Fake Wusthof Knives?


 
M

M Borner

TVWBB Member
Hi, everybody.
We have a set of Whsthof knives that we bought online from William's Sanoma some 20 years ago. They are our primary, daily use knives. The problem we've had since day one is that these knives need continuous sharpening. I'm beginning to wonder if they're knock-offs. For example, the paring knife can only cut up one, maybe two limes before it needs to be sharpened. After we get through a steak dinner, the steak knives need to be sharpened.
We stopped using the paring knife to cut up fruit because we found a plastic handled one at a dollar store (that's right, $1.00) that outperforms our Wusthof knife by a mile. I think we got through probably 50 limes and the knife still didn't need sharpening. I can feel the Wusthoff knife dull as I'm cutting through a couple of limes.
Why is a dollar store knife outperforming a German made, high end, expensive knife set? Is it possible they're fake? I would think not as I bought them from a reputable retailer.
These are the Wusthoff Classics, not the Icons. They don't have a medallion on the handle, just a sticker that is now mostly faded off.
I use the knives on a wood cutting board, sometimes plastic.
 
which line of Wushoff did you buy? the brand name doesn't dictate the quality of the model.

i have Zwilling that some are now over 30 years old. some that broke/were defective were recently replaced under the lifetime warranty. i also have a few Wusthoff and they work very well, just the same as my Zwilling.
 
Williams-Sonoma is a very well respected supply house. Personally, I find them ridiculously overpriced so, I only shop the blow out store when I go to Chicago (same with Crate and Barrel) but, if you bought them 20 years ago, you would have no recourse through the store. I have serious doubt that they would be selling “Off brand” material, their reputation means a lot to them.
I have high end and bargain blades in my inventory, all perform well. Some do ask for more sharpening than others but, I’ve never sharpened a steak knife in my life. Eating rhinocerous down there? 😉
 
I have Wusthof knives. a mix of Classic, Grand Prix, and Grand Prix II styles. They are all the same steel, with different handles.

The budget line is "Gourmet" which is stamped. The others above are forged.

@M Borner how are you sharpening the knives?

Can you post a pic of the blade showing the logo ?
 
The Grand Prix on top is circa 1995. The Classic below is 10 to 20 years old. Both are the same steel just different handles.
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All of my Wusthof knives are the Classic and most, if not all, are 20+ years old. I rarely have to sharpen any of them and when I do it usually only takes a few strokes on a 6” Arkansas Stone to put the edge back on the blade. Surprised that you’re having an issue. Wusthof knives have a limited lifetime warranty so maybe consider contacting them regarding your issue.
 
Thanks for the input. Seriously, my dollar store knife holds an edge 50 times longer than my Wusthof. That can't be right. I sharpen them both the same way, with the sharpening rod that came with the set. Now I know that is not optimal, but come on, I've sharpened my dollar store knife maybe 2 times? My Wusthof? constantly, almost after every use.
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The “sharpening rod” is a steel for realigning the edge it is NOT for sharpening per se. It does little for a badly dulled edge. I use a steel every time or every other time to keep the edge true. Take your knives and have them truly resharpened and be very careful with the steel, I’ve known more than one person that has dulled a perfectly good edge because they didn’t know how to properly use a steel. “Let me do that for you…” my constant refrain when someone says that is a rapid “NO!”
There is nothing defective with the knives, you need to learn proper techniques to keep them sharp is all.
One bug problem I see when folks use a steel is using too much pressure which rolls the edge to the effectiveness of a hoe!
It’s a new skill, and takes a bit of learning.
 
M Borner said:
Thanks for the input. Seriously, my dollar store knife holds an edge 50 times longer than my Wusthof. That can't be right. I sharpen them both the same way, with the sharpening rod that came with the set. Now I know that is not optimal, but come on, I've sharpened my dollar store knife maybe 2 times? My Wusthof? constantly, almost after every use.
View attachment 121107


View attachment 121106
Click to expand...
The marking on the blade looks legit.
 
some knife sharpening threads.

R

Thread 'Knife sharpener'

Can anyone recommend a good knife sharpener or share your technique for sharpening?

W

Thread 'How to sharpen knives?'

So i don't know much of anything about knife sharpening. We have 2 JA Henckels knives that are over 13yrs old that i actually got used from my previous employer. They were used for testing disposable cutting trays we were developing at the time. The edges at that time were already a little beat up, but now 13+ years later they are even worse.

My wife primarily uses the one on the left more because she likes the weight of it.

Based on the edges shown below, what's the best process or way to get these edges back into shape? is there a specific type of sharpening, technique or process i...
 
I agree with Timothy and echo others. Sounds like your knives just need a sharpening beyond just honing. I'm no expert but...

It's unlikely any fakes come from William-Sonoma. Wusthof Classic knives use X50 Cr Mo V15 which is a quality German Steel (Rockwell hardness of 58) so the honing rod probably wouldn’t do much beyond refine edge. Your cheap knives are probably softer steel so your honing rod might do more.

Knife sets usually come with a honing rod (usually steel or sometimes ceramic) which is meant to align the on edge of blade & reduce micro burrs. Most aren't designed to really remove much if any steel. (There are exceptions like diamond coated rods that do remove steel).

