Customer Reviews

Wusthof Classic Gourmet 3-Piece Knife Set

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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 Classic line is the more conservative counterpart to the Grand Prix line. The only difference, however, is the handle style. I personally prefer the Grand Prix, but this is an issue of personal preference. 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 set includes an 8 inch chef's knife, a 3 ½ inch paring knife and a 6 inch sandwich knife.

The 8 inch chef's knife, is a great 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. The 5 and 6 inch are a bit small for bigger jobs, but 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), this is the one I would recommend.

As for the 3 ½ inch paring knife, this knife falls into the category of overkill for me. Most cooks will get by just fine with the 4 ½ inch utility knife. There is really no notable difference in size for the vast majority of applications between the 3 ½ inch paring knife and the 4 ½ inch utility knife. I prefer the 4 ½ inch utility knife, but the 3 ½ inch paring knife will do the trick.

I have found very few uses for the 6 inch sandwich knife. I prefer the larger size of the chef's knife or the smaller 4 ½ inch utility knife. This knife is just the wrong width and length for most tasks.

This set is a good deal; however, if compiling a set myself, I would include the chef's knife, the 4 ½ inch utility knife, and the 9 inch bread knife. Judge for yourself.

Wusthof makes the best knife blades in the business, and in my opinion the best quality knives. Cheaper knives generally dull more quickly, and some never get truly sharp at all. Wusthof knives, in contrast, get clean, exact cuts every time, and are a joy to use.

The "Wusthof Classic" style of this set, with the three rivets attaching the black composite handle pieces to the full length tang of the blade, used to be the only style of handle Wusthof made. Wusthof now makes several other styles, including the slightly less expensive "Grand Prix" line with a molded handle, and the much more expensive "Culinar" line with stainless steel handles. If you have money to burn, you might want to look at the Culinar line, but for most people, the Wusthof Classic knives are likely the best tradeoff between money and quality.

The three knives in this set are the ideal knives for a brand new cook with no existing kitchen equipment. The chef's knife and the paring knife are needed in any well equipped kitchen; the "sandwich knife" is a compromise that can substitute, albeit imperfectly, for any of three or four other special purpose knives.

Amazon currently lists the Wusthof classic chef's knife in six different sizes; the 8" blade size is one of the sizes I own, and it works well for almost any cutting task in the kitchen. There are times when it feels like a larger size might work even better, such as when dealing with a large roast or turkey, but the 8" always seems to be sufficient in the end; there really aren't any times when I want a smaller chef's knife for general purpose use.

Paring - for example, peeling potatoes - is more of a special purpose task, for which a specialized knife is really superior. The 3.5" blade length in this set may seem short, but it's short for a reason. Often while one is using the paring knife in one hand, one is holding the object being cut in the other. The short blade length makes it easier to avoid stabbing oneself while maneuvering both the knife and the object.

The 6" knife is a little different. Unlike the other two knives in this set, the 6" knife is really only perfect for a very limited set of tasks. Its strength is that it can substitute, if a bit imperfectly, for a variety of other knives that may be missing from the kitchen of a brand new cook. For example, it can be used for utility tasks that require more than the 3.5" blade length of the paring knife - which is to say, most utility tasks - if the cook doesn't already have a 4" or 4.5" utility knife. It can also be used, in a pinch, when what the cook really wants is a second chef's knife - for example, to cut fresh vegetables for a salad when it wouldn't be hygienic to reuse the big chef's knife that was just used on raw meat. The 6" knife won't be perfect for these tasks, but it will work, and will be much better than no knife at all.

As the new cook collects more knives, the 6" knife will likely be used less and less. It won't ever become completely unused - I just used mine this evening, despite having half a dozen other Wusthof knives to choose from, because the 6" length is perfect for slicing a tenderloin roast - but eventually it will become one of the lesser used pieces in the set.

That may make the 6" knife less than cost effective for a cook that already has an established set of kitchen tools. For such a cook, one of the other sets might be better - perhaps the two piece "starter" set with the chef's knife and the paring knife, along with perhaps a Wusthof sharpening steel. For a brand new cook with no kitchen equipment, though, this three piece set is close to perfect, and it is the set I started my Wusthof collection with, 20 years ago.

I loved these knives right out of the box. They came sharp and feel great. I was finally moving out of the parent's house and needed some knives. With the free block and steel from Amazon you can't go wrong. I looked at all the sets for weeks and in the end decided that I would rather just buy what I needed, instead of settling for what came in the sets. I have found that I am rarely happy with prepackaged sets of anything. Therefore, this was a good starting point to which I added a bread knife and plan to add pieces if I need them (I doubt I will, but I may just fill the block :). I bought these sight unseen from Amazon and could not be happier.

