Wusthof Knives Reviews – Are They Really Worth It?
For the past 60 years, Wusthof is one of the most popular and dominating kitchen knife makers in the marketplace. Manufactured in Germany, Wusthof knives feature top-notch quality with a heavy-duty material. Unlike traditional knife brands, Wusthof offers highly elegant and built to last knives at quite affordable prices.
In almost every kitchen, no matter commercial or home-based, you will most likely find a Wusthof knife in the entire collection. They offer a wide range of knives, but the most popular one is their Wusthof Classic collection. In the below-mentioned in-depth Wusthof knives reviews, you will have a clear idea about the features and reason for the existence of each product of Wusthof knives.
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List of Wusthof knives and their reviews!
- Wusthof Classic 8 Inch Chef Knife
- Wusthof Classic Santoku Knife
- Wusthof Classic Ikon 8 inch Chef Knife
- Wusthof Classic IKON
- Wusthof Culinar Chef Knife
- Wusthof Culinar 6 inch Chef Knife
- Wusthof IKON Chef Knife
- Wusthof Epicure Chef Knife
- Wusthof Grand Prix II
- Wusthof Gourmet
- Wusthof Pro
- Wusthof Classic Ikon Creme
Wusthof Knives Reviews!
1. Wusthof Classic 8 Inch Chef’s Knife
Wusthof classic 8 inch chef’s knife is the best budget chef’s knife from Wusthof that is loved by most of the Chef’s around the world. It is in the line of Wusthof line-up since the very beginning.
Design:
If you look closely, the profile of the Wusthof Classic knife is very similar to Wusthof Classic Ikon. The only visible difference is you get a full bolster on a Wusthof Classic chef knife and a bolster less design or a tapering bolster on a Wusthof Classic Ikon chef knife.
Bolster:
Now because the bolster comes to the very edge of the knives profile, it adds a lot of stiffness that a lot of people appreciate.
The next good thing about having a full bolster, especially when you are preparing the food ingredients for the extended period, the full bolster gives you a much better grip on your knife.
It also gives your middle finger a buffer between your middle finger and the actual blade itself.
Handle:
Now coming down to the handle, it is made of Polyoxymethylene, which is the same material found on the Classic Ikon Black, and Classic Ikon Crème handles.
So these handles are great, they are very robust, stain-resistant, heat resistant and water-resistant.
Now when you look at the handle, it is a full tang knife. A full tang knife uses a single piece of metal from the tip of the knife to the very end of the handle.
You can see the silver lining on the top of the handle coming down from the back and meets the bolster of the knife.
Now full-tang knives are preferred by many because they give the knife a much heftier and substantial feeling in your hands.
You feel much more control over your knife, and the knife provides a better connection between your hand and the cutting board.
2. Wusthof Classic Hollow Edge Santoku Knife
Wusthof Classic Hollow Edge Santoku is the best chef knife under $100. The Rockwell hardness is 58. Because the classic is forged and handmade, the blade is much more resilient.
The angle it is ground to is 14° which is super sharp. This means if I take Wusthof Classic Santoku knife and try to shave my arm, it will be completely smooth in one pass.
Talking about the rigidity of the Wusthof Classic Hollow Edge Santoku knife, because it is a forged knife, it has a very bulky and very thick bolster, that goes in between the tang and the actual blade, and that makes the blade extremely rigid.
It’s a full tang knife which is very nice and feels much more comfortable in your hand.
The handle of the Wusthof Classic Hollow Edge Santoku Knife feels much better and is made of very high-quality plastic, so it doesn’t give you the cheaper look and feel.
So in Wusthof Knives Review, if you are looking to have a branded cheaper knife, you should consider this knife.
3. Wusthof Classic Ikon Chef’s Knife (8inch)
Wusthof Classic Ikon is the flagship model from Wusthof. The main visible difference between Wusthof classic and Wusthof Classic Ikon is the shape of the handle and the bolster design.
The handle on the classic ikon is completely redesigned. This knife is sharpened at the Wusthof factory through the precision edge technology.
The Ikon knives are sharpened 14° each side, giving you the effective cutting angle of 28°.
The classic ikon is almost similar to ikon blackwood except it now uses a black POM handle.
The benefits of a POM handle are like if you accidentally left the knife in the water, there is no worry about this knife taking any water. The POM handle is extremely resilient.
So with the classic ikon, you are taking all of the great qualities, the fit n finish of the knife as well as the ergonomically shaped handle with resilient and robust handle design.
