Zwilling J.A. Henckels Four Star 8-Piece Knife Set with Block

Awesome set, cuts like butter!
This is the 3rd set of Henckels I've owned. I sent the first set to the local cutlery store for sharpening and they came back with a different personality. Didn't cut like Henckels anymore. Really disappointed. In search of a replacement set, I got the lower end Twin Signature 11pcs set. It was stamped, not forged. They cut well, but the knife felt cheap compared with the real forged Henckels.

I am really satisfied with this Four Star set. Feels solid, even weight distribution from front to back, and cuts like butter. My friend has a set of Twin Crusine which is so well built that ended up being too heavy in the back. Feels like I am just about to lose control and dropped the knife. Gives me the insecure feeling that I might cut myself trying to overcome the Twin Crusine under control.

One thing I learn this time.... make good use of the sharpening steel. I finally got the courage to learn how to use the sharpening steel with the correct angle and...
Great knives... could be better, though.
I bought this knife set after reading many positive reviews. It has been two months since I received the set from Amazon and I'm impressed with its overall quality. Each knife is still sharp and beautiful. Seven-inch Santoku and 8-inch Chef's knives are my favorites.

My complaints:

1. Blades for two peeling and paring knives are too short to handle a variety of small cutting tasks. For example, I tried to cut apples but the knives are too short to cut the fruits in one stroke. I had to use a bigger utility knife from my old Chicago Cutlery knife set.

2. Five-inch utility knife has a serrated edge, which I believe is useful in certain tasks, like slicing tomatos, but it is not really versatile. As one of the previous reviewers pointed out, you will need a regular utility knife. Six-inch utility knife would be great although it costs $65 if you buy it from an open stock. Update on 12/1/09: Cutleryandmore.com started its holiday sale... Henckels 6-inch...
Needs a regular utility knife
The knives themselves are fantastic, but the set really needs a regular unserrated 6-inch utility knife. Since buying it separately is outrageously expensive, I've had to pull a poorer-quality knife back out for now since this is a knife I used frequently. I love the santoku, had never used one before, but it's amazing for chopping. The handles are a perfect size for me, a woman with larger hands, and a man would probably appreciate them as well (although the five-star series knives have even more substantial handles). I see other reviews saying they prefer the Twin series, but these are the higher-end knives, forged instead of stamped like the Twin knives. Overall I would recommend this set as a good starter, and suggest you buy other pieces like the utility knife, bread knife, and steak knives as you come into inheritances....
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Bob Kramer 8" Carbon Steel Chef's Knife

Amazing replica of a "real Bob Kramer."
Obviously you are not going to get a Bob Kramer made knife at this price point. If you want one of the knives he makes in this size, figure on about 5 to 10 times the price and be prepared to wait years. That said, this is the same steel he uses licensed under his name. So the ingredients are there for a great knife and this knife does not disappoint. As a home cook (with plenty of other knives) I cant justify the price of a "real Kramer" but wanted to check out his licensed knife.

I was lucky and found one of these at a Sur la table that someone has used to cut lemon which discolored the blade, basically it sped up the patina that would occur naturally as you use the knife. But because, it no longer "looked new" I got it for over half off and even though I didn't need another chefs knife, I figured I would check it out. I was glad I did. The knife takes and edge good enough to shave with that is pretty long lasting. The handle wood is a bit of a marketing gimmick but is...
Upscale Kitchen Knife
This is the Mercedes of knives. If you're willing to spend this type of money, you get the best knife that I have ever owned. And I have owned many knives.
But a word of caution; this is a big knife.
Amazing!!
This knife is truly amazing. I own a restaurant, which I am also the head Chef. This is the sharpest knife I have ever worked with. The knife does the work for you all you have to do is guide it. I have always wanted a high end Chef knife, and was looking into purchasing a hand crafted one from Bob Kramer. After seeing the price tag for his hand crafted one I opted for the next best thing, one that he put his own name on. I could not be happier!! But use caution, this knife can and will hurt you if you do not respect the knife.
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Zwilling J.A. Henckels Bob Kramer 7 Inch Santoku Knife Euroline Carbon Steel

Very Impressed So Far
I had been knife shopping for a long time before I finally settled on Zwilling's Kramer santoku. I knew I wanted a santoku and I knew I wanted something I could count on lasting a lifetime. I don't tend to agonize much over any of my purchases but I found myself struggling to find the knife I wanted. The market seems lately flooded with a multitude of high quality knives featuring a bewildering variety of blade and handle designs not to mention different steel types! I was eventually drawn to this particular knife because the European style chef knives from the same line seem to earn such high praise. Oddly, Iv'e had little luck in finding many impressions of this particular model on the internet. I gambled that Zwilling had put as much care into the crafting of the santoku as apparently went into their other Kramer designed knives. I have not been disappointed.

