One cutlery company which had its roots in Solingen, Germany is Zwilling J.A. Henckels. Created in 1731, the company can claim a number of "firsts", among them the first stainless steel blades, multi-purpose kitchen shears, forged knives with molded handles and hybrid forged knives. This manufacturer is also esteemed as one of the highest quality cutlery manufacturers in any country. It would seem that as a result of 278 years of experience, Henckels Four Star Knife Sets could be regarded as the sharpest knives in the block.

Product Descriptions

In accordance with the company's logo - a simplified representation of the star sign of Gemini - the Henckels knives have been designated with the word "Twin" followed by the series name. There are eleven Twin series - 1731, Cermax M66, Select, Cuisine, Four Star II, Pro "S", Five Star, Four Star, Gourmet, Signature and Grip Parers - with another collection made up of cleavers and dicers. All of this company's knives continue to be made in Germany, except the Cermax M66 product line which is made in Japan.

The majority of Henckels knives are formed of high-quality German high-carbon, no-stain steel blades, which are then ice-hardened to increase their cutting edge retention and resistance to rust. This should be anticipated from the enterprise which invented the Friodur ice-hardening process for forged knives. As a result, if you are thinking about investing in a Henckels knife set, you have the assurance of German quality with world-class standards.

Advantages

The wonderful thing concerning Henckels Four Star Knife Sets is the variety made for customers from the homemakers to the world-class chefs. Consequently, many pocketbooks are served by its affordable products in the Twin Signature series to the fairly expensive knives of the Twin Cermax M66 series. However, the quality of materials used and the manufacturing method used are similar with every knife sold by this company.

The superior knives included in the Cermax M66 Henckels product line cuts like a laser through food. Cermax knives can cut, slice, fillet, dice and mince more effectively than any other knife for a comparable price. Moreover, the heaviness and balance of Cermax knives are perfect; to the degree that professional chefs are increasingly showing preference for the Cermax M66 rather than, say, similar products from Wusthoft.

Even its stamped steel knives such as the Twin Signature collection are excellent compromises between cost and quality. Obviously, over two hundred years of producing knives is bound to pay off!

Disadvantages

Specifically in cases where you purchase your knives on the website, be certain that you are getting what you wanted and paid good money for. There have been complaints of the product descriptions in a Henckels knife set that didn't adequately describe the items recieved.

Also, there is the matter of reputation. Because Henckles now offers budget-priced knives that rarely but often enough don't satisfy the usual Henckles quality, the other top quality knives suffer from the other's failures. This is similar to the saying of one or two bad apples tainting the whole bushel.

As a final analysis, the decision about a Henckels Knife Set routinely boils down to two things: your food prep habits and the depths of your pockets. Usually, you will be required to sacrifice either price or quality but with Henckels knives, the decision is made easier.

Moses Harun is involved with a project that helps visitors make smart decision when shopping for knives. One of the highest rated knives reviewed on his site is the Henckels Four Star Knife Sets.