" JimH" jimh_osudad@yahooDOT comREMOVETHIS wrote in message
. ..
As a surprise gift for my wife I am considering upgrading our kitchen
knives to heirloom quality knives and cannot find anything to match the
quality of the JA Henckels knives, specifically the 'Pro S' series. They
are definitely not cheap but come with a lifetime warranty and I have yet
to read anything negative about them.

Has anyone had any experience with these knives?


They seemed nice, but the Wusthof Classics fit my hand better, and the
quality is every bit as good. That being the case, it comes down to personal
choice. And, with regard to the steel, you don't choose either that or a
sharpener. A steel is for touching up the edge BETWEEN sharpenings. If
knives are sharpened correctly and not abused, the steel will do its job
correctly. Look at a professional chef's toolsl and you'll see that the
steel is used constantly.

As far as buying a whole set, that might not make sense. Do you have any
kind of set now? If yes, do all the knives get used, or does your wife focus
on just one or two? You can do almost anything in the kitchen with the
3-knife set shown horizontally in this pictu

http://www.wusthof.com/en/classic-knife-set.asp

Cook's knife, carving knife, paring knife. Add a scalloped bread knife and
steak knives and you're in business. If you cook lots of large roasts, add a
longer carving knife. If she likes to do cute things with fruit & vegetable
shapes, she might like one of these, by Global:

http://www.cutleryandmore.com/details.asp?SKU=7831

A chef friend got me one of these. Odd, but it's more maneuverable for some
tasks.