150 replies to this topic

[The Hersch]

Question: When those prestige brands moved production to China, did product quality suffer?

Which prestige brands moved production to China? I'm pretty sure that the high-prestige German and French makers still produce their knives in Germany and France, and the Japanese makers are still producing theirs in Japan, are they not?

[TedE]

Which prestige brands moved production to China? I'm pretty sure that the high-prestige German and French makers still produce their knives in Germany and France, and the Japanese makers are still producing theirs in Japan, are they not?

I'm pretty certain that the lower end Wusthof and ilk are produced in Asia now. This may only be the really cheap stamped stuff they sell at Target, though, but may include the lower end forged. I'm almost positive the higher quality forged steel in those lines is still coming out of Europe.

[The Hersch]

I'm pretty certain that the lower end Wusthof and ilk are produced in Asia now. This may only be the really cheap stamped stuff they sell at Target, though, but may include the lower end forged. I'm almost positive the higher quality forged steel in those lines is still coming out of Europe.

Exactly; the "prestige" knives are still coming from the original country of origin. I don't think Wüsthof has a lower-end forged range. Their "Emeril" line of stamped knives has no prestige and I would assume that stuff is made in China, but I don't actually know. I think Henckels has probably lost whatever prestige it may have had. All that being said, there's nothing intrinsically wrong with a stamped knife. I have three, all very different, and I love them all. One is a pre-WWII Craftsman (you know, Sears) slicing/carving knife in carbon steel, one is a Forschner Victorinox boning knife in stainless steel, and my most recent acquisition is THIS carbon-steel "peasant chef's knife" that has gotten constant use since I bought it about a month ago for $19.95.

[ChefJeff]

Hi, this is Jeff formerly of Share Our Strength, a recovering chef, and currently the Manager of Culinary Relations at Zwilling J. A. Henckels, so I think that I can speak with some authority. I'm going to echo a lot of the folks here and say that the most important thing is that the knife is comfortable for you, no matter what the brand is. Pick up a lot of knives try chopping motions with them. Buy a good steel, and use it often, quality knives when cared for will last a very long time, I still use knives that I bought when I was first starting as a line cook in 1992. 95% of what you are doing in a professional kitchen can be accomplished with a 10" Chef's knife and a good Paring knife, focus your budget there. To complement those knives I'd recommend a serrated knife for bread, tomatoes, and other difficult items to cut, and a good slicer with a little flexibility (you can use a 10" chefs for slicing if you don't have a slicer)

Now for a shameless plug, Henckels has 2 brands, Twin (or Zwilling J. A. Henckels)t he premium brand, and J.A. Henckels the value brand. The Classic series in the value brand has a similar look and feel to the Professional S in the Premium Brand at a much lower price, the main difference is that it's produced in Spain rather than Germany. Anyway Mr. Pig drop me a line and I'll hook you up with a discount, and don't forget, it's never to late to go back to being a lawyer.

[DameEdna]

I see that the Sabatier section (on Amazon.com) lists at least five different "collections" of knives. They give
something of the manufacturing method, and where manufactured. The lowest priced "collection" is made in China.

Even though I am a cook of the most casual sort, I have had many of the usual problems: carbon steel knives that
darken and stain, beautiful stainless knives that are a bitch to sharpen, thick blades that don't want to go through
anything. I looked at some "sushi" knives and thought them rather delicate for my style of cooking (and, I'm sure,
excellent for fileting fish).

[pizza man]

I have a simple henckel box that I use at home. Contents; one circular steel (hardly ever use it) one 10" chefs (nice and heavy), paring knife (probably use it the most), one really long flimsy "filet/slicer?" (piece of crap never use it on purpose and the tip is broken off), one super great serrated bread knife, one ok utility knife.

I also have; one kyocera ceramic knife (great for fresh tomatoes) chefs 6"
one really old misono (great knife, needs to be polished) chefs 12"
one global curved tip utility knife (AWESOME) you can use it for anything; although, it takes a little practice.
and last but not least one masahiro molyvanadium(?) stanless 8 inch chefs, simply sublime.

