Opinions on Chroma/Porsche knives

I've only seen them. They're pretty but the handles scare me.

Very sexy design. Decent blade steel, and a decent, not too Germanic profile on the chef's knife. Miserable handle. Slippery and uncomfortable for most hands and most grip types -- including mine (big hands, very forgiving, soft, pinch-grip). For some reason they like them in the UK and Oz. Go figure.

Bottom line: Don't buy unless you have a lot of expensive appliances in your kitchen and eat out 20+ times a week.

BDL

PS. Before investing a lot of money in spiffy, new knives please have a plan on how you're going to keep them sharp. All knives get dull, no matter how expensive, nor how sharp they came out of the box. And all dull knives are equal.

Handle is very comfortable. Not in a closed grip gonna use for 3 hours of intricate work kinda way. More in a I just grabbed this to prep a steak because I've spent enough time proving my prowess with Sabatiers. If you're going to be using the knife at any angle but normal to the horizon (up and down), this is not really appropriate.

Steel is a great compromise between hard, brittle japanese and soft, durable western knives.

Plus you can let it go through the dishwasher, edge up, top rack. This is invaluable at home, once you get used to doing it again.

Bottom line: I use my carbon 4star elephant sabatier when I want to feel good about knowing my way around a blade. But I most often grab the Chroma. I can't recommend it highly enough. Balanced as all ****, too.

Change that to eating out 20 times a month at it describes a lot of people I know to a T. :lol:

I find the looks off putting and they don't look like they'd be comfortable to use for any great length of time. But the Chroma Haiku series looks pretty sexy.

I had to order something from Lee Valley today and I stumbled upon a set of knives , well lets just say I fell off my chair when I saw them............


THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL..........(can you hear my heart, thump , thump )


http://www.chefdepot.net/porsche.htm


I did not see this thread until I searched ...only to find a thread just recently (how did I miss this ?)


The thing that worries me is the handle.


Then I saw another set called “Maitre de Cuisine” , beautiful too...
In the magazine I saw a set that looks like some of my Sabatier knives, which brings me to my question , how do I know that my knives are authentic. What is the trademark of these knives (Sabatier) ?
Sorry if this sounds like a dumb question, everything seems to be made in China.....

A good thing to be worried about. For awhile at least, it seemed as if a lot of the professional community in the UK, Australia and NZ liked these knives; then they stopped talking about them completely. Bring up the subject and all you hear is ... [crickets]. It seems as if long-term handle comfort didn't work out. You can say pretty much the same thing about Globals as well -- from the geography of their popularity on down.

In your particular case, you put too much reliance on your knives to just go out and buy a bunch. On the other hand, if you can afford to buy and try one for long enough to get a sense of whether it suits you or not -- the worst that can happen is that you don't like it, try and sell it, and no one's interested because it's an idea whose time has time has passed.

Honestly, I wouldn't. But you're you.

Worth its own thread, I'll start it for you.

BDL

I have a Global gyuto and pairing knife. The handles are really not bad. Having said that I'd be more than happy to sell them. :lol:

Just like with Global - another brand that relies on style over substance - Porsche knives seem to be used mostly by people who do not cook, or use them to slice bread in the morning, and nothing else.

The handles - just like Global - are abysmal if you use them for more than a very short period of time. They are slippery and have a weird angle that doesn't seem to make any sense, ergonomically.

FYI:

"Be aware of counterfeit [T]ype 301 block sets
Good things are always copied. Especially our CHROMA [T]ype 301 blocks. Be aware of the fakes, they are easy to spot. On the box it just says "PORSCHE" and it also contains a pair of cheap scissors. On the real product you can always read "Design by F.A. Porsche[!]" These block sets can be found on the internet. November 2006"

Edited by TheUnknownCook - 12/16/10 at 11:15am

Jeez. Those look weird. They look like a straight razor minus its scales. Those handles look downright uncomfortable.




I agree 110%. Almost every global knife I have ever held has the most unusual angles to its handle. It just downright hurts.

