Top German Kitchen Knife Brands Updated…

German Kitchen Knives

Kitchen Knives Made in Germany for centuries.

Henckels and Wusthof are the top 2 German knife manufacturers. Wusthof is owned and run by the Wusthof family. Henckels, now known as Zwilling J.A.

It’s a conglomerate and owns a variety of companies, including Staub cast iron and Demeyere cookware, as well as the revered Zwilling J.A. Henckels brand.

German knives come in forged and less expensive stamped versions.

Most have a cutting angle of 14 to 22 degrees. Rockwell hardness ranges from 56 to 58, a measure of a knife’s strength and durability.

Wüsthof

Wüsthof is a knife-maker based in Solingen, Germany.Family owned for seven generations,the company’s main products are mid-priced to high-end kitchen knives for domestic and professional use.

It is one of the leading manufacturers of chef’s knives.

Their Classic and Grand Prix series have been recognized as top-rated knife series by Consumer Reports.

All of their knives are made in Germany and they are all precision forged. You can expect the best craftsmanship in these knives.

Zwilling J. A. Henckels

Zwilling J. A. Henckels is a knife manufacturer based in Solingen, Germany.

It is one of the largest and oldest manufacturers of kitchen knives, scissors, cookware and flatware, having been founded in June of 1731 by Peter Henckels. The brand’s namesake was Johann Abraham Henckels (1771-1850), who renamed the brand after himself under his leadership.

Güde ALPHA Handmade Kitchen Knives

The production of the finest possible handcrafted, forged cutlery is and always has been the driving philosophy of their company. For four generations the Güde family has neither compromised on nor wavered from this credo. Today Güde is proud to continue the centuries old tradition of quality knifemaking for which the town of Solingen is justly world famous.

This Alpha Series knives begin as a single piece of specially alloyed Chrome-Vanadium-Moly cutlery steel. Ice hardened stainless steel, hand sharpened and dishwasher safe!

And you may be wondering what makes German knives unique, or at least different, from other knives. Japanese knives are their closest competitor though Japanese knives are quite different in design. There are other European-made brands that have similar features of German knives, but a distinction still remains between German and European, mostly in terms of quality and craftsmanship.