Wusthof Classic Ikon is built to handle all your cutting requirements effectively.
4. Wusthof Classic IKON Cook's Knife (9inch)
The Wusthof Classic Ikon Black has a classic look with a brushed finish. It has a full tang handle. The handle is made of Polyroxymethline, in short POM, which is just a fancy word for plastic.
Most of the German knives are back heavy, and Wusthof stays with this old tradition of being handle heavy which helps in the rock chopping motion.
The profile is something you would expect from a good quality chef’s knife. It is designed for rock chopping, but you can do pretty much everything with it.
The blade width is 4.7cm with 2.5cm knuckle clearance. The cutting length is 20cm, which is ideal for home cooks, not too long and not too short.
The spine thickness 3.5mm and 0.8mm at the tip. This means that the tip is a lot sharper than the heel.
The ergonomically designed ikon handle makes this Wusthof classic ikon black much more comfortable in hand compared to classic handle.
The durability of this knife is great. You don’t need to worry about chipping your blade but keep in mind you will need a honing rod more often with the softer blades.
Except for the handle design, this knife is a complete match with Wusthof Classic. The knife is one of the best all-purpose knives that we can recommend to everyone.
5. Wusthof Culinar Review (8inch)
6. Wusthof Culinar Review (6inch)
The Wusthof Culinar is a very distinctive line of knives, and this is the only line of knives available with a full stainless steel handle.
Wusthof Culinar is actually a hybrid of Wusthof Classic and Wusthof Classic ikon. It utilizes the exact same blade and the cutting profile of the Classic while giving you the radically shaped handle of the Classic Ikon.
While doing the Wusthof Culinar review it was observed that this knife is perfect for those who like to hold the knife in a pinch grip, the full bolster really gives you a comfortable grip to hold in a pinch.
The handle is single-piece stainless steel moulded, sculpted, and polished, giving you possibly the most comfortable handle of any stainless steel knife available.
It’s a very distinctive and unique looking line of Wusthof knives giving you the performance of Wusthof Classic while giving you the radically shaped sculpted handle of the Classic Ikon in a stainless steel package.
Like Wusthof classic and classic ikon, Culinar is also heat-treated to a 58 on the Rockwell scale utilizing P-Tech.
7. Wusthof IKON (Wusthof Ikon Chef Knife Review)
In this Wusthof Ikon chef knife review, we are going to talk about Wusthof 8 inch classic ikon cook’s knife.
The Ikon is basically their flagship, their top of the line knife.
It is a slightly above their regular classic line of knives, but in terms of what the knife is, its 90-95% exactly the same as Wusthof Classic, the only difference is the design and the ergonomics changes.
The knife is forged and is made in Germany, and it does come with a full lifetime warranty like all high-end knives.
It is made of their own custom steel of 58 hardness on the Rockwell scale. It is very resilient steel, and it is going to hold and keep the edge, and it’s not going to need sharpening that often.
In terms of sharpening, the knife itself is very sharp. For sharpening their knives, Wusthof uses the P-Tech (Precision Edge Technology).
Because of that they are able to get a 14° angle on this knife as compared to Global knives that are known for how sharp they are, are actually 15°.
One degree thicker on each side and Shun knives that are also known for their sharpness are actually 16°, which makes them 2° thicker than Wusthof Ikon knives.
It has a full tang more obviously like all high-end knives. What we like about this knife is that it has a gorgeous stub on the back.
The tang sort of goes around the back end but the same thing we like about that too is that the radically designed handle comes in three different color: the dark brown, crème (off white) and blackwood.
If you like German style of knives, we would say Wusthof knives are the best knives in the world.
8. Wusthof Epicure Cook's Knife
You’ve probably seen Wusthof knives with classic black riveted handles, but Epicure is definitely a step above.
The handle is still a full tang riveted design, but instead of POM material, these handles are made from recycles wood material.
In fact, this is the same material epicurean uses for their cutting boards. It means that the upgrade is not just in the feel but in the performance as well.
It feels very comfortable and natural in hand, and when it gets wet, it actually feels a little more gripyer in comparison to when it’s dry.
With these upgraded Wusthof knives, they have completely redesigned the way their handle function, which is extremely comfortable and very well balanced.
What sets these best wusthof knives handles apart from their flat black contemporary is the way they have formed and shaped it.
Like most of the German knives, it’s a full tang design with an integrated full bolster; the wood handle actually wraps around the front of the tang making it a completely uninterrupted surface which feels nice, smooth, and very comfortable.
