quote:I have Henckels and Wustoff, my no name Asian knives are far better. A Kong Moon cleaver and a chromoly santuko will eat those big price knives for breakfast. The cleaver was 5 bucks and the santuko 25.
I don't know what grade Henckels and Wustoff you're talking about(they have several), but as someone that has spent the better part of his life standing in a commercial kitchen holding a knife 12-18 hours a day, I must respectfully disagree.
Like most working chefs my knife kit is a collection of knives chosen for only one reason, performance(balance, edge holding, durability). Of the 16 knives in my roll, 9-10 are the brands you mentioned, with one Global, two Dexter-Russell, and a couple of ceramic knives too. Nothings in there that didn't earn it's spot.
And I came dangerously close to recreating the "that's a knife" scene from Crocodile Dundee on the streets of Atlanta in the early '90's when a guy tried to rob me at 3am as i walked to my car. I had a 14" Wustoff chef's knife that ended that discussion real fast, so my love for them is partially sentimental!
If you're looking to buy knives and pretty isn't a concern, the plastic handled Dexter-Russell from your local restaurant supply store is hard to beat. Very reasonable as far as price too.