Bill sent me this email about his Wusthof knives. I’ve never seen the stress cracks in the handle that he describes but I’m wondering if any of you have had a similar experience. If so, please provide some details.

If you are thinking of purchasing any new knives, check out my article on buying kitchen knives. There is also an article on how to buy a chef’s knife. Not only is it the most important knife in your kitchen, the article will give you tips on purchasing any type of kitchen cutlery.

Here’s what Bill described and how I responded.

“I bought several Wusthof knives thinking I was buying a quality product from what I have read in different blogs.  This past weekend I noticed that one of my small paring knives had what looked to be stress cracks in the Bakelite handle.  I examined my other knives to find that several of them have these fractures.  I only hand wash the knives and towel dry so it can not be from the dishwasher so I am perplexed to say the least.

Have you ever encountered this and if so what should I do?  It looks like it will be just a matter of time before the handles separate from the blade itself so I am wondering if I should replace them with something different.  It seems to be a big expense though when I thought I was buying quality in the first place.  Please help. -  Bill”

Getting Help From Wusthof

I have not seen this with any of my knives and I own several brands but Bill should contact Wusthof  at info@wuesthof.de and ask them if they have seen this happen before and if so, what should he do about it.

Wusthof is a top manufacturer of quality cutlery. If his knife is defective, there is a good chance they will replace it. In fact, I went to their web site at www.wusthof.com/ and here is what they say about their warranty:

Beyond the legally required guarantee time, WSTHOF offers a very lenient unbureaucratic service covering material and workmanship defects.
We are assured of our quality and wish you much pleasure with our products.

Your satisfaction is the quality measurement for our assortment.

In case you require assistance please contact our customer service.

Should Bill Replace His Knives?

Personally, I wouldn’t replace them until I heard from Wusthof and even then, I wouldn’t replace them until they were unusable. In the meantime, I would start doing my homework by reading about different brands but more importantly, I would get to kitchenware stores like Williams Sonoma and ask to hold several brands in your own hands.

You are looking for a knife that feels good in your hand, like it belongs there.  If you are doing any amount of cooking at home, you’ll be spending a lot of time with your knives so how they feel in your hand is important.

You can support the store you are in by purchasing it there or go online and find the best price. If you do buy it online, don’t forget to add the shipping and make sure the company is established in case you need to return it. I personally like Cooking.com and Kitchen Universe.

Even if you are not a big fan of cooking, you typically have to cook most days of the week. Unless you have a lot of money and have someone cook for you or you go out to eat all your meals, you are going to be spending a lot of time in the kitchen. You Have To Eat.

So it amazes me that many home cooks don’t own at least one good knife in their kitchen. Some of my friends have beautiful kitchens with top quality cookware but are using inexpensive, low-end cutlery.

I try to tell them they are not only making cooking more difficult than it has to be, these cheap knives are more dangerous because they tend to slip off what you cutting more frequently than a sharp quality knife.

And speaking of sharp, it does no good to own an expensive, top name knife if you don’t keep it sharp. I use an electric knife sharper by Chefs Choice. You can read about it here but I’ll be working on a few articles about keep your knives sharp in the future.