I have bought this Wusthof Grand Prix knife set for myself almost two years ago. The set was inexpensive (for Wusthof), but not quite complete. For $80 I got a Chef’s knife, slicer, paring knife, shears, sharpening steel in a nice wooden block that had quite a few open slots for the knives that it is missing.

Although the some knives (like utility knife and bread knives) were missing, I find that the remaining knives work very well for my purposes. I do have other knives that I placed into available slots: a bread non-serrated knife (I hate crappy serrated knives that come with some sets; they create tons of bread crumbs all over the place and do not produce a smooth cut), a serrated Henckels Eversharp Pro slicer/carver for jobs where I do not want to damage my Wusthof.

The Wusthof Grand Prix have the same blade as the Wusthof Classic, but instead of riveted handles they have handles with more rounded design and no visible rivets, aside from one decorative rivet close to the end of the knife/handle. The blade, bolster and tang are forged out of single piece of high-carbon German non-stain steel. The blades are laser-tested. The handles ergonomic slip-resistant design.

The Chef’s knife in this set is of a smaller, 6-inch variety (some sets have a full-size 8-inch), whereas the slicer is 8-inch. The knives are forged, not stamped and have large safety bolsters and good balance. This line of knives is made in Germany. Although they are dishwasher-safe, the hand washing is recommended.

The knife block is made of nice oak. The block is solidly made and looks good too.

Performance

These Grand Prix knives have worked well for me for almost two years so far. I sharpen them periodically using the included sharpening steel. Although they are not always dried immediately after they are washed, there is no sign of rust. I never place them in my dishwasher.

The knives are sharp and stayed sharp. The balance is excellent and the knives are very solid. The balance is better than the Farberware Forged knives that my mother has. The knives look good too. They are more modern looking than the Classic series, but I like the 3-riveted look of the Classic series better. Truth be told, I would have gotten the Classic set, but that series did not go on sale.

The included knives work well. The smaller 6-inch Chef’s knife is adequate for most tasks, but you might want to pay a little more and get the full-sized version (depends on your preference).

Bottom Line

This set of Wusthof Grand Prix knives is an excellent choice if you want to get essential knives with excellent performance and want flexibility in what knives to get later. I highly recommend this set, especially if you can find it at a good price on sale.

Recommended: Yes