Cleavers are really fun too.
Masahiro makes an amazing boning/filet knife as well (but $$)

funny thing is I don't like to take my knives to work because some bozo will inevitably break it.

My advice; just use the ones supplied at work.

[The Hersch]

I see that the Sabatier section (on Amazon.com) lists at least five different "collections" of knives. They give
something of the manufacturing method, and where manufactured. The lowest priced "collection" is made in China.

It should be borne in mind that the name "Sabatier" covers a lot of sins. Or at least a lot of different companies. I believe the Thiers-Issard company (the one with the elephant logo), certainly a prestige knife-maker, continues to produce all of its knives in Thiers. The outfit on Amazon is a different company.

[ChefJeff]

Exactly; the "prestige" knives are still coming from the original country of origin. I don't think Wüsthof has a lower-end forged range. Their "Emeril" line of stamped knives has no prestige and I would assume that stuff is made in China, but I don't actually know. I think Henckels has probably lost whatever prestige it may have had. All that being said, there's nothing intrinsically wrong with a stamped knife. I have three, all very different, and I love them all. One is a pre-WWII Craftsman (you know, Sears) slicing/carving knife in carbon steel, one is a Forschner Victorinox boning knife in stainless steel, and my most recent acquisition is THIS carbon-steel "peasant chef's knife" that has gotten constant use since I bought it about a month ago for $19.95.

I'm going to have to ask you what you base your comment about J.A. Henckels on. We have been making knives in Germany for 276 years to the highest standards, and have recently begun making knives in Japan to the highest standard there.

[TedE]

I'm going to have to ask you what you base your comment about J.A. Henckels on. We have been making knives in Germany for 276 years to the highest standards, and have recently begun making knives in Japan to the highest standard there.

I think he's referring to this. I don't think anybody is saying that Henckels doesn't still make good quality knives, but lending the company name to lower end products does tend to dilute the brand's prestige. As long as the "real" Henckels are still being produced with the same Teutonic precision I doubt anybody who actually uses them will care.

[Spiral Stairs]

I was taught to count the little men in the Henckels logo. Two men = Good, German-made knife. One man = Knife may be more useful as a club.

P.S.: Incidentally, for myself, I put a ton of knives in my hand and found the Henckels Four Star line to be the most comfortable. I bought an 8" chef's knife and a paring knife from that line, and love them both. Due to a Keystone Kops-like Christmas gift-buying debacle, I also have an 8" Wusthof now too. I haven't used it yet; I'll be interested to compare.

P.P.S.: I found the lack of a bolster on the Globals intolerable. I hold my chef's knife by the bolster all the time. I really wanted to like the Global, because ... well ... because it's bad-ass looking. But I didn't like it much at all. (Also didn't like the feel of the metal handle.)

P.P.P.S.: For anyone who runs across a cheap santoku by Chicago Cutlery, don't buy it! It won't cut butter. Which is too bad, since I hear they make some good steak knives.

[mhberk]

The best knives that I've EVER used (and I've used A LOT of knives) are the Shun Ken Onion 10" chefs knife and the Shun Ken Onion 3" paring knife. When holding the knife the correctly (actually holding the blade) like this:

the curvature of the handle fits perfectly in my palm and the blade is one of the sharpest I've ever used. The angle of the paring knife makes it convenient to chop (when needed) without my knuckles hitting the cutting board. If these knives weren't so darn expensive, I wouldn't have to rely on holidays and birthdays to get them. I doubt I could ever justify spending that kind of money on a knife, but as long as I'm not paying for them, I'll sing their praises!

[The Hersch]

I think he's referring to this. I don't think anybody is saying that Henckels doesn't still make good quality knives, but lending the company name to lower end products does tend to dilute the brand's prestige. As long as the "real" Henckels are still being produced with the same Teutonic precision I doubt anybody who actually uses them will care.