There is however one exception: The G-2 chef`s knife. I don`t like the way it looks, its edge retention is not anything special. It is however, one of my favourite knives to use. No matter what I`m doing, I feel like the knife is just another finger, and it does whatever I want. I don`t find the handle awkward, somehow it just works. I`ve used my g-2 everyday for almost all my mise before and never felt that the handle was killing my hand. (Big hands, hard pinch grip, FWIW)

Now if only it didn`t look so trashy.

I have used these Chroma 301 for several years now. I LOVE THEM. They fit my hand perfectly and always am having the other cooks want to use them as well. I have (had) problems with carpal tunnel but with these, none... the edge stays nice, I use a whetstone and the blade comes back quick. I take them with me when I travel and while the handle may be scary looking, it is great and when someone picks them up - they feel it immediately. Not like your holding a broom stick. Never have had one slip or feel uncomfortable. Like that they are Japanese style vs. western blade. Sharper I think. I do not suggest you put in the dishwasher...

It was just today that I held a porche in my hand and I must say that as beautiful as it looked (and I love something that looks really good) it was a big dissapointment for me.

The handle had different angles that when I held it in my hand I did not know how to grasp the handle , not wanting to feel those lines. All those lined edges....what for ?

The second thing I did not like about the knife was the guard or rivet that separates the handle from the blade, I am not sure if you understand my point but my hand kept touching it. Why is it there ?  The owner of the store kept trying to persuade me to buy it as the new "concept of knives"......Okkkkkkk

For so long I thought I was missing out on this knife but after today, I don't feel bad about not owning it. For those who enjoy the knife, I am glad you do, don't get me wrong. But its just not meant for me.

 

 

 

Chef Petals,

 

Great looking but horrible ergonomics.  Chroma says your hand should automatically fall into the proper postion, but that doesn't seem to happen for many -- if any.  I know very few people who can tolerate them for long, especially pros who, for some reason, want to use a knife like a knife.  The quality of the blades is surprisingly bad for a Japanese made knife.

 

All in all, a great knife not to buy.  You done good.

 

All of your posts are at least very good.  The way you expressed your perplexity about the way the handle actually felt as opposed to "good," or "right" made this one was great.  Pre-purchase trips to the store to pretend to try a knife are overrated, except in the case of radical "ergonomic" handles.  Your experience shows why.

 

FYI:  According to Chroma, the purpose of the buttons is to let you know where the handle ends and the blade begins.  It's meant primarly as a cue for people who, like you, use a pinch grip at least on some knives most or time, as a cue to help locate the "pinch."

 

Bored with our current knives are we?  You're not alone. 

 

BDL

Edited by boar_d_laze - 8/22/10 at 9:42am

Pardon the double post, but for the benefit of anyone interested in what the hubbub is all about...

 

They are beautiful indeed.

 

 

If you're interested in Chroma's propaganda, you may find it here: http://www.chroma-cutlery.com/type301.php

 

BDL

Sorry BDL you do not like them, I have the set and I like them a lot. I do use the pinch grip and they suit me just fine.

The edge is easy to sharpen and maintain-however you cannot use a steel on them. A fine stone is preferred.

I do not find the handle getting slippery at all, I find it comfortable as well. Maybe I hold a knife differently? I Dunno.

I do not put much stock in the posts of culinary students, the people who eat out 20x a month statement well...that is kind of ignorant , most students would not know the differences in knives. A plastic picnic knife would impress some if it had a fancy Japanese name and Rachel Ray endorsed it.

 

Plenty of Chroma haters here most with little or no experience with the knife. BDL-- chroma propoganda?? Thats funny.

 

Funy too,  in all these posts only 3-4 people have actually tried or used one. The reviews were a mixed bag love/hate.

Best off to try them yourself and not rely on peoples opinions.

 

Me myself, I hate German knives, the huge tangs and the imposibly thick blades-some love them but not me.

Great for heavy chopping and if you are going to unleash a blitzkreig on a rack of lamb.

 

Japanese eingle ground blades seem more for the dillentant who are keener to impress their fellow cooks then anything.

Sure they have a purpose and lovers, but I feel they are like white guys who study to become ninjas. Unless of course you are a serious sushi chef, I am ambidexterous so the edge on one side bothers me as I can use either hand to cut with.

 

I am a big lover of very thin hollw grind blades, I use the pinch grip and use a stone to sharpen all my knives, hate steels.

