Knife mfg confusion.

[makeme]

For the knife enthusiast here I have a question.  I was looking at knives on line and came across Wusthof which I am familiar with the brand just don't own any at this time.  Second part of this question is I also am looking at Henckels and am a bit confused because they seem to be one in the same MFG.  I don't own any of these either but again I am familiar with the name.  Now I just want to know if anyone can tell me if they are one in the same with different names. 

They seam to be listed with contact information listing both Wusthof and J.A. Henckels by Zwillings but I have never heard anyone refer to them as being made by the same mfg. 

While I am here I am looking at MAC and Shun knives which both sound like good ones to own.  Thanks for looking.

 

[raquette]

Interesting question.  From what I found on line and what I thought was the case they are two different companies.  Most comments say the Wusthof uses harder steel and require less sharpening.  I have had a set of Wusthof knives for many years and can find no fault with them...  I woudl highly recommend the Wusthof brand.

 

[scarbelly]

I have done a bunch of research and have spent time talking with both Jimmy and Rob on knives.  For the most part their advice as well as the Chef forums I cruise is to find a major brand like Wusthof or Mac which are found in a lot of chefs hands and then find the one that fits your hand the best.  Rob uses a cleaver for everything and Jimmy uses a Wusthof but grinds the ridge off the back of the knife so it is easier on the hand or at least that is what he suggested to me. 

The most important part of their recommendation was what feels comfortable in your hand. The major brands are going to be suitable for the home chef for the most part.  

The second consideration is sharpening. A Shun requires it be sharpened in the Japanese style. This can be a challenge if you do not know how to sharpen them or you will need to take them to a professional sharpener.  

Hope this helps 

 

[makeme]

I have done a bunch of research and have spent time talking with both Jimmy and Rob on knives.  For the most part their advice as well as the Chef forums I cruise is to find a major brand like Wusthof or Mac which are found in a lot of chefs hands and then find the one that fits your hand the best.  Rob uses a cleaver for everything and Jimmy uses a Wusthof but grinds the ridge off the back of the knife so it is easier on the hand or at least that is what he suggested to me. 

The most important part of their recommendation was what feels comfortable in your hand. The major brands are going to be suitable for the home chef for the most part.  

The second consideration is sharpening. A Shun requires it be sharpened in the Japanese style. This can be a challenge if you do not know how to sharpen them or you will need to take them to a professional sharpener.  

Hope this helps 

Thanks for this information.  I guess I should have stated that my questions are in relation to a previous post further down with my plan on opening a brick and mortar store. 

I am in the process of ordering products or at least getting details and want to have as much product without duplication as possible.

Why a brick and mortar you may be asking?  For the vary reasons you and others mention about how a knife feels in you hand, can't do that very well shopping on line, this applies to many products, having said that I do plan an on line presence eventually.  Thanks

 

[seajams]

I am a [color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]Wusthof person from way back, I have owned some for over 30 years.  They are more of a commercial grade than the other brand.  However there are multiple versions of [/color][color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]Wusthof.  When I bought my first ones, there was only one line!  While they are expensive, you get what you pay for and in my mind well worth the money.[/color]

 

[chefrob]

I am a [color= rgb(24,24,24)]Wusthof person from way back, I have owned some for over 30 years.  They are more of a commercial grade than the other brand.  However there are multiple versions of [/color][color= rgb(24,24,24)]Wusthof.  When I bought my first ones, there was only one line!  While they are expensive, you get what you pay for and in my mind well worth the money.[/color]

 actually the henckel 4 star line was the gold standard for years as far as the american pros were concerned.........wustoff was secondary since their handles were more like the henckel "classic" line. it wasn't until wustoff came out with the "gran prix" line did they become popular in professional kitchens. all that being said, both companies have pretty much whored out their names to sell produt and there is crap in both lines as well as other brands too. the cleaver i use is by Messermeister which is more like a chinese blade with a german style handle. i have lots of henckel 4 star line knives and it is the only henckel line i like. Mac is great but the one brand that i can honestly say gets 98% of my hand time is the rosewood forschner line. i can abuse them, work 'em all day long and they never miss a beat.....sure ya gotta sharpen them but they sharpen them real quick.

 

[makeme]

Up date on Wusthof and Henckels knife mfg.  I have since called them both and I guess I was not on a mfg site but instead was on a retail site and they listed both mfg.  In my normal mod of confession I took it to mean they both were of the same mfg, not so.  I just thought I would clear that up and cut off any wide spread rumors, my bad.

 

[pops6927]

What are you going to be doing with the knives?  Different type of knives for different kinds of uses.

 

[makeme]

What are you going to be doing with the knives?  Different type of knives for different kinds of uses.

Thanks for asking.  I am in the process of getting information from wholesales and distributors for products I want to carry in a brick and mortar store I have plans for.  I wont go into much detail here since I posted version of my store plans in a recent thread.  In general however it will be bbq related with smokers, grills, meat grinders, knives and everything related to those and other things I may carry.  These are items not easily found in my area or at least of the quality I hope to have in stock, more high end than the big box stores.

Some of the knives I may carry are MAC, SHUN, GLOBAL, KERSHAW, BOKER and WUSTHOF.  I am still researching a few more and like you said I am looking for knives for different purposes just like the smokers and grill I am looking at.  Wish I would have started 6 months ago getting good info from Mfg is like pulling teeth it seems. 

So far it has been almost a full time job contacting the right people and looking for products but I have been making some serious headway in the last two or three days or should I say I am learning how to ask the right question.