I shouldn't have made so sweeping and dismissive a statement, and for that I apologize. Henckels has a confusing array of product lines, with the high-end and the low-end in a seeming jumble together. Wüsthof's products are a little easier to sort out. When Toyota decided to introduce a line of low-end economy automobiles, they didn't christen it the Toyota Twin Signature, they called it the Scion, and left the Toyota name out of it. I think knife manufacturers could learn a lesson from that.

[ol_ironstomach]

I shouldn't have made so sweeping and dismissive a statement, and for that I apologize. Henckels has a confusing array of product lines, with the high-end and the low-end in a seeming jumble together. Wüsthof's products are a little easier to sort out. When Toyota decided to introduce a line of low-end economy automobiles, they didn't christen it the Toyota Twin Signature, they called it the Scion, and left the Toyota name out of it. I think knife manufacturers could learn a lesson from that.

What lesson do you mean? The Scion line does not represent a change in production methods or quality. In fact, they're sold as Toyotas in the rest of the world, and being designed and built for the Japanese market are arguably more authentic Toyotas than, say, their US-built pickup truck line.

[ChefJeff]

I shouldn't have made so sweeping and dismissive a statement, and for that I apologize. Henckels has a confusing array of product lines, with the high-end and the low-end in a seeming jumble together. Wüsthof's products are a little easier to sort out. When Toyota decided to introduce a line of low-end economy automobiles, they didn't christen it the Toyota Twin Signature, they called it the Scion, and left the Toyota name out of it. I think knife manufacturers could learn a lesson from that.

Thank you for the apology, let me try to explain. We differentiate between our premium and value brand with different logos and different channels of distribution. Keep an eye out for the two guys, the twin or Zwilling J. A. Henckels (this logo comes from our original trademark in 1731 which was applied for under the astrological sign of Gemini hence the twins. The company in Europe is known more by the name Zwilling which means twin or Gemini than by the name Henckels. It is known by Henckels here because the German word Zwilling is difficult to pronounce) this is our premium brand with knives made in Germany and one line the Twin Cermax made in Japan. The Single guy logo dates back to 1895 and covers J.A. Henckels International and are manufactured outside of Germany in Spain and yes even China we endeavor to make the best quality knife for the price in this range. Additionaly where they can be purchased is different, you won't find Twin in Target, and you won't find J.A. Henckels in Sur La Table, etc.
Just as you'll find a vast difference in quality, price, method and location of manufacture, and customer it's marketed to between a C-class Mercedes Benz and an S-Class Mercedes Benz, you'll find a range of difference between a starter J. A. Henkels knife like the Forged Synergy, and a top of the Line twin like the Twin Cermax. It's what the market demands. I hope this clarifies it a little

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[lackadaisi]

I hope this clarifies it a little

It does for me: It seems like they purposely designed a very confusing system that makes it very difficult to trust the brand without further investigation when buying from a mid-range supplier (ex. Macy's). After following this whole discussion, I would disagree with the original statement that the prestige of the brand has been entirely lost, but I think it would be completely fair to say that it has been watered down greatly by the attempt to please all people with the same product (or trick lower-end buyers into believing they are buying higher-end products).

[Spiral Stairs]

The fact that many of the unusually knowledgeable people on this site appear not to have been aware of how Henckels divvies up its products is strong evidence that confusion probably reigns over the rest of the population. (Indeed, on more than one occasion I have run across someone who boasts of his or her new Henckels, and then shows it to me. I don't have the heart to tell them that the knife they bought is not the knife they think they bought.)

On the other hand, no one who buys a C-Class Mercedes believes that he or she has purchased an S-Class.

[Banco]

I'm sorry, I don't get the confusion. Henckels and Wüsthof have been marketing their Solingen blades here for decades. Only comparatively recently has Henckels offered their substandard "one-man" J.A. Henckels line. Just look for the word "Solingen", the city where fine blades and other metallurgy have been the local industry since the medieval guilds, and you'll be fine.

Incidentally, Messermeister, another Solingen blade, is a superior knife to both these brands, IMO.

