Best Value knives? Fibrox handle Henckel yellow Twin Master or Forschner

[Paul Chan]

Hi guys,

I belive the Forschners to be an industry standard for knives that apparently hold a good edge and is easy to hone.

I had the urge to call a kitchen supply store, of which I talked to a on-road sales rep, who indicated that alot of cooks/soux/chefs like the Forschners & Henckel Twin Masters because of a number of things:

1. Good performance, as indicated above.
2. Weighting is good for repetitive use (may not be balanced, but has a non-slip handle and is light)
3. Value and the quick procurement ability

I figure it makes sence, that if you owned or managed a resturant, you'd be less burdened when a forschner walks out of a kitchen, as opposed to a Shun or Global.

This same kitchen supply store also has a high-end retail end, who jokingly indicated that really the Henckels 4star/pro, Wustoffs and Shuns they sell are for fatcats who want to "floss" their elaborate home kitchen with a $1000 knife set

He had mentioned though that their yellow handle Hencek Twin Masters to be as of as good quality as the Forschners, if not a bit better and at a lower cost.

Any comments on this? I cannot seem to find any specs on them at all.

 

[K Kruger]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I belive the Forschners to be an industry standard for knives that apparently hold a good edge and is easy to hone. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Industry standard? Hardly. Hold a good edge? Not to me. Easy to hone? Yes. The steel is soft so it's easy to hone - but that's because the steel is soft.

Many people like them though.

I always required my cooks to have their own knives. Any good restaurant does. I never supplied knives.

 

[K Kruger]

I should gave asked: Are you in the market for knives? If so, forgo the sets if you're looking to save some cash.

As for the other points:

If you are planning to cook professionally you'll get more value, imo, out of a higher quality (but more expensive) knife than Forschner. (I can't speak to the low-end Henckels as I've not used them; the claims] notwithstanding, I know no professionals - execs, c de c's, or sous - who use either). Other than the soft metal and the sort of flimsy feel to Forschners, the lack of balance is my biggest complaint. It's pretty critical if you're cooking professionally, or if you are a well-advanced, very avid home cook. Weight is important too, but subjective. I am fond of lightness - and that's why I use Japanese blades.

If you are not planning to cook professionally, or don't expect to often cook over lengthy time periods employing substantial knife work, the issues I've raised might not be a concern at all. For the more short-duration needs of a typical home cook it's possible that none of this enters in to the equation. You can buy a single chefs knife, use it, and see what you think.

 

[Paul Chan]

I just talked to a buddy, who's a prep cook and just swears by the Yellow Handle Henckels the Twin Master series. (he kept saying its a yellow handled knife with a german name, and when I said Henckel for the 3rd time and he looked at the knife, he said, yup that's it)

Apparently they are still a "twin" series and do use a fibrox yellow handle which makes it easier to spot, especially in dish water where they shouldn't be.

I'm certain that a Shun/Global/4 star will be more asthetically pleasing and balanced, but at $28 for a 9" chef's knife, I'm going to give it a go and see how it works.

Just talked to the lady at another resturant supply store, and she said she has a full set of them at home. I asked whether other blades they carried, including the higher ended forged hencels, wustofs, etc.. are worth while, and she said... not really and that 95% of their knife orders are for the Twin Master Henckels.

I don't have much to lose, so I say, why not

She was hilarious about a few things too, pointing me to different wholesalers and stores for things like cast iron cookwear, commercial quality cooksets, and processors.

Well, I'll grab a couple tonight and report on them

 

[Carl H.]

It's too much to expect that you will get anything special in a chef's knife for less than $30. The oft recommended Forschner has harder steel (and better edge holding)than lots of more expensive knives but wise shopping will get you something substantially better in many ways for $80 to $120. Of course, you might say, when spending 3 times as much, it should be noticeably better. In most (but not all) cases, you would be right.

I'm not familiar with the Twin Master series, but I do have another Henckels that probably has comparable steel. It's rather similar to Forschner, maybe a little softer but not obviously so. Neither will ever be a star, but they are inexpensive.

It should be said that some people like softer knives because they are easier to sharpen. You have to touch them up more often, but that's an OK compromise for some people.

 

[Paul Chan]

I picked them up, and will post pictures quickly.

This is what I bought:
http://www.hendrixequip.com/details.asp?item=38728

They are twin series blades, and say Zwilling J.A. Henckels Twin Master Fridur Ice Hardened w/ a Spain and NSF logo (with the double twin people as the main logo)

When I was at the resturant supply store, a rep was around who indicated that they sell hundres of these around the city and that they are really a great overall knife... well I picked it up, it felt a bit lighter as it is a fibrox type handle, but the weight was still reasonably balanced.
The blade is stiffer than the Forschners by, well alot, whether its better or not I'm not sure.

I asked, as they also carried some Shun, Global, Henckel Pro/Cusine/Fourstar, what they really recommend, and they said that this for home use is a substantial knife.

He said, its the same blade as the Henckel Twin Cuisine/Fourstar/etc.. as they are Fridour blades just without a full tang

but I'm not certain.

Well I bought it home, it passed the paper test, and it cuts though everything so far well (prepped dinner)

Didn't seem to go dull yet, so I'll let you guys know how it goes with a quick edge on a steel.

I paid $57 bucks for a 10" Chef, 9" slicer, 4" pairing - not a bad price

According to their site (which doesn't reference the Twin Master)

The Fridur categories of knives are:
http://www.zwilling.com/en-WW/...DUR%28R%29--197.html

 

[Paul Chan]

 

[j biesinger]

are the blades stamped metal?

 

[Paul Chan]

So I managed to procure a Zwillings JA Henckels book which has all the lines of the Twin (Zwilling) line with a breakdown of the lines, design and processes used.

So I was wrong, the Twin Masters are the same as their other Stamped blades. These blades are a full blade and have a full tang, according to the book. Its just attached to the anti-slip yellow handle.

However they are Fridour treated to harden the metal at a "molecular" level just all the other blades.

The Twin Pro/4starII/4star/Cusine apparently use a Sigmaforge process, and that means it has a fully forged blade/boster to the tang. But from what I have read, this still means its still stampped, but forging is required for the fat bolster.

I also picked them up, and the cusines/4star/pro have a heaver weight due to a more tapered blade, bolster and a heel on the handle.

That being said, the stamped blades in the Twin line have been reviewed to hold a good edge, and easy to bring back when honing.

The Master comes in a huge product line, which is larger than any other series, and also comes in stiff or flexable dependant on application (boning/butcher knives especially).

So for the price that they are available at resturant supply stores, I think they may just be the toughest to beat.