New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Berghoff knives

post #1 of 4
9/29/09 at 6:24am
Thread Starter 
Anyone using these at all out there? I just bought a 9" & 6" Chef's knife to go along with my Wusthoff Santoku which I love. The price of Wusthoff is what kept me from adding those.

Oddly enough, while making a sales call on what I thought was a potential customer, I ended up having them sell me something!! The price of the knives was amazing and I liked the idea they were German steel, as I prefer German blades. Also, the blade and handle are one piece with a rubberized handle bonded over the handle portion of the mold. They had others which were even less expensive but they had bolted handles which I didn't want.

The weight is good and I worked with them both last night in dinner prep and the performance is good.

Anyone else had experience with this brand? Your thoughts on adding more to the collection or just go back, pay the price, and get Wusthoff?

I looked at past threads but it really didn't give me the info I was looking for.

Thanks for the input! I truly value all your opinions!
Reply
post #2 of 4
9/29/09 at 6:54am
Berghoffs fall squarely into the "you get what you pay for," category. For people who make a big deal out of knives, they're "a lot of knives for the money," and not "a lot of knife for the money."

Don't let the words "German steel" fool you. The Germans, bless their hearts, make plenty of bad steel. In fact, even their "good" steel isn't very good compared to what's available from US, Swedish and Japanese foundries. They also make their share of shoddy merchandise. To call Bergoffs shoddy, or "cheap crap," would be too harsh. But at best they're only one step removed.

File that under, "you asked," and forget it.

So far, you've established that you're comfortable using them with the factory edge. If you still like them after you've run through a few maintainenance/sharpening cycles (however you do that), you'll have your own opinion and mine won't mean anything.

Bottom line: You weren't a sucker. They're not Masamotos, but they're not Chef Tony either. I'd be interested to know what you think in another six months.

BDL
Reply
post #3 of 4
9/29/09 at 7:04am
Thread Starter 
BDL...
Thanks.. it's the info I was looking for. To put it in perspective... they are better than the others we had 'before' I got into cooking. The goal is to have a full set of Wusthoff as I love Solingen steel blades!

I'll let you all know what I think in 6 months. As for sharpening, I do it like my grandmother did.. honing steel. My mothers parents were German; father Italian. I cook Italian but my German grandmother's kitchen skills are what I follow. She could cut, dice and keep a kitchen cleaner than any chef I ever met and was just a farm girl!

Thanks again BDL.. I didn't mind the blunt opinion... it's what I wanted: the truth.
Reply
post #4 of 4
9/29/09 at 7:51am
Glad you weren't put off. Talk to me before you start buying more Wusthof. Wusties are wonderful knives in their own way, very tough, with excellent handles and outstanding fit, finish and good-looks. But there are any number of better handling knives which take and keep a sharper edge for the same or less money. It's all about trade-offs, so it's good to go into it with your eyes open.

Also... If and when you decide to drop some serious change on knives, there are much better ways to sharpen than on a steel. A steel can keep an edge true, but it cannot produce one which is simultaneously both sharp and fine -- things which make prepping more pleasant. You don't have to go the big PITA route of multiple stones and steels. There are several, reasonably priced, more convenient and just or almost as effective methods. It's a good idea to suit the tools to the task, so wait for the "real" knives if that's what's on your master agenda.

BDL
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Cooking Knives