Cutlery Reviews

the board looks like I wanted it to - but does show cut marks and doesn't sit flat on the counter -

I'm pretty pleased with this cutting board so far. It does show cut marks, as other reviews point out, but (at least with me), they're really only visible when the cutting board isn't clean. After I wipe it down with a sponge, it looks great again.

This is beautiful...I love it!!! Good size and does not show stains from food ..

I received this item as a gift a couple of weeks ago to use to transport my knives to cooking classes and to protect them and me while in transport. I used it for the first time last night and everyone in class was impressed! It is very sturdy and should provide for many years of use. Great item!

I purchased this item for a chef cousin as a x-mas present (not reviewer R. Houtz by the way) and he jumped for joy as soon as he unwrapped it. He had lost one back when he was a student and this brought him many memories... anyway, the knife roll is very easy to use and you can have the confidence that your knives are safely stored. The material used is also very strong.

This mid-priced line of Henckel knives, called "Classic" by the company, is a full-tang, single-piece, three-rivet line with sturdy black plastic handles. The handles are notched at the end to prevent the hand from sliding off during use. Although they are not razor sharp right from the package, their edges are sharp enough for the average cook. According to Henckel, all knives in this line are dishwasher safe, but you should expect more rapid dulling under the harsh conditions.

The paring knife has much more weight in the handle than in the blade, making its use feel somewhat awkward. This imbalance results from a relatively long handle which makes it easy to hang onto firmly and therefore more safely than some other brands, especially for those with large hands. Although the paring knife blade is also longer than my Chicago Cutlery paring knife, the change in weight isn't fully offset. Still, I like this knife, and with the other Henckel Classics that I own, it makes a good addition to my cutlery.

First, I preface my review by stating I am not a professional chef, nor am I a very experienced cook, but in fact I am a novice who enjoys learning to cook. My parents have the entire set of the same Henckels International Classic set and thus this is the only set I had ever really used for most of my short cooking life. I presumed all knives were like this and this is the norm. Well, I recently moved and also recently had been cooking at friends and family's houses who don't have this set of knives...well let me just say, I now know the importance of a good set of knives. The knives cut cleanly and easily, leaving clumsy people like myself less opportunity to injure themselves. So, one of my first purchases in my own place was of course the same set of Henkels International Classic knives that I had "grown up on." (The store near me didn't have a complete set, so I bought this little paring knife essentially to complete the set.)

I should also say that in choosing a set of knives, I called the Henkels company to ask about the difference between this set and the Henkel Pro or 4 star. I was told that the difference is in the weight and that this set is a little lighter than the pro and also that this set is designed in Germany but built in Spain. The staff was very friendly and told me honestly that unless I was a professional chef or professional cook that I really did not need to spend almost double the money on the pro and that the international set would be quite sufficient and perhaps even more appropriate.

I would recommend this set and this company to anyone and everyone especially the novice...because good and safe cooking starts with a good set of knives.
BTW I don't compliment companies easily.

This knife was bought for me by my husband from my wish list for Christmas to replace my old Henckels that accidentally got broken (trust me it took alot!) It is much heftier than the old one and took a few uses to get used to, but this knife is GREAT and for the price, just can't be beat. I'm one to take my knife with me when I travel, as I tend to cut myself when using "foreign" (Inlaw's) knives. So this one will be now travelling with me every summer and of course is my "daily driver"!!
Love, love, love this knife!!

First off, the knives cut wonderfully and are very well balanced. Unfortunately, they rust terribly. The rust will scour off, but it recurs with each washing. This is not exclusive to just Chicago Cutlery. I returned a set of Farberware because of rusting and purchased the Chicago Cutlery set. I DO put them in the dishwasher because I think it's disgusting not to. I have always put my knives, even the cheap ones, in the dishwasher and never had a problem. This is definitely a 'buyer beware' product. It's an awful lot of money to spend for something that has to be cleaned again after cleaning!

Lisa S from Ohio complains that the knives rust very easily and that this is a buyer-beware item. This is not a buyer beware item. This is an item that requires some knowledge about use and care of carbon steel knives. Carbon steel is an alloy which allows one to hone a very keen edge and it is used for very fine cutting tools in general. It does rust very easily and should always be dried after washing, and even wiped with a little olive oil. These knives cannot be left sitting in dishwater, and they should never be run through a dishwasher. If you want to throw your kitchen knives into a dishwasher, buy cheap stainless steel ones!

