A Henckels Knife Set is a great way to start a collection of useful and high quality knives in your kitchen. Henckels is a top knife brand that has been making high quality knives for decades. A Henckels knife is appropriate when you are looking for a selection of several different types of knives. If you don’t really have any good knives, this is a great way to start and, per knife, will be much cheaper than buying various Henckles knives individually. The downside is that while each set offer a good selection, you don’t get much choice in the matter! Most knife sets also come with a wooden block designed to safety hold all the knives on your counter. Though some knives are advertised as being dishwasher safe, it’s generally a good idea to hand wash knives in order to maximize their lifetime.
You’ll find that Henckels knife sets are available at a range of range of different prices and each family of knives has a unique name such as “Four Star,” “Fine Edge Synergy” or “International Everedge.” Even sets of knives that look similar may range from under $100 up to about $300. The difference is usually the quality of the blades and the types of handles that are used. Cheaper knives are usually stamped out of sheet metal. Higher quality blades are forged and will last longer. Henckles would like you to believe that the quality of the knives improves with price and to some extent that is probably true. On the other hand, a Henckles knife of any price will still cut! Here are some examples of various knife sets made by Henckles:
J.A. Henckels International Fine Edge Synergy 17-Piece Block Set: This is a relatively low end set of knives that can be found for less than $100. 8 of the 17 pieces are steak knives that may be useful at the table but won’t find much use in the kitchen. These are stamped knives with partially plastic handles. Overall, the knives are quite light without much heft or power.
J.A. Henckels Twin Signature 7-Piece Knife Block Set: This is a smaller set with 7 of Henckel’s mid quality stamped knives and include an 8 inch chef’s knife, a 4 inch paring knife, a 5 inch utility knife, a 2.5 inch pealing knife, kitchen scissors, a sharpening steel and a wooden knife block. The block has a few open slots for purchasing a few individual knives later. A single higher quality forged knife would be a good addition to this collection.
J.A. Henckels International Classic Forged 7-Piece Stainless-Steel Knife Set with Hardwood Block: This is a collection of forged knives which are generally believed to be better than stamped knives. This set includes an 8 inch chef’s knife, a 7 inch santoku slicing knife, a 5 inch utility knife, a 4 inch paring knife, kitchen scissors and a sharpening steel. Again, this is a smaller set of knives that will allow you to pick and choose a couple of useful additional knives later.