Recommendation? Henckels Professional S Chef Knife vs ZWILLING J.A. HENCKELS PRO CHEF’S KNIFE

C

CLAUDIA DAVIS

Joined
Oct 11, 2020
Messages
9
Deciding between these two or really anything German (durability) under 150 ish. I really can’t go above that.

if anyone has other German only suggestions, I’m open.

thanks so much in advance.
 
Welcome to BF Claudia. Is this for home use?

I personally don't like heavy bolsters at the back of the blade. A lot of people love them but I'm not one of them. They become challenging to sharpen. So the Pro S would be out for me. I think the "standard" Pro is a beautiful knife that looks quite comfortable and functional and is one I've thought about getting myself.

Wusthoff is another very popular brand in direct competition with Henckels. I actually use a few of their Gourmet line and while softer, they are actually quite comfortable and nimble and I don't feel compromised in use. Just touch them up every use or two. The Ikon, especially the Ikon Creme, would be my next step up their ladder.
 
Thank you!
Yes home use. It’s for my brother and I know it’s terrible to buy Something so personal for someone else. However, I am sure if he does not like it, he will be upgrading soon anyway. This will be a backup or used by his wife or guests. If he hates it immediately, he can exchange it.

if you have any more specific suggestions, I’m open still staying under $150 and super durable. He is very rough on EVERYTHING he owns!
 
Eli Chaps said:
Welcome to BF Claudia. Is this for home use?

I personally don't like heavy bolsters at the back of the blade. A lot of people love them but I'm not one of them. They become challenging to sharpen. So the Pro S would be out for me. I think the "standard" Pro is a beautiful knife that looks quite comfortable and functional and is one I've thought about getting myself.

Wusthoff is another very popular brand in direct competition with Henckels. I actually use a few of their Gourmet line and while softer, they are actually quite comfortable and nimble and I don't feel compromised in use. Just touch them up every use or two. The Ikon, especially the Ikon Creme, would be my next step up their ladder.
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Is this the recommended knife:

Wusthof Classic Ikon Creme 8" Hollow Edge Chef's Knife?
 
Well, if he's that hard on things, then along with the Wusthof Gourmet line I'd suggest looking at the Fibrox chef's knife. These are made by Victorinox which is the company that makes Swiss Army Knives. These kitchen knives, while somewhat, um, simple, are actually highly rated and can be found in pro kitchens all over the world.

They are designed to be tough and durable.
 
Eli Chaps said:
Well, if he's that hard on things, then along with the Wusthof Gourmet line I'd suggest looking at the Fibrox chef's knife. These are made by Victorinox which is the company that makes Swiss Army Knives. These kitchen knives, while somewhat, um, simple, are actually highly rated and can be found in pro kitchens all over the world.

They are designed to be tough and durable.
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Thank you!

The Fibrox seem to be 1/4 of the price. Are they 1/4 of the quality? I’m not looking for cheap or to save money. I do want quality in the under $150 limit as much as I can get but not cheap out. which Fibrox do you recommend and would you choose it over the Wustoff you suggested?

My mom has a Victorinox bread knife for probably 60 years. She claims it’s her fav knife.
 
CLAUDIA DAVIS said:
Thank you!

The Fibrox seem to be 1/4 of the price. Are they 1/4 of the quality? I’m not looking for cheap or to save money. I do want quality in the under $150 limit as much as I can get but not cheap out. which Fibrox do you recommend and would you choose it over the Wustoff you suggested?

My mom has a Victorinox bread knife for probably 60 years. She claims it’s her fav knife.
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Like I said, there are high end kitchens all over the place with those knives in them. For the restaurant these knives fill a specific role. They are cheap so if they get damaged or stolen or eventually wear out, then it doesn't hurt so bad. They are very hygienic, tough, durable, and functional. I don't own one but have used one at a friend's and thought it was quite comfortable.

They will be rather soft so will need the edge maintained with more rigor but nothing terrible for a home cook. You're not slinging food for eight straight hours. :)

The compromise is the softer metal and functional but not pretty handle. No frills here in terms of form, but all focused on function. In the FWIW category, America's Test Kitchen rates this their number one chef's knife.

For the home cook, the key here is the durability. The knife will be very easy to sharpen and much more forgiving of rough use. It won't feel as refined or precisely balanced or what have you, but you also won't scream if someone puts it in the dishwasher or leaves it in the sink overnight.

From just a pure functionality and durability point of view, this would be pretty hard to beat.

Give it a couple days though and let other folks weigh in. There are people with far more experience than I have. :)
 
Eli Chaps said:
I'm going to tag a couple guys I respect in this category and see if they chime in...

