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Seems like an excellent price on a quality brand. Chop chop
WÜSTHOF Gourmet Seven Piece Starter Block Set $257.10 + Delivery (Free with Prime) @ Amazon US via AU
360
MrFizz on 01/01/2022 - 17:03 amazon.com.au (2733 clicks)
Last edited 19/01/2022 - 15:32 by 2 other users
Last edited 19/01/2022 - 15:32 by 2 other users
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Look like a nice set, pity the reviews let them down. Will pass
I thought the same when I looked, it seems to have highlighted the bad reviews but upon closer inspection the ratings are great.
4.5 out of 5
324 global ratings
76% of customers gave a five star ratingWell vested interests will post positive & negative reviews.
Here's mine, missus has a set of WÜSTHOF knives. They're over 25 yrs old. The handle on the mid-sized (15xm) one cracked and the back half broke off. She was looking for a replacement knife. I read on Reddit that they actually have a lifetime warranty. So she emailed WÜSTHOF about a month ago asking if there was a way to get it repaired. They asked for a photo (including serial# on the blade) & our address. 2wks a brand new replacement was delivered. No receipt, or any proof of purchase requested. No request to post back the faulty knife.
I don't care what the reviewers claim. Not only are they great knives, they back their products even 25yrs on. Can you name any other company that does that?
There is, also, a lifetime sharpening service but you have to post your knives to them. I don’t have Facebook login so I can’t look at the information on this.
Awesome, love a good story where the company comes through.
I have found with a few products lately, places like Sleepy's and Teflon, who have 10 and 25 year warranties, that both companies have got out of fixing/replacement my mattress and Jamie Oliver pans, stating 'General ware and tare'. hopeless, so good win there
Likewise great brand, for a 9 piece set (including block) back in the day, they used to be $700-900 and went on special for $4-500.
Also had the 16cm cook knife crack so they sent out a replacement. Pretty good!
Yeah I have had my set for over 20 years and they are still incredible. You’d not get better knives for this price anywhere.
I have a set with a couple more knives and I can tell you they are amazing. I paid $900 at a retail store 10 years ago.
Pretty sure the “Gourmet” series are the lower end ones. The classic series seem to be better/stronger? Can anyone confirm?
Comparing these to my classic, the metal (tang?) on the classic goes entirely though the handle, but these only a portion does.
That is correct.
I belive the "gourmet" range is wüsthof cheap range. I think these are stamped not forged. I'm in the market for a decent starter knife or 2 but I'm not 100% sure these are super great. Might be pretty good for the money though.
If your after the quality wüsthof I think you need to look at the "classic" range.
Plus you're better off spending all your money on a either one or two knives. A chef's knife and maybe a smaller 6" one for veggies and fruit.
This.
Sets are cute - but most pieces gather metaphorical dust.
Find a chef knife that suits you. Talk to your friends and ask, nicely, to handle what they use themselves. I've ended up settling on a couple of chef knives with blades around the 20cm mark. I use them for pretty much everything. I do have boning, filleting pieces - rarely used.
The other things you need are a bunch of Victorinox wavy-edged tomato or paring knives. OzB favorites - more useful than Eneloops too. Practical, Cheap.
I have this set but in Classic. The number of knives is great. 1 piece is the block, another the sharpening steel, another a bread knife. That leaves 4 knives, the two mentioned above, plus a spare 2 which always come in handy especially if you have multiple people working in the kitchen or multiple things being worked on.
@OzBragain: Two types of 'Steels'.
Honing Steel: Pretty much exclusively 'straightens' an edge which helps a little if the knife is already somewhat sharp.
Sharpening Steel: Has an abrasive surface. Abraids the edge to sharpen an edge. They come in various levels of quality and coarseness. As with a 'honing' steel sharpening steels are for knives that are still somewhat sharp.
To get a dull knife sharp it is best to 'whetstone' or have professionally sharpened a few times a year.
To the larger degree I feel that 'honing' steels are a waste of time and money.@[Deactivated]: I've always thought of diamond "steels" as a marketing gimmick and never really found them very effective but I take your point. As it turns out, vofa was incorrectly referring to a traditional honing steel.
Honing is just realigning/straightening the edge to give more time between sharpening. Plenty of ways to hone your edges, leather strop is great and can even use newspaper if you're stuck.
That's like saying you only need 2 screw drivers, a strifht-blade & philips or just an adjustable spanner.
Different knives, of different sizes have different functions.