A sharpener removes steel to recreate the V shaped edge. You can sharpen by running blade a few times through an 2 or 3 stage progression electric sharpener (easiest method) or manually with flat sharpening stones (which takes more effort & technique).

I use a 2 stage electric sharpener which does a good job (a set angle with small sharpening stones rotate inside). I follow with the honing rod. Both came with my set of French knives about 30 years ago. I also use them on a couple of Wusthof Classics and other knives. For me, I only need to sharpen once or twice a year. Between sharpenings, I occassionally use the honing rod to maintain edge.

Recently, I've started to learn how to sharpen manually on flat stones as a hobby. I start with a rougher Diamond stone, then a finer Japanese stone (Shapton Pro) and end with a leather strop. It's a lot more effort but the process is kind of fun. Electric sharpener is much easier.
 
Mike-GA said:
I agree with Timothy and echo others. Sounds like your knives just need a sharpening beyond just honing. I'm no expert but...

It's unlikely any fakes come from William-Sonoma. Wusthof Classic knives use X50 Cr Mo V15 which is a quality German Steel (Rockwell hardness of 58) so the honing rod probably wouldn’t do much beyond refine edge. Your cheap knives are probably softer steel so your honing rod might do more.

Knife sets usually come with a honing rod (usually steel or sometimes ceramic) which is meant to align the on edge of blade & reduce micro burrs. Most aren't designed to really remove much if any steel. (There are exceptions like diamond coated rods that do remove steel).

A sharpener removes steel to recreate the V shaped edge. You can sharpen by running blade a few times through an 2 or 3 stage progression electric sharpener (easiest method) or manually with flat sharpening stones (which takes more effort & technique).

I use a 2 stage electric sharpener which does a good job (a set angle with small sharpening stones rotate inside). I follow with the honing rod. Both came with my set of French knives about 30 years ago. I also use them on a couple of Wusthof Classics and other knives. For me, I only need to sharpen once or twice a year. Between sharpenings, I occassionally use the honing rod to maintain edge.

Recently, I've started to learn how to sharpen manually on flat stones as a hobby. I start with a rougher Diamond stone, then a finer Japanese stone (Shapton Pro) and end with a leather strop. It's a lot more effort but the process is kind of fun. Electric sharpener is much easier.
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I thought about this. I do have a two stage sharpener but it makes no difference. I still have to sharpen the knives almost after every use. This is the electric sharpener that I have used.
IMG_7777.jpeg
And this is the dollar store paring knife that completely outperforms my $1,000 knife set.
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Your knives just are not sharp. I'm sure of it.

Go get them sharpened by a pro.

Even totally cheap-*ss knives will cut fantastically if sharpened appropriately. At my weekend house, I have a set of Cuisinart kitchen knives from Target that cost maybe $50. I could do surgery with them. Same goes for my $8 Victorinox paring knife with a plastic handle.

Once a year I put them through my Trizor XV electric sharpener. A Chefs Choice machine quite similar to yours. And then I hit them with the honing rod (which is in no way a sharpener) every time I pick them up. It is worth teaching yourself how to do the hone properly. Search on here for videos and discussion of how to use a honing (not sharpening) rod the right way.

Pro tip.

When you take the knives to the sharpening guy, ask him to sharpen the knives down to 15 degrees. The standard for Euro knives used to be 20 degrees. But now, pretty much every knife (European or Japanese; pricey or cheap) sold now comes with 15 degrees.

Once I got the XV sharpener, I ground all my German knives down to the same 15 degree bevel. Soooo much better!!! 15 degrees feels sharper. And it is much simpler to maintain everything (from paring knife through chef knife) at the same angle. KISS.

One last thing. Make sure you are following the directions for your sharpener unit. The instructions to my unit are VERY specific. It could be that your sharpener just doesn't work anymore. Or the problem could also be the nut behind the wheel. If your unit is no bueno, get a Trizor XV like me and Larry have. Highly recommended by NY Times Wirecutter and many many other reviewers. I got mine cheap/used on ebay. Works great.



 
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M Borner said:
I thought about this. I do have a two stage sharpener but it makes no difference. I still have to sharpen the knives almost after every use. This is the electric sharpener that I have used.
View attachment 121110
And this is the dollar store paring knife that completely outperforms my $1,000 knife set.
View attachment 121111
Click to expand...
Do not bother with this. I have one. It's more knives than I can count. That model is awful. If you want a Chef's Choice (and I do recommend it) get the one I showed you. I even bought a Work Sharp Ken Onion sharpener. I can't get an edge with it to same my life. I just get piles of dust. That Chefs Choice XV really does a job. Take your time with it and it will reward you. Now I simply touch up my knives I've used it on with my steel like every other use. Can almost shave with it
 
M Borner said:
I thought about this. I do have a two stage sharpener but it makes no difference. I still have to sharpen the knives almost after every use. This is the electric sharpener that I have used.
View attachment 121110
And this is the dollar store paring knife that completely outperforms my $1,000 knife set.
View attachment 121111
Click to expand...
My old sharpener is much more basic. Your sharpener seems similar to the one Larry links above (post #14) which gets good reviews America's Test Kitchen.

Here's a video showing a technique that seems to yield good results on the model Larry uses (Post # 14). Maybe the technique will help with yours.

 
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