to sharpen or replace?

I got this knife set as a gift 4 years ago. And have never (I was bad) had them sharpened and have never touched them to a steel? a few of em have small amount of rust on em.

henckels international 13 pc set

I have since grown up and am ready to take care of my cutlery.

They are very dull, and I am wondering if it is worth taking them in to a knife shop to be sharpend and continue using them or if I should select a few new key knifes from cutlery and more.

I need a slicer and a fillet knife. but what do you guys recommend me doing with the rest.

1) look into a local sharpener. It wouldn't hurt to try to get them sharpened as it probably won't cost you more than a couple bucks a blade. We take our crummy knives to a place that rents knives for commercial kitchens, they're constantly sharpening there, and happily do walk-ins for free while you wait (albeit they do a pretty hack job).

2) I've collected Forschners, Lamson Sharps, and Dexter Russels (hey I love knives). They are all very inexpensive, so there's no reason not to upgrade a few pieces of your weaponry. Of the three (IMO), the Forschners are the nicest (and sharpest out of the box. My Dexter slicer (16" granton edge) is nice and beastly. And the Lamson is just ok, I'll see after I do some sharpening on it.

3) I love my J. Marttiini (Rapala) fillet, I actually own two. You can pick these up for less than 20 bucks in the fishing section of sporting good stores. One even came with a ceramic "v" hone that can keep the edge razor sharp.

4) I think every kitchen should have one good chef knife or santoku. I go in so many kitchens that lack this, that I end up bring my own with me everywhere. I can understand why people hate to cook, when they have to resort to hacking away at food with pathetic edges. Our first "good" knife is the 8" global chef knife, and its been good to us. Or I (along with many others here) recommend anything from here. I bought this knife based on an online recommendation and its got some real bang for the buck. The best way I can describe the tojiro is its like a gateway drug that inevitably results in a nasty addiction to the "hard stuff" that is japanese steel.

I agree - I'd get them sharpened locally if you think they can be saved. Even if you decide to get new knives, I'd still have them sharpened and keep them as a backup set.

Cooks Illustrated always rates Forschner Fibrox knives (by the same folks who make Swiss Army knives) as their favorites ahead of more expensive brands (Henckels, Wusthof, etc.). I personally have had a set of Henckels Pro-S knives for over 10 years. For the price, I've considered getting a few Forschners as a "travel set" for when I cook at someone else's house who doesn't have decent knives.

You might also consider getting an electric sharpener - that's probably the best investment I've made in a small kitchen appliance. I have the Chef's Choice 130. Some people cringe at the thought of sharpening their good knives with this type of sharpener, but the convenience of it versus a stone is worth it to me.

I used a sharpener on one of my knifes and it really worked well.

I will be taking them in to get done professionally, and prob buy a few new ones thanks for the advice everyone.

As well it should. Henkels uses good steel. They will last a lifetime at least.

Though I strongly dislike Forschner I'm with j - upgrade here and there to some other brands and knife types periodically. And get a good sharpener (and learn to use it) and steel (and learn to use it). Great knives make cooking easier, safer, and more fun.

Sharpen for sure, then replace as you go forward. Start with your least favorite knife in the set, and work up from there.

I have Mac, Global, Henckels, Wusthof, and Forschner and there is nothing wrong with a stamped blade like Forschner. Regular sharpening is where it's at. I use the Spyderco Tri-angle Sharpmaker for my knives.

A cooks friends are sharp knives. Can an either buy new knives every so often or sharpen existing ones either by paying someone or learning the process.

I read this book many years ago ..
"Razor Edge Book Of Sharpening" and learned myself.
http://www.razoredgesystems.com/

Minimum tools include (1) course stone/hone, (2) fine stone/hone, (3) steel. Guides are nice especially for beginners but not necessary. I like the small folding steel sold by the same company that sells the book

Hones/stones are cheap and synthetic works as well as more expensive stones and may/should be able to get stones/hones at a cheaper price somewhere else.

Once the know how is learned most knives even the cheapest can be transformed into a very good tool. I have a mismatch of knives but after sharpening, each can easily pop hairs off my arm (my sharpness test).


John

Definitely sharpen them up, that is a good set to start with. For a quickie touch up when I don’t want to haul the stones out, I use the Accusharp then hit it with my F.Dick elliptical steel. Excellent results, takes the softest tomato apart in no time. Fibrox is a great knife, good and sharp, but the handle is just a little too small for me. My go to is the Dexter 8” Chef’s knife with the large white handle. I think this has to be 10 years old and still going strong. I prefer that over all my others, Wusthoff, Global, Lamson, etc.

My wife just bought me a wusthof santoku for my bday. I need to learn how to keep this one nice.