Henckels 10-piece Pro S knife set on sale for $175; Amazon wants $400

[DocHolliday]

Wal-Mart has a good price on these. Have it sent to your local store and there's no shipping. The chef's knife alone will run you $99-$120 many places.

 

[SField]

Why would you pay all that money for knives you'll never, ever use?

And a 10" from Henckles from any decent online retailer will not run you more than $100. You need that and a pairing knife, that's it. Don't buy a bunch of shit you don't need.

 

[Manton]

I have this set (about 15 years old now) and while they have held up OK, I have never loved them. They went dull fast and in my pre-stone days, I used one of those plastic dealies to sharpen them. Never worked. Then I got the Chef's Choice electric. It works, but takes a lot off the knives. I don't really care so much any more, I am just glad that I found the way to put an edge back on the suckers.

 

[Manton]

Originally Posted by SField

Why would you pay all that money for knives you'll never, ever use?

And a 10" from Henckles from any decent online retailer will not run you more than $100. You need that and a pairing knife, that's it. Don't buy a bunch of shit you don't need.

I use a boning knife, a filet knife, a bread knife and a slicer all the time. I sometimes use a tourner knife. The little serrated tomato knife occasionally comes in handy.

 

[DocHolliday]

Originally Posted by SField

Why would you pay all that money for knives you'll never, ever use? And a 10" from Henckles from any decent online retailer will not run you more than $100. You need that and a pairing knife, that's it. Don't buy a bunch of shit you don't need.
Chef's knife: $100 Paring knife: $50 Block/magnetic bar/storage whathaveyou: $25 or more. Steel: $20 or more Total: $195, minimum If you use two of the knives in this set regularly, and a few intermittently, you'll still come out ahead. Why pay retail for a couple of knives when you can get a block, scissors, steel, the knives and some more knives for less? I'm not normally a fan of buying cookware and knives in sets, but this strikes me as common sense.

 

[DocHolliday]

Originally Posted by Manton

I have this set (about 15 years old now) and while they have held up OK, I have never loved them. They went dull fast and in my pre-stone days, I used one of those plastic dealies to sharpen them. Never worked. Then I got the Chef's Choice electric. It works, but takes a lot off the knives. I don't really care so much any more, I am just glad that I found the way to put an edge back on the suckers.

I wonder if you'd have liked them better if you'd started with a stone. The mention of the plastic dealie made me shiver.

I like the line better than you do. They meet my needs, and I don't worry so much if someone starts whacking away with them. But I'm a pretty casual cook.

 

[fritzl]

Buy them. They are solid and well made.

This is the tool for sharpening a knife.

http://images.qxlricardo.com/ImgUser.../549594216.jpg

 

[Manton]

Originally Posted by fritzl

This is the tool for sharpening a knife.

http://images.qxlricardo.com/ImgUser.../549594216.jpg

No, that is a steel for realigning the edge. It does not sharpen the knife.

 

[Dewey]

This is a good deal. Compare: http://www.cutleryandmore.com/details.asp?SKU=6464 Looks a chef's knife & a steel & scissors & a bunch of small knives. Manton, I can sharpen a knife with a steel. No bread knife. Some days I cook like a housewife and do everything with the bread knife. Still a good deal. The Pro-S line is good stuff. Thanks for the link Doc.

 

[fritzl]

Originally Posted by Manton

No, that is a steel for realigning the edge. It does not sharpen the knife.

Does it matter, what it is called? It is used by chefs and once a year knives are sent to professional sharpening. Anyway.

I have the feeling, it is good, for what Doc has in mind about the knives.

 

[Manton]

Originally Posted by fritzl

Does it matter, what it is called? It is used by chefs and once a year knives are sent to professional sharpening. Anyway.

I have the feeling, it is good, for what Doc has in mind about the knives.

It has a different function. It does not sharpen; it realigns the edge. This is useful and necessary, very often. But eventually the edge will wear down and the knife has to be sharpened. The steel can't do that. At least, it can't do it well.

 

[fritzl]

Originally Posted by Manton

It has a different function. It does not sharpen; it realigns the edge. This is useful and necessary, very often. But eventually the edge will wear down and the knife has to be sharpened. The steel can't do that. At least, it can't do it well.

I agree.

 

[unpainted huffheinz]

I have both Wusthof and Henckels and agree with Manton about the Henckels not staying sharp as long as other knives. Once sharpened the Henckels are great to use and they are quite durable (I did manage to nick my chef's knife though).

Wasn't someone going to do a stone tutorial here? I haven't bought one out of fear of ruining knives.

 

[Manton]

Between the two most widely available German brands, I prefer Wusthof.

I am a recent convert to the stone, and I can tell you, they do MUCH less damage to a knife than any electric or mechanical sharpener. I was intimidated by the thing for a long time, but I found that I got the hang of it quickly.

 

[SField]

Originally Posted by Manton

I use a boning knife, a filet knife, a bread knife and a slicer all the time. I sometimes use a tourner knife. The little serrated tomato knife occasionally comes in handy.

I have not met a single chef to a line cook that has need for anything more than a pairing knife and a chef's knife. Yea, you'll need a bread knife and a slicer, but those are for very specific tasks.

I also don't understand the need for these tomato knives that tear them to shreds. Anyone with a sharp enough chefs knife can slice a tomato beautifully.

You really, really don't need much more. You can almost all your boning with a 4.5 inch pairing. If you want one of those flexible blades, get a cheap one.