. In return, this knife will provide you with a lifetime of service and is likely to outlast you.

This is the perfect knife for me. I'm not a chef by any means, just a normal homemaker, and this 6 inch knife fits perfectly in my kitchen. It does most jobs very nicely and is small enough that I feel comfortable using it everyday. I use it for almost everything from fruits and veggies to all kinds of meats. The blade is excelent, and the full tang construction really adds a nice weight and balance to the knife as well as strength.
Overall, my knive of choice!

There are really two main competitors in the high-end mainstream kitchen knife market: Henckels and Wusthof. Those who have used both usually have a preference. My preference (and therefore bias you should know about) is for the Wusthofs.

The Wusthof Grand Prix line is a more modern design than the Classic series, with a simple black handle. The balance and grip of these knives are as close to perfect as I have found. For those wondering what benefits a higher priced knife provides, one benefit is that the blade (or tang) is one piece all the way through the handle. This makes the blade much stronger, and less likely to snap.

This particular model, the 6 inch cook's (or chef's) knife, is a good knife. Wusthof offers four sizes of chef's knives in the Classic line, 5, 6, 8 and 10 inch. For most home cooks, I think the 8 inch knife is the best choice. This knife, the 6 inch, is a bit small for bigger jobs (but obviously not as small as the 5 inch). However, the 10 inch is too big for most jobs. While the 8 inch isn't perfect for all uses, if you are only buying one size chef's knife (and most people only buy one), the 8 inch is the knife I would recommend.

Therefore, if you are buying your first cook's knife, I would recommend the 8 inch size. This is a great knife, but I don't think the size is right for mainstream users.

Previous to owning any quality knives I had always used an 8 inch chef's knife for most kitchen tasks, because It was the only one I bothered to keep sharp. Later I acquired 4 Pro-S blades. I still used the 8 inch predominantly at first, but grew close to a 4 inch parer in thr group. I had always wanted to try a Wusthof Classic to see what the difference is if any in craftsmenship of the blade, handle etc. Additionally the slightly more curved shape of the Wusthof blade seemed to appeal. I was also wondering about the usefulness of having a knife in between the parer, and the 8 inch chefs yet, with more heft than a 6 inch slicer. This wusthof 6inch Chef's knife has proven to be the perfect knife for filling that gap. It is wonderful for cutting on smaller cutting boards when grilling on the patio. The greater amount of curve in the blade shape than that found in a similar Henckel seems to give more freedom of movement, and replacement on the cutting surface during use. As far as the handles go, I actually prefer the handles on the Henckel Pro-S knives. The "corners" are rounded down more on the Pro-s knive.

This is an overall excellent kitchen knife! Its a great size, not too big for easy use or storing. It is something I use almost everyday for most cutting jobs. I will say that for larger, harder veggies, like winter squash i think i could use a bigger knife...but if i had to pick one, i would pick this one. I bought a shapening tool at the same time and use it often.

After every use I wash and dry it totally. Leaving these knives to drip dry (or using a dishwasher) will i think stain the blade. I do have a dark water spot or two from before i realized this.

The knife is sturdy. When you are cutting, if the blade is sharp you do not feel like it will *slip* off the food your cutting. Its solid but not heavy...

This is a terrific knife - chops well, great feel, I like everything about it. My only complaint is that I should have bought the 8" blade instead of the 6" blade. While this knife is more maneuverable than the larger 8" or 10" blades in this series, this blade overlaps in utility with most Santoku blades which are usually only available in sizes up to about 7" or so, and which I also have. Not a knock on the knife, but if you're building a set, I recommend going for the larger blade if you have a decent utility knife in the collection already or something else in the sub-8" range.

As a chef's style knife, this blade has a nice bolster and a thicker tang, giving it a good heft for its size. This helps it work well for slicing and chopping, making it feel more like a larger knife to me on these tasks.

I've got the full range of knife sizes, both Wüsthof and Henkels, and this is the best knife of the bunch - good enough that I've given one as a wedding present at every wedding I've attended in about the last ten years, and I consistently hear it was the best gift they received. I used to give the 6" Henkels, but this is lighter, with a thinner blade and handle, and rocks more easily (the blade is more curved), which makes it a better all around knife.

The 8" is just too large for most jobs, especially for smaller hands. I'm male with large hands but I still prefer the 6" for everything other than potatoes, cabbage, and other larger items.

My wife and I have two of these, and they *both* got used about 5x as often as any other knife in our set, with the possible exception of the bread knife.

Originally I had the Wüsthof 8-Inch Cook's Knife (which came with the Wüsthof 10 pc. Classic set). Finally, I realized that the 8-Inch Cook's Knife was just too large & "intimidating" for me, esp. to just chop a couple of onions or bell peppers now & then. I bought the 6-Inch Cook's Knife & it's a much better size for me, my tiny 1-person-cook kitchen, & my relatively modest cooking skills.

I'm a big Wüsthof fan now, & personally I'm partial to the Classic line. Oh, & I sold the 8-Inch Cook's Knife on e-bay for a very good price; it seems like Wüsthof has very good resale value as well.....

The 6" Wusthof Classic Cook's knife is the perfect size for day to day chopping. I found the 8" Chef's knife far too large (I prefer the 7" chef's knife or cleaver), but 6 inches is the ideal size.

Construction: As with all Wusthof classic knives, this one is excellent. Full tang, 3 rivets, forged blades with polypropylene handle. It's wonderfully light, yet has just the right amount of heft to it. It's super-durable- in fact, my little red Wusthof sticker is still on the handle, after 2 years now. Don't forget, HAND WASH your knives.

Usage: It's very sharp, so don't cut your fingers off. I find it to be the ideal tool for frenching lamb chops, breaking down meats, chopping veggies, etc... it does everything. There are only a few instances in which I wish I had a large 7" chef's knife or cleaver, but those are few and far between.

I use a Chef's Choice Pro Diamond Sharpener, and I only need to use stage 3 (sometimes stage 2), to keep my knife sharp every 3-4 months. Yes, the blade holds an edge that long. The sharpener causes a slight burr on the blade, but no more than 1.5mm, and is invisible to the eye.

Comparison: I've never used a Kyocera or Shun, so I can't compare to those, but these are the same as the Henckels Pro-S line (which I also own). With the exception that the Henckels Pro-S line is slightly cheaper, and the Wusthof blades tend to be a little more rounded.

All in all- it's an expensive knife, yes, but it will last a lifetime, and it will make cooking much more enjoyable.