Tramontina Professional vs. Forschner Victorinox
Michael Shanahan
blowout on a set of Wusthof's or Friedrich Dick's. My research has
led me believe that either the Tramontina Professional or the
Forschner Victorinox will suit my needs for now.
Does anyone have experience with these knives? Does one hold it's
blade longer then the other? Should I be worried that the Forschner
is stamped and not forged? Is one of these two brands significantly
better then the other?
Thank you for any advice you can give.
Jeffrey Dunnam
with pasta insert at Sam's Club. It was a POS and started to rust after
the 1st use. On this limited exposure to their products, I would go for
the Forschner. Cook's Illustrated rated their stamped Chef's knives #1 in
the affordable knives. Better yet, save a little more and get some F Dick
Premier forged knives. These are great quality at reasonable prices. You
might try contacting Niklas at dabt...@web.de and seeing if he has any
he would deal on. He is in Germany and sells through ebay. I have no
affiliation with him other than being a satisfied customer. Also, I would
not restrict yourself to buying a set. Start with a Chef's, I prefer a 9"
or longer, a 3-1/2 paring, and a 6" utility or a 9" or longer serrated
bread knife. With knives like pans, if you restrict yourself to sets you
may end up with knives you don't need, don't want, and/or won't use.
bla...@starband.net
rosewood handled Forschner for about 5 years and these products have shown
themselves to be quite good values in their price range. The steel is thin
and on the soft side (unlike Wusthof etc.) which makes it very fast and easy
to sharpen and steel. But, of course, it doesn't hold an edge quite as long
either and is lighter in weight than the upscale European knives.
The major advantage of forging is that it gives you a bolstered knife made
from a single piece of steel for good balance and strength. Bolstered
knives are heavier and better balanced. Some say the forging removes some
impurities from the steel and I don't doubt it but I doubt that's is as
important as the benefit I just described.
If you can be happy with lightweight fairly thinly bladed knives of somewhat
soft steel and are diligent in steeling them with each use, then the
Forschner may be a good choice for you. I continue to reach for my
Forschner 7 1/2" chef's knife every time I want to core and wedge a tomato.
Nothing else in my knife drawer works quite as well as that knife for me for
that purpose and I can assure you I have most of the best knives in the
world in my drawer.
It was rated highly by Cook's Illustrated which, as you may know, is a
magazine that accepts no advertising and provides objective ratings and
reviews of cooking products in each issue. So there's one very credible
recommendation for you. Sorry I couldn't help you with the Brazilian
knives.
Fred
Knife Outlet
http://www.knifeoutlet.com
"Michael Shanahan" <shan...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:2380d76.02081...@posting.google.com...
sd
shan...@hotmail.com (Michael Shanahan) wrote:
> Does anyone have experience with these knives? Does one hold it's
> blade longer then the other? Should I be worried that the Forschner
> is stamped and not forged? Is one of these two brands significantly
> better then the other?
I don't know anything about the Tramontinas, but have had the Forschners
for more than two years now and have been quite happy with them. I have
the rosewood-handled ones since I liked the heft and the look better
than the synthetic handles on their other line. They've done everything
I've asked; my only real complaint is that I should replace a couple of
the utility knives because the blades have gotten a little dinged up in
relatively normal use, but, at their price, it's no big deal to replace
them.
I put together a six-piece set of Forschners (8" chef's, boning knife,
3" parer, 5" utility knife, serrated bread slicer, and Granton-edge
slicer for about what Wusthof would have charged for their equivalent
scalloped-edge (Kullenschliff) slicer. I would not tell you for a second
that the Forschners are as good as an equivalent Wusthof forged set, but
for normal knife work in the hands of a non-professional cook, they're
fine, and I don't think Wusthofs are five or six times better at their
price.
H. W. Hans Kuntze
> I am looking to get a decent set of knives but I am not quite ready to
> blowout on a set of Wusthof's or Friedrich Dick's. My research has
> led me believe that either the Tramontina Professional or the
> Forschner Victorinox will suit my needs for now.
Hi Michael.
You don't say what in particular you are looking for, nor what you
envision as a budget.
Of course you can spend $ 500 on a high faluting set, or spend half as
much on some stamped knifes.
Tramontina you will find at Walmart and K-Mart, if that doesn't tell you,
I don't know what will.
Victorinox is fine as a beater in a restaurant (fibrox handles are cheap),
they don't steel them, and if you loose them, you did not loose much.
