Review A friend bought this Tefal "Eversharp" knife...

[roaduck]

So I asked if I could review it on the best online knife forum in the world - I kid you not!
My girlfriend`s pal called Cathie bought this Chinese patented wonder from a big actual and online UK store called Argos using her store card.
The knife just came out in the last year or two and it`s from a brand called Tefal which is best known for teflon non-stick frying pans, pressure cookers, steam irons and knives from the mid fifties onwards.
It was only about $26 and is made of German steel called X50CrMoV15 which is probably a budget formulation.
On the front of the blade it says "German Steel" in bold letters and on the back of the blade it reads "Made in China" in tiny letters - If that is not blatant globalism, I don`t know what is - haha !
It claims to be forged and is roughly six ounces and has a 6 -5/8th blade.It`s claim to fame is a knife sharpener built into the locking scabbard ( kid-safe ? )
To seat the blade in the scabbard / sharpener and retrieve it it has to obviously go over the stones (manmade abrasives / ceramic ?) in both directions and looks like a pull through sharpener which is usually only employed in one backwards direction to effect sharpening.Perhaps the stone guides and the spring even out the employed method to make the result more consistant; I`m just guessing.
So how does it perform - well Cathie says it`s great and I agree it`s not bad for the money at all.
It can do thin slices out of a semi-frozen onion and does a better than average slice of very ripe tomatoes.
Out of the box sharpness was better than the four Globals I just got for my girlfriend but not as sharp OOTB as my $7 current PLYS Chinese cleaver ( which is shown on my previous Global knives review )
Some Amazon reviews cite a rusty blade and a snapped handle at the hilt after light domestic use for a couple of months.
So would I buy it ? - yeah if I was broke student or something and didn`t know Jack about $10 Chinese Chef`s knives - sure - why not.
Would I recommend it in a top knife forum ? erm dunno - What do you guys think ?
A foreign chef did a video review of it and he thought it was fine for the outlay.

 

[chalby]

Well, it's not forged. For that price I would bet money on it being a standard mass produced stamped blade.

X50CrMoV15 is the standard German steel AKA 1.4116 that all the big German/European kitchen knife makers use. It's a basic stainless steel. It's nothing special, but should hold up OK for most non-knife nerds. Will need sharpening fairly often.

A knife like this is fine if you are not paying top dollar.

 

[roaduck]

Yeah chalby of course it`s stamped and standard 1.4116 but okay for the dough.
I told Cath I`d get her a nice Japanese one for Chrimbo cos It will hold it`s edge much longer etc.

 

[polish avenger]

Forged can mean "drop forged" which is an entirely different animal. Reminds me of the old Wilkinson Sword? knives that came with a self sharpener storage "sheath" from the 70's....nothing new under the sun, right?

 

[Grasshopperglock]

It's not stamped. Reported 56hrc.

F. Dick would be a better buy. Even without the gimmick sharpener.

Wusthof (stamped)

Victorinox

Case


(Word to the wise. A kitchen knife is a one time deal, last you the rest of life type deal. Knives in the $150-$250 range fit this category.)

 

[chalby]

It's not stamped. Reported 56hrc.

F. Dick would be a better buy. Even without the gimmick sharpener.

Wusthof (stamped)

Victorinox

Case


(Word to the wise. A kitchen knife is a one time deal, last you the rest of life type deal. Knives in the $150-$250 range fit this category.)

F. Dick and Wusthof are some of the most over-priced knives in existence IMO. Victorinox are OK, their Fibrox chef knives are good value. For most kitchen knives I've seen from these three brands you are still only getting 4116 or something similar. OK you might get a good warranty. Don't know anything about Case kitchen knives.

You don't need to spend that much money for a good functional kitchen knife. If I was going to spend that much it wouldn't be on a soft German style knife. That's just me though.

 

[Grasshopperglock]

Global runs their blades hard. You can feel and hear the difference in the ring as you hone it.

Wusthof forged blades are harder then their stamped. My go to is the Classic in 7". I have a Global in 8". The model X(?). At one inch difference. The Wusthof is feather light. Thin and razor sharp. With no problems keeping it that way. The Global chef I have is a heavy and huge knife.

For what I cut and portion size. There's nothing I can't do with the 7".

 

[Grasshopperglock]

Dinner is getting close. I have to fillet chicken breast.

Here's my favorite tool. Seven whole inches long. Victorinox case.

 

[chalby]

Global runs their blades hard. You can feel and hear the difference in the ring as you hone it.

Wusthof forged blades are harder then their stamped. My go to is the Classic in 7". I have a Global in 8". The model X(?). At one inch difference. The Wusthof is feather light. Thin and razor sharp. With no problems keeping it that way. The Global chef I have is a heavy and huge knife.

For what I cut and portion size. There's nothing I can't do with the 7".