This knife feels wonderful in my hand. It is well balanced and comfortable in any of the grips I normally use...
Regrets to Bob Kramer Zwilling Santoku Knife
Twice I ordered this knife and twice I returned it--the most recent of which occurred just on hour after receiving the product and inspecting it. I fell for the hype and PR which was embedded in a site featuring Bob Kramer. You know the one--featuring Japanese artisans pounding hot steel and forging brilliantly attractive and razor sharp knives. Well this knife is far from what you see in the hype piece. The knife handle had the rivets sticking out by about a mm such that any prolonged use would cause a blister. But that is not all. The top part of the blade tongue extended beyond the wood handle which added to the discomfort. The tongue was higher than the wood handles. I wanted to make sure that I was not overly critical about the knife and showed it to someone who has owned Bob Kramer knives and worked with them and liked them very much. He is an accomplished cook in the Napa Valley. Upon handling the knife, he declared that it must have been a "second" or that...
Don't be surprised at what happens if you misuse it
Brockenb, the fault is indeed yours. You DID misuse the knife. This kind of knife cannot be used for cutting bone and doing so will break the blade, which is what happened to you. Also, a carbon steel knife will acquire a patina, and requires proper care.
It sounds to me like you had no idea what you were buying, or how to use it properly. In the future, I suggest Target -- they have some very nice knives for $25 or so that should be perfect for you.
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Zwilling JA Henckels Four Star 9-Piece Knife Set with Block

Favorite of Ex-wives everywhere
The quality of Henckel knives is at the top of the heap.You spend more money than this,but the knife is not going to perform any better.This will be my third set of these.Every time I got divorced these knives mysteriously dissapeared.They are all still in happy use today just not at my house.I like them so much I've bought three sets.This is the lowest price I've paid,even fifteen years ago !!I give em five stars.
JA Henckels Four Star Knife Set
The Zwilling JA Henckels Four Star 9-Piece Block Set (or any Four Star set for that matter) is absolutely the best kitchen knife ever made. There are, of course, more expensive knives but as far as feel, balance, and most importantly, cutting, this is the best knife I have ever used. I actually purchased a different set of Henckels at a local department store because they were out of the Four Star's and tomorrow they are getting donated to a charity because they just don't feel as good. There is just no comparison when you get a Four Star in your hands from the small paring knife to the large, great for everything, chef knife, for cutting things around the kitchen. If you want the absolute best knife set you can get, this is the one!
Second Set
I just purchased my second set, I know the listing say they are dishwasher safe but I do not like my knifes going into the dishwasher. I had a set that my mother gave me and I took very good care of them. My wife ran them in the dishwasher and this caused the handles to get a milky film over the top of my great looking black handles, over time I just did not care. Now that we have a new home she promised to not run them in the dishwasher again. I can't wait for my new set to arrive this week. My favorite knife is the 5" Santoku Hollow Edge I use this knife about 80% of the time. The balance and build of these knifes are fantastic. Sure you could spend thousands on more expensive knife sets but these are about the best that I have seen for the money. Make sure to buy the bigger block and get a set of steak knifes to complete the set.
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Henckels Zwilling Pro 6" Chef's Knife 38405 163

LOVE IT!!!
You can't go wrong with this brand!!!
You get what you pay for...
I have a set.
I would recommend these knives.
Awesome.
As soon as I used this knife it became my favorite. It's the smoothest knife I've ever used. My wife and I both love it.

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Bob Kramer 10" Carbon Steel Chef's Knife

Amazing Knife.
This knife stands alone in combining incredible blade design, balance, fit and finish, with a carbon steel blade that is easy to sharpen to a razor sharp edge. Zwilling and Kramer have got the heat treatment down because this knife holds a long lasting edge. Bob Kramer has designed a fantastic chef knife here. I think that Zwilling has carried through on Kramer's design and produced an exceptional chef knife. It is in a class of its own.

I routinely cut through bone with the sturdy heal but, the tip is thin and works well for delicate cutting. I end up not reaching for other knives because this knife is such a good all around chef knife. It has not been prone to chips and it takes well to the stones. This knife is a versatile work-horse. Mine has taken on the most beautiful patina with some hints of blue. Beautiful knife.
No1 all-purpose knife!!
If you need only sharpness on kitchen knife,
you should buy a japanese knife that is made of yasuki-hagane.
(For instance, if you are going to cut a tuna for sushi)
But If you want useful one ,I recomend you Bob Kramer.

In my opinion,Bob Kramer-henkel has two strong points.

