Wusthof Classic 10-Inch Cook's Knife

 (18 customer reviews)

Best 10" chef on the market: the Classic line has good handle weight and nice heft, and the scales are medium enough for small/med sized man hands to use with confidence. I find the Grand Prix to be a bit on the big side in the handle dept. Where this knife is a winner is: blade profile, steel characteristics, and edge grind.
If you compare this to, say, a Henckles 10" Chef, you'll notice that the Wusthof has a deeper, rounder 'belly.'This roundness enables the knife to rock back and forth (is that 'roll' back and forth?) for dicing with *much* greater ease than the Henckles, which tends to fall to the board and need to be picked up again, again, again.
The Wusthof steel, I think, has a touch more carbon than the Henckles, and a little less Chromium. It takes a second to touch up - effort that is rewarded by superior cutting performance, with a higher edge grind. That said it is not fragile.
The Wosthof blade is slightly hollow ground, whereas the Henckles is...Read more

There are really two main competitors in the high-end mainstream kitchen knife market: Henckels and Wusthof. Those who have used both usually have a preference. My preference (and therefore bias you should know about) is for the Wusthofs.The Wusthof Classic line is the more conservative counterpart to the Grand Prix line. The only difference, however, is the handle style. I personally prefer the Grand Prix, but this is an issue of personal preference. The balance and grip of these knives are as close to perfect as I have found. For those wondering what benefits a higher priced knife provides, one benefit is that the blade (or tang) is one piece all the way through the handle. This makes the blade much stronger, and less likely to snap.This particular model, the 10 inch cook's (or chef's) knife, is a good knife. Wusthof offers four sizes of chef's knives in the Classic line, 5, 6, 8 and 10 inch. For most home cooks, I think the 8 inch knife is the best choice. This...Read more

Yes, the price of a Wusthof Classic is intimidating, and yes, you will feel buyer's remorse...until you use it for the first time. Even for the casual cook, the difference between a Wusthof and even a middlin' fair brand must be experienced to be appreciated. I bought one for my father (who never gets excited about ANY present, ever) for Christmas; and he hasn't stopped thanking me yet. That in itself made it well worth the price.