A Review of the J.A. Henckels Brand of Knives

By Moses Harun

Another cutlery maker which had its birthplace in Solingen, Germany is Zwilling J.A. Henckels. Founded in 1731, the company has offered the world a number of "firsts", such as the first stainless steel blades, multi-purpose kitchen shears, forged knives with molded handles and hybrid forged knives. Henkels is also rated one of the most skilled cutlery manufacturers on the planet. It would seem that as a result of 278 years of existence, Henckels Four Star Knife Sets could be regarded as the sharpest knives in the block.

Product Descriptions

In keeping with the company's logo - a simplified adaptation of the astrological sign of Gemini - each of the Henckels knives continue to be designated with the word "Twin" preceeding the specific product line. There are eleven Twin series - 1731, Cermax M66, Select, Cuisine, Four Star II, Pro "S", Five Star, Four Star, Gourmet, Signature and Grip Parers - with another series made up of cleavers and dicers. All of this company's knives continue to be crafted in Germany, except the Cermax M66 knife series which is produced in Japan.

The majority of Henckels knives are formed of high-quality German high-carbon, no-stain steel blades, which are then ice-hardened to increase their cutting edge retention and resistance to rust. This should be anticipated from the enterprise which invented the Friodur ice-hardening process for forged knives. As a result, if you are thinking about investing in a Henckels knife set, you have the assurance of German quality with world-class standards.

Advantages

The wonderful thing concerning Henckels Four Star Knife Sets is the variety made for customers from the homemakers to the world-class chefs. Consequently, many pocketbooks are served by its affordable products in the Twin Signature series to the fairly expensive knives of the Twin Cermax M66 series. However, the quality of materials used and the manufacturing method used are similar with every knife sold by this company.

The top-quality knives that make up the Cermax M66 Henckels product line cuts like a laser through whatever you are cutting. This set of knives can cut, slice, fillet, dice and mince better than any other knife of similar quality. In addition, the heaviness and balance of Henckels' best knives are just right; so much so that expert chefs are quickly leaning towards the Cermax M66 as opposed to, say, comparable products from Wusthoft.

Even this manufacturers' stamped steel knives like the Twin Signature product line are excellent compromises between expense and quality. Obviously, nearly three centuries of crafting knives is likely to pay off!

Disadvantages

Specifically in cases where you purchase your knives on the website, be certain that you are getting what you wanted and paid good money for. There have been complaints of the product descriptions in a Henckels knife set that didn't adequately describe the items recieved.

Next there is the subject of stature. Because Henckles now offers low-end knives that sometimes, emphasis on sometimes, don't satisfy the usual Henckles quality, the other top quality knives suffer from the other's failures. This is much like the case of one or two bad apples tainting the entire bunch.

In the end, the selection of a Henckels Knife Set routinely boils down to two factors: your food prep habits and the size of your bank account. Normally, you will be required to sacrifice either price or quality but with Henckels knives, the decision is made easier. - 33383

About the Author:

Sign Up for our Free Newsletter

Enter email address here