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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I'll start off with a disclaimer, that as a Vine member, this set was sent to me free to review. Now, I happen to be a bit of a knife snob. I've used a lot of knives and personally prefer Japanese made knives (Shun and Global are two brands here on Amazon that are quite good). However, I do use German knives from time to time as there are some types of knives that don't tend to be made by the Japanese makes.
Wusthof is well known for making some very good quality knives, and the Classic is one of their better lines. I find the German knives rather heavy in general but I was pleasantly surprised to find that these are fairly well balanced and nice to hold. The sharpness out of the box was good and holds up well if properly cared for and used. This set includes the 6-inch chef's knife, 4-1/2 inch utility and a 3-1/2 inch paring. Also included are shears and a block with spaces for just these items. Clearly the chef knife is the star of the group and the one you would use the most. My biggest issue is with the short 6-inch length. If you have very small hands, this size may be okay, but really a larger knife is more ideal for most people. It's a bit short for larger items, but it may be okay if you don't do a whole lot of cooking. The paring knife is very nice and certainly will do that job well, no complaints there. The utility, well, that's a size I'm not sure is hugely useful, there's very little that couldn't be handled either by the smaller parer or the larger chef's knife, particularly since it's a fairly small chef. There are a lot of other kinds of knives most people would find more useful to round out a set. A decent bread or sandwich knife, a boning knife, or even a nice cheese knife. Maybe a good carving knife or even a cleaver. This is just one of those knives that no one particularly needs, but gets thrown into sets like this, because it fits in the smaller slots on the knife block.
The shears are pretty good ones, I like that they come apart for easy washing, I like the Wustof shears compared to other brands. If you've never had good kitchen shears before, you'll love having these, I particularly like them for cutting up chickens or trimming fat off roasts. They're a welcome addition to any set.
The other problem I have with this set though is simply that the knife block is so small. If you are really, really sure you aren't going to want any other knives than these, than this block may be okay. The name "studio" clearly means this is a set intended for really tiny kitchens that don't have much room, but in any case where you have room for a block at all, it only makes sense to invest in a large one that you can add more utensils to. You can't for instance, put a bread knife or honing blade into this block, it's simple too small and doesn't have the slots or length for these items. It's basically a choice between spending less and getting a set that might not have the best types of knives for your needs, like this one, whereas IMO it's often a better choice to buy your knife block separately and load it with the best knives for what you need and will use.
So those are my caveats about this set and why I'm rating it fairly low. The quality of the knives is pretty good, even 4+ stars (although again, in my opinion, it doesn't match Japanese made knives like Shun). But the chef's is too small for most people to use comfortably and not good for larger items, the utility knife is really unnecessary, and the block too small and limited. Within these constraints, this still might be a great set for the right person. The price certainly makes it an attractive gift option as well. But I don't think it's the most ideal set for most, even just looking at the Wushtof Classic line. You might want to consider something like the Create-A-Set Knife Storage Block and then add a starter set like this Wusthof 9755 Classic 2-Piece Knife Starter Set. You get the much larger and more useful 8-inch cook's knife, and a block with room for other knives as you can add them.
UPDATE: Currently this knife set is a fair bit lower in price than when I added my review, which does make this a much better buy than when it closer in price to the combination I listed above. I've left my original rating but I'd probably bump it up to 4 stars at the current price. Given that prices on this set and others can change regularly, consider the points raised in the review and your personal needs and budget when shopping. If this set stays at a good price point, it's definitely worth considering and is a great value. It's not my personal pick for a knife set but if you don't have a lot to spend, it would be at the top of the list to consider. It's definitely better to invest in a couple really nice sharp knives, than spend the same amount on a large set of poor quality ones!
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Great knives won't make you a great cook. But they may help good cooks enjoy cooking more. Expense has been a barrier, but this new set helps lower that barrier.
Here are the details of the contents of this set (the number following the / is length in cm):
* 3.5" blade Classic Paring Knife (4066/9) with 4" long handle; 2 oz.
* 4.5" blade Classic Utility Knife (4066/12) with 4" long handle; 2.3 oz.
* 6" blade Classic Cook's Knife (4582/16) with 5" long handle, 5.8 oz.