O Ourorboros
@marchone
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I can’t believe how nice and helpful you have been! Thank you so much. I’m not going to make any purchase until I hear some more recommendations, as you Said, but yours make a lot of sense. My brother does like ‘beauty’ in His kitchen So the Wustoff would blow him away. Glad the nice you picked has beauty and brains!
 
Between the 2 the Zwilling pro. The lack of a bolster will make resharpening easier and the way it is swept back is far more comfortable for pinch gripping users.

I pinch grip and have sharpened some of those for people and far and away one of the most comfortable for pinching.

Steel is a wash and either the handle shaping is very nice on those. More comfortable to me than Wusthof riveted lines.

What does he cook? There are other blades such as chinese cleavers, Cimeters, boning knives that would fill a niche if he does certain things. Avid fisherman, BBQ cooker etc..
 
Spideyjg said:
Between the 2 the Zwilling pro. The lack of a bolster will make resharpening easier and the way it is swept back is far more comfortable for pinch gripping users.

I pinch grip and have sharpened some of those for people and far and away one of the most comfortable for pinching.

Steel is a wash and either the handle shaping is very nice on those. More comfortable to me than Wusthof riveted lines.

What does he cook? There are other blades such as chinese cleavers, Cimeters, boning knives that would fill a niche if he does certain things. Avid fisherman, BBQ cooker etc..
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My brother cooks EVERYTHING. He pretty much cooks every dinner 5 times a week and three meals a day, each day on the weekend. He cooks mainly fish and veg but his style ranges. He mentioned wanting a new Starter chef knife yesterday (but was hesitating because he just ordered a custom guitar) so I thought I’d send him one as a gift. I honestly thinks he needs a multipurpose and durable chef knife that, when he possibly wants to go much better quality, he will have an idea of direction.
 
Everyone needs to have a great primary cutter be it a chef, gyuto, or Santoku. If he doesn't then you cant go wrong with that Zwilling chef.
 
CLAUDIA DAVIS said:
My brother cooks EVERYTHING. He pretty much cooks every dinner 5 times a week and three meals a day, each day on the weekend. He cooks mainly fish and veg but his style ranges. He mentioned wanting a new Starter chef knife yesterday (but was hesitating because he just ordered a custom guitar) so I thought I’d send him one as a gift. I honestly thinks he needs a multipurpose and durable chef knife that, when he possibly wants to go much better quality, he will have an idea of direction.
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I agree with your thinking on versatility and the chef knife path. Do you know if he sharpens? No matter what he gets he will need a way to maintain the edges. And those pull-through "V" things don't count. :p

I mention this because you can set him down a lifetime path here. If he doesn't currently sharpen, then you could perhaps make a package type deal.

Something Like:

- Fibrox 8" Chef's Knife: $50
- Norton Combination India Stone model ICS8: $25
- Universal Stone Holder: $20
- Red Sharpie Marker: Couple bucks

He can strop (that's the finishing touches of sharpening) on an old belt or even cardboard. He can use laxative-grade mineral oil from the pharmacy aisle on the stones. The marker is so he can mark the edge and help know how he is doing on the stone.

With that setup, he'll get a very functional knife that is great to learn sharpening. And that stone will let him sharpen up other stuff he already has. Sharpening is not voodoo as many make it out. It does take an understanding of the fundamentals and practice but it is definitely doable by most all folks. There's tons of YouTube videos and hey, we have a great section here all about it. It is extremely rewarding, both in knowing you created that sharp edge but also in performance. Always having that sharp knife is awesome and I'd take a sharp lower-end knife over a dull expensive one any day!

With that setup, he can learn what he likes and then branch out, both in knife and stone preference.

Just a thought and another approach. Not trying to over complicate things. :)
 
Eli
Eli Chaps said:
I agree with your thinking on versatility and the chef knife path. Do you know if he sharpens? No matter what he gets he will need a way to maintain the edges. And those pull-through "V" things don't count. :p

I mention this because you can set him down a lifetime path here. If he doesn't currently sharpen, then you could perhaps make a package type deal.

Something Like:

- Fibrox 8" Chef's Knife: $50
- Norton Combination India Stone model ICS8: $25
- Universal Stone Holder: $20
- Red Sharpie Marker: Couple bucks

He can strop (that's the finishing touches of sharpening) on an old belt or even cardboard. He can use laxative-grade mineral oil from the pharmacy aisle on the stones. The marker is so he can mark the edge and help know how he is doing on the stone.

