In my first comparison, 3 knives stood out. This was the biggest surprise of all of them.
See, Zwilling has something of a reputation for... let's say "budget-quality" knives. I suspected they just backed up a dump truck full of money to Bob Kramer's house so they could stick his name and his trademark Way-Too-Tallâ„¢ profile on their same old also-ran knives.
Boy howdy, was I wrong.
52100 steel makes all the right compromises for home cooks. It's easy to maintain, easy to care for (for a carbon steel at least), and with this geometry, it fucking flies through anything in its path.
The handle feels so lovely, I don't even mind that it's formica and resin with gaudy gold fittings on the end.
Just sensational all around.
Great work, Zwilling. Sorry for doubting you, Bob.