@M00Cow: I use a chefs knife for most of my prep work. I barely use my paring knives. I, also, use the bread knife and would recommend the pull apart scissors; they are easier to clean.
@try2bhelpful: my paring knife gets used a lot, de-veining prawns, removing husks from strawberries, cutting kiwi fruit, etc ….lots of little tasks …..
@M00Cow: Totally agree. People who say 'you only need 2 or 3 knives'… lololol.
Yah right. A thousand thank you's for adding this comment M00.
A good Chef (or cook) who's been around for a while probably has a minimum of around 10+ knives.@[Deactivated]: So how about you detail all the knives you have and what you use them for? Also, how often you would use each of them.
@G-rig: Honestly, as I said below, this would make a good starter set. It has most of what the average cook needs at a very good price. My only caveat is I don’t know the quality of this, particular, set and their “ergonomics”.
I have two Wusthof knife block sets. One is the classic and the other is the Ikon. We have two main prep areas so I have a set on each side. I have the smaller cook’s knife, which is my main tool, but I have the longer cook’s knife where I need the extra length. My other, often, use are the bread knife, honing steel, and scissors that separate for cleaning. I keep my knives in a knife block, on each bench; to ensure they are handy. My various “utility” knives are barely used because the short cooks knife doubles as a utility knife. A lot of the grunt cutting work I do in my Magimix food processor.
I’m not a chef, just an average cook, but I’ve been prepping meals for 40 odd years and I’ve had my classic Wusthof knives for over 30 years.
If I was starting out I would, seriously, consider this set. However, I would also go to a specialist kitchen store and see if they would let me “look at” a bunch of different knives to see what feels best in the hand. It doesn’t matter how cheap a knife is, if it is going to be a pain to use get a better one. Get the right knives they last a lifetime.
@try2bhelpful: No worries, I was referring to the general quality based on my set, which upon another look is the old Classic set. Not sure on the quality of this exact set, although mine have the bone handle either side of the steel which can be seen the whole way along/around the knife.
I've never got them professionally sharpened but got one of those two-stone sharpener things you put water in, haven't even used that much but should again, followed by the straightening iron before use. Not a good chef or anything either, but having a block is a good start as you say.
good idea to go to DJ or a kitchen shop and see how they all look/feel anyway :)
@G-rig: I think we are, basically, on the same page. For most of us it is about the best bang for buck for something that will work well day after day. A bad knife is not only tiring it can be dangerous if it slips.
I haven’t had mine, professionally, sharpened either. The honing steel seems to be working OK for me. I would use the free sharpening service for Wusthof but I have to send them off to do it. Pity they don’t seem to have a place in Melbourne.
To me having the block is crucial. It not only makes it handy it, also, protects the edge from knocks. My good knives never go in the dishwasher. They are hand washed, and dried, as soon as I’ve finished with them. It improves their longevity and reduces the likelihood of accidentally cutting yourself.
A good Chef (or cook) who's been around for a while probably has a minimum of around 10+ knives
In my experience the reality is that the vast majority of home cooks will only use 2-3 knives out of a block set and only switch to the others when their favorites go dull. This is where the advice for 2-3 good knives and a sharpening system comes from.
The big is good for cutting loaves of bread etc, small one tomatos.. don't find myself using the cooks knife or prongs (in my set) as I don't do any carving. Would use the largest chefs one more. Never really use the small pointy one much.
As you say those Victorinox knives are handy and use them half the time for general cutting anyway lol. The newer curved end ones I thought looked odd but actually handy for using the same knife for spreading.
I'm the same - looking for a good chefs knife (or gyuto/santoku). I'm less fussed about brand, and more about steel+handle.
Japanese-type wood handle - moves the balance to the front of the knife; much more comfortable for pinch grip I find.
Harder steels (HRC58-62ish) - I sharpen on a stone, so having it stay sharper for longer, for a bit more effort to sharpen, is better for me. My mate uses some X50CrMoV15 knife and he gets about a year of nearly daily use and it stays acceptably sharp. Steels I'm looking at are ginsan, VG10, that kinda thingI haven't quite got to the point of exactly what knife yet however haha…or even if these requirements are affordable!
My mate uses some X50CrMoV15 knife and he gets about a year of nearly daily use and it stays acceptably sharp.
Your mate either doesn't use his knives much or has a different idea of what acceptably sharp is.
haven't quite got to the point of exactly what knife yet however haha…or even if these requirements are affordable!