There are other alternatives now that the big knifemakers are realizing
that people want quality knives, but don't look for prestige as much.
The finest Pro-Chef knives are now made by F.Dick, a quality german
manufacturer since 1860something. Cheaper and better steel/handfeel than
the multinational giants Henckels and Wuesthoff.
They also make stamped knives for the butcher trade and for HACCP with a
better steel than Victorinox, but are not as widely distributed as
Forschner. Therefore, lacking competition, you will probably be quoted
prices that are more expensive than the widely distributed Forschners.
Henckels has recently purchased a spanish quality knife manufacturer,
forges the blades in Germany and has them assembled in Spain. Good quality
but the prices are much better than their hootsy tootsy 4 & 4 star lines.
Closer to what stamped knifes are selling to.
They are called the classic, heavy forged line and you can pick up a 7
piece set for around $ 150.
http://www.restaurant-store.com/hk35342000.html
That will IMHO probably give you the best bang for your buck and should
give you a good start with a quality set, as reasonable as stamped
individual knifes bought seperately. Nice stuff.
As they say, pay once now or pay through the nose later.;-)
--
Gruesse.
C=¦-)§ H. W. Hans Kuntze, CMC, S.g.K. (_o_)
" Die einfachsten Dinge sind sehr kompliziert " Morgenroete
http://www.cmcchef.com And zen ve vil tak over ze vorld! ;-)
_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/
Josh Meyer
my favorite handle among all of the knives i've tried is the forschner
fibrox. i'm not thrilled with the stamped blade though. my advice is to
save up for an 8" forged chef's knife and round out your collection with
Forschners.
Josh
Louis Cohen
occasionally used fancier knives at friends' houses or at classes - the
fancier forged knives may be nicer, but not that much nicer.
Regards from sunny San Leandro
Louis Cohen
http://home.attbi.com/~louiscohen
N37° 43' 7" W122° 8' 42"
"When I came to California I had nothing,
and now I owe two millions of dollars"- John C. Frémont
"Michael Shanahan" <shan...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:2380d76.02081...@posting.google.com...
Colin Povey
Forschner with the Fibrox handles. We arrived at this decision
independently (i.e. we both used them before we got there).
In fact, even though I have a Henckels forged paring knife, I prefer my
Forschner. I think the lighter, thinner blade is an aid in paring.
Colin
GaryO
The two knives are very similar in build and quality. I was exposed
to Tramontina by a salesman at (I believe) a Target store (or possibly
a K-Mart) who couldn't contain his excitement. He was nurturing a
budding passion for cooking and couldn't believe his luck when he used
his small employee discount to get the best looking knife in his price
range (that his store carried). I later found that the cooking
magazines were high on the Tramontina brand, as well. It was only
after Consumer Reports published their oft quoted article on
affordable kitchen knives that the Forschner Victorinox became readily
familiar to me. Thereafter, the cooking magazines praised the
Forschner Victorinox knives praising the Tramontina Professional line,
as well, if it was included in the commentary at all. You cannot go
wrong with either knife. You can, however, be second-guessed about
the Tramontina considering the considerable clout of Consumer Reports
with the average consumer.
Generally, forged knives are built heftier and will last longer. The
forged knives will generally have a bolster when flex of the blade is
not a desired feature. Every cook and chef has been guilty, at some
time or other, of not bothering to change to the appropriate knife for
the particular task at hand. In the case of a chef's knife, for
instance, there rarely ever will be the need for the blade to be
flexible. The heftier blade with the rigidity of the bolster should
offer greater utility over a wider range of uses while the lighter
weight of the stamped blade sans bolster will offer negligible
advantage. Deciding between a stamped blade and a forged blade
generally boils down to price range and longevity more than
utilitarianism. The high end forged knives can be expected to be
passed from generation to generation given proper consideration and
care. The lighter weight of the stamped blade, IMHO, is of little
advantage in terms of fatigue factor. The weight difference is not
great enough to merit serious consideration on behalf of the lighter
blade, while the added weight of the forged blade may actually aid the
user on many tasks, much of the work being done by the weight of the
blade. The added flexibility of the stamped blade, however, can
seriously add to fatigue, especially on heavy duty tasks, such as
cubing large quantities of meat.
Hope this helps,
GaryO
H. W. Hans Kuntze
> shan...@hotmail.com (Michael Shanahan) wrote in message news:<2380d76.02081...@posting.google.com>...