[ChefJeff]

On the other hand, no one who buys a C-Class Mercedes believes that he or she has purchased an S-Class.

Just as both cars are made by the same manufacturer Mercedes and both have sub titles C-Class and S-Class. All our knives are made by Henckels and have sub-titles Henckels Twin Cermax, Henckels Twin Cuisine, Henckels Forged Synergy, or Henckels Fine Edge Synergy. And someone who buys an 8" Chefs knife called Henckels Forged Synergy that costs $28.80, has a different, blade, handle, box, logo, look, feel, country of origin and name should not think that it's the same as another 8" Chefs knife called Henckels Twin Cermax that costs $250 with a different blade, handle, box, logo, look, feel, country of origin and name, even if they were both available at Macy's. Just as you wouldn't confuse the $30,000 smaller Mercedes C-Class with the $85,000 larger Mercedes S-Class, even though their available at the same dealership

[lackadaisi]

And someone who buys an 8" Chefs knife called Henckels Forged Synergy that costs $28.80, has a different, blade, handle, box, logo, look, feel, country of origin and name should not think that it's the same as another 8" Chefs knife called Henckels Twin Cermax that costs $250 with a different blade, handle, box, logo, look, feel, country of origin and name, even if they were both available at Macy's.

True, but a company should expect to have the overall value of their name brand decline as soon as they begin marketing far inferior products under that same brand name. Any company that believes that will not happen is naive and short-sighted, or, much more likely, has made a decision that the costs of watering-down the brand's reputation is outweighed by the money that will be made by using that brand to appeal to a wider market that is less likely to be as concerned about the actual quality of the product.

I believe that the point of the original poster on this issue was that such brand-dilution has occured with Henkels, as it should be expected.

None of this means that the quality of the good knives has diminished, only that the reputation and reliability of the brand overall has.

[ChefJeff]

True, but a company should expect to have the overall value of their name brand decline as soon as they begin marketing far inferior products under that same brand name. Any company that believes that will not happen is naive and short-sighted, or, much more likely, has made a decision that the costs of watering-down the brand's reputation is outweighed by the money that will be made by using that brand to appeal to a wider market that is less likely to be as concerned about the actual quality of the product.

I believe that the point of the original poster on this issue was that such brand-dilution has occured with Henkels, as it should be expected.

None of this means that the quality of the good knives has diminished, only that the reputation and reliability of the brand overall has.

And I'm saying that we are concerned with quality at every price level, we strive to make the best product we can at any price level. Have you tried the $28.80 Forged Synergy knife? I'd invite you to try it against other knives in the price range.

[lackadaisi]

And I'm saying that we are concerned with quality at every price level, we strive to make the best product we can at any price level. Have you tried the $28.80 Forged Synergy knife? I'd invite you to try it against other knives in the price range.

Upon further investigation, I realize that I own a set of the lower market Henckels, and they were my only knives for quite some time. As I had received them as a wedding present years ago, I did not do the research myself, and I was not aware of the differences among the brand. They worked fine, but this may explain why I love the globals that I have since acquired and now use them almost exclusively. Before reading this discussion, I thought that it was just because global made a better knife. Now I realize that I have no basis of comparison, but I doubt that I am the only one who has come to such a conclusion.

Edited by lackadaisi, 28 April 2007 - 11:17 AM.

[DanielK]

I think the confusion comes with a somewhat less informed consumer.

My brother recently bought a Henckels International knife. He didn't tell me where, but it was a paring knife, and it was something in the $30 range. Now last year, I bought him a 10" Henckel's chef's knife (don't remember which line). It's a very nice knife, and it wasn't a small amount of money. He called me the other day, wondering if Henckel's quality had gone way down, as he didn't like the new knife nearly as much as the old one I got him. Now, I knew instantly that he'd bought a Henckel's International, but since the place he shopped was a discount store that didn't have the high end line, he didn't realize that there was such a thing.

Had I not known about the different lines, he would have simply assumed that Henckel's knives aren't as good anymore, and probably would have bought something else next time.

THAT is brand dilution.

