Wusthof Classic Gourmet 3-Piece Knife Set

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 set includes an 8 inch chef's knife, a 3 ½ inch paring knife and a 6 inch sandwich knife.

The 8 inch chef's knife, is a great knife. Wusthof offers four sizes of chef's knives in the Classic line, 5, 6, 8 and 10 inch. For most home...Read more

Wusthof makes the best knife blades in the business, and in my opinion the best quality knives. Cheaper knives generally dull more quickly, and some never get truly sharp at all. Wusthof knives, in contrast, get clean, exact cuts every time, and are a joy to use.

The "Wusthof Classic" style of this set, with the three rivets attaching the black composite handle pieces to the full length tang of the blade, used to be the only style of handle Wusthof made. Wusthof now makes several other styles, including the slightly less expensive "Grand Prix" line with a molded handle, and the much more expensive "Culinar" line with stainless steel handles. If you have money to burn, you might want to look at the Culinar line, but for most people, the Wusthof Classic knives are likely the best tradeoff between money and quality.

The three knives in this set are the ideal knives for a brand new cook with no existing kitchen equipment. The chef's knife and the paring knife...Read more

I loved these knives right out of the box. They came sharp and feel great. I was finally moving out of the parent's house and needed some knives. With the free block and steel from Amazon you can't go wrong. I looked at all the sets for weeks and in the end decided that I would rather just buy what I needed, instead of settling for what came in the sets. I have found that I am rarely happy with prepackaged sets of anything. Therefore, this was a good starting point to which I added a bread knife and plan to add pieces if I need them (I doubt I will, but I may just fill the block :). I bought these sight unseen from Amazon and could not be happier.

Update! June 2011 and still going strong! Daily use, occasional sharpening, wow.