> > I am looking to get a decent set of knives but I am not quite ready to
> > blowout on a set of Wusthof's or Friedrich Dick's. My research has
> > led me believe that either the Tramontina Professional or the
> > Forschner Victorinox will suit my needs for now.[...]
>
> The two knives are very similar in build and quality. I was exposed
> to Tramontina by a salesman at (I believe) a Target store [valid arg. snipped]
Hi Gary.
Without distinguishing the different lines of a maker, a comparison becomes moot.
Just look at how many different lines are now being pumped out. Mass marketing.
Forschner does produce, besides their widely distributed stamped knives, a somewhat well made forged line (french and
german style) that is now available over the internet from Europe.
http://knivesandtools.com/en/ct/victorinox-chef-knives.htm
Henckels now produces 3 lines (international fine edge pro & eversharp) of Ginsu-type garbage, how far can the others
be behind, money talks.
And little makers like Schaaf jump into the breach, producing ever so expensive forged knives (Goldhamster), not being
able to keep up with the big boys and having learned from the US market. If it is expensive, it has to be good.
The only one who sits back and laughs, not having to answer to pecil pushers demanding a yearly increase in sales &
profits, is the privately owned F. Dick company, increasing sales through consistent quality while the others choke on
the confusion, trying to cannibalize each other with ever cheaper crap.
Looks familiar, doesn't it.
Sheellah
and they are heavyweight, nicely balanced, and look like they are made well.
They look the same as the Wusthof Classic line, and are forged knives made from
German steel. You can get a 6 piece set of them with a beautiful block for only
$99 now. Bought separately they would be about $249. Lifetime, no questions
asked warranty too! Thinking of selling my expensive ones, and just using these
:-).
Seth Goodman
<shee...@aol.com> wrote:
Interestingly, I've read on the Web that the new Calphalon knives are
made by F. Dick. Any independent confirmation?
--
Seth Goodman
Sheellah
same. Would be interesting to compare them in person. If so they are a
steal---LOL---no pun intended : ). Their 8" chef knife, contained in the $99
set, was $90 alone!
Charles Demas
Colin Povey <cpo...@mindspring.com> wrote:
>In the catering company that I work in, both the sous chef and I use
>Forschner with the Fibrox handles. We arrived at this decision
>independently (i.e. we both used them before we got there).
>
>In fact, even though I have a Henckels forged paring knife, I prefer my
>Forschner. I think the lighter, thinner blade is an aid in paring.
And the people on TV's America's Test Kitchen agree, and mentioned
that it's only $6.
Chuck Demas
--
Eat Healthy | _ _ | Nothing would be done at all,
Stay Fit | @ @ | If a man waited to do it so well,
Die Anyway | v | That no one could find fault with it.
de...@tiac.net | \___/ | http://www.tiac.net/users/demas
Colin Povey
$6.00 is list price. An even better value is Forschner paring knives at
$3.06 from gourmetcutlery.com!
The 10 inch Chef's with Fibrox handle is only $22.44.
Fine people to do business with. I have used them many times with great service.
Colin
Please note that I have no connection with gourmetcutlery.com, except as
a satisfied customer.
Michael Shanahan
Tramontina which sent me their catalog and price list and I went and
tested some of the Henkels and Wusthof's suggested. A German friend
of mine is coming to visit next week and was able to pick up a set of
3 Wusthof Grand Prix (8" Chef, 6" Utility, 3 1/2" paring) for about
$95.00 there, cheaper then any of the less expensive options available
here. I should have had her pick-up more!
Regards,
Michael
Jeffrey Dunnam
Thanks for the link. Their prices are very good. I have been looking for a good
price on F Dick steels and theirs are much cheaper than knifemerchant's.
H. W. Hans Kuntze
> Colin,
>
> Thanks for the link. Their prices are very good. I have been looking for a good
> price on F Dick steels and theirs are much cheaper than knifemerchant's.
You can say that again, Jeffrey.
Gourmetcutlery F. Dick Steel, 11 Inch, Multicut $ 63.04 versus Knifemerchants $88.48
I have not found better prices anywhere than from http://gourmetcutlery.com
Their prices on Forschner are great too. For those who like them.
Plus, you now get free shipping on orders over $ 99.
Guess chef Borg will have to put the pedal to the metal and look over his margins.