Even at 58HRC the Wusthof's are soft though. They are not a bad knife, just ridiculously overpriced IMO. I have a couple of Wusthof Classic's that were my grandmothers that are good knives, but I wouldn't advise anyone to buy them unless money doesn't mean much to you or you can get them at a huge discount somewhere.

I just think there are much better knives at much better prices out there. I do understand people being fans of these knives though.

 

[chalby]

Forged can mean "drop forged" which is an entirely different animal. Reminds me of the old Wilkinson Sword? knives that came with a self sharpener storage "sheath" from the 70's....nothing new under the sun, right?

Thanks for that bit of info. I did a bit of research on drop forging and learned a few things. I always thought "forged" meant hammer forged.

 

[roaduck]

Wusthof`s in the 1960`s and before made drop-forged carbons and they were HRC-60 -61 - they were great knives.
To me they seemed easier to sharpen than their stainless ones.

 

[roaduck]

Even at 58HRC the Wusthof's are soft though. They are not a bad knife, just ridiculously overpriced IMO. I have a couple of Wusthof Classic's that were my grandmothers that are good knives, but I wouldn't advise anyone to buy them unless money doesn't mean much to you or you can get them at a huge discount somewhere.

I just think there are much better knives at much better prices out there. I do understand people being fans of these knives though.


A lot of things were better made years ago - labour was cheaper etc

 

[roaduck]

I`m gonna get Cath a reasonably priced Japanese 9 inch Gyuto in Shirogami White #2 carbon steel with blacksmith`s Kurouchi black finish - like this one - she will love it.
This Japanese knife company called Motokyuichi is very good but very good value for money.I think this one was only about $90 delivered to UK.
They do much better ones than this model - all hand-made forged and they do trad carbons, semi and full stainless plus full bespoke.

It takes two secs to sharpen (much too hard to hone on a normal steel at HRC-64)
I could get a ceramic or diamond honing rod but I don`t really need one - I have a #1200 grit diamond plate permanently next to the sink.
Full carbons just need a quick wipe after use which you get used to doing every time.

 

[roaduck]

Global runs their blades hard. You can feel and hear the difference in the ring as you hone it.

Wusthof forged blades are harder then their stamped. My go to is the Classic in 7". I have a Global in 8". The model X(?). At one inch difference. The Wusthof is feather light. Thin and razor sharp. With no problems keeping it that way. The Global chef I have is a heavy and huge knife.

For what I cut and portion size. There's nothing I can't do with the 7"

This is my girlfriend`s favourite knife.It was a bargain at under a hundred dollars - now it`s gone right up.
It`s a Japanese Eden - Kanso - Aogami - 7 inch - blue #2 carbon in kurouchi finish.It comes with a 25 year guarantee - not a lifetime because it`s brittle.
The edge retention is mega but you can`t drop it because it`s HRC-64 - really brittle and it`s really light - about 5-6 ounces.
Her Globals, Henckels and Sabatiers are like axes compared to this.It can get 3-4 times sharper - easy cos of the edge geometry and the hard steel.
Most axes are low to mid fifties HRC if they`re European - Japanese are different haha! - better steels - differential hardness etc.
Each increment in the HRC scale upwards is 3 times harder.So 60 is three times harder than a 59 - it`s a logarithmic scale - it`s not linear.
So there is a huge difference between a 58 and a 64.The crucial thing is the tempering and heat treatment - just 20 degrees celsius and 30 seconds either way can make all the difference to a good knife and a crap one.
Differential hardening of one carbon steel called hagane is the best quality but you`re looking at $1000 knives minimum.Worth it though `cos they last hundreds of years.I think doing it with stainless or semi is only doable in layers and that`s not true hagane.
A hagane knife can go from HRC-55 - soft and tough at the top of the blade - spine (Mune / Mine) to HRC-68 to the edge (Koba/ Itoba) - made from one piece of steel - it is not easy to do because you only get once chance to get it right.It is impossible to do with a machine.

They tested it in a pro kitchen and it still had a good edge after 4 months without sharpening; just honing on a leather ! The video is on the web.

 

[Dr. Rayeye]

