Home > Consumer Reviews > Wusthof Classic 5 Inch Boning Knife - 4602

I am a sous chef and I use this knife to break down everything from shell steak to veal chops, and I love it. I also like the flexibility of the blade. It holds an edge very well, with minimum touch ups. Overall I am very happy with the Wusthof line.

Edit 4/6/05: Still using it, still like new, almost 3 years of almost daily use later. Can't beat Wusthof!

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 particular model, the 5 inch boning knife is a good knife. In my review of the 6 inch cleaver I noted that most people really don't use a cleaver anymore, as they buy either pre-cut/pre-packaged meats, or they have the butcher cut the meat into loins or steaks for them. However, I think this knife is slightly more useful for the everyday cook than the cleaver. I find this knife useful for both boning and fat trimming. Although this knife is probably not essential for a starter collection, I would add this knife before a cleaver.

For what it is, this 5-inch boning knife from Wusthof is fantastic. Note I wrote "for what it is" and not for what it isn't. No, it's not a cleaver. No, it's not a Chicago Cutlery knife, which is a "nice" knife, but see for yourself why it doesn't compare to a Wusthof. Why reviewers compare apples to oranges and claim that you probably won't use various knives is beyond me. Just because THEY don't use a cleaver or a boning knife in the kitchen doesn't mean that rest of us shouldn't. How many more reviews will you remind us of what knives you DON'T use to discourage us from buying them? Weird. That's like complaining that an action movie isn't Shakespeare, and "Will you really read Shakespeare?".... Enough already.

So if you want a flexible boning knife to trim meat, silverskin, fat, or heck, even fillet fish, this 5-incher from Wusthof is just about perfect. I've used the 6-inch version since 1996 and last November I bought this one. What a pleasant surprise! I use it for every trim detail short of turkey prep. Both strong and precise, it delivers as thin a slice as you want. And once again, just because some reviewers never learned to use a cleaver, don't let that scare you from buying this fine boning knife.

I use the 6-inch version, the wife loves the 5-inch version. Highly flexible yet strong, Wusthof's classic design allows you complete control over the blade. I think buying this particular boning knife is dangerous because you very well might find yourself reaching for it to the exclusion of other, more useful knives for other tasks. A boning knife is designed to remove meat from the bone, but it will do just about anything else you want. Buy it if you think you need it, and when you use it, you'll thank yourself.

As a home user, I must say that I'm quite pleased with my purchase of this knife in the Classic line. Had a few opportunities to use this prepping chicken already, and I've gotta say that it's loads easier to work with than the garbage knives I had at my disposal previous.