Never heard of Messermeister?
That's good news. Since they're lesser-known than Wusthof and Henckels, they don't charge the huge markups that come from being a household name.
Instead, they just make great knives. Their San Moritz Elite features blades made of X55CrMoV15 steel -- a high-carbon blend containing molybdenum and vanadium for sharpness and edge-retention.
Those blades are full-tang, running the full length and width of the handle. They are hardened to a Rockwell Hardness of 56. This is not quite as hard (and sharp) as some of the high-end Japanese knives, but plenty sharp enough for everyday use.
The handles are molded black Polyoxymetholene (POM) for durability. POM is an extremely tough synthetic material that should never chip or break. The handles are triple-riveted and have no bolster to get in the way of your pinch grip or in the way of re-sharpening.
As an added bonus, Messermeister provides free lifetime re-sharpening as well as a lifetime warranty on these knives.
It's hard to beat the value -- high-end German knives of this caliber can be priced at 40% or more above this set.
Twitter
RSS
May 13th, 2008 at 8:17 am
[...] is not as well-known as Wusthof and Henckels. But their knives are a much better value. Their San Moritz Elite Knives are made of high-quality steel and are [...]
September 20th, 2008 at 11:31 am
[...] better option? You can get a much smaller, much higher-quality set of knives by stepping up to the Messermeister Elite knives. Or you’ll find an unbeatable value in the Forschner Black Fibrox [...]
September 26th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
[...] they’ve kept a lower profile, but their products are excellent. See our review of their San Moritz Elite Knife Set and you’ll see what we [...]
October 16th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
[...] the Four Star series, but for my money, if I were looking for German steel, I’d opt for the Messermeister Elite lines which are better finished, feature half bolsters, and offer better [...]
October 17th, 2008 at 10:21 am
[...] out our review of the Messermeister San Moritz Elite set for a less-expensive, smaller set that is much higher-quality. Or, if you want all the details, [...]
April 10th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
[...] as the International lines are made primarily in China), I’d save a few more pennies and buy a Messermeister Chefs Knife and Parer set which will outperform the Henckels Synergy knives in every respect. I’d then add to the set as my [...]