- Joined
- May 3, 2002
- Messages
- 6,192
Two years ago I received a set of 4 Mundial kitchen knives for Christmas:
8" blade bread knife #5121-8 E
8" blade chef's knife #5110-8
6" utility knife #5114-6
3.5" blade paring knife #5111-3 1/2
After a year of regular use without any sharpening or steeling what-so-ever they were rather dull after having served me rather well.
I shapened them at that point.
The following year I made a point to steel them every about every-other-use and they stayed much sharper longer.
Tonight, another year later, I decided to sharpen the chef's knife and the paring knife. The chef's knife had gotten a lot of use and even though it wasn't NEAR as dull as it was a year ago, I was in the mood so I sharpened it. The paring knife I sharpened at too low an angle so it had gotten dull faster but still wasn't as dull as it was a year ago.
The utility knife, after a year's worth of use (not as much as the chef's knife but still a lot), and after steeling it tonight was STILL shaving sharp after a year of cutting mostly peppers and meat.
I've never sharpened the bread knife.
Tonight the Chef's knife and Utility knife sharpened up easily and I expect that, with occasional steeling, will serve me another year easily.
When I first got these knives I used to put them in the dishwasher. After about 5 times through the dishwasher I noticed a few specks of rust on the bread knife. They were easily removed and I immediately stopped putting them in the dishwasher. Ever since then, when I'm done with them, I wash them by hand and return them to the drawer.
I'm really impressed with the durability and edge retention of these knives. I'm more than happy to sharpen them once a year.
My only complaint is that the handles could be more comfortable. They have some sort of satin-finished plastic and the edges aren't as radiused as I would like. After 40 minutes of work cutting hard things like raw sweet potatoes the handles nearly raise a blister on my hand.
On the other hand, the handles have shown no sign of loosening at all.
I think these are resonably priced for good kitchen knives (around $210 for the set I have) compared to some others. But I don't think I'd ever spend more for higher priced knives after experiencing these. I can't imagine I'd need more than this. I also could't imagine working in the kitchen with anything less than this after using these.
Over all, I'd highly recommend these Mundial knives for the average household.
However, if you're the type that spends hours in the kitchen every week slaving over difficult cutting tasks like raw sweet potatoes, squash, lots of carrots, etc. then you might consider getting something with a more comfortable handle because even though it has only bothered me two or three times in the two years of using them, a hardcore chef might want something a bit more comfortable for extended periods of work with a knife.
For most people, I think these knives would make an excellent home set since most people don't have to cut hard vegetables for 30 minutes or longer and most people like their knives to last a long time before they need to be sharpened. Just be sure to wash them by hand and dry them. They don't rust THAT easily, but they will rust in the dishwasher after a few washes.
They've really been a pleasure to own and work with in the kitchen. Cooking is fun. And cooking stays fun as long as you don't have to worry about your tools which is something I haven't had to worry about for the last two years.
8" blade bread knife #5121-8 E
8" blade chef's knife #5110-8
6" utility knife #5114-6
3.5" blade paring knife #5111-3 1/2
After a year of regular use without any sharpening or steeling what-so-ever they were rather dull after having served me rather well.
I shapened them at that point.
The following year I made a point to steel them every about every-other-use and they stayed much sharper longer.
Tonight, another year later, I decided to sharpen the chef's knife and the paring knife. The chef's knife had gotten a lot of use and even though it wasn't NEAR as dull as it was a year ago, I was in the mood so I sharpened it. The paring knife I sharpened at too low an angle so it had gotten dull faster but still wasn't as dull as it was a year ago.
The utility knife, after a year's worth of use (not as much as the chef's knife but still a lot), and after steeling it tonight was STILL shaving sharp after a year of cutting mostly peppers and meat.
I've never sharpened the bread knife.
Tonight the Chef's knife and Utility knife sharpened up easily and I expect that, with occasional steeling, will serve me another year easily.
When I first got these knives I used to put them in the dishwasher. After about 5 times through the dishwasher I noticed a few specks of rust on the bread knife. They were easily removed and I immediately stopped putting them in the dishwasher. Ever since then, when I'm done with them, I wash them by hand and return them to the drawer.
I'm really impressed with the durability and edge retention of these knives. I'm more than happy to sharpen them once a year.
My only complaint is that the handles could be more comfortable. They have some sort of satin-finished plastic and the edges aren't as radiused as I would like. After 40 minutes of work cutting hard things like raw sweet potatoes the handles nearly raise a blister on my hand.
On the other hand, the handles have shown no sign of loosening at all.
I think these are resonably priced for good kitchen knives (around $210 for the set I have) compared to some others. But I don't think I'd ever spend more for higher priced knives after experiencing these. I can't imagine I'd need more than this. I also could't imagine working in the kitchen with anything less than this after using these.
Over all, I'd highly recommend these Mundial knives for the average household.
However, if you're the type that spends hours in the kitchen every week slaving over difficult cutting tasks like raw sweet potatoes, squash, lots of carrots, etc. then you might consider getting something with a more comfortable handle because even though it has only bothered me two or three times in the two years of using them, a hardcore chef might want something a bit more comfortable for extended periods of work with a knife.
For most people, I think these knives would make an excellent home set since most people don't have to cut hard vegetables for 30 minutes or longer and most people like their knives to last a long time before they need to be sharpened. Just be sure to wash them by hand and dry them. They don't rust THAT easily, but they will rust in the dishwasher after a few washes.
They've really been a pleasure to own and work with in the kitchen. Cooking is fun. And cooking stays fun as long as you don't have to worry about your tools which is something I haven't had to worry about for the last two years.