Henckels Fine Edge Pro 2-pc Asian Knife Set

You know how they say dull knives are the most dangerous items in the kitchen? I beg to differ, very sharp knives are far more dangerous. These knives start cutting through things before they even reach the surface, that's how sharp they are. OK, that may be a slight exaggeration, but they are indeed sharp. You'll have to sharpen them once a week or two to keep them sharp, but they'll last for years. I don't think they're the type that you can pass down to your kids once they move into their own house, after all they're $20 something and not that hard for them to buy it for themselves, but you'll certainly get great use out of them.As nice as sharp knives are, what's even nicer is the weight. They're not very heavy knives but have enough weight to make them easier to handle. I've seen really sharp and good knives that are so heavy you practically don't have to put down. SOL if your finger is in the way with those. At least with these, yes they're sharp and yes you may experience some cuts every now and then, but they'll be much easier to handle.Great knives and you'll be very happy with them.

Wow! I have an entire set of Henckels knifes that I have used for several years and my wife is looking to restock her entire kitchen with new gear and the Santoku knifes were one of her first purchases. At the price I had zero expectations since we have several knifes that we received for wedding presents that were over $100 each, I thought there was no way these two knifes for 20% of the cost of one knife could compete. Well let me just say these Santoku knifes are now the stars of the kitchen and are used daily by my wife. She is slicing her vegetables much thinner and also at a quicker pace. She is also happy with the weight of the knifes which I personally feel are a little too light for me but they do work well for her.I have already ordered a second set of knifes to replace the originals when they get too dull. Really these are the best knifes in our kitchen and the price was much less than our prior knifes.

As these knives are made in Thailand, some customers are wondering if they are "genuine Henckels" merchandise. According to the company's website: "The J.A. HENCKELS INTERNATIONAL brand was established in 1895 as a separate value brand of ZWILLING J.A. HENCKELS. [The International brand] produces knives for the value conscious customer who wants a quality product for their everyday needs at the best price. All J.A. HENCKELS INTERNATIONAL products are fully guaranteed against defects in materials and/or craftsmanship."The "International" brand is not comparable in quality or price to the "Solingen Germany" brand, nor is it meant to, but these value brand knives are what they are intended to be--serviceable knives for light kitchen duty at a bargain price. These knives have thinner steel and also lack the finish-out and pleasing heft and feel of the premium models. See my photo for a comparison.The inscription on the value brand states "stainless steel," whereas the expensive knife in my kitchen states that its blade is fabricated from "No Stain Friodur." "No stain" knives will rust if left exposed to moisture. True stainless steel will not rust.My knives arrived well sharpened. I rated them down one star because I think that the sharp corner of the blade nearest to the handle should be honed and rounded for better safety.

Wow, I absolutely cannot believe these are the world renowned "Henckel" knives because the quality is terrible. Tried using the small knife to slice some zucchini and just wasn't sharp enough to move through it with ease as I expected from having gifted a set of these to my Dad 20 years ago. Either the quality of their knives has declined considerably, or this particular "line" is a lower grade quality. Using the word "Pro" in the name is a joke, no professional chef would want to own these if they had to cut with them all day long. I thought the price was too good to be true and it was as in this case you really do get what you pay for, a low quality knife for a low price. Don't let the brand name fool you, these knives were not up to par with the quality I was expecting from the Henckel name. On the other hand, if you are super afraid of owning an extremely sharp, truly professional chef knife, these can be something you can feel less intimidated about using if you are worried about injuring yourself while cutting. Once upon a time these knives would be sold in sets that came with a blade sharpener. I don't know if these particular ones can be sharpened and if so if that would enhance their performance, but I'll definitely try to explore that as an option for myself in the future rather than having to invest in something more expensive. If you really want to buy a set of excellent kitchen knives, my recommendation would be, after having gone through this experience buying it online, to go to a store that specializes in cookware that caters to serious home cooks/professional chefs and talk to a sales person with a lot of knowledge on the various brands, styles etc. and hand select something for yourself that suits your needs and price point that you are willing to pay for. These did get shipped in some serious heavy duty plastic packaging so if you do order them, I found it was very safe to have them shipped to my home, they just required a pair of heavy duty scissors to cut open the packaging. To sum up, they are "ok" for the price but really disappointed in the quality because I've used really good Henckel knives that were purchased long ago and these just don't compare.