You don’t have to be a professional chef to know how important it is to have the right tools in your kitchen. Whether you’re carving a roast, chopping veggies for soup or slicing bread for sandwiches, high-quality knives can save you serious time and effort. Henckels and Wüsthof make some of the most premium kitchen knives on the market, so choosing between the two can be tricky.
Both brands use high-carbon stainless steel for their knives, making them highly durable. The brands also use a full-tang design, which means the blade extends all the way through the handle to improve the knife’s stability and reduce the risk that the handle will come loose. They produce both stamped and handcrafted models, but handcrafted knives are considerably more expensive than stamped options. Overall, Wüsthof knives are pricier than Henckels knives, with Wüsthof sets costing $50 to $300 or more. That’s mainly due to using a higher-quality steel, which makes the knives harder. Wüsthof knives also require hand-washing, while Henckels knives are dishwasher-safe.
The BestReviews Testing Lab tested several knife sets, including the Henckels Premium Quality 15-Piece Knife Set, to help us identify the features that make one set better than another. We used the knives to cut various foods, including tomatoes, fresh herbs, garlic, raw chicken and cooked steak. We also chopped for longer periods to see how comfortable the handles were and evaluated how well they kept their edge.
Ultimately, the Henckels and Wüsthof knives are both high-quality options. The Henckels knives are more affordable, so we recommend them for beginner home cooks or those on a budget. Wüsthof knives feature slightly harder, stronger steel, though, so they’re our pick for experienced or avid home chefs or anyone willing to make a sizable investment in their knives.
The Henckels and Wüsthof knife sets are some of the highest-quality knives on the market and share many similarities. However, each brand has unique advantages that may make its knives a better fit for your kitchen.
Henckels and Wüsthof knives are some of the most popular knives available, but each brand has its own drawbacks that may make the knives a poor choice for your kitchen.
Henckels offers many knife sets designed to provide the home cook with all the knives necessary for everyday food-prep tasks, but the Henckels Premium Quality 15-Piece Knife Set and the Henckels Statement 20-Piece Knife Block Set are two of the most popular. However, the overall value and performance of the Premium Quality 15-Piece Knife Set makes it our favorite.
Product specifications
Number of Pieces: 15 | Blade Material: High carbon stainless steel | Handle Material: Plastic | Blade Construction: Full-tang | Dishwasher-safe: Yes
The Henckels Premium Quality 15-Piece Knife Set stood out during our testing for the razor-sharp blades and highly durable design. The knives feature full-tang construction, so the blades extend all the way through the handles. The triple rivets in the handle hold the blade securely in place, and the knives impressed us with how sturdy they felt. The sharpness and weight of the blades also made precise cutting extremely easy. We used the santoku knife to create clean, thin slices of tomato and onion and the paring knife to peel carrots and potatoes. The chef’s knife was also perfect for mincing garlic and fresh herbs as finely as we wanted.
In addition to 11 knives, the set includes a set of kitchen shears and a honing steel for sharpening the knives. Unlike other knife sets we tested, the shears had a substantial, high-quality feel, which made cutting fresh herbs and opening a plastic package of bacon effortless. During our week of testing, though, the blades never lost their edge, so the knives cut just as easily at the end of the period as they did right out of the box. These Henckels knives are dishwasher-safe, too, though we found hand-washing the knives quick and easy.
Product specifications
Number of Pieces: 20 | Blade Material: High-carbon stainless steel | Handle Material: Plastic | Blade Construction: Full-tang | Dishwasher-safe: Yes
The Henckels Statement 20-Piece Knife Block Set is pricier than the Premium Quality 15-Piece Knife Set but contains five more pieces. In addition to the knives included in the Premium Quality Set, the Statement Set included an additional paring knife, an additional utility knife, a boning knife and a carving knife. Like other Henckels sets, though, the knives’ blades are made of high-carbon stainless steel and feature a full-tang design that makes them sturdier and more durable. The blades are also incredibly sharp and have a satin finish, which allows them to cut more precisely. Best of all, the knives hold their edge longer than more affordable knives, so they don’t require constant sharpening.
The knives’ plastic handles are lightweight, making them comfortable and easy to maneuver. The steel end cap also gives them a more balanced feel, so they’re an ideal option for even beginners. Like the Premium Quality 15-Piece Knife Set, the knives in the Statement 20-Piece Knife Block Set are also extremely easy to clean because they’re dishwasher-safe. The included honing steel also allows for quick, convenient sharpening when the knives require it.
