Home > Consumer Reviews > Wusthof Classic Knives - 6 Inch Wusthof Classic Cooks Knife

A chefs knife will be your most used Knife in your collection. Why would you want to pay a lot of money for one? Expensive, high quality knifes hold their edge (sharpness) longer. After almost 6 months of daily use, mine needed sharpened ($3 for a professional to sharpen it). You should also invest in a honing steel. This will not sharpen your knife, it will only realign the blade and keep it sharper longer.

Before you buy any knife though, feel it in your hand. The weight should be evenly balanced. You hold the knife with your hand wrapped around the handle, with your thumb and forefinger on the blade. This will feel weird at first, but you will have a lot of control. A knife that "feels right" to me, may not for you.

The first time I used this knife, I was amazed at how easy it cut through chicken. No sawing action was needed, just a gentle push.

Be wary of buying a knife set. The next most used knife you will own will be a paring knife. After these two knifes, the quality of the rest is not as important. Each knife should feel comfortable to you though.

After owning this knife for a year I also purchased a 10 inch ("wide" model) Wusthof Chefs knife. A longer blade means less work and faster chopping. The 8 inch now feels small to me ;)

A sharp knife is safer than a dull one. Be careful with your non cutting hand, I sliced my lower knuckle a few times when first using this. Hold the item you are cutting with your pinky (smallest) finger and thumb. The tips of your other fingers should be curled out of the way. The knife rests flat against your curled fingers. Go slow, you will eventually get the feel for it.

So, before investing in a high quality knife, try out different models and manufacturers. These knives will last a lifetime (and probably your children's). You will not be disappointed with Wusthof if you decide to buy these knives.

I sprang for the Wüsthof 10 pc. Classic set (with the 8-Inch Cook's Knife). After about a year, I'd only used 3 or 4 of the knives, & I started selling the individual knives on e-bay. Finally, I realized that the 8-Inch Cook's Knife was just too large & "intimidating" for me, esp. to just chop a couple of onions or bell peppers now & then. I bought the 6-Inch Cook's Knife & it's a much better size for me.

If you're an occasional cook with moderate ability, it can be tough to figure out which knives to get by reading these reviews. I'd definitely reccommend Wüsthof; but IMO the 8-Inch Cook's Knife may be "too much" for a lot of people.....

This review is principally for those who, like me, believe that you can get good quality without spending a lot of money, or who are just plain averse to spending a lot of money on anything.

If this describes you, and if you like to cook, I have this to say: Sometimes, you do have to spend money to get good quality. Or, for the really averse: Get over it.

A general-purpose knife is an essential tool for any cook. You can certainly get the job done with the cook's knives that come with the butcher-block sets you find in most stores for under $100--the ones with the polished stainless-steel blades or the serrated edges and the lifetime warranties. You may even find a set that includes a knife that makes cutting, slicing and chopping easy. But you will soon find that either your cook's knife can't keep a sharp edge or requires too much effort to cut things. In either case, you will soon find yourself looking for a new set of knives.

For the price of one of those butcher block sets, you can buy this knife instead. You won't regret it. One really good cook's knife, like this Wusthof, is worth all those other knives in your butcher block put together. The combination of excellent balance, weight and fine edge make chopping and slicing a breeze. (Another reviewer mentioned techniques that give you even more control of the knife.) And with proper care, this knife will give you a lifetime of pleasure in the kitchen.

Cook's knives are one product category where the costlier items are really the better values. The Wusthof Classic knife is worth every penny of the $120 suggested retail, which makes it a real bargain at Amazon.com's price of under $90.

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 Grand Prix line is a more modern design than the Classic series, with a simple black handle. 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 particular model, the 5 inch cook's (or chef's) knife, is a good knife. Wusthof offers four sizes of chef's knives in the Classic line, 5, 6, 8 and 10 inch. For most home cooks, I think the 8 inch knife is the best choice. This knife, the 5 inch, is a bit small for bigger jobs (even smaller than the 6 inch). However, 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), the 8 inch is the knife I would recommend.

Therefore, if you are buying your first cook's knife, I would recommend the 8 inch size. This is a great knife, but I don't think the size is right for mainstream users.

I've had one of these knives since 1968! I've used it several times every week since buying it, have sharpened it many, many times on both a whetstone (with oil) and with a ChefsChoice. The tip is a little bent and worn, and there's a nick in the handle, but it still cuts like new. I would give up my three Cuisinart Food Processors before parting with this knife. It's an essential tool in my kitchen, and I expect to get another 30 years' use out of it.