WüsthofClassic 7" Craftsman Knife, Black

Arrived right before thanksgivng... Used the knife for slicing the turkey. Not what it was designed for, but boy howdy... What a knife... Great steel. Great edge. I waited for a price drop. Silly of me to think it would. Great knife. On the block with the Shun's and Kramer's . Just as good!

Bear with this first comment... I'll be completely honest. I bought this primarily because the clip point and the hollowing on the blade just looked really cool (and it does look REALLY cool), and not because I suddenly couldn't cook with my trio of Santoku, Chef, and Paring knives.This knife is built with the same methods and quality as my 25-year-old Classic 6" chef (which has been my primary knife since I bought it). The blade appears to be ever so slightly thinner. Still quite grippable with a pinch grip, but, just slightly thinner at the spine. The handle is the exact same as I've been using for decades, with the squared off profile that helps prevent twisting against your handle-grip. (I am not a fan of the smooth, rounded profile modern grips. I find they don't offer much mechanical resistance to slippage in the presence of grease 9which we all know -never- appears in our kitchens).Much like the Santoku knives from Wüsthof, the hollows on the blade do appear effective in discouraging food stickage on the blade, so that's a big plus. Also, the edge itself arrived predictably razor sharp.The design is interesting. I found the clip point a little unwieldy at first. Because it's got an upturned point, like a boning knive, but is longer than most boning knives I've used, I found I was actually slightly catching the tip on certain foods (indicating, of course, that my technique needs some attention). I got used to it fairly quickly, but it was disturbing at first.Finally, the weight is noticeably lighter than the Chef of the same size group. This also will require more refinement of technique, as I find (much as when using a fine pen) that the mass of the chef blade tends to help stabilize my strokes, making me a bit smoother. So, the first couple of uses were a little "twitchy." But, again, after getting accustomed to it, I was far more smooth. I figure the missing chunk of blade versus the chef, the hollowing on the sides, and the ever slight difference in blade thickness is probably what drives the noticeable difference in mass.As a bonus, everyone who bought a Wüsthof since the beginning of time either peels the Trident sticker off of the left handle scale, or watches it slowly deteriorate into a bit of ugliness as the handle is used and washed over the years. Note that this new handle, while materially the same as the old classic handle, has the red Trident molded into the handle scale material, which means you won't be able to remove it, if that's your thing, nor will it ever wear, which will always give the knife a little splash of red when it's in its block or on its magstrip. The Trident is finished smooth with the scale and you cannot feel it, even scratching with the fingernail. I love that attention to tiny detail.

This is one elegant and handsome knife. Of course, Wusthof is an industry leader in cutlery so quality is assumed with this company. I've never met a Wusthof I wasn't pleased with. This knife has a great shaped and hand feel, nice and solid. Highly recommend for the serious chef or home cook. You won't regret getting it.

This knife rocks!!! SHARP!!! Easy on the hands and works well in my large hands and my wife's smaller hands. Worth the price!!

I have a nice set of kitchen knives but they were mixed (some Wüsthof, some H*#kles, some others) and the Wüsthof were by far the best. They stayed sharp and sharpened much better/easier than the others. One of the others had a tip break off during regular / non forceful use. Anyhow, I decided to replace the 6 "other" knives with new Wüsthof knives and stuck with the "Classic" line. It's an unbelievably nice upgrade. Sure they're expensive but they are totally worth it. The "other" knives were probably 1/2 the cost, maybe more or less, but over the last 5 years they all had to be replaced. Now we have a NICE knife set that should last forever...

With 12 Wusthof knives in my kitchen I find this one to be the most attractive one yet. It is extremely light which makes it feel like a hybrid between the 8" chef's knife and the 7" sontuko. The Cullens on the side of the blade make slicing vegetables clean and easy. The roll of the blade allows for easy dicing. The point may come in handy in a knife fight. The edge is very sharp and I will do my best to keep it that way. It fits perfectly into the last open spot on my block!

I am thrilled with this knife. The size, weight, grip, construction and blade are EXACTLY what I was expecting. The performance is excellent and as expected. I am the owner of several Shun knives so is very much at par. It is my first Wüsthof knife and it won't be the last!

Super sharp and versatile