Update! June 2011 and still going strong! Daily use, occasional sharpening, wow.

I got so tired of dull knives, I took the plunge and got Wustof. I was surprised how often I use the paring knife. These knives are perfectly balanced, and made with the best construction. The blades are chromium/molybdenum steel, probably the best knife steel available.

I trusted this tried and true brand, and it paid off. These knives stay sharp. They feel like a natural extension of the hand. They're beautifully finished. I was so excited to use them. I took 16 random poor quality knives to the church thrift shop. As it turns out, these three knives are all I need for cooking.

These are lifetime investments. I wish I hadn't have been so cheap for so long.

If I could, I'd give this product 10 stars, or even 20. I bought these knives for my boyfriend for his birthday, we are both in college and have recently gotten very involved in cooking. We did much research and found these to be the best cooking knives (we watch Food Network and virtually everyone uses these knives) and, we were definitely impressed. They are nothing short of amazing! They cut through everything like butter, it makes cooking such a breeze, they are easy to handle, and I've heard they last for forever, judging from everyones reviews on here. I only reccommend these knives, they are lifesavers and make cooking that much more enjoyable. I will never own any other knives other than Wusthof. Also, this set is a GREAT price for what you are getting! Absolutely amazing. 10 stars if I could.

UPDATE: I have had these knives for over a year (I know it isn't a super long time, but it's enough for an update) and they still look brand new. We use these knives daily and they work wonders. The only thing you need to do is get them sharpened every once in awhile, depending how often you use them.

I did a lot of research on the popular, better knife brands before buying. I was torn between the two most well known: Wusthof and Henkels. I saw a lot of reviews regarding Henkels about them not lasting long or living up to expectations. According to Wusthof's website, all their knives have the same blades in them, in all their knife lines. Perhaps I misunderstood their descriptions, but this is the meaning I took away from their own website. That being said, the only difference between their cheaper and most expensive (Classic) lines is the handle. I would still purchase the Classic line, even knowing that. The metal in the blade on the classic line runs through the entire handle, all the way to the butt end. The metal is exposed on the top and bottom of the handle, giving a very good secure grip. The knives are very well weighted and hefty. I bought the cheaper, Silverpoint, line of Wusthof steak knives. The difference is clear. The Silverpoints are still very nice knives, however they don't have the hand feel and 'confidence' of the Classic line. The blades are great, it's the cheaper feeling handle.

What I am getting at: if you want quality knives, you really can't skimp, even on something that seems as trivial as a handle. This set is a great starter set. I was concerned that it would not provide a wide enough variety of blades. I was wrong. The 8" knife is perfect for solid chopping, especially tough vegetables. The mid size 'sandwich' knife is very good for trimming soft meats. And of course the paring knife for traditional paring duties.

As others have mentioned, nicer blades like these should be treated a little bit differently. Do not put these into dishwashers. They will bang around and become dull, quickly. The heat will also damage the handles. Hand wash and towel dry immediately after use. The steel will rust quickly, otherwise. These are great knives, and they need exceptional care to last.

I bought this knife set after I did some research about what makes a knife great, and these met every test. I put them to use and was even more impressed with their performance.

These knives are GREAT! We bought these to replace some knives we got for our wedding several years ago and not knowing any better had washed in the dish washer. DO NOT WASH YOUR KNIVES IN THE DISHWASHER--it ruins them! These are even better than our other knives which turned out to be the lower quality gourmet set. These are soooo sharp. They cut through anything almost as though that anything were butter! Fabulous!

Funny title considering the cost, I know, but there is an old adage of you get what you pay for. Sure, I could go to Wal-Mart and pick up a $4 chef knife and it will cut things, but there are so many more variables than just being able to cut something.

My brother owns a set of these knives, and my dad always praised them when he owned a restaurant, which led me to my final decision. I cut tons of veggies and wanted knives that I would be happy to use, not just get me by. They do the trick, and with proper maintenance can last a long time.

I had a friend who tried to convince me to get cutco knives, he said the free sharpening was what sealed the deal. I know how to properly steel a knife and prefer doing that every other day than having to send my knife somewhere to have it sharpened. Don't even get me started on the difference in quality steel between the two knives.

I bought the set of 3 knives for my wife as a present. She was using Calph**n as her primary knives. These are classic, high quality knives. There is nothing bad that you say about them and a lot of good things. They have been in use for a month now and are still very sharp and my wife is hard on knives. Now that she has both sets in one wood block, she always reaches for the Wusthof first.