Henckels Twin Cuisine - use 'em? like 'em

[ohsmily]

Henckels Twin Cuisine - use 'em? like 'em?

Any comments or feedback from "knife experts" or Twin Cuisine owners?

Is there a better choice in that price range or under? I must say that I liked the way they felt in my hand (a VERY important factor, I know). But, I just want to see if someone, with more experience/knowledge than I, has a strong feeling one way or another about the Twin Cuisine series.

Thank you.

 

[ironchef]

I have the 7" santoku and I like it a lot

 

[Poppinfresh]

I like em...for metal blades, at any rate.

I mostly like the fact that it's a single tang instead of the rivets. I hate rivets. I have the 7" hollow scalloped santoku...it's a good knife.

 

[Gretchen]

Please explain "instead of the rivets".

 

[Andy M.]

I have Henckels Professional S with a full tang and rivets.

 

[Poppinfresh]

Please explain "instead of the rivets".

OK, look at the handle of the Twin Cuisin knife. See that streak of steel that runs the length of it, with a weight of it at the back of the knife? That's a tang. Tangs are essentially pushed into the handles of the knives. They help with balance and durability. Rivets are just the little circular pieces of metal you see in other knives.

Oftentimes (like with the Pro S series a poster above was talking about) the rivets are just decorative. I'm not a big fan of those either, as I don't like the feel of "cold spots", but that's a personal thing. Knives with functional rivets, however...they don't last as long. The rivets come loose, the handle starts to fall apart, they don't provide proper balance, etc. It's just ugly

 

[Gretchen]

With all due respect, I think you are mistaken. Rivets hold the full tang in place in high quality knives. And in my Henckels and Wusthof or even the Chicago Cutlery boning knife NO rivets have ever come loose nor have they fallen apart after 40+ years of hard use.

 

[ohsmily]

OK, look at the handle of the Twin Cuisin knife. See that streak of steel that runs the length of it, with a weight of it at the back of the knife? That's a tang. Tangs are essentially pushed into the handles of the knives. They help with balance and durability. Rivets are just the little circular pieces of metal you see in other knives.

Oftentimes (like with the Pro S series a poster above was talking about) the rivets are just decorative. I'm not a big fan of those either, as I don't like the feel of "cold spots", but that's a personal thing. Knives with functional rivets, however...they don't last as long. The rivets come loose, the handle starts to fall apart, they don't provide proper balance, etc. It's just ugly

You are indeed mistaken. Many high quality knives use rivets to hold the handle to the tang and keep it all in place. They are not decorative. I know the Twin Cuisine has a different construction and does not use rivets, but this alone does not make it a higher quality knife (though, personally, I like the appearance and feel of the nicely curved handle).

I am not certain, but I suspect that even your Pro S series have "real" rivets and they aren't just cosmetic or "decorative" as you put it.

 

[Loprraine]

I have 3 of them. and love them. My old Henckels' handles were too big for my hands. Not only do these fit in my hand properly, I like the feel and balance of them.

 

[Bangbang]

I have some Henckles and really like them...I think they are 15 years old and I am still using them.

 

[Andy M.]

Both my Henckels Professional S and Chicago Cutlery knives have a full tang. That is, from the tip of the blade to the end of the handle is a single solid piece of steel. Functional rivets fasten the handle pieces onto the tang in both cases. All rivets remain securely fastened.

Perhaps your experience is with lower quality knives.

 

[FryBoy]

OK, look at the handle of the Twin Cuisin knife. See that streak of steel that runs the length of it, with a weight of it at the back of the knife? That's a tang. Tangs are essentially pushed into the handles of the knives. They help with balance and durability. Rivets are just the little circular pieces of metal you see in other knives.

Oftentimes (like with the Pro S series a poster above was talking about) the rivets are just decorative. I'm not a big fan of those either, as I don't like the feel of "cold spots", but that's a personal thing. Knives with functional rivets, however...they don't last as long. The rivets come loose, the handle starts to fall apart, they don't provide proper balance, etc. It's just ugly

As a knife collector, I disagree with you very strongly.

The tang and the blade are opposite ends of the single piece of metal from which the knife is made. The tang is the part of the metal to which the handle is attached. The longer and wider and thicker the tang, the stronger the knife; a "full tang" knife, meaning one with a tang the length and width of the handle, is preferred (you can see the metal around the entire edge of the handle).

The scales, which are the pieces of wood or plastic or other material that cover the tang, can be attached to the knife in any of several ways, but rivets are among the strongest and most durable. They're not merely decorative. Rivetless handles are often just plastic that's molded around a short, narrow tang -- they're cheaper to make and far less durable.

Here's a photo of a good knife blank, in this case a Linder Special Yukon Bowie knife from Germany. Note the holes for the rivets to pass through.

Here's the finished knife, which retails for $185.00:

 

[Gretchen]

Cool picture and explanation--of a gorgeous knife.

 

[Gossie]

Where or what knives can I get that are INEXPENSIVE, and still have quality. It doesn't have to be a wooden handle. I can't afford $200 for one knife.

 

[bullseye]

I bought a Henckel's Twin Cermax 8" chef's knife a couple of months ago. I loved the feel of the handle, and I loved the desciption of how wonderful the knife construction is. It is, undeniably, an incredibly sharp knife, and retains its edge well. I do not, however, like the overall performance of the knife. It is, to me, useful only in the same way that my Henckel's Santoku is--that is, for delicate slicing of vegetables. I find that the knife is far too light for my taste, and the lack of a bolster has gained me a few nicks. It is not as agile as I thought it would be. I have tried very hard to like it, but I always reach for my Thiers-Issard Sabatiers, instead. I feel like the guy who pants after the hot babe in the bar when he has his ideal woman waiting at home.