[scottmcl]

Of late, I've become an unabashed bargain hunter. I enlarge my All Clad LTD set slowly with 2nds from Cookware and More. I buy cookbooks from Bookcloseouts.com when possible. I recently needed a large sautee pan with cover (stove top to oven and back) and sprang for a modest $60 Cuisinart on sale at Macy's with a thick aluminum bottom (perfect for this sort of pan). You get the idea.

Well, after ruining my best chefs knife (German, gift of 15 years ago) by using it as a makeshift cleaver (broke the steel), I started researching the oodles of chef's knives and cleavers out in the marketplace.

The ATK *very* positive review of the Forschner Victorinox knives definitely caught my bargain hunting eye. Amazon reviews were glowing as well.

From Amazon, I ordered a 8" chefs knife, a pairing knife and a 7 inch cleaver, along with a few knife guards for storage. Haven't tried to cleaver yet, but these knives are both comfortable and sharp right out of the box. A simple honing with a sharpening stick brings them right back to true. They are lighter than my aforementioned broken knife, but I'm a big guy - my leverage and weight more than compensates for a slightly lighter knife. The handles are as non-slip as I can imagine.

Definitely worth a purchase. Even if you hate them (you won't), then just save them for backup or for added hands in the kitchen. At this quality/price ratio, it's very hard to go wrong.

Scott

[zoramargolis]

http://www.salon.com...apanese_knives/
This blade slices, it dices
Top chefs adore them, Rachael Ray sells them, so
what's the big fuss about Japanese knives?
By Harris Salat

Feb. 01, 2008 | In the Quentin Tarantino movie
"Kill Bill," Uma Thurman flies to Okinawa on a
fateful mission: to find the greatest samurai
blade ever forged. There she meets a white-robed
master blacksmith who hands her a gleaming katana
and solemnly intones, "I can tell you, with no
ego, this is my finest sword."

Like Uma, I went on a quest for "Japanese steel."

[monavano]

In season 2 of Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie series, the Hungry Luddite episode did a nice piece on Japanese knife making. Podcast here.

[ladi kai lemoni]

My santoku knife needs mega-sharpening. Is it safe to do this with a sharpening steel or should I run over to Strosnider's to get it taken care of?

[pizza man]

My santoku knife needs mega-sharpening. Is it safe to do this with a sharpening steel or should I run over to Strosnider's to get it taken care of?

You can hone the knife with a steel. For sharpening I recommend a water stone or two. As for having the blade sharpened by a service; how much do you love the knife, was it expensive, and, will you be heartbroken if it comes back ground down into a horribly uneven, unrecognisable, (albeit sharp) incarnation of it's former self?

[ladi kai lemoni]

You can hone the knife with a steel. For sharpening I recommend a water stone or two. As for having the blade sharpened by a service; how much do you love the knife, was it expensive, and, will you be heartbroken if it comes back ground down into a horribly uneven, unrecognisable, (albeit sharp) incarnation of it's former self?

I'm not especially attached to this knife, but it is a good quality knife and I'd prefer to keep it that way. The only reason I mentioned Strosniders (the local hardware store near me) is because I'm pretty sure I saw it mentioned in another thread as a good place to get knives sharpened.

[theakston]

The only place I know locally that would not totally mess up a Japanese knife is La Cuisine in Old Town:
Website
Japanese knives have a different blade angle and most places can't do this and would get this wrong

[pizza man]

The only place I know locally that would not totally mess up a Japanese knife is La Cuisine in Old Town:
Website
Japanese knives have a different blade angle and most places can't do this and would get this wrong

LOL @ "Rockwell Hardness".

[ferment everything]

My mother wants a knife that does not need sharpening. I am pretty sure that she is crazy, but I thought I'd ask here to see if anybody has any ideas.

Maybe I could just buy her a knife that has already been dulled to the point of "it can't get any duller" and then she'll never know that it needs sharpening?
Or should I just buy her a gift certificate to have her knives sharpened?

