Should I Buy These Henckels?

[Sid P]

I’m a total deer in headlights when it comes to buying knives. I surf the internet, look at sales, watch YT vids, and when the inevitable paralysis by analysis sets in, I end up not buying anything. A few months later I’ll see a sale or a post in The Pit, and the merry-go-round starts again. In the meantime we limp along with a cheap, 40 year-old Chicago Cutlery set. The LW doesn’t seem to care, so it’s up to me.

So I found this set of Henckels that with a first order discount are $101.99, which is $20 less than Amazon. They get great reviews on both Henckels.com and Amazon. I’m just looking for a decent quality starter set that will hopefully last for the rest of our lives, and I’ve read lots of positive stuff about Henckels. What say the experts? Mosca?

[RonB]

Sounds like you found a great price on some good knives. I say go for it.

[rodkeary]

On the advice of a chef I started accumulating Henckels from the late 70’s to early 80’s. I still have them (chefs, serrated, boning and paring. All solid handle and, at least to the best of my knowledge, have never seen the inside of a dishwasher.

Wonderful knives, easy to maintain and handle.

[briano52]

Henckels is a midrange, quality German brand. They make nice knives. However, Henkels does not identify the steel in this particular model, they just say "German Steel" made in Spain. Not a good sign.

The better product lines of German and other makers of knives will usually identify the steel in their knives. (You can then look it up to see how it behaves for your intended style of use) There are a lot of good steels out there and you don't have to go to really expensive makes and models to get a good quality and serviceable knife for a reasonable price.

Starting out, you might want to look at a no-frills brand like Mercer that are aimed at the restaurant and catering trades. Good value for a reasonable price. I hesitate to mention many names. There are so many good brands out there. And some duds too.

German style knives are usually a slightly softer steel like X50CrMoV15 (but sufficiently hard for kitchen work). This steel is widely used and liked in both serious and amateur kitchens. It is quite durable and fairly easy to sharpen. Asian knives tend to be a harder steel that can be sharpened to a really thin edge. Great for delicate tasks and precise cutting.

But the Asian steels are more challenging to sharpen and can be brittle working around bones. Asian knives are probably suited best for experienced knife handlers. I have some German style and some Asian knives. Each excel at certain tasks.

Perhaps the first knife I would suggest acquiring is a traditional German style chef knife or an Asian Santoku. These knives can handle a lot of tasks in the kitchen. Some good German makers are now putting out Japanese style Santoku knives because they are so compact (balance great in most hands) and handle deftly for fine and moderate cutting tasks.

Knives are my sub-hobby to cooking. I enjoy owning and maintaining them. As you will see as you look around, there are many varieties of tools to use to hone and sharpen knives. (Honing and sharpening are two very different tasks as you will read about as you get deeper into your cutlery).

Honing is just straightening the edge without removing much precious metal. Sharpening is removing metal and actually reshaping the edge. Honing needs to be done frequently but it only takes a few seconds. If you hone your edge on a regular (like daily) basis you can go months of active use and not have to remove metal by sharpening. It is much easier and less time consuming to maintain a sharp edge than to try to resharpen and restore a dull edge.

[Sid P]

Thanks Ron! RonB

[briano52]

I searched for the steel used in these Henkel Classic Precision model knives. The type of steel is not stamped on the blade as it is with many German knives. Nor is it identified on the Henkels' website, that I could find. My Google AI search did not identify the steel except for being "high-quality German". Now it could be X50CrMoV15 as it is widely used by German knife makers and popular. But usually when a maker uses X50CrMoV15, they like to identify it on the knife or their site or both.

[Carolyn]

briano52 Prudent Reviews reached out to Henckels and confirmed they use X50CrMoV15. Good call.

[WI Bubba]

I have a set of Henkel knives that I got in '96 and they are still going strong. I had one replaced under warranty about 15 years ago. They was no fuss about it, just send them the old one, they sent me a new one.

The only reason I wouldn't get those exact knives is they have a full bolster. That doesn't work well with the Chef Choice knife sharpener I use, but that's specific to me. I'm sure if you get them, they will last you a very long time.

[Sid P]

Thanks Will.

[cruiseplanner1]

We have a set that it just about that old and I love it. My son who gave it to us said "You still have that knife set?" I said yes, they are good quality and kept razor sharp yet so why would I not have them?

[Mosca]

Those will be a noticeable upgrade over the Chicago Cutlery. They are good, functional kitchen knives that will do whatever you ask them to. I have two Henckels: a paring knife (3” blade), and a utility knife (similar to the small one in this set), and a Zwilling (same company) boning knife. I also have a Zwilling chef’s knife that goes into rotation occasionally.

