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When you shop for kitchen knives, you want to find the best brands as you wish high-quality blades that are also durable and aesthetically appealing. You also want to determine if you’re going to invest in an American brand, a Japanese brand, or a European brand of knives. Each manufacturer designs its knives differently, and you will need to do your research when it comes to finding the ideal one.
If you do not want the American or Japanese knife brand, you will want to look at the European knives and their offer. Therefore, let’s compare two European knife manufacturers which are Wusthof and Victorinox. What do they offer? And how do they compare to one another? The first thing to do is to do an overview of these companies and compare the two – and you can determine which one is the better fit for your wants and needs. Let’s start by doing an overview of Wusthof.
The Wusthof Overview
The Wusthof knife brand is one of the best German-made knife companies. The Wusthof family established the company’s existence in 1814 in Solingen, Germany, known as the city of blades. The manufacturing process of these knives involves a 40-step forging method, and the blades consist of rust-resistant, high-carbon stainless steel. However, Wusthof stamps some of their models. One example of the Wusthof stamped model is the Gourmet line, which makes these knives cheaper than the forged lines, including the Ikon or Classic models.
Both forged and stamped Wusthof knives have a good reputation as they are high-quality, durable, versatile, and very sharp. They are also user-friendly and comfortable to use. What about Victorinox? Let’s go over the overview of Victorinox now.
The Victorinox Overview
Victorinox is a Swiss knife-making company also established by a family in Ibach-Schwyz, Switzerland, in 1884. Therefore, Wusthof is over 70 years older than Victorinox. The cutler and inventor Karl Elsner found Victorinox a sole proprietorship that year under Messerfabrik Carl Elsener. Then six years later, he gave Swiss Army Knives to the Swiss Army. It was not until almost a century later, in 1979, the sole proprietorship, Messerfabrik Carl Elsener, transitioned to Victorinox.
The history behind Victorinox’s name is the combination of Carl’s mother’s name, Victoria and Inox, as that is stainless steel that does not cause corrosion. The development of Inox happened in the early 20th century. Victorinox is known for its innovation, designs, and automation, which keeps its products consistent. Victorinox does not only sell kitchen knives and the Swiss Army Knife. However, it sells fragrances, watches, travel apparatus, and more.
Victorinox offers mostly stamped knives and some forged, and they are straightforward to maintain, easy to use, and feature sharp and thin blades. Let’s now take a quick look at how both brands compare.
How Does The Wusthof Knife Compare To the Victorinox Knife?
There are some similarities and differences between the Wusthof and Victorinox lines. Both brands are European, and you will find both companies offer appealing designs. The metals used for blades differ as Wusthof uses high-carbon stainless steel for knives, and Victorinox manufacturers blade with the molybdenum-alloyed and chromium special steel. Both edges are corrosion and rust-resistant. Therefore, you are getting good quality when it comes to their blades by both companies.
Both companies also use wood and synthetic materials for their handles, depending on the model. However, all of the materials used for handles are of excellent quality. However, the main differences fall on the fact Wusthof forges most of its knives, and Victorinox stamps most of their knives.
You know the differences between forged and stamped knives. Forging involves a lengthy process involving heat molding the blades, whereas stamping is quicker to do. Stamping involves stamping out edges with a machine the same way you would create cookies from the dough by using a cookie cutter. However, Victorinox’s stamped and forged knives weigh more than both knives from Wusthof. In other words, Victorinox knives are heavier than Wusthof knives. That is something to consider when you look into purchasing knives.
Wusthof knives are also sharper than Victorinox. Wusthof sharpens the edge angles from ten to 14-degrees for each side or 20 to 28 degrees for both. Victorinox sharpens the edge angles from 15 to 20 degrees on each side or 30 to 40 degrees for both. Therefore, you are going to get a sharper knife from Wusthof than Victorinox.
Now you know that Wusthof knives forged or stamped weigh less than Victorinox knives. Additionally, Wusthof makes sharper knives than Victorinox. Therefore, why would you want to invest in Victorinox knives if the Wusthof ones have better features, such as having better sharpness and weigh less? The truth is that Victorinox costs less money than Wusthof, so it is better for your wallet. Additionally, Victorinox may not make as elite knives as Wusthoff. However, they are still great quality knives and are easier on the wallet.
Therefore, if you are strong enough to hold the Victorinox knife and you don’t mind exerting a little more effort into cutting with it, you will get a long-lasting knife for less money than any of the Wusthof models. However, if you have extra cash to spare and struggle with chronic pain and weakness, you may want to use the Wusthof brand. You will still get a quality knife regardless of the one you decide to use.
Conclusion
When you begin to buy a new knife set, you will want to explore and learn about the various brands. You also will want to decide on whether you want an American, Japanese, or European brand. Each of them serves different purposes and is ideal for various functions and not so suitable for others.
Many experienced or novice cooks find European knives appealing and will often go for those. Several German brands of knives are top-rated, and Wusthof is a reputable one. Another popular brand for knives is Victorinox, a Swiss knife company primarily known for its Swiss Army Knives. However, both offer high-quality knives, and only you can determine which knife brand is the better one for your wants and needs.