[pizza man]

My mother wants a knife that does not need sharpening. I am pretty sure that she is crazy, but I thought I'd ask here to see if anybody has any ideas.

Maybe I could just buy her a knife that has already been dulled to the point of "it can't get any duller" and then she'll never know that it needs sharpening?
Or should I just buy her a gift certificate to have her knives sharpened?

Ceramic Knife. Kyocera makes them. They are super sharp and extremely fragile. I use mine for slicing tomatoes and little else.

[StephenB]

Ceramic Knife. Kyocera makes them. They are super sharp and extremely fragile. I use mine for slicing tomatoes and little else.

That's just what I was going to say. 20 years ago when I was in Kyoto I received a tour of the Kyocera plant (in Spanish, of all things). I was mainly interested in printers but my host wanted to talk about knives. He said the company had come up with a model that was sharper than anything on the market and never needed to be sharpened, lightweight, long-lasting and easy to clean. There was one little problem -- un problemito -- and that was that if you happened to drop it on the tiled floor of your kitchen, and it landed on its point, it would shatter into a thousand pieces. This flaw evidently has not been completely solved. I have a black Kyocera with a six inch blade. Soon after I got it, it acquired a nick in its edge when it encountered a bone. But several years later, it has deteriorated no further. I have been careful not to drop it.

[ferment everything]

Ceramic Knife. Kyocera makes them. They are super sharp and extremely fragile. I use mine for slicing tomatoes and little else.

Yea, my mother and "extremely fragile knife" do not need to be in the same kitchen. I think I'll push for the gift certificate.

[DanCole42]

I made some pate a choux, then piped it into long lines and froze it for gnocchi. To cut it up, I grabbed my paring knife, which now looks like this:


I don't know how I managed to break it in THREE FUCKING PLACES, but if I get it reforged does that make me the King of Gondor?

[mdt]

I made some pate a choux, then piped it into long lines and froze it for gnocchi. To cut it up, I grabbed my paring knife, which now looks like this:


I don't know how I managed to break it in THREE FUCKING PLACES, but if I get it reforged does that make me the King of Gondor?

Impressive. You must have put a decent amount of force on that knife. As you probably figured out, cutting frozen things requires a sturdy knife.

[DanCole42]

Impressive. You must have put a decent amount of force on that knife. As you probably figured out, cutting frozen things requires a sturdy knife.

Or a P.O.S. knife you don't mind shattering.

[Marks]

Use a chefs knife. Paring knives are fine for cheese but chefs knife works for about everything else.

[zoramargolis]

Use a chefs knife. Paring knives are fine for cheese but chefs knife works for about everything else.

I can tell you from experience that the tip of a chef's knife can also break when cutting frozen food.

[DanCole42]

I can tell you from experience that the tip of a chef's knife can also break when cutting frozen food.

I was thinking maybe something a little more substantial...

[The Hersch]

I don't know how I managed to break it in THREE FUCKING PLACES, but if I get it reforged does that make me the King of Gondor?

Your picture shows it broken in two places, surely? Three pieces? That's a shame, though. Nice looking knife. Is it a Thiers-Issard Sabatier? (Or should I say was?) Maybe you could be King of France.

[zoramargolis]

Your picture shows it broken in two places, surely? Three pieces? That's a shame, though. Nice looking knife. Is it a Thiers-Issard Sabatier? (Or should I say was?) Maybe you could be King of France.

Too bad it's not a Global. They replace them if they break.

[DanCole42]

Your picture shows it broken in two places, surely? Three pieces? That's a shame, though.

The third place was in my HEART <sniff>.

[The Hersch]

Too bad it's not a Global. They replace them if they break.

From Global's Website:

EXEMPTION FROM GUARANTEE

(1) Damage caused from misuse, improper use or accident:

* Misuse – cutting hard substances such as frozen foods, bones, hard nuts, hard cheese etc...
* Improper use – using item as a screwdriver, can or bottle opener etc…
* Accident – dropping knife on the floor or hitting against other hard surfaces.

The only repair-or-replace, no-questions-asked guarantee I know of is for Zippo lighters.

