I wanted a good cut from a dishwasher safe knife.

Cool thing #1: The 8 J.A. Henkels steak knives I ordered have been washed nearly every day in the dishwasher for about a month now, and they still look great and are as sharp as new.

Cool thing #2: One piece = no seams to get food caught in, or hidden places for rust like the wood handled ones. These get used for prepping veggies, and all sorts of times where a paring knife is needed, without concern of "NOT THE NICE KNIVES!".

Cool thing #3: These are a nice, basic, simple design. It doesn't stick out much, and blends in fairly well with my other (aka basic-looking) silverware.

A perfect "everyday little, sharp kitchen knife".

Note: I'm really glad I got 2 sets of 4...now there's ALWAYS a clean really-sharp knife around.

12 of 12 found the following review helpful:

Lighter and smaller than expected but perform quite well  May 01, 2005
By nomsdos "nomsdos"
I selected these knives because I wanted high quality steak knives that are also dishwasher safe. I read somewhere in the description or reviews that they are dishwasher safe. This is important because other people in my household (teenagers and husband) have absolutely no regard for what can, and can not, go into the dishwasher (I've replaced at least two Tupperware ice cream scoops for that very reason - they pit terribly in the dishwasher). I wanted to make sure the knives would live through a few cycles knowing someone in my house would most certainly put them in despite any lecture I may give about them being hand wash only. However, the care instructions in the box say hand washing recommended - no where does it say dishwasher safe. Aside from that, the knives are stylish and sleek but are smaller and lighter than I expected. Doesn't appear to be a problem because they do cut wonderfully and that's what important. Time will tell if they stay sharp and useful but I am quite satisfied with them at this point.

17 of 20 found the following review helpful:

Best steak knives  Aug 07, 2001
By Amparo Ayestaran
These knives are not only the greatest, but they are also very good looking, you can put them together with your silverware on the table instead of using the wooden handle ones. And no one can't tell they are not part of the set. Plus they actually cut oh so easy.

50 of 65 found the following review helpful:

Form over function  Jul 11, 2000
By OilBurnerBob "OilBurnerBob"
If you're looking for a cleanly designed knife with a wicked looking blade, these knives are for you.

If you are expecting to use the knives to actually cut steak, look elsewhere. The blades are not particularly sharp - they rely on the sawing action of the serrations. If you don't have firm grip on your fork these knives will just drag your steak around the plate. The knives don't cut, the RIP through the meat. The small serrations quickly become clogged and any semblance of cutting disappears.

My wife has some steak knives she got years ago as a premium for buying a full tank of gasoline... these knives, with a few strokes on a good stone, will cut a 1 inch steak in a single pass - something you could NEVER accomplish with the Henckels.

6 of 6 found the following review helpful:

Great blade, nice styling, handles could be improved  Jun 18, 2009
By Erin C. Nelson
After much debating and researching steak knives, I went with the Henckels for the quality of the brand and because this style could be functional while looking great on the table alongside nice silverware. The style and cut are just as I expected, but the handles could use a little more substance. I didn't like a lot of the steak knives because the handles were so big and bulky, but these are a little too slender. It's not visible in the pictures, but I would expect the handle width to be slightly thicker and rounded so that it feels better in the hand when you're gripping it to cut. There is no good surface for the index finger to apply pressure and since there is no rounding on the top edges, they aren't as comfortable in the palm. As a comparison, my regular knives are 3/8" wide and slightly rounded on the edges, while these are less than 1/4" wide.

That said, I'm not sure there is a better option that fits the look and quality I wanted, so they get 4 stars and my recommendation.

See all 27 customer reviews on Amazon.com