What steel is used for these knives? Generic: "high quality German steel" just for the amatures. Hardness?
1749302
Not sure of the details on the steel, but they are super sharp and have stayed so for over a year with minimal maintenance.
579
The box says made in Taiwan and the blade has 4034 steel marked on it. 420 or 4034 stainless steels are the softest and least expensive. The presence of these steels usually means the knife is mass produced and imported from China. These steels are not brittle, but they do not stay sharp for long either. if you want a good edge try VG-10, it is stainless steel with a high percentage of vanadium content, which can hold an extremely sharp edge for a long time. 1095 carbon steel has a high degree of carbon in it for increased hardness; the legendary Ka-Bar fighting knives are made from this steel. H1 steel which is made with nitrogen instead of carbon, making it virtually rust proof. These knives are intended for extremely hard use by people doing stuff like salt-water sea diving. As with most things the better the material the higher the cost.
2278287
These are very different as they are high carbon forged knives made in Germany. The knives you typically find at those stores mentioned are usually stamped (not forged) and are made in China.
1325678
I will add that, while the knife is certainly lighter than many of the quality German knives, it is by no means 'cheap feeling' or 'too light'. The first time I picked up this knife I immediately noticed the solid, quality feel.
1522132
Each of the knives are marked Germany, for this particular set. I've had mine for a while now and have been very happy with them!
1145117
I honestly dont know what the hardness of the blade is, due to the fact that the blades are not of a high quality these details are often not given with the product. However if you want a rough estimate on how hard the blade material is from my experience with them they loose their edge quickly while cutting boxes and its not very easy to get a sharp edge on them like on my ANSA knife. I would say that its the same as the hardness on regular 440 stainless steel nothing special here.
655012
They are made in Germany which makes the best knives.They are very sharp.Have had the knives almost a year now use them all the time.Recommend washing by hand to keep edge from getting knicks.Gave them a five out of five.Definitely worth the price.
1583836
I actually don't know what type of steel these are made from. They are swiss made and they are the favorite knife of Cooks illustrated/ America Test Kitchen. That is why I bought one, and I am very happy with it.There are other responders to my comments and they say it is stainless steel. Someone else says it is high carbon stainless steel with a 15 degree angle. Another said it is a Victornox and they are the worlds best knife maker. So NOW I'M really glad I bought one.
2243775
They company states the blade is made from "the finest American stainless steel". They do not say what hardness it is.
1719236
It depends on the knives, some are made in Germany, and some of the lower cost are made in china, you have to check on the box of the knives
2259438
they formerly were american made... A GOOD PRODUCT,,, i have one of the imports,, i am reserving judgement on them... they must have to meet the schrade standards,, but with the stainless steel blades,, i am not sure... the blades are not as stiff an formerly a definite minus.. a thicker blade could be used better for heavy cutting.and i do prefer the highcarbon steel for taking an edge
111398
I can't answer your question, but be careful. I bought a set of these knives at Gumps and they were very high quality. Then I bought what was advertised as the same thing on Amazon (same thickness of blade, etc), and they were MUCH lighter and cheaper. I returned them.
1516554
This isn't really an appropriate question for this service. I've not found the quality of the steel to be dubious, but I do find the assumed inferiority of *all* Chinese products vaguely racist.A shorter blade - like that of a folding knife - doesn't need to be as strong as 1095 or D2 steel. The maintenance of such steel is prohibitive for a lower-cost blade and doesn't provide enough benefit for most users to overcome this objection. A fixed blade, however, is typically longer and has more stringent demands on it.
909854
Bonny I'm unsure of your question...."but" - these are the best knives our fam have ever used. Aluminum light weight handle and stainless blade. You can buy these at the flea mkt but there are a lot of knock-offs that will not hold up. If they are used properly(not for carving bone,etc), you will really enjoy them! Hope this helps.
1201074
I measured one of them @~1/16" thick. "high carbon" and "high carbon stainless" are not the kinds of terms I would look for. These knives are VG-10 Steel, which is a high performance stainless steel- with what could be called a "high carbon" content of ~1%. The chromium (@15%) is what makes it stainless, and in this case, vanadium, molybdenum, cobalt, and manganese factor into the overall steel equation. It holds an edge remarkably well, while offering superior corrosion resistance. I put mine to a honing steel somewhat regularly, and sharpen maybe ever 3 months- but I like to maintain a shaving edge on these knives. They take the edge easily and hold on to it fantastic (using DMT diamond and then ceramic stones to polish). I have to say, I think it really depends on your own habits. These probably aren't ideal if you like to cut with more tight gripped downward pressure than a balanced slice. They're exceptional performing knives, but I think they're meant as more of a finesse instrument than a chopping tool. In my opinion, the balance and weight is great, the quality of the construction is obvious, and these are some of the best kitchen knives on the market. With fine diamond stones (I prefer DMT) and ceramic, they are very easy to maintain (a few minutes is usually all it takes to get it back to a scary shaving edge)-- but I wouldn't use them as cleavers in any sense whatsoever. If you're into finesse and slicing over brute-force chopping, I couldn't recommend these higher.
866475
No! Wusthof Gourmet knives are laser-cut from one piece of high carbon stainless steel. This is the new mass production way of making cheap knives. It just sounds impressive. Definitely not forged!
822627
Less than average. Its not that sharp brand new. I had to sharpen it out of the box. I have purchased a about a dozen knives on amazon and the best brand of knife I found is Schrade. They're a little more expensive but durable and stay sharper then any other brand. I would say Smith & Wesson would be the only other blade I would recommend.