[zoramargolis]

From Global's Website:The only repair-or-replace, no-questions-asked guarantee I know of is for Zippo lighters.

Mine broke at the place where the blade becomes the handle, "during ordinary use". I took it to Sur la Table, where I bought it. I got a new one. No one deposed me under oath regarding the circumstances.

[StorageLady]

What are you favorite all-around knives? I used a Wusthof Trident chef's knife - but are any of you using something you love that doesn't break the bank? Iknow Cook's Illustrated is a big fan of the Forschner - have you used it?

I'm in desperate need of steak kinves - mine rip and tear the poor meat....any suggestions?

[ol_ironstomach]

I'm in desperate need of steak kinves - mine rip and tear the poor meat....any suggestions?

Existing knife threads here (and also here and here, although the latter two should probably be rolled up).

I still use my cheap-o Henckels Twin Gourmet steak knives a lot, but they're clearly in the rip-and-tear category...and get used for cheese more than anything else now. This year we splurged on a set of French Laguiole-pattern knives with horn handles, and frankly there's just something very satisfying about they way they feel in the hand as they glide cleanly through your steak.

Laguiole is a town and a style of knife, not a specific brand name, so a brief education is in order. This online vendor has some decent info on their site: Laguiole steak knives. Beware the numerous cheap and crappy imitations now available. Ours is a mid-grade set by Rossignol, with hand-carved decoration on the blade spine. I picked it up at the K Sabatier outlet in South Carolina, while driving home from Florida.

[ktmoomau]

What are you favorite all-around knives? I used a Wusthof Trident chef's knife - but are any of you using something you love that doesn't break the bank? Iknow Cook's Illustrated is a big fan of the Forschner - have you used it?

I'm in desperate need of steak kinves - mine rip and tear the poor meat....any suggestions?

I really like my global chef's knife and it wasn't real expensive, it fits my hand well. I always check out some websites like cutleryandmore and etc and see who is having a sale on what, but we have a set of henckel steak knives that we got at Kohls with money from a return of some christmas present and they were ridiculously cheap and work well for steak knives...

[Banco]

What are you favorite all-around knives? I used a Wusthof Trident chef's knife - but are any of you using something you love that doesn't break the bank? Iknow Cook's Illustrated is a big fan of the Forschner - have you used it?

I'm in desperate need of steak kinves - mine rip and tear the poor meat....any suggestions?

The brand you already have, Wüsthof-Trident, also sells steak knives in sets of four. They look somewhat utilitarian on the table but get the job done very elegantly.

I second the Laguiole recommendation upthread, and also the caveat emptor. IIRC, the only manufacturer of the knives that still makes them in Laguiole itself is Forge de Laguiole, though Chateau Laguiole and other producers in and around Thiers are also excellent.

[Skipper10]

What are you favorite all-around knives? I used a Wusthof Trident chef's knife - but are any of you using something you love that doesn't break the bank? Iknow Cook's Illustrated is a big fan of the Forschner - have you used it?

I'm in desperate need of steak kinves - mine rip and tear the poor meat....any suggestions?

I bought 8 assorted sizes Wusthof Dreizackwerk knives, a cleaver and steel in 1970 in Germany, when the dollar was very strong and Germany was not as expensive as it is today. I replaced the steel several times. These were the only knives I used until I discovered Global almost 20 years ago. I still use Global paring knife for boning chickens, which I do a lot and often. Then I discovered Shun knives. Now I use mostly Shuns, especially the ones that have what is called "Alton's angle." Because they keep their edge well, stay sharp for a very longtime and are considerably lighter than my Wusthofs they work best for me, my hand size I should say. I have 8 of them too. It was an impulse buying that serves me well. (Woots.com had them on sale for $250. They were sold out in two hours.)
The best steak knives I have are Barenthal, (made in France.) They work very well, I don't wash them in dishwasher. I bought mine in Europe years ago, but I saw them at Tuesday Morning fairly recently for a very good price.
Cheers. Skipper