While they are very pricey, Wüsthof makes some of the highest quality knives on the market, including the Gourmet 16-piece Kitchen Knife Block Set and the Gourmet 10-piece Knife Block Set. The Gourmet 16-Piece Set costs over $200 more than the Gourmet 10-Piece Set, but its knives are razor-sharp and more diverse than those in the 10-piece set.
Product specifications
Number of Pieces: 16 | Blade Material: High carbon stainless steel | Handle Material: Synthetic polypropylene | Blade Construction: Full-tang | Dishwasher-safe: No
The Wüsthof Gourmet 16-Piece Kitchen Knife Block Set contains 13 knives, a pair of kitchen shears and a honing steel. The assortment of knives is diverse, so most home cooks will have all the essentials. Even better, though, is their design and performance. The blades are made of high-carbon stainless steel that is precisely laser cut to ensure incredible sharpness that lasts. They are highly durable, too, thanks to the full-tang design and triple-riveted handles. Unlike the Henckels knives, these Wüsthof knives feature a molded bolster between the blade and the handle, which helps give them a balanced feel in hand and prevents your fingertips from accidentally sliding along the blade.
While these Wüsthof knives are not dishwasher-safe, they are corrosion-resistant and hold up well to hand-washing. Additionally, the synthetic handles are fade-, discoloration-, heat- and impact-resistant, making them perfect for heavy use in the kitchen. The included wooden knife block also has 17 slots, so it offers two additional spots if you choose to purchase additional knives separately.
Product specifications
Number of Pieces: 10 | Blade Material: High carbon stainless steel | Handle Material: Synthetic polypropylene | Blade Construction: Full-tang | Dishwasher-safe: No
The Wüsthof Gourmet 10-Piece Knife Block Set contains all the basics most home cooks need: seven knives, a pair of kitchen shears, a honing steel and a knife block. Like the Gourmet 16-Piece Set, its knives have full-tang, high-carbon stainless steel blades that are super sharp and incredibly durable. They also maintain their edge for a long time, so you won’t have to constantly sharpen them. The handles are also made of synthetic polypropylene that’s sturdy and impact-resistant, so you never have to worry about them snapping off if you drop them.
Like all Wüsthof knives, the Gourmet 10-Piece Set isn’t dishwasher-safe. However, they are extremely easy to hand-wash, and the blades don’t show signs of rusting. The synthetic handles are lightweight and feature a molded bolster, so they are very comfortable to use, allowing for precise cutting. Additionally, the knife block has 15 slots, providing six free spots for additional knives.
The Henckels Premium Quality 15-Piece Knife Set and Wüsthof Gourmet 16-Piece Kitchen Knife Block Set share quite a few similarities. They contain nearly the same number of knives and tools, and both include a wooden knife block. The blades for both sets are also made of the same stainless steel and feature a full-tang design that makes them more durable and stable than cheaper partial-tang knives. Additionally, both feature precision-stamped blades rather than even more expensive forged or handcrafted blades, so they aren’t the most costly set either brand offers.
However, the Henckels Premium Quality 15-Piece Knife Set and Wüsthof Gourmet 16-Piece Kitchen Knife Block Set also have some key differences. The most significant for many shoppers is their price. Both sets cost over $100, but the Wüsthof set is over $350 more than the Henckels knives. For truly avid or seasoned home chefs, the Wüsthof knives are likely worth the investment. However, for more casual or budget-minded cooks, the Henckels set delivers similar performance and results at a fraction of the cost.
When it comes to the knives themselves, the Wüsthof knives have a bolster between the blade and the handle. It helps improve their balance and makes them a bit more comfortable to hold. On the other hand, the Henckels knives lack a bolster, so we had to be more mindful of how we held them to ensure our fingers didn’t accidentally slide along the blade.
Henckels and Wüsthof knives offer pretty similar performance, which is no surprise, considering that they have many design features in common. The subtle differences between the two knives can help you decide which brand is best suited for your needs.
Henckels and Wüsthof produce both stamped and forged knives. As their name implies, stamped knives feature blades cut or stamped from a larger piece of steel and then honed and treated with heat to ensure their sharpness and durability. Forged knives are made from a bar of steel that’s heated and pounded into a blade shape. Generally, forged knives from both Henckels and Wüsthof are considerably more expensive than stamped models. However, the brands’ stamped knives are still extremely high quality.
Both Henckels and Wüsthof use high-carbon stainless steel for their blades. Knives from the two brands also feature a full-tang design, so the blade extends all the way through the handle. This design gives the knives a more balanced feel in hand and improves their durability since the blades aren’t as likely to snap off the handle as with knives with a partial-tang design.