Moving on towards the blade shape, it’s a very classic chef’s knife pattern, but you can also get this in all your other kitchen staples including, the bread and paring knife.
Where this knife different from its German contemporaries and where it took inspiration from its Asian counterparts, is with the edge bevel itself. The edge is sharpened with the P-Tech technology at a very sharp 14°.
The best wusthof knives have gone a step forward and actually treated the blades with a ceramic coating.
This is going to do a few things, even though the blades are made of stainless steel, the ceramic coating is going to help boost its corrosion resistance, it also going to protect the blade from scratches as well as making the food getting off it quite easier.
In a nutshell, the Epicure knives lineup is an excellent addition to the Wusthof line of knives.
9. Wusthof Grand Prix II (8-Inch) Best Chef Knife Under 200
Grand Prix is the Best Chef Knife Under 200. Its the last but not the least chef knife in the forged line of knives. Grand Prix is the best entry-level wusthof knives.
For the grand Prix, we have the same blade type and cutting profile as the Culinar and the Classic.
Coming down to the handle, we have the very similar shape of handle as the Culinar and ikon, but instead of utilizing the stainless design or the POM material, Wusthof has used Polyresin material which gives you a very high-quality finish.
The Grand Prix knives are made out of a single piece of German steel, that’s why they are called forged knives which has a nice big and full bolster, and the edge is sharpened on the P-Tech at 14° angle which is extremely sharp.
It has very nice looking Wusthof emblem on the handle. Grad Prix is the best entry-level chef knife under 200.
Wusthof’s other lines tend to be a little more handle heavy, but the grand Prix has a nice balance.
10. Wusthof Gourmet Cook's Knife (Wusthof Gourmet Reviews)
Wusthof Gourmet is the first of the stamped knives in Wusthof Knives line-up. While doing Wusthof Gourmet reviews, we have found that the it is pretty much similar to Wusthof Classic in overall profile and the handle design.
If you look a bit closer, the handle with the Wusthof Classic is made of plastic instead of Polymetheline, and the blade is stamped even though it has the same profile as Wusthof Classic.
It no longer has a full bolster, and the knife is much lighter, and it gives a less substantial feeling while holding it in your hand, and the blade itself is a bit more flexible.
Wusthof stamped knives are using the same high carbon stainless steel as their forged counterparts are using, but these stamped knives are heat treated to the Rockwell scale of 56 verses to 58 on the forged knives.
If you look closely, the tang actually comes towards the end of the knife but doesn’t come to the front of the hand, that gives a less substantial feeling in your hand, this feels a little bit lighter in the handle area as the blade itself is a little bit lighter then the forged blade.
Talking about the handle, Wusthof has decided to actually come higher up on the blade giving you an effective bolster, its kind of a tapering bolster in its self. Overall the handle is comfortable.
The knife does feel nimble because it is very light, it doesn’t have the same substantial feeling in the blade, and the handle like the Wusthof forged knives.
Now because this knife doesn’t have a forged blade, the POM resin as well as the full tang, it does feel lighter in hand, so if it’s in the hand of a professional who is using these knives for hours and hours, these stamped knives are actually preferred by some people.
So the Wusthof Gourmet is essentially the Wusthof Classic in a more affordable package.
11. Wusthof Pro Cook´s knife
When we hear the word Pro, we automatically think its the “the best”. But here you should think about the intended use or intended demographic.
The Wusthof Pro-line and the Wusthof Gourmet line are actually designed for people who are in the professional restaurant industry and cutting food all day long.
They require a knife that is actually light and affordable.
So Wusthof Pro was actually made for all those people who are into food prep line or for the culinary school students who cannot afford to have expensive knives.
Talking about the blade, it’s a stamped steel heat treated at 56 on the Rockwell scale. The handle with the Wusthof Pro line is different from what we have seen.
The material used in the handle is called Santoprene. The material is very grippy; it gives the chefs and the professionals an excellent grip when they are cutting like chicken etc.
It also has a very aggressive end cap which is designed to keep the hands from slipping off of the knife while dealing with greasy foods.
This kind of handle allows you to have a maximum of grip and also allows you to apply the maximum amount of pressure using your thumb.
12. Wusthof Classic Ikon Creme
Wusthof Classic Ikon Creme with a Crème handle is probably the most stunning of all knives available. It is utilizing the exact design as the classic ikon but giving you the off-white crème handle.