Go out and get your hands on some different knives to find what's comfortable.
Don't get hung up on steel hardness, if you can use a stone it's not much trouble to give your knife a few strokes on a 1K or 1500 every month or so to keep the edge fresh.
I mean the knife cuts up dinner once a day or so. It's now 12mo old and I would probably have given it a sharpen a month or so ago. It still cuts through most firm things (a carrot) with low but deliberate effort. Doesn't do any of that fancy 'slice a layer off a grape' thing so not 'great', but it definitely 'acceptable' for me.
I currently have some X45 scanpan knives and they get blunt very fast. Need a moderate amount of effort to get through a carrot after about 2mo. That I find is 'unacceptable'.
I've tried a bunch of western metal handles, and Japanese wooden of various shapes; octagonal wood handles work best for me. It's more finding a knife that fits the above critera.
I hadn't thought of the 'maintenance' sharpening I must admit. I have a shapton orange that is around that mark I think, so I'll do that more often now - cheers!
@incipient: Acceptable is a relative term. If you look after the edge before it goes (12 months is way too long for any kitchen knife in daily use) then sharpening will be much easier and your idea of acceptably sharp will also change.
Shapton orange is 1K and will keep the edge on there well. Regular honing is also important to maintain the edge.
FWIW carrot (or any hard veg) won't be the best way to gauge sharpness as blade thickness plays a big part in blade resistance.
Maybe the fact that you haven't bitten the bullet yet suggests that you're over thinking it and missing out on getting to use a knife that you'll have for life?
I have three Shun Classic knives. The 16" chef, the 6" utility and the bread knife. The bread knife is definitely a luxury purchase that wasn't needed. I can't imagine not having my chef knife though. It's awesome. You sometimes get decent Shun deals using 20% discount codes on eBay when Victoria's Basement or Kitchen Warehouse are included. There was a crazy 30% discount code that got loads of lucky people about 70% off Shun knives in 2020.
16 inch chefs knife? Damn son!
Haha if I could get back to Japan, I would have bought a knife a while ago. I grabbed a nakiri a few years ago for about $230 that works great, but now I need a general purpose knife. It's more that finding a well priced knife here is incredibly difficult. I had honestly forgotten that the shun classics do occasionally get some amazing sales, I've just set up a new ozb alert for shuns. The 'Damascus' pattern does put me off a bit, but ultimately it still cuts the same!
bread knife ….i buy lots of crusty artisan breads ….. i find a pastry serrated knife the best , they have a curve so seem to cut all the way through better, many others ate a flat blade and you need be parallel to cutting board to cut all the way through …my pastry knives are punched , e.g victorinox.
Can I ask what you paid? They are on sale here for $373 for a start set, not sure if this is actually a good deal https://www.teddingtons.com.au/shun-classic-3pc-starter-knif…
Get knife with SG2/R2 steel, for western handle you can get either Takamura (very thin, laser knife) or Tojiro R2 (better grind than the DP version and thinner too, available from Burrfection online store), or if you prefer traditional Japanese handle there are so many you can select from.
SG2 also known as R2 is stainless steel, with hardness almost close to blue/carbon steel so it can maintain sharpness longer.
SG2 is a good option, but I find a bit more expensive than others I've looked at. I picked up a ginsan knife on my way through tokyo a few years back for about $230, which was on the expensive side for me but manageable. Lots of online stores these days do the 'Damascus' showpieces and sell for >$400 or so. I occasionally find some good ~$250 options, but they've always been sold out so far.
if you want between 58-62, hrc you have lots of options, global are 58 and have higher chrome content so more rust resistant and 20cm chef often on special at $100, and lots of VG10 knives now with japanese patterns.
i have japanese and euro pattern knives and the finer taper on the japanese patterns does need more care compared to the euro, shun is vg10, not sure if mine chip easy or it’s corrosion of the inner VG10, vg10 isn’t known for corrosion resistance hence global add more chromium to their knives.
"The other things you need are a bunch of Victorinox wavy-edged tomato or paring knives. OzB favorites - more useful than Eneloops too. Practical, Cheap."
yes x 100
I have about 10 in the drawer now and the are such a great knife to have in the kitchen. Goes in the dishwasher no dramas, sharp as hell and cuts through anything!10? Count again. There should be more!
Yeah, I had 12 Vic steak knives in the drawer but after having a few "friends" over for a BBQ through, the year I am down to 5.
