Customer Reviews

Zwilling J.A. Henckels Twin Cermax M66 8-Inch Chef's Knife

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Choosing a knife from one of the fine knife makers (e.g. Kasumi, Wusthof, Global, Shun, etc.) is ultimately a personal preference. The fact is that they all make knives that are physically capable enough for the most demanding of chefs. This means that there is no one best knife for every user. The Henckels brand maybe poo-pooed by elitists for its ubiquity in department stores and its production of very low quality knives under the same basic Henckels name (e.g. the one man line) but this knife is very different. The blade is made in Japan, unlike most Henkels knives, and it is aesthetically one of the most beautiful knives you'll see with its layered linen handle. The 7'' Santoku has a very nice weight for those of us that don't feel strong enough for the stout Wusthofs, or feel too strong for the featherweight Globals. The balance is much more even throughout the blade than the handle-end heavy Henckels 4/5 Star Santoku knives. The knife comes sharper out of the box than any knife that I've ever seen. Keeping it that sharp over time is up to you. Its certainly worth trying to see if this knife suits your own personal preference, as it suits mine.

This knife feels like an extension of your hand.

The blade is best described as a laser or scalpel. It cuts, slices, dices, chops and minces better. The Cermax is durable and very handsome, more so than the picture imparts. As for the cutting edge- it looks the same as any other knife until it touches something. You will detect a difference but it is hard to describe. If I had to put it in words I would say "this knife cuts with confidence" if there could be such a thing.

Unlike the other reviewer, I was unable to get my knife to rust but I did try; perhaps water salinity is lower here in Atlanta? I feel I got what I paid for. I have no regrets after one month of use. This is now my "go to" knife.

Talk to a chef about knives and they all have their favorite. Just like cars, some like Porsche, some Ferrari, some Lamborghini, Rolls Royce, BMW, Infiniti, etc... Which is the best....I guess it's personal preference based on what you grew up on or had good experience with. If your father drove Chev you'll like chev. If he drove Ford you'll prefer Ford. The reality is both make a good truck and neither is better...just different.

Old time chefs who grew up on Wusthof Trident love those and defend them as best. Same goes for J.A. Henckels. Global is becomming popular and people are starting to defend those as the best saying they are better then German design. Friedr Dick are used in schools and popular as well. It's an age old debate. And the truth was nobody was the best. Top of the line Henckels was equal to Wusthof.

Henckels markets to everyone..they are the biggest. They make good and they make cheap. They have lost their prestige factor associated with the best such as Wusthof. If you have a $200 Henckels knife in your kitchen will people comment since it looks just like the $20 Henckels from Walmart? Probably not. This is the reason old time Wusthof fanatics do not like Henckels. If you have a Wusthof people will comment on what is that Whuthof never heard of it? You can claim it's the best and German and used by Chefs around the world. But Henckles is jsut a boutique brand sold at Walmart and Zeller's...blah!!!! No wonder Chef's don't want to try Henckels. ANd I don't blame them...Wusthof is a fine knife. The Cordon Bleu series was probably the best in the world before Henckels did the Cermax line.

Now there is a best. Cermax M66. The best knife money can buy. But you pay for it. If your a pro and want the best...this may be it. Otherwise I'd probably lean towards the Wusthof Cordon Bleu or Henckels Twin Cuisine which are half the price. But price asside we now have a clear winner as best knife in the world. Then again you must try the knife before purchasing...if you don't like don't buy it. A cheaper knife may be more comfortable and suited for you.

The microcarbide does have a noticeable difference over other knives i've used. It keeps an edge much longer than anything that I've ever seen. You can put a ridiculously sharp edge on this blade, its the only knife I have that I need to be extra careful with fingers. Most other blades will sort of glance off your nail or skin when slicing, this thing can get so sharp that you can shave layers off your fingernail if you're not careful.

If you own this or any other cermax knife, make sure you ritually clean and dry the blade after every use. You absolutely cannot let it sit in water to soak. I made that mistake once, 5 tiny notches of corrosion developed over night, when I wiped them away they ate slightly into the edge of the blade. Luckily the guy that I took it to for sharpening was able to fix it back up for me.

just got the 8" chef and very pleased. The knife is incredibly sharp and has a slightly blade-heavy weighting which makes chopping and dicing a dream. Plus, its very pretty, and the unusual handle design sits well in the hand once you get used to it. All in all, a good buy.

