FOUR STAR is the top-selling knife series of ZWILLING J.A. Henckels worldwide. Honed and hand-finished by the most skilled artisans, this celebrated collection is the model of safety, ergonomics and comfort. Thanks to their seamless transition from bolster to handle, the knives are comfortable to use for long periods of time. The bolster provides the right balance while acting as a safe finger guard. The knives are made of proprietary special formula steel that has been perfected over the years. Combined with ZWILLING's signature ice-hardening technique, these FRIODUR blades are harder, sharper, they will NOT STAIN or chip and they retain their sharpness longer. Precision-forged from a single piece of steel, the SIGMAFORGE knives have an exceptionally stu.
Sharp well balanced and reasonable value. I love the built-in honing capability.
These knives are sharp and the self sharpening capability hones the knife every time you pull it out of the block. The handles are less grippy than I prefer, the Mercer Culinary Genesis line have the best handle material in my experience (Santoprene), though the knives are balanced and of moderate weight for forged items.
I was not prepared to pay the approximately $150 difference for the 8 item set that included the 7" hollow ground santoku 31119-180 and nor was I prepared to pay approximately $100 for the santoku knife individually to complete the set. Instead I purchased a Mercer Culinary Genesis M20707 granton edge santoku for a third of the cost and it fits almost perfectly. I expect that the Zwilling knife might have a slightly shallower blade and I also noted there was a difference in blade angle with the Mercer knife having a 15 degree angle and the Zwilling having a 10 degree per side angle. There are three types of Zwilling 7" hollow ground santoku that officially fit the santoku slot, Four Star, Five Star and Professional S.
I haven't used the two serrated knives as I don't eat much bread and I prefer to use straight edge knives if they will perform the task better than a serrated edge.
Overall I am very satisfied with the knives and block. As I use them more I will update this review and my hope is that I will be impressed enough to give a 5 star rating.