ISO feedback on Gunter Wilhelm knives
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TheNoodleIncident
Senior Cook
depends what you are looking for....about a year ago i began my search for my first "good" set of kitchen knives, and discovered the GW brand....at first i was very excited because they seemed to be quality knives that look nice, are decently priced and have a great warranty....
and all those things are still true (they are prob on par with some of the better henckel and wusthoff lines)....but, during my search, i also discovered the world of "performance knives"....now, the GW knives are good for someone who wants a decent blade, that is easy to maintain, but isn't neccessarily the sharpest thing around (still sharp, but knives can get sharper)....they are made of relatively soft steel for the average consumer who isn't neccessarily seeking scary sharp blades....so if you want a no fuss knife, that will get the job done well, they are worth considering....and, as a plus, managment seems to be very friendly (i sent them an email asking about the knives because i was considering asking for them as a wedding gift - once he knew i was getting married, he offered me a discounted price and a free knife!)
now, if you want "the best" knives around, you will want to consider japanese knives....they are made of harder steels that can hold steeper, sharper edges for longer periods of time....these knives also require a little bit more care, which is something to consider...in the hands of a good sharpener, the blades can really be "scary sharp"....the most commercially availabe japanese blades include brands like shun and global...now, these are excellent knives, but some hardcore knife nuts consider these brands to be good "gateway" knives - according to them, they aren't the BEST japanese blades, but good brands that will lead people away from lesser german knives, and into the world of better japanese cutlery brands...personally, i love my shuns, and ignore the haters....(personally, i think they just dont like shuns because they are "too popular", and prefer to buy the lesser known brands)
so, like i said, it depends what you are looking for...most people will be perfectly happy with a good german knife, that they can steel once in a while, and get the job done (and these do seem to be good knives)....if you really want to see what a knife can do, and are willing to put a little more effort in, at least consider the precision japanese blades
i hope you are happy with whatever your choose!
im still a relatively new to the world of knives, so maybe someone else will chime in.....
and all those things are still true (they are prob on par with some of the better henckel and wusthoff lines)....but, during my search, i also discovered the world of "performance knives"....now, the GW knives are good for someone who wants a decent blade, that is easy to maintain, but isn't neccessarily the sharpest thing around (still sharp, but knives can get sharper)....they are made of relatively soft steel for the average consumer who isn't neccessarily seeking scary sharp blades....so if you want a no fuss knife, that will get the job done well, they are worth considering....and, as a plus, managment seems to be very friendly (i sent them an email asking about the knives because i was considering asking for them as a wedding gift - once he knew i was getting married, he offered me a discounted price and a free knife!)
now, if you want "the best" knives around, you will want to consider japanese knives....they are made of harder steels that can hold steeper, sharper edges for longer periods of time....these knives also require a little bit more care, which is something to consider...in the hands of a good sharpener, the blades can really be "scary sharp"....the most commercially availabe japanese blades include brands like shun and global...now, these are excellent knives, but some hardcore knife nuts consider these brands to be good "gateway" knives - according to them, they aren't the BEST japanese blades, but good brands that will lead people away from lesser german knives, and into the world of better japanese cutlery brands...personally, i love my shuns, and ignore the haters....(personally, i think they just dont like shuns because they are "too popular", and prefer to buy the lesser known brands)
so, like i said, it depends what you are looking for...most people will be perfectly happy with a good german knife, that they can steel once in a while, and get the job done (and these do seem to be good knives)....if you really want to see what a knife can do, and are willing to put a little more effort in, at least consider the precision japanese blades
i hope you are happy with whatever your choose!
im still a relatively new to the world of knives, so maybe someone else will chime in.....
Thanks for the reply. I now understand that the german and japanese styles have their niches. I now plan on getting a 10' chef knife, probably Messermeister. Either Shun or another Japanese style Santouko. Forschner Fibrox 6' Chef Knife for the Wifey, Forschner Fibrox 10' carver(cost effective) and I could use suggestions on a good paring knife?
justplainbill
Executive Chef
Check out Goldhamster First Class knives.
TheNoodleIncident
Senior Cook
at the risk of sounding like a shun fanboy, the shun parer is arguably one of the best out there....even lots of knifenuts i mentioned before will agree with that...or you could go with one of thoe $4 parers people seem to love (might be the fibrox, but im not sure - maybe someone else knows)....lots of people will say the handle is very important when choosing a knife - i dont think the handle makes too much of a difference in a chefs knife when using the proper pinch grip....but, with a parer, the comfort of the handle might make a bigger difference, so try out a few and see what you like
in regards to your other choices, you may want to make sure that you arent overlapping with the 10" and 6" chef, as well as a santoku (presumably 7")....that's alot of very similar knife.....if you just want it, by all means go for it - but i don't think you will need those
in regards to your other choices, you may want to make sure that you arent overlapping with the 10" and 6" chef, as well as a santoku (presumably 7")....that's alot of very similar knife.....if you just want it, by all means go for it - but i don't think you will need those
TheNoodleIncident
Senior Cook
dont forget to give some thought about how you plan on keeping your new knives sharp
Oh boy....Ive been reading another forum where everyone is so gung ho, no pun, regarding Japanese knives. Im now considering forgetting abut the Santoku and getting a Nakiri instead. people are even trying to convince me to ditch my new 10" Messermeister and Juts get a Gyuto instead.