* Pull-apart Kitchen Shears (5558-1)
* Wood (Maple) Block (7250-7)
Excellent knives, good value in a set of the most frequently used knives. Excellent kitchen counter space saver. I paired it with the Wusthof 1550 Classic 7 Inch Hollow Ground Santoku Knife With Board that comes with an 8"x12" bamboo cutting board, on which the block and Santoku knife can be kept along side for ready use and still have a footprint of about the size of a standard sheet of paper. Probably should add a scabbard, maybe the Wusthof blade guard 8 cooks, to protect the Santoku knife edge when not in use and avoid accidents, but I think I'll wait until the first cut...
For the present, Amazon is one of the few stores carrying this set.
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program While the Wusthof Classic 5-Piece Studio Knife Set is not high end cutlery by any means, it is a reasonably well made set with good quality steel that will hold an edge. I own several Wusthof kinfs other than this set and I'm not sure they are of equal quality. The block is a little on the "rough" side fit and finish wise and the balance of the knifes is a little off. Still, the selection of knifes is good for the beginner and the blades do look to be Wusthof steel. I have to disagree with some reviewers about the sheers. A good set of kitchen sheers is a must for me. Boning poultry, stemming large greens and opening packages are just a few of the things they are needed for. While this set isn't going to make you an Iron Chef, it's a big step up from Ginsu.
Honest reviews on Wusthof Classic 5-Piece Studio Knife Set
Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Knife Review:
If you're looking for a pure knife review here you go: They worked fine. The chop, slice, julienne all worked as expected. These blades were tested out during the holiday rush dinner for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, where they served aptly. The chef's knife had enough heft to work well through both hard veggies like carrots, celery, potatoes (russet and sweet). Acorn squash was a little more difficult because the knife was simply too short. The Utility and Paring knives, separated by only an inch, are really the same knife in my eyes. They both worked well enough for the finer jobs. I found the paring knife to be a bit light and the weight balance felt a little off, but that may just be a personal preference (it simply didn't feel heavy enough).
Other bits:
The shears well they're shears. They worked well enough for their designed function. They were able to cut through the turkey's breast cavity with no issue. The split-apart nature made clean up very easy.
The storage block has a small footprint which is very appreciated in my limited counter space environment.
The utility factor:
The only thing I don't really like about this "starter set" is the 6" chef's knife. It just feels too short. My smallest chef is a 8" (which I barely use because of the length) my go-to is a 10". I would say that you could pick up this set and add the Victorinox 40521 10-Inch Chef's Knife, Black Fibrox Handle, but I get the feeling that you'd end up primarily using the Fibrox while the "pretty knives" sat in their storage block.
Also, the paring and utility knives are pretty much the same knife (assuming these were your only knives). I think Wusthof would have done better to include a bread knife instead of the paring.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Wusthof Classic 5-Piece Studio Knife Set
This is just about the best little knife block I can imagine. I have had Wusthof knives for many years and I really like them. They are of high quality, are easy to grip and very sharp. And they can last a lifetime and look very professional.
Personally, I think this is an amazing set. I actually prefer the 6 inch cook's knife over larger ones. The larger ones just get too heavy and take up too much space (also need a larger cutting board). I like the utility knife a lot, this is the knife I use most of the time. And the knife block is really cute. It takes up just the space it needs which is great if you have a small kitchen or simply not much space to spare for a giant knife block. Personally, I actually have additional knives that I store in a drawer. I like to have just the most frequently used ones handy and don't want to waste my precious counter space on a knife block.
This set could be even better though. Personally, instead of a paring knife AND a utility knife this set should have included either the paring OR the utility knife plus a small serrated knife, like the Wusthof sausage knife which I also have and use frequently to cut not just salami but mostly bagels or bread.
Another reviewer criticized that this block is small. It is small, you need to want a small one to like it. But for a small one it is great ! Ideal for minimalists, small kitchens are beginners.
If you are just starting your household you will most likely buy additional knives throughout your life. However, I don't think you can go wrong with this set. Depending on the price you pay for the set it will be cheaper to buy this instead of individual knives and then replace the block with a bigger one whenever you feel the need to do so. That day may never happen or by that time you will have a better feeling for what you need at that time.