The crème handle gives you a much more upscale look relative to the black but also gives you a very distinctive looking knife. In fact, there aren’t many knives out there who utilize an off-white crème handle.
This knife also uses the exact same POM handle as classic ikon and to be much more precise, under normal use, these handles are bacteria resistant, warp-resistant and crack resistant.
Every knife in the classic ikon series is forged from a single piece of a specially tempered high carbon stainless steel which ensure extra strength.
Every knife features a full tang with a tapering bolster. Every knife is preciously sharped with a sharpening technology called Precision Edge Technology or P-Tech for short.
All the knives sharpened with P-tech will stay sharper longer as much as 20% compared to traditional sharpened blades.
Classic ikon crème or any knife on the classic ikon series are heat-treated to 58 on the Rockwell scale. Every knife blade is buffed and polished by hand.
The classic ikon crème will perform all your cutting tasks effortlessly.
Wusthof Knives Comparison Chart
Wusthof Knives Review - Complete Lineup Comparison Video
Wusthof Gourmet vs Classic
Here we are going to compare and contrast between Wusthof classic and Wusthof gourmet.
The Wusthof Gourmet is their entry-level knife set, and the Wusthof Classic is essentially their standard knife set.
There are a couple of different ways they have managed to lower the cost of the Wusthof Gourmet, and here we are going to talk about them.
Off the bat, they both use primarily the same metal.
The metal hardness is about 58 on both of these knives, but the Wusthof Classic is forged and handmade while the Wusthof gourmet is machine-made and stamped, so the end result is that this is not going to be as resilient of a blade as forged blade is.
The second significant difference in terms of the blade is the fact that the angle on Wusthof gourmet is actually relatively dull.
It’s eighteen and a half degrees while the angle on the Wusthof Classic is fourteen degrees. So you can imagine there’s a big difference in performance between the two knives.
Both knives do, however, have full tangs, which is excellent.
The tang on the Wusthof classic is much thicker and much more robust as you would imagine, and the handle quality is much different.
The handle of the Wusthof classic is smooth, and it feels very nice while the handle of the Wusthof gourmet, while it looks similar when you put them next to each other, it is different and features a cheaper plastic.
Both knives also have lifetime warranties, which is excellent, but we really think that for the price you’re paying for the Wusthof gourmet, it isn’t really the best knife set from Wusthof but the cheaper one.
So to conclude, the picture is clear. The Wusthof classic is of a much more superior line of knives, but Wusthof gourmet is like a cheap entry-level knife for students and new home cooks.
What is the difference between Forged & Stamped Knife?
Forged Knife:
The way a forged knife is made from a single piece of steel, the metal is then heated to a certain degree, and they drop forges a lot of pressure and forges that knife into its shape.
Then it’s finished off, ground down and turn it into a nice looking forged knife.
Characteristics of a forged knife:
The blade generally is a bit thicker at the top and kind of tapers down towards the edge of the blade.
You usually will find a bolster in forged knives. It’s the part in the middle of the handle and the blade.
Many professional cooks and chefs do prefer knives with bolsters because it gives the knife an excellent comfortable balance and weight, and it protects your fingers from sliding off the handle if you are doing some meaty cutting.
Forged knives are full tang, which means the metal goes all the way from the tip of the knife to the very end of the handle.
This allows you to have a better connection between the hand and the knife, and it feels good in the hand.
Stamped Knife:
Stamped knives are made differently, where they have large steel sheets, and a large cutter will cut the knife shape out.
The blade is tampered, sharpened, and finished with a machine handling most of the process. So if you hold a stamped knife, you will notice that the metal has a uniform thickness across it.
As the thickness of the tang and the thickness of the blade will be the same. 
This manufacturing process makes the knives less expensive to produce.
Now there is a perception that the stamped knives are of inferior quality, and at one point, it was true.
Still, the stamped knives have really come a long way, so you cannot say stamped knives are of inferior quality now, but they are more thinner, lighter, and more affordable knives as compared to forged knives.
Some people do actually prefer a stamped knife. It’s just the way how easy you are with.
Given these lighter characteristics, more downward force may be required as compared to heavier forged knives.
Because of the thinner profile, blades may also require regular maintenance to protect it from getting rusted, how to remove rust from stainless steel knives, and for long lasting and durable performance.
If you are buying a stamped knife, consider buying an electric knife sharpener for sharpening.
But with a forged knife, you can use a regular sharpening steel rod.