Customer Reviews

Zwilling J.A. Henckels Twin L Kitchen 2-Piece Set

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

 

 

J.A. Henckels have two major lines. Zwilling J.A. Henckels knives are made in Germany using higher quality stainless steels (except the Twin Cermax line which is made in Japan), and J.A. Henckels International knives are made from non-German countries using lower quality steels. This Henckels Twin L Kitchen 2-Piece Set is made in Germany with a good stainless steel.

Knowing the paring knife is made from a decent steel and this set is on sale ($15), I decided to make this purchase. Unfortunately, the construction of this parer is not what I expected. I have no problem with the steel quality. I have no problem with the fact that it is a stamped knife which I knew. My complaint is the fact that the blade is thin, which makes it too flexible and flimsy. I can easily bend it without much force. Part of the reason for its thinness is that it is a flat ground knife. The blade tapers all the way from spine to edge. If it is made from Japanese hard steels, then a thin blade is desirable, but this is not. Due to its thinness, this parer performs well for very delicate jobs like cutting soft cookie dough, deveining shrimps and peeling apple skin. However, it is not sturdy enough for peeling hard skinned fruits, trimming meat, cutting baby carrots or brussel sprouts. In my experience, this knife is not very sharp out-of-the-box and certainly not "razor sharp" as others have experienced. It may be sharper than some unknown brand parers, but this Henckels parer, coming out-of-the-box, was not as sharp as my Wusthof Blackwood and Shun Classic knives. I had to sharpen it a bit on my own, but it can take on a good edge. In my opinion, this parer worth about $5.

The shears are decent. They are micro-serrated, so they will cut well for a long time before you need to sharp them. They are held together by a screw-able pivot screw. This allows the blades to be taken apart and sharpened. Not that the shears cannot be sharpened otherwise, but it does make the task much easier. I really appreciate this as I free-hand sharpen my knives with different flat whetstones (diamond and water stones). $15 for this set is not a bad deal because of the shears.

I would give the parer a 3-stars rating and the shears a 4-stars rating. As a set, I am giving it a 3-stars rating. To be honest, this is not a totally bad purchase. Some may even prefer a flexible paring knife, but it just isn't what I want.

If I had known about the excellent quality and performance of this kitchen scissors and knife set I wouldn't have wasted my money on cheaper versions. The scissors are rugged and sharp; they can cut through chicken bones easily. Be extra careful when using the knife, especially the first few times; it's so super sharp that the blade may suddenly surprise you...if you know what I mean. I was used to having to use force when cutting something but NOT with this knife. Highly recommended.

At $14.99 for both the scissors and a paring knife, including super saver shipping, this is a screaming deal. I already own the Henckels scissors and paring knife in heavier versions, so why get these?

The scissors are handy in my kitchen for opening my mail, cutting any paper or plastic packaging, and for doing my flower arrangements. They are somewhat smaller than my other pair, but they are every bit as sharp. The handles are almost as sturdy as well; another reviewer uses these for cutting up poultry, but I have my doubts about whether they are sturdy enough. My heavier scissors are available for that and other food processing.

The paring knife is literally razor sharp and does my salads easily. I even used it to slice slits in a frozen pie top, effortlessly. However, the handle is extremely light, and I wouldn't try to use any leverage with this knife.

The best part is that these products are guaranteed by Henckels, just like their other products. I recently mailed in my heavier scissors because one of the handles broke; this pair was over 25 years old. I paid the postage to Henckels, and they sent me a new pair free, including free return postage, no questions asked. You cannot beat that for customer service.

August 8, 2009 update: Now that I have been extensively using the knife for a couple of months, it is still razor sharp. Notwithstanding the thinness of the blade, it is particularly good for taking cooked corn off the cob and for cutting off excess fat from thick bacon. I flat out love the scissors for kitchen tasks; they too are extremely sharp.

Knife is great...very sharp. Maintains edge really well. The shears are OK. Sharp, but the handle is not as sturdy as I anticipated.

The shears are very sharp. I cut all kinds of food with them and had no problem. I even tried using them to cut paper and string to test its sharpness and they have passed the test. I wash them often and let them air dry and so far haven't found any rust on the steel.

The paring knife is very sharp and does a nice job cutting finer food items. I use it to remove seeds from fruits and melons mostly. The only downside is that I found a little bit of rust on the blade near the finger guard. I thought stainless steel is resistant to corrosion? No?

Excellent product that any cook will use everyday! Kitchen shears have so many uses that the average armchair chef fails to realize. Definitely a timesaver product!

Was looking for a good kitchen paring knife and kitchen scissors. I was pleasantly surprised to find them being offered as a set at an affordable price. 2nd pleasant surprise was when I received them and found them to be of such good quality. I have been using them both daily for several months and am most satisfied.

I really like this set, and for the simple reason of the knife and scissors working perfectly out of the box. The scissors are sharp enough to cut through a big slab of meat when you're cooking a chicken quesadilla and don't want to use a knife. The paring knife also works surprisingly well, and cuts through most fruits like they're butter. The scissors also cut through plastic and paper very well, although I wouldn't recommend doing that too often.

Paring knife lighter than expected but sharp & cuts well (almost too well!). Scissors feel sturdy - hoping this Henckels lasts longer than the knock-off version it's replacing.

Bought the set for a replacement set of scissors but I use the razor-sharp paring knife more often. The scissors are just as sharp as the knife too!