Point 1
Is made of 52100 steel.
This steel was developed for bearings,so very high quality and will last long time.
(Of course,you should avoid stain)

Point 2
Has good shape and weight balance.
For instance,the center of gravity is in the border between blade and handle.
So, you can rotate easily and utilize the weight in cutting.
And long distance from edge to spine is useful to avoid touching your hand on the things cut.

In addition,
My knife was shparpend to clear Bob's 5 test in the factory.
But If you can hadle a japanese natural water stone,you can get more sharp edge.

At last...
This good...
It's a Kramer...in spirit.
This is an excellent knife. It may not be a true Kramer, but it's his profile and steel choice. The 52100 steel develops a great blue patina, holds a sharp edge, and sharpens easily on water stones. It's a bit heavier and taller than the Japanese knives I'm used to, so takes a little adjustment. Great for home use, but probably wouldn't be suited for long prep work.
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J.A. Henckels International Classic Clad 10-Piece Cookware Set

Very happy with these
I purchased this set because I was replacing my 16 year old radiant cooktop with a new induction cooktop and most of my older cookware was not induction capable.

I decided that these were a reasonable alternative to the more expensive All Clad cookware and, at this price, if they didn't work out well I could always afford to replace them.

I used them originally with the old radiant cooktop and was quite impressed with how quickly they heated, how well the cooked, and how easy they were to clean. I had expected stainless steel to be hard to clean but these are not. At times I will need to soak them for an hour or so prior to cleaning but most of the time that is not necessary. So far we have used regular dishwashing liquid to clean them.

I'm even more impressed with their performance with my new GE induction cooktop and I particularly like the interior volume markings. It is amazing how I can "titrate" the level of simmering/bubbling/boiling with the...
Excellent, superb quality cookware!
I've owned this set of cookware for over two years, and I love them! The packaging was the first sign of quality. Everything is individually placed in plastic bags, then placed in cloth bags. They are superb quality, sturdy, very well-constructed, good looking, heat evenly, and I expect them to last a very, very long time. They've tarnished slightly, but it does not affect the results, and may be caused by occassionally cleaning them in the dishwasher. They clean up nicely for non-non-stick pans. :) They are a bit pricey, but if you want long lasting cookware that produces consistent results without requiring special care, treat yourself to this awesome set!
Excellent design
The ergonomic handles make these pots and pans much better than any other similar pots and pans available. The handles really do stay cool, and they make the pans a lot easier to lift and move. These pans heat very evenly. They do not have a nonstick surface, a feature I prefer. I have a glass cook top stove and usually use a medium low setting for foods that are cooked without water. Baking soda works well for cleaning any residue that sticks to the pan when a higher heat is used. I never use scratchy pads or commercial scouring powders to clean these pans, just baking soda on a dish cloth or liquid dish detergent and warm water. The lids are very convenient, both to use and to store. I prefer these metal lids to the glass lids that come with many pans.
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J.A. Henckels International 10 piece Classic Clad Non Stick Cookware Set

Fabulous alternative to All-Clad
When I got married, my husband and I wanted to get really good cookware. In particular, we want an induction cook surface, so we it had to be induction-compatible. At first, it appeared that All-Clad was the only option, and man, is it expensive! My parents discovered the Henckels Classic Clad line and I was a bit skeptical. I love my Henckels Twin Cuisine knives, but knives are not pots. Well, one grasp of the All-Clad handle and the Classic Clad handle and I was sold on Henckels! These pots are heavy and All-Clad's handle is concave (dips inward) and is painful for me to hold. The Classic Clad turned out to be a wonderful investment. The pots are very easy to clean, work wonderfully on induction, and heat food very evenly like clad cookware should. It doesn't hurt that they are also beautiful 18/10 stainless steel (I can't wait to have a pot rack to display them!). And the price tag is a lot easier on the wallet than All-Clad. We helped my brother-in-law register for these after...
Great Cookware
Have used this cookware for about a month now on conventional glass electric cooktop. Have had no issues with cleaning the stainless steel pans and the non stick frying pans are great. They brown meats very quickly and the small 8 in pan cooks great omlettes. One disappointment is that the cookware set came with a stainless 3 qt saute pan even though Henckels makes a 3 qt non stick saute pan. If ordering a not stick cookware set, would expect all pieces for which there is non stick version available to be a part of the set.

The set was purchased primarily to go with an induction cooktop being installed as part of a kitchen remodel in the next month. I have used the 2 qt sauce pan on a single element induction cooktop (Max Burton 6000) and it boiled water very quickly so look forward to using the whole set on the induction cook top.

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Bob Kramer 3 1/2 inch Carbon Steel Paring Knife by Zwilling JA Henckels

Cant live without it
Sharp as a Laser Beam ,Carbon steel is the stuff Well balanced knife..Small go to knife for Butterflying Shrimp.Thinking about the other knives of this line


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