I started collecting but realized I spent maybe $200 a month on groceries. And a lot of the time I went to s store because I get 10.5 cents off for gas. But I really do want a new knife
Since I really like the feel of the 5-Star handle (it's ergonomically shaped) in my hand, I decided to check out the internet to see about purchasing other Zwilling 5-Star knives. (There's no way I'll have enough time or will buy enough groceries in order to get the complete set from Safeway before the promo expires on Feb 12)
I found this set available for $239.99 at Kitchen Stuff Plus (free shipping in Canada)
Looks like a pretty good deal to me. I might buy it. It may not be available much longer as it appears that the 5-Star line has been discontinued by Zwilling J. A. Henckels.
Edit: If you decide to buy the above set and haven't gotten a knife from Safeway yet (but have 150 stamps) get the 7" Santoku. The above set from Kitchen Stuff Plus doesn't include the Santoku.
If you're considering spending that much on knives I would recommend spending some time at knifeware in Inglewood. You won't get a set but you will get a hell of a lot better knife.
If you're considering spending that much on knives I would recommend spending some time at knifeware in Inglewood. You won't get a set but you will get a hell of a lot better knife.
I could use another knife or two but the sheer volume of stamps required and the effort of saving them in some sort of organized fashion exceeds my level of enthusiasm for a free knife. I always just decline the stamps.
True.. it does take a bit of effort and perseverance but I decided that getting a $130 knife for free was worth it.
If you're considering spending that much on knives I would recommend spending some time at knifeware in Inglewood. You won't get a set but you will get a hell of a lot better knife.
I prefer House of Knives myself. Better selection of German/Swiss blades, which I prefer
unless you know exactly what you want the brick and mortar store gives you a hands on experience and you can really see the knife perform. you can always order online as well after.
I'm not collecting these, since they don't give them out at the self-checkout. They probably would if I asked, but never have and I am sure it is too late for me to actually collect enough.
As for buying knives, I picked up a large set of Wusthof Classics off eBay. There was a seller that only sold knives and had a great selection. I paid about 50% of the best price I could find in retail stores.
If you're considering spending that much on knives I would recommend spending some time at knifeware in Inglewood. You won't get a set but you will get a hell of a lot better knife.
Yes, I understand that there are a lot of excellent Japanese knives out there but the German Zwilling J.A. Henckels are very good too. From what I understand the Japanese knives tend to be harder HC 60+ while the German knives are softer HC 56-58. Thus the Japanese knives will stay sharper, longer but the German knives are easier to maintain without having them professionally sharpened.
Also, from what I have seen, the German knives tend to be less expensive.
I doubt I can get (I may be wrong though) a Japanese set of: 4" Paring Knife / 5" Utility Knife / 6" Slicing Knife / 8" Chef's Knife / 8" Bread Knife / 9" Sharpening Steel / Wooden Block, for $239.99.... plus I already have the matching 7" Santoku that I got for free from Safeway.
For me, it comes down to price. I'm not willing to pay $400+ for a set of 5 knives c/w sharpening steel & block, whereas $239.99 is acceptable to me, particularly when the quality is good.
I didn't realize people held so much importance on kitchen knives. I am rocking the same set I bought at Liquidation World (RIP btw) in 1996 for $50. Once every year or so, I Dremel up the edges, and good to go. They still cut chicken and tomatoes fine.... what more are they supposed to do?
I have a set of these budget J.A Henckles International knives. I have found that they don't hold an edge very long. These knives are made of lower grade stamped steel (in order to keep production costs down) whereas the Zwilling J.A Henckles are made from higher grade forged steel. (Zwilling means "twin" in German)
I didn't realize people held so much importance on kitchen knives. I am rocking the same set I bought at Liquidation World (RIP btw) in 1996 for $50. Once every year or so, I Dremel up the edges, and good to go. They still cut chicken and tomatoes fine.... what more are they supposed to do?
I say the same thing about my old wooden Sherwood hockey stick...
Without a doubt a great chef’s knife will quickly become the most used knife in your collection. You will use it nearly every time you cook and will begin to loathe sub-par knives. When you first start the shopping process however, you may be taken aback by the fact that the “best chefs knife” is often “a really expensive knife.”
So why should you pay a lot of money for something as seemingly simple as a knife? First and foremost is sharpness and longevity. High quality knifes are extremely sharp and simply hold their edge longer. They are made from much higher grades of materials such as carbon steel, stainless steel, a hybrid or laminate of both metals or even ceramic. Sometimes, you do have to spend money to get good quality.
The process to produce the best chefs knife is much more labor intensive than lower quality knives. A process called hot-forging utilizes a multiple of steps requiring highly skilled labor. Raw steel is heated to a very high temperature and shaped to form the blade. After forging, the blade is ground and sharpened using various trade-secret processes, including a process called differential sharpening. This allows for a variety of sharpness along the length of the blade.
A forged knife is usually full-tang, which just means the metal in the knife extends from the very tip of the blade all the way to the base of the handle. This allows for great stability and balance and also ensures the longevity of the knife.
I'm not collecting these, since they don't give them out at the self-checkout. They probably would if I asked, but never have and I am sure it is too late for me to actually collect enough.
As for buying knives, I picked up a large set of Wusthof Classics off eBay. There was a seller that only sold knives and had a great selection. I paid about 50% of the best price I could find in retail stores.
From what I understand, the Wusthof Classic is a very good knife. Sounds like you got a great deal.
I'm in the same boat as Sliver. Our family shops for everything at Safeway (except for fish), so getting 350 stamps over 3 months isn't terribly difficult at all. We should have our second knife by the middle of January.
I just want to reiterate that these knives are very high quality (top of the line by Zwilling J.A. Henckel). These aren't some $30 knife that you would buy at Walmart. If you were to go out and buy the 8" Chefs knife it would cost you about $130.
Edit: Actually I see that Safeway will sell you the 8" Chefs knife for $125... which is pretty well in the ball park of my $130 price... and is a market value price. Total value for the complete set of knives from Safeway is $655 (not counting the 9" sharpening steel, the scissors, and the storage block). The Safeway pricing for these knives is right on the money.
knives. I have found that they don't hold an edge very long. These knives are made of lower grade stamped steel (in order to keep production costs down) whereas the Zwilling J.A Henckles 
are made from higher grade forged steel. (Zwilling means "twin" in German)