With that setup, he'll get a very functional knife that is great to learn sharpening. And that stone will let him sharpen up other stuff he already has. Sharpening is not voodoo as many make it out. It does take an understanding of the fundamentals and practice but it is definitely doable by most all folks. There's tons of YouTube videos and hey, we have a great section here all about it. It is extremely rewarding, both in knowing you created that sharp edge but also in performance. Always having that sharp knife is awesome and I'd take a sharp lower-end knife over a dull expensive one any day!

With that setup, he can learn what he likes and then branch out, both in knife and stone preference.

Just a thought and another approach. Not trying to over complicate things. :)
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Thanks so much Eli....
This sounds like a wonderful gift package for anyone. I would love it gifted to me. BUT.....my brother is really not responsible enough, even though he is 43, to sharpen his own knives. Even if he thinks he is, 1) I’m not going to be the one responsible to give him the tools to do it and 2) my mother would kill me if she found out I gifted him with the means to sharpen knives.

This is because he once almost slit his Entire neck Off with a chainsaw. I kid you not.

He had to go to the ER and has a scar along his neck several inches long. Long story but lack of paying attention to what he was doing plus dangerous “gadgets” don’t make a good combo around my brother. If he wants anything more dangerous than the knife itself, he can get it himself. Now maybe I am rethinking the knife....LOL.

I will think about your idea though. There happens to be a real old timer who only does knife sharpening for well over 50 years near my parents so he can always have that guy do it for him. That’s what I do. I’m not sure how he handles it now.
 
You rang? Thank-you for the nice words Eli.
Among kitchen knife people, the Victorinox Fibrox chef's knife is the common minimum recommendation. It is known for being durable and performing well enough.
Between the Professional S and Pro, the Pro is lighter, quicker, and easier to control.
The bolster on the Professional S is nice if he is butchering chickens and needs to break the collar bone, or other power moves like that. The downside is that it gets in the way of sharpening and over time the edge is above the bolster. It doesn't sound like your brother should be doing butchering though.
The Pro is better for chopping/push cutting with that long flat spot by the heel. Which means cutting straight up and down, or down and forward. The Professional S is better for rock chopping - you see cooks do that on cooking shows.

If your brother cuts frozen food or bangs his knife on stuff, get the Victorinox and don't look back. Anything more would be a waste of money and the Henckels aren't going to survive it any better.

An in between choice is the Zwilling Diplome. It's not going to survive cutting into bone or frozen food. It has no bolster and handles very well. The steel is stainless (AEB-L) and takes a very nice edge. It should hold that edge better than a Henckels, Wustof, or Victorinox. I touch up the edge on my parent's Diplome every couple of weeks, only because I'm particular about my edges and as long as I'm there anyways, I may as well. It doesn't really need it.
This is the outside choice, but if you find a sale, you get it for about $80.

Another choice is Japanese, but made from a durable steel. It is the Fujiwara FKM gyuto. This is considered a transitional knife to regular Japanese knives.
The steel is almost as soft as German steel, AUS-8 and durable. There is no bolster and it's $80, less at Drop.com right now IIRC.

Each are easily sharpened.

There are other Japanese knives known for durability, but I'll throw in one design - the Western Deba. The 'Western' part is very important, as that version is made to withstand abuse like butchering whole chicken.
 
The Fujiwara is for sure a step up over the German stuff. I have had a carbon one for over a decade and even though I have more expensive Japanese knifes now that one is still the work horse in my kitchen. I have German steel knifes also and they pretty much stay out of sight and out of mind. There probably are other Japanese knifes at that price point that may be as good or better but I don't have experience with them.
 
I forgot to say - the Professional S is definitively thicker and heavier. That does make it more versatile since you can do light butchery with it. But it also means it will wedge a lot more than the Pro.
It's not versatility that people use any more and a thinner blade glides through more things.
 
CLAUDIA DAVIS said:
Eli

Thanks so much Eli....
This sounds like a wonderful gift package for anyone. I would love it gifted to me. BUT.....my brother is really not responsible enough, even though he is 43, to sharpen his own knives. Even if he thinks he is, 1) I’m not going to be the one responsible to give him the tools to do it and 2) my mother would kill me if she found out I gifted him with the means to sharpen knives.

This is because he once almost slit his Entire neck Off with a chainsaw. I kid you not.

He had to go to the ER and has a scar along his neck several inches long. Long story but lack of paying attention to what he was doing plus dangerous “gadgets” don’t make a good combo around my brother. If he wants anything more dangerous than the knife itself, he can get it himself. Now maybe I am rethinking the knife....LOL.

I will think about your idea though. There happens to be a real old timer who only does knife sharpening for well over 50 years near my parents so he can always have that guy do it for him. That’s what I do. I’m not sure how he handles it now.
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Well, then get your brother the Fibrox and buy yourself the sharpening gear and we'll teach you how to use it. :D
 
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