I got this knife as "new" from ebay. I paid slightly less for a supposedly "brand new" knife. Upon 1st examination, the knife appears new but a closer look reveals tiny pits and with a 10x loupe I can see many gaps, small breaks, and other signs of use or if new, poor storage methods. The knife is still arm hair shaving sharp though it surely needs a steel. I bought it because of the powdered MC 66 steel in the blade core.(MC 66 is Henckels' own name for Micro Carbide w/ Rh 66 hardness. The cutting edge steel is actually Hitachi ZDP-189, an ultra hard, high quality exotic steel; the same used on Henckels' 7000MC Miyabi series. The cutting edge has the "Honbazuke" edge which is sharp! I guess now I get to see how well I am able to get the blade up to like new condition. I'll try to remember to add a comment to this post to let you know my luck, but first I have to find the blade angle from Henckels. All the sharpening information came with my TCuisine which I bought new but did not come with my not "unused,new" knife

I like the feel and weight of the Twin Cermax chef's knife better than the Henckels Twin Cuisine chef I already own. The TCermax is definitely Japanese cutlery vs the heavier German construction of the TCuisine.
The Shun Elite Ken Onion chef I have I would have to rank #1 because of the ergonomics and the way the bolster meets the blade. It's just more comfortable to me. But since I'm an amateur and won't be cutting all day I think the TCermax will be my go to chef knife because of its lighter weight, thinner blade, and its a little easier to maneuver than the KO. I think the SG-2 powder steel in the KO and the MC-66 in the TCermax compare very closely.

I have tested these two knives and a Tojiro DP 6" utility knife F-800 cutting carrots, slicing an onion, and slicing tomatoes. I'll have to say they all perform amazingly well, specially compared with my old hardware store carbon steel knives. I think the extra heft of the KO let it go through the carrots a little better than the others(remember my TCermax had a less than new blade) . The big knives went through the onion with ease with the Tojiro right behind and the tomatoes just melted before all three.

This little test just shows me that good sharp knives make cutting in the kitchen a pleasure rather than a chore. I can also recommend the Twin Cermax with no restrictions. It is high quality, will hold an edge, feels good in my hand, maneuvers well, and is a great knife for the money.

If I could do it over I would definitely get the new knife; the little money difference in such a high quality item is not worth the gamble.

J.A. Henckels Twin Cermax M66 8-Inch Chef's Knife

After 15+ years of using a cheaper stainless steel chef's knife, I saw prices of the high quality chef's knives coming down (due to the economy). I asked the Executive Chef Instructor at the school where I teach for a recommendation, and he said to go with the new M66 Carbide Steel as the newest breakthrough in high quality chef's knives. I scouted around, found one on sale, and took the plunge. I am glad that I did! As someone else mentioned, right out of the box it is RAZOR sharp! I have had to retrain myself from some sloppy knife handling habits that I could get away with, using my old, dull stainless knife! This cuts like a dream, and I am getting used to the new shaped handle, and I am using a better technique with it.
Okay, I admit that this was a wicked self-indulgence, but it was worth it! I will never go back to a cheap knife again!

I have owned 2 of the Henckels Twin Ceramx M66 knives for 4 years and find them to be very high performance for softer vegetable slicing and cutting bone out meats. The edges are very hard and prone to microchipping and stains from acidic foods like citrus. I must sharpen on DMT course and fine diamond plates to maintain the edge. Hard rinds and bones are problems that can cause chips from these blades. Again very high performance steels for knife blades.

I have this exact knife. I could not find from printed literature if the M66 center hard steel layer that makes the cutting edge would rust or not. After it arrived I put it on the cutting board with a little water and 3 hours latter rust all along the M66 steel cutting edge. This may not be important to some who are used to rustable carbon steel but I like fully rust free tools. Otherwise I like this knife, good fit and finish, comfortable handle, very sharp, OK balance. I also placed a Shun Classic knife in the same test and it did not rust at all and it has a larger handle more to my liking with my large hands.