So I asked if I could review it on the best online knife forum in the world - I kid you not!
My girlfriend`s pal called Cathie bought this Chinese patented wonder from a big actual and online UK store called Argos using her store card.
The knife just came out in the last year or two and it`s from a brand called Tefal which is best known for teflon non-stick frying pans, pressure cookers, steam irons and knives from the mid fifties onwards.
It was only about $26 and is made of German steel called X50CrMoV15 which is probably a budget formulation.
On the front of the blade it says "German Steel" in bold letters and on the back of the blade it reads "Made in China" in tiny letters - If that is not blatant globalism, I don`t know what is - haha !
It claims to be forged and is roughly six ounces and has a 6 -5/8th blade.It`s claim to fame is a knife sharpener built into the locking scabbard ( kid-safe ? )
To seat the blade in the scabbard / sharpener and retrieve it it has to obviously go over the stones (manmade abrasives / ceramic ?) in both directions and looks like a pull through sharpener which is usually only employed in one backwards direction to effect sharpening.Perhaps the stone guides and the spring even out the employed method to make the result more consistant; I`m just guessing.
So how does it perform - well Cathie says it`s great and I agree it`s not bad for the money at all.
It can do thin slices out of a semi-frozen onion and does a better than average slice of very ripe tomatoes.
Out of the box sharpness was better than the four Globals I just got for my girlfriend but not as sharp OOTB as my $7 current PLYS Chinese cleaver ( which is shown on my previous Global knives review )
Some Amazon reviews cite a rusty blade and a snapped handle at the hilt after light domestic use for a couple of months.
So would I buy it ? - yeah if I was broke student or something and didn`t know Jack about $10 Chinese Chef`s knives - sure - why not.
Would I recommend it in a top knife forum ? erm dunno - What do you guys think ?
A foreign chef did a video review of it and he thought it was fine for the outlay.

There are similar knives like this kicking around in the USA, and restaurant supplies sell Dexter Russell and Mercer at a slightly higher price point. Truth is, for home cooks, there are limited advantages to enthusiast knives. For most tasks, it's not all that different even for full time users.

 

[Dr. Rayeye]

Even at 58HRC the Wusthof's are soft though. They are not a bad knife, just ridiculously overpriced IMO. I have a couple of Wusthof Classic's that were my grandmothers that are good knives, but I wouldn't advise anyone to buy them unless money doesn't mean much to you or you can get them at a huge discount somewhere.

I just think there are much better knives at much better prices out there. I do understand people being fans of these knives though.

Not sure where you were looking--or what "ridiculously overpriced" means. I paid $100 for my 8" Wusthof classic Ikon chef knife without looking too closely for bargains. Other models are listed on EBAY for much less. The Classic Ikon has a great profile and a distal taper that allows it to be used both to chop and slice. Near constant light honing maintains the edge (no chipping)--and it's built for the long run.

 

[chalby]

Not sure where you were looking--or what "ridiculously overpriced" means. I paid $100 for my 8" Wusthof classic Ikon chef knife without looking too closely for bargains. Other models are listed on EBAY for much less. The Classic Ikon has a great profile and a distal taper that allows it to be used both to chop and slice. Near constant light honing maintains the edge (no chipping)--and it's built for the long run.

What I meant by "ridiculously overpriced" is that it's not close to being value for money for me if I'm looking for a new knife. For what you get I wouldn't pay $100(I'm assuming US$100?) for a Wusthof considering what else is out there, though I think they are normally more than that. If you can get it at a discount, sure I'd consider it.

I know there are plenty of people like yourself who would pay that and more. Like I said I don't think they are bad knives and I understand why some people love them. Just my opinion.

 

[roaduck]

Just my opinion but I think that Wusthofs are so expensive because the labour prices are so high in Germany - plus you`re paying for the advertising and marketing and the high business rates, high taxes, high diesel prices, high electric prices - the whole caboodle.
Personally I think they`re resting on their laurels and expecting people to fork out top dollar for `em.
They`re good - but not that good.
Same with Global in Japan - I just got 4 for my gf and they were very expensive for what they are.
Same with Zwilling / Henckels - just got a tiny 4 inch paring knife and it was not worth the outlay.
That`s why I get budget knives from China - I don`t go on brand names at all.

 

[Dr. Rayeye]

What I meant by "ridiculously overpriced" is that it's not close to being value for money for me if I'm looking for a new knife. For what you get I wouldn't pay $100(I'm assuming US$100?) for a Wusthof considering what else is out there, though I think they are normally more than that. If you can get it at a discount, sure I'd consider it.

I know there are plenty of people like yourself who would pay that and more. Like I said I don't think they are bad knives and I understand why some people love them. Just my opinion.

When the cost of some Wusthof models are no more than Victorinox--the standard of quality economy knives in Europe--they're not even overpriced, let alone "ridiculously" overpriced. I buy value for purpose--and have kitchen knives that match diverse practice in all price ranges. I have American, European, Japanese, and Chinese knives. Wusthofs that I've purchased have a place--as do my $33 Chinese Shibazi vegetable cleaver, and my $350 HADO ginsan artisan Japanese santoku.

 

[chalby]

When the cost of some Wusthof models are no more than Victorinox--the standard of quality economy knives in Europe--they're not even overpriced, let alone "ridiculously" overpriced. I buy value for purpose--and have kitchen knives that match diverse practice in all price ranges. I have American, European, Japanese, and Chinese knives. Wusthofs that I've purchased have a place--as do my $33 Chinese Shibazi vegetable cleaver, and my $350 HADO ginsan artisan Japanese santoku.

You don't need to justify anything. If you believe they are good value, then enjoy.

To be fair though a lot of Victorinox's kitchen knives are overpriced as well. Again just my opinion.