Never heard of Messermeister?
That’s good news. Since they’re lesser-known than Wusthof and Henckels, they don’t charge the huge markups that come from being a household name.
Instead, they just make great knives. Their San Moritz Elite features blades made of X55CrMoV15 steel — a high-carbon blend containing molybdenum and vanadium for sharpness and edge-retention.
Those blades are full-tang, running the full length and width of the handle. They are hardened to a Rockwell Hardness of 56. This is not quite as hard (and sharp) as some of the high-end Japanese knives, but plenty sharp enough for everyday use.
The handles are molded black Polyoxymetholene (POM) for durability. POM is an extremely tough synthetic material that should never chip or break. The handles are triple-riveted and have no bolster to get in the way of your pinch grip or in the way of re-sharpening.
As an added bonus, Messermeister provides free lifetime re-sharpening as well as a lifetime warranty on these knives.
It’s hard to beat the value — high-end German knives of this caliber can be priced at 40% or more above this set.
