Cutlery Reviews

I bought this knife for $35.00 at linens and things. I vacillated between this and the $80 version. I made a mistake. When the knife was finally extricated from it's mega-vinyl prison. I hefted it, felt the edge and examined construction. I got less than I paid for. The feel and look of this knife is similar to those late night TV special knives. "But wait, there's more... Now how much would you pay?"

It is just a cheap feeling product. Also, the tip of the knife had a pronounced burr on it that I had to hone off.

I am too old to be re-learning that you get what you pay for.

Don't be fooled by the name and the mark "Spain" on the blade. The blade got nicked in two places after I cut a cob of corn. I have two knives for more than 2 years and they were really made in Spain . They don't have a single nick yet ! Next time I'll better spend twice as much and buy original Henckels knife which is made in Germany.

I'm a fan of the Spanish-made Henckel's Int'l Classic lines. I have the bread knife and the utility knife as well. I think the major budget concessions (as these are not the high-end German-made line) comes in the size. Classic blades, though full-tang and thrice-riveted, have less steel than comparable brands. This makes them slender and light in the hand. However, less steel is not lower-quality steel, and these blades are incredibly hard and reliable.

This santoku is still large enough to use as a spatula when cutting, delivering onions, mushrooms or other slices or mince to the pan while cooking speedily. It sharpens easily (I use a small stone under running water), and responds well to a steel every few uses. It's the sharpest blade in my collection, easily slicing up my sponges when I clean it. With care, it won't do the same to your skin, mostly because of the sturdiness of construction that breeds confident handling. It won't slide off most vegetables before slicing in, and can even cleave small poultry bones with slow and steady pressure downward (I wouldn't use it to hack as real cleavers do). This is a precision instrument, not a blunt tool.