Black synthetic handle. Designed for people who prefer lighter knives.
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21 of 23 people found the following review helpful.
Lighter than other Wusthof knives, but just as sharp and well balanced. Choose the right knife for the job.
By Kristin
I have been a kitchen knife collector for many years, and settled for myself on the heavier, complete stainless-steel Wusthof Culinar series. When Amazon's Vine Program asked me to review this knife, I felt qualified to do so, after experimenting with various brands over the years, including Henckles, Furi, Kershaw, Global, and handmade Japanese woodworker, etc.First, the Cooks knife. It's the most important tool in your knife set. If you can only afford ONE quality knife, this is the one. The front section of the blade is designed for small cutting jobs like chopping onions, mushrooms, garlic, etc. The mid-section of the blade is designed for firm or soft food; for mincing leeks, chives, parsley, etc. Be careful NOT to cut through bones or other hard objects as there is a fine edge on these knives. If you find yourself needing a knife that will cut through bone, get a cleaver as well as the chef knife. The wide surface of the knife is suitable for scooping up your cut veggies, as well as flattening meats or fillets. Be careful not to cut yourself, though. If you find that this is too precarious for you, a scoop cutter like the Progressive #LGK-3620 Stainless Steel Bash, Chop, and Scoop Cutter (available on Amazon for under seven dollars).This particular chef knife is beautifully weighted and balanced. The blade continues through the entire handle, which is a big plus in a knife. The entire knife is lighter than the other Wusthof knives, which is preferred by many chefs, as it reduces fatigue.I have heard the rumors about Wusthof discontinuing the Le Cordon Bleu Collection, but have found no information backing this up. Their website still carries the line, featuring video and full catalog features. Their outlet does not carry them any more than any other of their line.The drawback of the X50CrMo15: It is rumored that you cannot sharpen this blade as easily or as well as the other materials used by other manufacturers. Even if you can get a good edge on it, it's unlikely to stay that way as long as a blade made from S30V or Cpm3v. But, even these findings are peculiar to the reviewers' opinion, and for the average kitchen user, the X50CrMo15 is fine, provided you have the sharpening tools and the knowledge to use them.I have used my Wusthof for years without issue. I take mine in for professional sharpening. If you want to sharpen your own, the Idahone fine ceramic 12" or a DMT CS2 (also 12" ceramic) are good choices. You can also use a waterstone--but a good set will run you hundreds of dollars. (This is why I have mine professionally done.)In any case, this is a great all-over kitchen knife for the average kitchen chef. Even if you are moving into a sous-chef position, or are a student in the culinary arts, this would be a good choice for a starter knife. It is nicely balanced, made with quality in mind, and feels like an extension of your hand when used and held properly.Some tips on proper knife usage: Gently use the knife. Use a mincing motion following the shape of the blade. Be sure that the tip of the knife remains on the cutting board. Start carefully and slowly. Quickness will happen over time. Not a lot of pressure is needed. The knife is designed to be balanced and will do the job for you. Lots of people like to manhandle their knives, or use them for jobs they are not designed to do (as I discussed earlier with the cleaver example). Remember that each knife has a specific job, and if you use them for that job, you will get the most from the knife. This is why most chefs or serious cooks have a plethora of knives filling their magnetic knife holders.That reminds me: When storing these knives, or any knife, be sure you do NOT store them in a block with the blade facing downwards. You only dull the blade by doing this. I find that for me, the best ways to store my knives are either on a magnetic rack or in a drawer, on a towel, covered by a towel. Never allow them to rub together in the drawer, as this will damage the blades as well. I keep some of my higher-end knives (such as the handmade sushi knives from Japan) in their wooden boxes, which are designed to protect them from inadvertent wear. There is no point in spending the money for good quality knives and then dulling them when you store them.Another note: Washing your knives. Upscale knives should be hand washed. Putting them in the dishwasher will damage the handmade handles and the harsh detergents can pit the metal of the blades. You do not need to do more than a simple wipedown of the blade when you cut vegetables, and a quick wash when cutting fruit. Meats require a more thorough washing, but remember to bring your sponge from the spine downwards to the blade, never the opposite way, both to protect the blade as well as to protect your fingers.I hope this review helps--not only in your choice of knives, but in your choice of "which" knife is good for you--the chef, or some other variety that might be more suited to your needs.Happy cooking!
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful.
