Great German Steel, Poor Finish Prone to Rust
Pros: Very good German steel, as good as American 440B. “Classic” series is made in Spain, a country full of good people who take pride in their work. If your knives will not hold a very sharp edge, you either put it through the dishwasher, it was previously used (and they put it through the dishwasher) and sold as new, or it was damaged during the sanding process (accidents do happen). In any case, the temper was damaged by over-heating, which will damage any steel knife you buy, no matter the brand or cost. Cons: The quality of final sanding and polishing on the “Classic” series and any series below is not completely done. My “Classic” series knifes did not arrive with a mirror finish and are beginning to show early signs of tarnish, very faint, but I can see finger prints after cleaning. It looks like they only final sanded the knives to 600 or 1000 grit. They needed to go to at least 2000 grit for a mirror finish that will properly resist rust and tarnish. Other lower quality knives are probably sanded to 400, then polished, so these are still pretty good. The plastic handles are just OK, they don’t have a perfect fit, and will not hold up as well as a hard wood over time, but they are decent and feel comfortable. They are mounted with high quality metal rivets, so I can replace them with real wood handles when these fail. I like wood and metal working for fun. What bothered me the most about Henckel Knives: It was annoying to see other reviews where the manufacturer, Zwelling, tried to tell people that rust is normal in Carbon steel. While this is technically true, if they don’t sand and polish to a proper grit schedule, it is not normal, when a knife is done right. I have 100+ year old knives that still don’t show tarnish or rust, as they were properly sanded and polished and I live by the ocean. Please tell the truth, rust under, normal, respectful use, should not occur for decades. If your customer’s knives rusted after a few days or weeks of usage, it is a manufacturer defect in your sanding and polishing and you should promptly replace it with a genuine apology. Please be honest, you have a pretty good product, the German steel alone, deserves your honesty. How we treat or knives in our house: We never put our knives through the dishwasher, as this promotes rust and over time and can damage the temper of the metal, which will soften it, so it will not hold an edge as well. We never place them in a dish drying rack, as this usually causes dings and dents in the edge. We always hand wash and towel dry our knives before putting them back into the block. We occasionally use Bar Keepers Friend (BKF), so eventually these finger prints should disappear, as BKF is a polishing, abrasive and when used properly, it is probably between 2000 and 4000. About the Tarnish: If the tarnish on these knives gets worse, I will either make a warranty claim or I will pull out the 2000-4000 polishing compound. If that doesn’t work, I will pull out the 0000 steel wool followed by 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1500 and 2000 sandpaper, then redo the 2000-4000 polishing compound. It is a lot of work, but the German steel is actually very good and worth it, as long as you don’t put it through the dishwasher, and use Bar Keeper’s Friend, these will last two generations +. My family’s experience with Henckel Knives: My family member has the same knives and she put hers through the dishwasher and now they can only hold an edge for a few days. Her 8” Chef’s knive would not hold an edge from the beginning. I told her to send it back and ask for a replacement, as it was either over heated during the grinding/final sanding and finish processes or it was previously sold, returned and resold to her, after being placed in the dishwasher.
