What is best edge angle for Wusthof Grand Prix kitchen knives?

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777zzz

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Oct 31, 2008
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I posted the question here because the Kitchen Cutlery and Tools forum is so small.

I have a set of Wusthof Grand Prix knives: 8" chef's knife, 6" chef's knife, utility knife, paring knife, and carving knife. I bought the set 18 years ago, and they are made of X50 Cr Mo 15 steel. What is the best edge angle for the best combination of edge retention and cutting capability? Wusthof is now recommending 14 degrees per side for its kitchen knives but until recently recommended 20 degrees. So the 14 degree recommendation may only be applicable to its newer steels. I have read that 14 degrees, 15 degrees, and 17 degrees is ideal for Wusthof kitchen knives.

I have always sharpened this set at 18 degrees on the chef's knives and 19 degrees on the rest. The chef's knives have held an edge very well at this angle, but the paring and utility knives have not even with regular stropping. But going higher than 19 degrees on the thinner knives seems too high. With Wusthof kitchen knives it's necessary to add one degree per side for the thinner knives and two degrees per side for the chef's knives to accommodate for the grind angle, correct? Thanks for any replies.
 
Kitchen knives in simple steels will do fine at 14° per side. In fact, in most ordinary & non-abusive tasks, most any knife in any decent steel (modern or not) will be fine at that angle. Knives used for chopping of bones might be better off with a slightly wider angle.

Every knife I sharpen gets an edge of 15° per side or less, and many are probably down to 12.5° per side (25° inclusive), including some knives in steels similar to that used in the Wusthof knives, and even cheap kitchen knives I've bought at the grocery store, for the most part. So long as I'm not abusive on them, they hold up fine at these angles and I never worry about them.

Some inexpensive knives in simple steels will initially have some weak steel near the edge, probably due to overheating during factory grinding. Edges on those can be unstable when brand new. But after a few sharpenings, that weak steel gets removed eventually and the stability of the edge improves.
 
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I don't measure angle but the last time I did I average 15 per side, it's what I sharpen most everything too unless I feel it needs something different. If you can tell a substantial difference in 14 and then 15 degrees then more power to you but thats some real nitpicking on some very basic steel.


Also, do you really think the person at the factory holding the blade by hand and sharpening it on a high speed belt grinder has +/- 1 degree of accuracy? Never believe an edge angle number from a manufacture...

Standard rule is go as low as the steel will handle.
 
Thanks for the informative responses. I'll sharpen the entire set at 14 degrees per side.
 
777zzz said:
Thanks for the informative responses. I'll sharpen the entire set at 14 degrees per side.
Click to expand...
Again...

Never trust angle recommendations from a knife maker. They are telling you a number to put your mind at ease.
 
Personally I feel that thinning behind the edge does a lot more for most kitchen knives than narrowing the bevel angle. I've got a similar set of older knives and generally sharpen them at about a 40° incl. bevel. That is a decent angle for a steel that isn't particularly hard. My knives are only about .010" - .012" thick behind the bevel though, so they'd almost slice decently with no apex.
 
What angle is best depends as much on the user as the steel. You really need to figure out what works best for you.
 
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