One of the Best Knives Ever + Information About the Wusthof LCB Line
By Hyoun Kim
This is the 2nd Wusthof Le Cordon Bleu (LCB) knife that I've ever owned. I ended up buying it on Amazon via the Cyber Monday Lightning Deal and only did so because I was so impressed by the 8" Wusthof LCB I bought just days earlier. The review that I'm writing has already been written in the 8" review, but since these two knives are exactly the same (with the exception of length), the review about the product stays the same and will be posted after these few intro paragraphs.First you may be asking "why did you buy another knife" of the same type? Anyone who cares about cooking knows that you should have several knives in your arsenal, especially Chef/Cooks knives. Can you imagine cutting up slices of meat and then cross contaminating that same knife with cutting up vegetables? That's a big no-no. You can get potential harmful bacteria between what you cut. Furthermore, it's a pain to cut meat with one knife, then wash it, then resume cutting. So just like cooks/chefs do, they have multiple knives available.Despite having 2 cooks knives, I wanted a 6" because it's easier to handle when cutting smaller things than it is the 8". While true you can use the 8" for everything, you do want different sizes available.In any case, that's the intro and I'm going to get down to the actual review of the knife as well as information about the LCB in Amazon.I'm not a chef, I'm not a cook, I'm just a regular person who likes to cook occasionally. My closest encounter to "professional grade" knives was probably when my old roommate tried to sell me Cutco knives. I wasn't impressed with Cutco, but that's a different matter altogether.Fast forward several years later, I've always used one of those $20 block knife sets from Walmart and figured those were good enough for me until my parents bought me a set of "professional knives" from QVC or HSN. Those knives did impress me quite a bit, but it ended up that these were generic, stamped, made from China kitchen knives. After about a month's usage, they dulled down to the sharpness of the back of a butter knife.Doing research on knives, I found that the best knives are forged and in regards to regions, great knives come from Europe, but the best knives come from Japan. I've not ever used a Japanese knife, but the general concensus from several chef & culinary forums say that mass produced European & American knives don't hold an edge or are as sharp as a Japanese knife. Regardless of which pro knife you choose, they are all expensive. One good Chef's knife costs the price of 3-4 times more than a generic knife set. Because of the price, I ended up never buying one for myself and just put a knife set on my wedding registry and left it at that.When it came time to carve the turkey for Thanksgiving a week ago, I tried to cut into it with one of the many cheap knives I had at home. The end result was disastrous. All my knives would either not cut into the meat or rip it up to shreds as if it were the consistency of "pulled pork". That was the straw that broke the camel's back. I made it a goal to find a deal on at least one kitchen knife for Black Friday/Cyber Monday.That's when Amazon saved my life. For Cyber Monday week, Amazon had a Lightning Deal on this knife and I can definitely say that this is the best knife I've ever used. The knife is very sturdy (forged), yet light & nimble and can cut through vegetables with incredible ease. It's as if I am holding one of Wolverine's adamantium claws. Plus with the name being Wusthof, I know it's a quality knife that I can keep in my house for years to come.Also a side note, doing a lookup on Wusthof Le Cordon Bleu knives show that this line has been discontinued around the dates of 2008. However when you look at Wusthof's website, these knives are still listed there. So like any smart consumer, I began to wonder why? To find out, I asked Wusthof themselves via e-mail.It turns out that the LCB (Le Cordon Bleu) was redesigned to feature the PETec edge that is advertised on Wusthof's website. According to Wusthof's customer support, the LCB series is now exclusive to Amazon... which is the reason you can't find it on any other retailer. Makes sense because not even their authorized retailers like Williams Sonoma carries the LCB brand.Furthermore, I was curious about what angle the edge is manufactured at because I plan on keeping these knives for a long time. To keep a quality knife in tip-top shape, it follows a certain amount of upkeep (honing the knife frequently, sharpening at home occasionally, and professionally sharpened at least 1-2 times a year)... otherwise these knives will perform like crap knives. But it's important to steel/hone/sharpen at the correct angles, because if you don't you end up you damaging it. Wanting to have a way to sharpen my knives in-between professional sharpenings, I ended up buying the Wusthof 4-Stage Knife Sharpener from Amazon, which is advertised for use with all knives including Wusthofs featuring the PETec edge. However reports on the Internet says that the LCB line features a 17 degree edge... which does not match the spec of the Wusthof Sharpener (even with the Asian angles at 17 degrees). So while I was bouncing emails back & forth with Wusthof, they confirmed that the new line of LCBs on Amazon has the PETec edge and is actually a different angle than the old LCB (the old LCB did not feature PETec) and therefore the Wusthof sharpener is perfectly safe and matches the sharpening edges of the Wusthof 4-Stage Knife Sharpener.Again, I'm just repeating the emails I got from Wusthof. If you don't believe me, then I have the emails from them to prove it. If you want proof yourself, just email Wusthof at their webpage.Sorry for the long update, but I thought it would help those of you looking to start a real kitchen knife collection and am only doing it to provide more information.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful.
VERY sharp, has some heft but not too heavy.
By Sheri in Reho
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R18LVKL5N4HBYI In the accompanying video, I use the Wusthof Le Cordon Bleu 8-inch Chef's Knife to slice and dice bell peppers, slice and core tomatoes and take corn off the cob. All of it nearly effortless with this fine knife.I liked that it had the heft of a fine knife but was not too heavy. It fit my hand very well and was comfortable to use. Recommended!
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