These thing are like socks or even worse, like a politicians promise.Hey everyone I just want a knife, that cuts like a real knife
As opposed to a fake knife ? You think this is a knife, this is a real knife crocodile Dundee reference ?
Well all knives are real, the question is the best price for quality and purpose which is subjective.
Was referring to the milk TV ad from ages ago 🤣, honestly though I'm looking at getting a new block/set happy to pay a reasonable price but prefer something that will last and cut smoothly
Unless you want to spend this much on Japanese made knife x1, this set is up there for the price.
What I, mainly, use is a good chefs knife, a bread knife, the scissors, the steel and a knife block. This set is, probably, not a bad set for someone starting out.
I’m a professional chef my go to knife is a Trident Wusthof classic
I have worked with this knife daily around the world for 26 years.
And I’d say I have cut up Tonnes of food with it.
It is still as good as the day I bought it in 1995 at Grace Bros George st City.
Nothing beats these knives
End of story
this :O)
What do you use mate Butter Knives LOL your the :o)
wtf? I was supporting your comment and upvoted.
The knife you mentioned is excellent.@SLAMMA1102: Not at all. When someone adds 'this' it basically means they are in support of and agree with a comment.
The smile adds a level of friendliness. I've never known :O) to mean clown as you say.So all good. We all make mistakes. Not like I've ever taken someone the wrong way :O)
@[Deactivated]: https://pc.net/emoticons/smiley/clown
I think I might’ve spotted the misunderstanding. The problem with written rather than said.
The saddest I’ve heard of was the TV vet who thought LOL mean’t “lots of love” and sent it as part of a message to a family who had just had to put down their dog.
@[Deactivated]: I've never known :O) to be a normal smiley either. I was trying to figure out if it was meant to be a pig or something. ;)
To me a smiley is :-) or :).
Paid for 300 in a retail store for the 5 pcs. This is a bargain. Best knives I've used.
I used the Trident Wusthof classic utility knife for over 10 years. Then I purchased a set of Globals and there is no comparison. they are much better feel and sharper. Use the peeling knife, Utility, and 20cm Cooks knife the most out of a set of 8. I have now had the Globals for nearly 10 years. Also, love the Victorinox wavy-edged tomato and classic paring knives. Paid extra to get them in different colors which works well.
global are underrated for the price ….high chromium content so very rust resistant, 58hrc so sharpens easy on a stone or home on a steel, and have japanese bevel so it cuts easier/sharper , i got the global mino sharpener which works like a dream…….
problem is global handles aren’t everybodies preference ….for me it’s home use so not a problem …..commercial kitchen not sure i like the handle for all day use, but it’s just a personal preference.
you can get a decent global starter set for under $300, sets are good as they include the block so cheaper than buying a piece at a time, problem is the blocks aren’t sized for expansion ….
Very much agree.
My preferred knifes at home are Global cooks knives (usually the G-2, but I have another slightly larger).
If I'm working in a kitchen I usually have a second knife (20cm Sabatier) that I use for heavy cutting AND for variation. My hand gets tired from continual use and changing the handle profile makes for some form of relief.
Despite having a couple of Wüsthof knives, the Global and Sabatier are my go-to weapons and I never seem to use anything another than Victorinox cheapies for small utility purposes.
Then I purchased a set of Globals and there is no comparison. they are much better feel and sharper.
Better feel is is very much a personal thing and why people need to hold a knife before they buy. For me Global handles are tiny and slippery.
Sharper gets thrown around a lot with new knives but really doesn't make much difference. All knives will lose their edge with use and being able to maintain them is far more important than sharpness out of the box.
I mean after 10 years and being sharpened on their sharpener.
I've always felt that Gbl knives are over-rated and over priced. They sharpen up well but have very average edge retention when I compare to W'hoffs' and many others. I 'like' my Gbls' but the edges need more maintenance than the W'hoffs every time. I also like Jap' knives but generally speaking… over-rated and WAY over priced.
I agree, global handles are tiny if you have big hands.
Are these the Globals you are mentioning? https://www.kitchenware.com.au/global-teikoku-knife-block-se… ($249 for a starter set)
I have all of these in my set and more. This is a great combo and a good price. These are the ones I use the most but I would also add the peeling knife, usually about $60. However, the Victorinox classic paring knife would do the same job and is the same size.
Looks like it's been this price for 3 months? https://au.camelcamelcamel.com/product/B00GAFGL02