Some have said these rust. I run mine through the dishwasher (have for almost a year) and have never had a single spot of rust on them. Maybe they reformulated their metal sometime, don't know.

The larger knives are balanced with the center of gravity at the place where the blade ends and the handle begins. The steak knives and the pearing knife are not balanced. However, because these knives are smaller and are very light (hollow handle, short blades) I really think balancing them would be overkill.

I do not know how they make seamless stainless steel and have a hollow handle (reducing the weight). However they do it sure makes cleanup very easy. Running under a faucet for a couple seconds gets almost anything off.

If you use them heavily I do suggest honing them on the included sharpening steel from time to time. They always seem to stay sharp, but to keep the "that's the sharpest knife I've ever used" level of sharpness a few strokes across the sharpening steel restores it immediatly.

Oh, I do have one gripe. Where is the filet knife? I guess I do more seafood than most people, but I had to go buy a seperate filet knife. I guess you can only fit so many knives in a 12 piece set.

Overall the best knives I have used.

Please note that I have several Henckel knives that I really like, so this is definitely not a anti-Henckel biased review.

There is really only one problem with this knife - the blade is way too thick. If there's only one problem - then why do I give it only one star? Well, this one problem completely ruins this knife. The 'eversharp' name I'm sure refers to the fact that the serrations are not the standard "wave pattern" you'd see on most bread knives. Instead, each serration has several smaller serrations and spikes built in. I know that this is supposed to ensure that the knife will never end up dull - but in the process it makes it horrible at doing any kind of delicate cutting. Plus, the blade is not flexible in any way due to the extreme thickness. Unless you are cutting the sturdiest bread out there, you'll crush it while trying to slice with this blade. Forget about cutting any kind of soft bread or pastry. I've found that some of our cheap steak knives work far better than this knife.

I've come to the conclusion that this knife is horrible after comparing it to two other bread knives I now own. The first was a Paderno (small Canadian company) that we got for our wedding, and the second was a Global bought from Amazon. Both are considerably more expensive than this knife, but there are other, more economical options out there that are still far better. You want to find a nice, thin blade with even and sharp serrations. If you're looking to stay in this price range, you won't find anything forged - these will all be stamped or laser cut - but that's fine - the bread knife doesn't need to be strong like your chef's knife.

Pros:
-Cheap

Cons:
-Mashes your bread while it cuts
-Hard to get started through crusts due to blade thickness
-The 'spiky' serrations are dangerous to your fingers (think many tiny needles along the blade) - they tend to nick you easily - but they are useless for their intended purpose of cutting bread.

Suggestion: Steer clear. If you can afford it, get a Global (or even a better Henckel). Otherwise, look for a the thin stamped blade.

My husband wanted the knife for when he cuts french bread and he said he loves it

This is definitely the sturdiest, sharpest bread knife I've ever owned. The blade is completely rigid, no bending ever. The blade is super sharp, easily cutting through bread or whatever else I put it up against. Makes me wonder how I went so long with my old bread knife.

The actual mezzaluna is a very good piece for many uses. The cutting bowl is a nice touch but not very practical. Mezzaluna works better with a regular cutting bowl. Overall a very good product!

This looks like it's going to be a much used and loved item for making salads and cooking with herbs. I find the solidly built quality excellent and the size and weight of it just right. I'm glad the bowl in the wooden block is large enough to accomodate lots of herbs and that there are little "feet" on the bottom so it won't slip around. Can't wait to grow some more herbs this summer for mincing up. The knife and board also are quite a work of art in their own right.

A friend of mine recommended this for chopping onions and herbs. I have to say that I love it! It makes chopping herbs so much easier!

The knives are wonderful. They are the really sharp knives and work very well. The knife sharpener that comes with the knifes broke apart when I took it out of the block. Good thing I wasn't sharpening a knife at the time. Use caution when using the sharpener or check to see that it is pushed inside the handle as far as it can so it does not fall apart when using.

These knives are very sharp and attractive, They are good value for money. They do not pretend to be professional cook knives, but for the price, they are great. For those critizising these knives - do you really expect to get genuine german made henckels for under $100 - dream on.

These are a great addition to a modern kitchen. They are great knives.