I’ve been using the utility knife daily for several years. I sharpen it with the Work Sharp twice a year. It goes a couple-three days between hones, which I think is typical for any knife. At about 3 months, I start sharpening it with the draw-through whenever it needs it; at about 6 months, I realize I’m using the draw-through once a week, and then I sharpen ALL the knives with the Work Sharp.

I rarely use the paring knife; the utility knife does the same thing, and I appreciate the slightly longer blade. I use the boning knife for trimming briskets, pork butts/shoulders, ribs, roasts, etc.. It’s a good knife. It’s better than the Mercer it replaced. The Mercer is a good knife, but I like the way the Zwilling rests in my hands. It follows about the same pattern for sharpening, but it gets used less often so it only goes through the draw-through once a month by the time I do all the knives.

I ALWAYS wash them by hand, with a sponge, and dry them immediately. NO EXCEPTIONS. It becomes routine in a couple days, and adds less than a minute to cleanup. There’s no excuse for putting a knife you paid a premium for in the dishwasher. It doesn’t kill the knife, but it accelerates the sharpening schedule! You’ll be honing it daily, and using the draw-through weekly.

I bought them at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and I picked them because they were cheap. It was a few years ago, but after I retired, so maybe 2022? I think I paid $29.99 for the paring knife and utility knife, in a blister pack, and a little more for the boning knife. So that would make this set a decent deal in 2026.

If you buy them, you’ll just start using them and forget about them. That’s what’s supposed to happen. You’ll trust them, they’ll deliver.

Cheese knife of unknown provenance in the middle:

[Sid P]

Thanks Tom!

[klflowers]

Should you buy? What?????? Of course you should. What kind of freaking question is that?

[Sid P]

It was late and I obviously wasn’t thinking straight 😂🤷♂️.

[klflowers]

Sid P I was offended that you would even ask

[realdocBBQ]

Should you buy? What?????? Of course you should. What kind of freaking question is that?

It's almost like he doesn't know where he is...

Or he's already made up his mind and is just looking for backup.

[Sid P]

I wanted to give everyone a chance to recommend their favorite $2,000 knife set.

[Panhead John]

Sid, I had a set of Henckels for many years and I was happy with them, they’re pretty decent knives. Over the years I got a little tired of the frequency they needed sharpening or honing. I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m a little lazy when it comes to that. A year or so ago I ran across some knives I’d never heard of before, Wakoli. I was first attracted to them for their looks, I thought they were some beautiful knives. I wanted to see if they were any good so I read a ton of Amazon reviews on them. They were highly praised for their sharpness and for how long they held their edge before needing honing or sharpening again…..found out they’re made with Damascus steel which is harder than most others. Anyway, I bought a set of 6 knives along with some matching steak knives.

The first thing I noticed was how well they fit my hand, better than other knives I’ve had. They had some heft to them too, without being too heavy. They’ve also held a sharp edge longer than any other knives I’ve had! I’ve had them well over a year now and have never had to sharpen them yet, just a little honing a few times. To me, these are some great quality knives that won’t break the bank, and IMO, they look good too! Anyway, if you want to give them a look, you can buy them either individually or in sets.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EE6RSP6?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

[klflowers]

Sid P I have the perfect solution. Buy both!

[bbqLuv]

Reasonable priced.

[Sid P]

Thanks John, those are interesting.

[shify]

If possible, see if you can find a place near you where you can go and hold the knife or something vaguely similar.

Some knives just don't feel right in your hand, they can be too long, too short, not balanced the way you like, uncomfortable for your hand, you might not like the shape of the blade or the handle, etc. If you do not that, no matter how good a deal it may be, you may wind up with a $100 on a knife you don't like using.

The being said, whatever knife you wind up with, keeping it sharp is the most important thing. You can have the fanciest knife in the world but if you don't sharpen it for a few years, it'll act just like the generic Walmart knife

[STEbbq]

This thread is too long so I didn’t read anything not even the original post. Based on the title alone and the poster, I am going to say yes because the answer to every question about whether I should buy something here is always yes. Panhead John codified this rule during the Great Awakening event of 2026 when he was announced as our Supreme Overlord and King for life.

[Sid P]

Thanks all, I took the plunge.

[briano52]

Great! Let us know how it goes. And get a good quality steel for honing that will keep your edges sharp as new for a long time.

[klflowers]

Like we knew you would. Glad we could help