I don’t believe it but Wusthof Trident of America, Inc. responded to my email request. This is what they sent me:
Please see below for the sharpening angles for our non-forged knives:
Santoku – 22 degrees
Fillet Knife – 27 degrees
Peeling Knife – 32 degrees
Paring Knife – 32 degrees
Kitchen/Utility Knife – 32 degrees
Carving Knife – 32 degrees
Steak Knife – 32 degrees
Cook’s Knife – 28 degrees
Boning Knife – 40 degrees
[quote quote=“HodMa1” post=18208]I don’t believe it but Wusthof Trident of America, Inc. responded to my email request. This is what they sent me:
Please see below for the sharpening angles for our non-forged knives:
Santoku – 22 degrees
Fillet Knife – 27 degrees
Peeling Knife – 32 degrees
Paring Knife – 32 degrees
Kitchen/Utility Knife – 32 degrees
Carving Knife – 32 degrees
Steak Knife – 32 degrees
Cook’s Knife – 28 degrees
Boning Knife – 40 degrees[/quote]
These must be included angles.
I do agree with you. I emailed them back to get that clarified.
Thanks Marc.
Hard to believe the Santuko is 11 dps. The other seem about right for included angles. I would have figured about 4 to 6 degree more.
[quote quote=“Geocyclist” post=18213]
Hard to believe the Santuko is 11 dps. The other seem about right for included angles. I would have figured about 4 to 6 degree more.[/quote]
Yes, I find these angles difficult to comprehend both when they’re included or per side. A Santoku at 11 dps per side… 22 sounds more appropriate for “normal”, quite soft, German steel. But then, a boning knife at 40 dps wouldn’t cut… But 20 dps seems too low for a boning knife of soft steel…
Intriguing… I am curious what Wusthoff writes back.
[quote quote=“mark76” post=18214][quote quote=“Geocyclist” post=18213]
Hard to believe the Santuko is 11 dps. The other seem about right for included angles. I would have figured about 4 to 6 degree more.[/quote]
Yes, I find these angles difficult to comprehend both when they’re included or per side. A Santoku at 11 dps per side… 22 sounds more appropriate for “normal”, quite soft, German steel. But then, a boning knife at 40 dps wouldn’t cut… But 20 dps seems too low for a boning knife of soft steel…
Intriguing… I am curious what Wusthoff writes back.[/quote]
I’ve been puzzling over the same things. It doesn’t make sense.
I heard Back from Wusthof.
They say:
The degrees that I provided are inclusive, so please divide each in half to determine the degrees per side.
Marc
[Quote]
The degrees that I provided are inclusive, so please divide each in half to determine the degrees per side. [/quote]
What Wusthofs are they? Or what steel are they made of?
I know Zwilling recently introduced a new series, Miyabi, that are way different from their normal series. I forgot what steel these new knives are made of, but iirc it was a very good steel hardened to HRC 64 or so.
The angles you mention would be more appropriate for such knives. (Although I don’t want a boning knife of HRC 64…)
My Wusthofs are mostly Silverpoint Series. I don’t know the steel on them. I also have three Wusthof Dreizack that are labeled X50 Cr Mo 15. The Dreizack I believe were manufactured for the Europe Market. They look like they may be the same steel.
From the numbers they sent me, it looks like the list is mixed DPS and Inclusive.
I think so. X50CrMo15 is a very normal German steel, usually quite soft, HRC 54 or so. I wouldn’t put an angle lower than 20 degrees per side for the “normal” knives, chef’s knives, Santokus and so on. Probsbly 25 to 30 per side on the boning knife.
Personally, I am very surprised at these inclusive angles.
I run them generally in the 20 range per side.
I sharpen a lot of Wusthofs but they have all been used, even my own.
Interesting test for the board if anyone has a new one, say a classic, or gets one from a customer, or buys own.
If anyone gets their mitts on a new one from factory, if they have the chance, drop it in the WEPS and do an angle test.
Would be interesting to see that we find.
I’ll try to snag one if I see one on sale … have too many kitchen knives already but the disease is the disease and if the price is right and can use a new boner … may grab one myself, or whatever I find cheap shopping.
Would be curious and helpful to all I’m sure.
A cook’s/chef’s knife with standard German steel at 14 DPS … my gut says it would cut like a demon, but can’t see that edge lasting. Also would say I’d be weary working it hard.
Just my 2 cents
I have a set of Classic Ikon’s. I have sharpened all of them (9" chef, 6" santuko, 6" parking, 4.5" pairing) so I didn’t record the exact factory angle. Best I can remember they were all around 20 dps give or take 2 degrees. The santuko was less than 20.
What is everyone’s take on the Sandoku 22 degree inclusive that was suggested years back. Was there ever a conclusive decision made? Seems to me that the edge would be extremely effective when cutting fish and vegetables but you’d have to refrain from most anything else.
Perhaps these are included angles of a secondary bevel upon which a small or micro apex bevel is formed? That would make sense for machine sharpened knives I think, as in videos I’ve seen there is usually a edge grinding operation, then final sharpening is done separately.
By edge grinding I mean things like this, but not always hollow.
Great video, thanks.
Suggestion: This thread is from 8/04/2014. This coming August will put this thread at 6 years old! Start a new thread if you want users to respond as who knows if the original posters to it are even still around?
Marc is still around.
Looked to me like it had never been resolved so that’s why I opened the topic back up.
Hi,
Brand new here and just got a Gen 3 and have a whole set of Wusthof to sharpen. I am also very interested in this topic. I have the santuko to sharpen and can’t believe the angle quoted in the beginning of the thread. Would love to hear from others.
CSB, We never did get any answer from Wusthof we trusted. I learned to use the sharpie marker method to match the existing bevels…if they are still original. (See post pasted at the top of this page for help doing that). If the bevels have been changed, (i.e., re-profiled), with some sharpening method or an attempt to, then I would recommend 17º-18º per side. This seems to work well with the hardness steel that Wusthof uses in most of their knives.
The knife sharpness is more about the quality and consistency of your sharpening effort and less about the specific angle of the bevel. Pretty much anything between 15º per side and 20º per side will work for any kitchen knife. 15º may wear out, suffer damage or roll over too fast due to it’s acuteness and 20º may not perform as well as you expect it should.