Big tangs on the bottom of the blade always result in the knife having a belly after repeated sharpenings, thats why I do not use them.

 

The chroma fits all these requirements and preferences for me just fine. Try one out for yourself.

 

Hope I stirred up the hornets nest here LOL.

Rat,

 

I am glad you enjoy them. I just wished they felt more comfortable in my hand. I had been looking at them for awhile (6 months) but yesterday after spending an hour in the store I just could not get past the points I posted above.

Maybe I am getting too old ? Maybe I am set in my ways ? But when it comes down to it, if I have to put good money out on knives it must be something I will feel comfortable with. I have my Sabs.......the new and the old, and even with the new style...well they both serve a purpose. My Mac knives are gems too.

Petals, thats fine. I am not slamming you or trying to persuade you either way.

I just get aggrivated as many people post things based on little or no experience. Everything is subject to personal preference.

For something as personal as knives, the mainstay worktool. I think they are like shoes, they fit everyone differently.

That is why I strongly encourage people to try things themselves and SEE for themselves. I'm glad you actually tried them out before deciding against them.

You can go to the post about chef clogs and substitute Porsche Chroma knife for chef clog and the posts would read the same.

Good luck!! I like your  Sab on the right, I bet it could tell some stories.

Regards, Rat.

Edited by boar_d_laze - 8/23/10 at 8:52am

super old thread i know...

 

i have had my 10" chroma for a while, and i do love the knife...several friends of mine -- also chefs -- do not like them.

 

i guess its a matter of personal prefference.

 

but ill give a +1 for the chroma.

I'll have to throw out a few points that I readily admit are just SWAG's on my part as I'm one of those guys that's never used the knives.  But first off, how can a completely smooth, untextured polished steel handle not be slippery?  You must be blessed with minimal sweat glands; I tend towards the clammier end of the spectrum.  I really dislike how a steel handle feels jarringly cold when you first start using it, then distractingly warm as you keep holding it.  I find akin to sitting on a pleather couch in the summer or sitting down in a chair immediately after a large-ish person gets out of it.  And what is that metal "button" or protrusion all about?  It doesn't join the blade to the handle, does it?  It appears to be one peice.  To me it looks like a design widget glued on to make it look trendier.

 

And while F.A. Porche is widely lauded for their creative designs, who the hell decided a knife handle should be creative?  In nearly every case I can think of breaking from the traditional ends up making a wildly unusable knife.  For examples, check out the Shun Onions...all I can say is Ken must have watched a lot of Star Trek: TNG, because it looks like a Bat'leth would if that Bat'leth was designed by Gil Hibbens.  And the look is much better than the feel.  It's simply awful.  The shape of a knife handle is an instance where form must follow function; the shape of hand should dictate it, not the desire to win an IDEA award.  What does Porsche know about knife design?  Perhaps not as much as they think.

 

Okay, some of this is tongue-in-cheek, so please- minimal flames!  Admittedly I've not experienced the wonder that is the F.A. Porche designed Chroma knife.  So please forgive me, I know not what I do.

my Chef owns one that was handed down to him doesn't use it for anything to important but I have gotten my hands on it before holds and edge well and 

          not too uncomfortable if your not already used to a particular feel ;)

Well I may be coming to this thread pretty late - just stumbled on it whilst buying some new Porsche 301 knives online - but thought I'd post anyway as I've used mine for 7 years and love them.

 

I'm not a professional chef, just a pretty decent home one.

and I don't spend hours every day holding them, just the usual home use.

 

But as a woman with small hands, a love for good design, and wants her knife to just 'fit' - I haven't tried any better.

They aren't chunky, they are a beautiful weight in the hand and always feel balanced.

 

The flat top design may look strange to some of you, but to me I don't even notice it  - I find it gives a great lateral control.

(I have to admit though that the cleaver doesn't feel quite weighted correctly)

 

So sorry to the haters out there, but I have yet to find a better knife for me

 

Oh and I'm based in the UK for those who question the Brits decision making on this subject :-)

 

K

(PS - For those of you into your 'top chefs' I live a few doors from Heston Blumenthal and he uses Tojiro if you're interested)

Edited by KBevan - 1/26/12 at 3:02pm