I think what he is talking about is counterfeit knives Andy. and yes there are counterfeit Wustof and Henckels out there although I do not remember specifically what to look for. Google counterfeit wustof though and I am sure you will find what you need.
While I cannot tell the difference, that doesnt mean there isnt one, and I acknowledge that there is and thats exactly why Im hereWell, if you did not find any "difference between expensive knives and 10 dollar ones", why would you need our advize to begin with. Buy what ever you can afford or looks good on your counter and be done with that.
Isnt the warranty against "defects". So as long as I recieve the knife and its in tact since its not exactly an electronics item, thats it? Or do they cover accidental breakage from regular use and such things like that.If you always use an end grain wood cutting board, or carefully use a decent plastic one, then you won't dull it very fast at home. If you were to use the yellow Edgemaker Pro (the honer) maybe once or twice a month you'd never need to do much else. While you can use the steel that it comes with you'd be way better off with the Edgemaker Pro. And it's only $10 with free shipping. Sure, it would be a good idea to get the complete set but if you don't let your knife get super dull you'll never need much more than the yellow honer.
I think you'll really like the Wusthof. It's a good quality knife. And their warranty service is top notch. If you ever have a problem they'll fix or replace the knife, pretty much forever. Plus, they've been around for a couple hundred years so I'd consider them a safe bet.