Product Description

Why allow frustration to ruin a delicious meal? You've taken the time to marinate, rub, or otherwise season your steaks or chops, and to cook them properly. Now don't ruin all that by having to saw through the meat with a table knife! Instead cut clean, even slices to your exact specifications and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Viking knives are manufactured to the highest standards of excellence. The blades are made using a precise metal formulation to result in a blade that holds a better edge, is easy to sharpen, is rust and stain-resistant, as well as tough and durable. Viking knives are a sound investment in your culinary future.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13202 in Kitchen & Housewares
• Brand: Wüsthof
• Model: 9755
• Released on: 2001-07-31
• Dimensions: 4.80" h x 12.20" w x 16.10" l, 1.00 pounds

Features

• Basic knife collection covers most cutting needs
• Includes 8-inch cook's and pointed 3-1/2-inch paring knives
• Forged high-carbon stainless steel blades, hand-honed for razor-like sharpness
• Traditional-style composition handles are triple-riveted for strength and permanence
• Dishwasher safe

Amazon.com Review
This is the set to buy if you want to start a knife collection properly or replace so-so tools with the best cutters available. The set's 8-inch cook's knife, a kitchen essential, performs a wide variety of cutting tasks, from fine chopping to dicing and slicing. The relatively small size and sharp point of the set's paring knife make it ideal for handheld and other small or intricate cutting chores, such as vegetable peeling or mincing small quantities of herbs.

Part of the Classic series, these knives represents two centuries of unexcelled Wüsthof craftsmanship. Like other cutlery in the series, they're hand-forged from a single piece of stainless steel for maximum strength; the hand-polished blades are exactingly calibrated to be hard enough to resist dulling yet soft enough to take a keen edge when they're honed or sharpened. Dishwasher-safe and with traditionally shaped, ergonomically designed handles that are triple-riveted for durability, this set brings a guaranteed lifetime of low-maintenance cutting to its owners. --Arthur Boehm

Customer Reviews

Great Knives, Minor Quibble About Sizes
There are really two main competitors in the high-end mainstream kitchen knife market: Henckels and Wusthof. Those who have used both usually have a preference. My preference (and therefore bias you should know about) is for the Wusthofs.

The Wusthof Classic line is the more conservative counterpart to the Grand Prix line. The only difference, however, is the handle style. I personally prefer the Grand Prix, but this is an issue of personal preference. The balance and grip of these knives are as close to perfect as I have found. For those wondering what benefits a higher priced knife provides, one benefit is that the blade (or tang) is one piece all the way through the handle. This makes the blade much stronger, and less likely to snap.

This set includes an 8 inch chef's knife, and a 3 ½ inch paring knife.

The 8 inch chef's knife, is a great knife. Wusthof offers three sizes of chef's knives, 6, 8 and 10 inch. For most home cooks, I think the 8 inch knife is the best choice. The 6 inch is a bit small for bigger jobs, but the 10 inch is too big for most jobs. While the 8 inch isn't perfect for all uses, if you are only buying one size chef's knife (and most people only buy one), this is the one I would recommend.

As for the 3 ½ inch paring knife, this knife falls into the category of overkill for me. Most cooks will get by just fine with the 4 ½ inch utility knife. There is really no notable difference in size for the vast majority of applications between the 3 ½ inch paring knife and the 4 ½ inch utility knife. I prefer the 4 ½ inch utility knife, but the 3 ½ inch paring knife will do the trick for most tasks.

This set is a good deal; however, if compiling a set myself, I would include the chef's knife and the 4 ½ inch utility knife. Judge for yourself.

Buyer's remorse revisited
In June of 2003, I wrote a blurb praising this starter set. My opinion from then hasn't changed, except the last part where I wrote that I couldn't justify Wusthof's price for those knive you don't use every day. Well, I lied. Since then I have replaced virtually every knife I had then with a Wusthof. Whether I was dicing veggies, carving a roast, or simply cutting up a chicken, I just got to the point where I could no longer tolerate using an inferior knife for the job; so I upgraded as I went along. All my old knives went into my camping box (you're supposed to be "roughing it" when camping, right?).

The knives in this set are superb. The problem is that after using them, you are liable to do as I did and spend lots of money later. Be warned.

Perfect for new cooks...
I received as a gift a set of three Wusthof knives when I moved into my first apartment. At that point in my life, I knew NOTHING about cooking, and could barely boil water. The knives sat in their box for several months before I finally got around to opening them. These knives, however, are absolutely amazing. The difference between my Wusthof knives and a "regular" knife is really impressive. I have been using them for over three years now on a daily basis, and have not yet needed to sharpen them. They easily cut through tough, sinewy cuts of meat, while still being sharp enough to tackle delicate fruits and vegetables without ripping at them. I have since, for the sake of experimentation, tried other "quality brand" knives including Henckel, but nothing has come close. I am now working on completeing my set of Wusthof.