However, there is a slight difference in the strength of the stainless steel that Henckels and Wüsthof use. Stainless steel strength is measured by the Rockwell scale, with a score of 56 to 60 considered ideal for knives. Henckels knives usually score 56 or 57, while Wüsthof knives typically score 58. The harder steel Wüsthof uses typically holds its edge more effectively, so these knives may stay sharper longer than the Henckels.
Henckels knives all have fairly standard plastic handles. They are triple-riveted to the full-tang blades, giving them a sturdy, durable feel. The handles’ undersides also have a slight curve to them, so they fit comfortably in hand. The only thing we didn’t like about their handles when testing the Henckels Premium Quality 15-Piece Knife Set was the lack of bolster between the blade and handle. We had to be more careful about how we gripped the Henckels knives than we were with other knife sets we tested because we were concerned our fingers might accidentally slip along the blade’s edge if we weren’t careful.
However, the Henckels knives have stainless steel end caps on their handles. These end caps help give the knives a well-balanced feel in hand, so you have excellent control and can cut precisely.
The handles of Wüsthof knives are made of either synthetic polypropylene and wood. The more premium lines of Wüsthof knives typically feature wooden handles, while the standard lines have synthetic polypropylene handles. This material is essentially a premium form of plastic that is fade-, discoloration-, heat- and impact-resistant, so it can hold up well to heavy use without showing signs of wear and tear.
Like the Henckels knives, all Wüsthof knives have handles that are triple-riveted to secure the full-tang blade and reduce the risk of the handle coming loose. The handles also feature a curved design to allow for a more comfortable grip. Even better, they have molded bolsters where the blade meets the handle. The bolsters help balance the knives and provide a comfortable spot to rest your thumb and forefinger, so you don’t have to worry about your fingers slipping along the blade’s edge.
Henckels and Wüsthof knives are both extremely sharp and hold their edge well. However, Wüsthof knives may have a slight advantage when it comes to staying sharp because their stainless steel blades are a bit harder than those for Henckels’ knives. When we tested the Henckels Premium Quality 15-Piece Knife Set, though, the knives all held their edge over the week, so we don’t expect them to require sharpening too often.
Henckels and Wüsthof knife sets, including the Henckels Premium Quality 15-Piece Knife Set, the Henckels Statement 20-Piece Knife Set, the Wüsthof Gourmet 16-Piece Knife Set and the Wüsthof Gourmet 10-Piece Knife Set, include a honing steel for sharpening the knives. Their included blocks have a slot for the steel, too, making it convenient to grab if you notice your knives are getting dull.
Henckels advertised their knives as dishwasher-safe, so they can be quicker to clean. However, like most premium knives, Wüsthof knives are not considered dishwasher-safe because machine washing can dull the blade and affect the long-term durability.
In general, we don’t recommend washing kitchen knives in the dishwasher because of those concerns. But if you’re in a rush, Henckels knives can be tossed in your dishwasher’s top rack without any concerns about voiding the warranty.
Henckels knives are more affordable than Wüsthof knives, though nearly all sets from both brands cost over $100.
The Henckels Premium Quality 15-Piece Knife Set regularly retails for $135 and is available at Amazon. The Henckels Statement 20-Piece Knife Set with Block usually costs $230 and can be found at Amazon.
The Wüsthof Gourmet 16-Piece Kitchen Knife Block Set typically costs $495 and is available at Amazon. The Wüsthof Gourmet 10-Piece Knife Block Set regularly retails for $275 and can be found at Amazon.
Henckels and Wüsthof both make high-quality knives that are impressively sharp and hold their edge well even with heavy use. Wüsthof may get a slight edge in terms of quality, but the performance between the two is very similar.
Considering the price of Wüsthof knives may not fit many budgets, we recommend Henckels knives for the average home cook looking to invest in premium tools for their kitchen. The Henckels Premium Quality 15-Piece Knife Set was a favorite of ours during testing and an excellent value for budget-conscious shoppers.
However, if you’re highly experienced in the culinary arts and want the best of the best in your knife arsenal, Wüsthof knives will likely make your life in the kitchen even easier. The Wüsthof Gourmet 16-Piece Kitchen Knife Block Set is our top choice because of its diverse selection of knives that can cover nearly any food-prep task.
Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.
Check out our Daily Deals for the best products at the best prices and sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter full of shopping inspo and sales.