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TheNoodleIncident
Senior Cook
depends on the person....yeah, japanese knives are usually sharper and lighter and more precise...but that doesnt mean they are for everyone....they can be more expensive, and require more care if you want to get the most out of them
for me personally, i really enjoy a sharp knife...thats why i chose what i did....since im still relatively new to high end cutlery, i havent moved on to any of the traditional japanese knives or more exotic steels yet (maybe i wont ever, who knows)....i have enjoyed learning about everything out there, and ive just begun to hand sharpen
for some people, they are perfectly happy with germans or the walmart special....all they care about is that it will (eventually) get the job done, they are easy to care for, and dont cost a fortune
but, im guessing that anyone who has any sort of interest in their knives, will find japanese knives appealing once they use them....especially compared to what they had previsouly been using (using a german set that hasn't had a proper sharpening since they left the factory)
for me personally, i really enjoy a sharp knife...thats why i chose what i did....since im still relatively new to high end cutlery, i havent moved on to any of the traditional japanese knives or more exotic steels yet (maybe i wont ever, who knows)....i have enjoyed learning about everything out there, and ive just begun to hand sharpen
for some people, they are perfectly happy with germans or the walmart special....all they care about is that it will (eventually) get the job done, they are easy to care for, and dont cost a fortune
but, im guessing that anyone who has any sort of interest in their knives, will find japanese knives appealing once they use them....especially compared to what they had previsouly been using (using a german set that hasn't had a proper sharpening since they left the factory)
Hey noodle, which shuns do you have? I plan on getting the parer, thats a done deal.
you really need about 3 or 4 knives: chef, paring, slicing, serrated bread knife. Maybe a cleaver if you break down your own poultry, maybe a fillet and boning knife if you fillet your own fish and French cut a lot of chops and roasts.
Is one brand better than another? Everybody has an opinion. And there are fanatics out there. Whatever you buy, someone is bound to tell you there is something better to be found. Most chefs who cook for a living get their knives at restaurant supply stores. They buy food service approved (NFS) equipment.
You want a sturdy blade, with good balance and rocking motion, and you need to learn how to maintain it.
You need not buy a set, or any one brand.
Is one brand better than another? Everybody has an opinion. And there are fanatics out there. Whatever you buy, someone is bound to tell you there is something better to be found. Most chefs who cook for a living get their knives at restaurant supply stores. They buy food service approved (NFS) equipment.
You want a sturdy blade, with good balance and rocking motion, and you need to learn how to maintain it.
You need not buy a set, or any one brand.
TheNoodleIncident
Senior Cook
realistically, you prob only really NEED two knives - a chef and a parer...and i guess a cheap serrated bread knife wouldnt hurt....but, even more realistically, people like to have a bunch of knives, mostly because its fun...just think about what you do in the kitchen, and go from there
all my shuns were wedding gifts and are from the classic line....had i been buying them myself, maybe i would have a different collection (or maybe not)....anyway, i asked for a 8"chef, 7" santoku , 6" utility, and a parer.....i planned on just going with a cheap bread knife, but as a surprise also got the shun bread knife....love the knife, it works great, but i dont think i would spend the money on it
i know i cautioned about overlap, but i obviously have overlap myself....the chef and the parer are pretty self explanatory....the santoku was meant to be the wife's main knife, but remember that MORE is FUN so i also use it : ).....i just love the way the utility knife feels - very light and nimble...i mostly use that one for cleaning (NOT boning) chicken breasts, and my wife likes to use that for almost everything (go figure)
all my shuns were wedding gifts and are from the classic line....had i been buying them myself, maybe i would have a different collection (or maybe not)....anyway, i asked for a 8"chef, 7" santoku , 6" utility, and a parer.....i planned on just going with a cheap bread knife, but as a surprise also got the shun bread knife....love the knife, it works great, but i dont think i would spend the money on it
i know i cautioned about overlap, but i obviously have overlap myself....the chef and the parer are pretty self explanatory....the santoku was meant to be the wife's main knife, but remember that MORE is FUN so i also use it : ).....i just love the way the utility knife feels - very light and nimble...i mostly use that one for cleaning (NOT boning) chicken breasts, and my wife likes to use that for almost everything (go figure)
