Wusthof Classic Ikon vs Classic: Which One to Buy? 

Which one do you prefer? Let me know in the comments!

Have had my set of "Classic" for over 40 years now, with daily use, and tossing in the dishwasher even, and they will outlive me with no trouble, am in love with those knives, like an old faithful dog.

I like the weight, handle, and heel of my Ikon better than my Classic. Both are great knives, and if you are worried about cost - the Classic is the way to go. But if you can deal with the price increase, and enjoy cutting while cooking (like I do) the Ikon is tops. Actually, I've never been disappointed with a Wusthof. Great company, solid products. BTW I'm a professional cook.

I just bought the Wusthof Creme Ikon collection can’t wait to use them!

Just got my first classic. I love it. Thanks for sharing.

I wanted the Classic Ikon knives - 3.5" paring knife, 8" bread knife and 8" chef's knife I wound up buying the Classic set, instead of Classic Ikon, only because of a good deal. I got all 3 of the knives i mentioned above in a set with a honing rod, shears, a spoon, and a wood holder for $199 on Amazon before tax The Classic Ikon knives were substantially more expensive than this set. As a newb, I can get my feet wet and learn how to sharpen with a honing rod and whetstone (purchased separately) for a pretty good deal. Also, if I take good care of these, I can always hand these down to someone else I know, when i upgrade.

I'm new to knives and I just got a basic set of classics. To me they're great. The Ikon's looked awesome to me but I couldn't justify the cost, especially here in Canada. Anyways I'm upgrading from cheap knives I bought at the grocery store to finally my first set of real knives so the difference to me is massive.

Thank you for the fab review! I just ordered a block set of the Creme.

I love the classic ALL my knives are classic and I not thinking of changing but the video was great and Informative thanks a lot 🔪🔪

I had a classic for 3 years, and was given an Ikon as a gift once my classic broke, and have been using that for the past 2 years. I love the way the Ikon feels, I love the handle and the weight... when I'm not cooking with it. Honestly, its heavy and balanced, but it just doesn't feel like I have close control over it. The classic just lets me cook without thinking about the knife, the Ikon makes me take a second to think about hand placement and control.

There is a bolster-less version of the Classic which is a little more nimble and lighter than the Ikon, but you can still sharpen the blade all the way to the heel.

I have and love both, but I have to say that: - The Classic has a nicer touch feel to the handles, its material feels softer, somewhat more "silky", refined and less "plasticky" than the Classic Ikon. - The weight on the Classic is also more balanced than on the Classic Ikon, where the weight is displaced towards the handle, due to the thick metal knob behind the whole. - The Classic Ikon, on the other side, has more ergonomic handles with more room for the pinkie, which allows you moving your hand forward/backward as you want. - The Classic Ikon does offer more modern/contemporary design overall as well, and the Cream finish is really nice and appealing. - The half bolster on the Classic Ikon also permits easier sharpening and longer life as the edge gets dull with time, simply because there's no full bolster aligned with the edge that will obstructs sharpening even more over time. I do love both of them. I like the classic design on the Classic line and the silky touch feel to the handles, but I also like very much the ergonomics and more contemporary design on the Classic Ikon line. Almost a tie, because I think that, all in all, I have to recon that the Classic Ikon does have slightly better qualities and, hence, gets the "edge". 😉

Thanks for the review.

I love your reviews of both knives

thanks for the video. from the side by side shot at 6:13 it looks to me, that the ikon has the nicer shaped handle.... and its longer too, allowing further comfort...

I have both and I use both. The grip on the Ikon is different than the Classic. You don't pinch grip the Ikon as far up. The point of balance is further back on the Ikon.

Great video. When you mention coupons on EBay, what are you referring to?

Im excited. I got a 6 piece Wusthof Classic block coming tomorrow.... I got it at a steal for $200. Theyre timeless and last me forever... I could probably pass them down someday.

i love my classic especially the design its timeless

When the regular person loves you, they have a place in their hearts for you. When us knife lovers love you, we have a place in our block for you.

This was my gateway knife as well. After owning a briljera 6 inch VG10 core from Ikea I know that 8 inch is the better size so I got a collector’s knive bolstered classic set for 220$ equivalent. They are old and were bought for collection by the seller and I can confirm it was never used. Chef knife came with a sandwich maker slicer 8 inch, a fish fillet 6 inch, a 3.5 butcher, a 3.5 pairing pointed tip and a bird beak peeling knife. He gave me a 12 inch Padreno oval honing rod as complimentary piece which was superb in quality. Recently I bumped into a Zwilling Pro and pairing as set. Zwilling is very sharp out of the box. The wusthof not so much. Also the briljera does come very sharp out of the box but size does matter. Comfort wise the classic is way too comfortable and the weight makes it a breeze for home prep. I know better ghan to abuse a bolstered one so use them alternately to prolong the need of sharpening on a stone. Honed them regularly. The zwilling looks generic as Zwilling always wanted something not so flashy but the design is more aggressive to look at. I am now eying on having to have a Japanese knife set. Which maker I am yet doing a research on it as they look very similarly. I can buy very cheap sets from surplus shops way back home and from from FB group. Only issue is that I work outside my country wherein they don’t import anything sharp battery operated or items looking like a “Weapon”. They do have a lot of knives but none from 🇯🇵 makers except Miyabi and Global which either arw very expensive or generic looking 👀. I love the video so as kate as may appear I will make a word to appreciate it. The bolster design doesn’t make this classic less great than the ikknnof half bolster for me unless you chop regularly whole day.

I have the Classic Ikon and it's a great knife with a very comfy handle. I also have a Global G5 which is really insanely sharp, but the knife I use 90% of the time is a 5 euro Kiwi brand one. I bought it out of curiosity, but it really is a great knife.

I bought the Ikon set today. The ergonomics were better for me.

Hey, I just love your knife videos, quality reviews for sure my friend ;) Im a bit late but.. which one is better in your opinion? The Global G2 or the Classic Ikon? I can't really decide which one to buy even after I tested both of them :/

Back twenty years ago.. I was a kitchen hand at a Japanese restaurant.. I remember my chefs has those wusthof classics.. oh how I wish I could afford it back then.. 😂

I have 23cm Classic Ikon Creme, it is insane...The best knife in this price range! I've wanted the Performer one, but unfortunately it is twice the price of the Classic Ikon

Wusthof Ikon Blackwood is the version with African Blackwood handle instead of POM.

Icon is it my hand! And feel great

Good video! Does the creme grip retain its color? Does it look dirty/discolored after a while?

I ordered a 7” classic ikon

Ikon classic seems to be the better pick

Cool channel. Have you considered doing some vids on knife skills?

Too many people looking at buying quality knives miss the fact that COMFORT should be one of the top few factors to consider. If the knife isn't comfortable (home chef or PRO) you're not going to use it (or use reluctantly). For THIS reason I'd opt for the IKON series or other brands/product lines with a similar handle. Handles like the ones seen on hi-end JP knives are not comfortable (e.g. the 8 sided or D-shaped). Sharpening..."knife enthusiasts" get caught up in the stipple treatment or damascus treatment on the sides of some JP kitchen knives. Overlooking the fact that tese designs can make sharpening more difficult. As the "art" on the sides of the blades can extend close to the bevels. So if using whetstones..it ups the difficulty. And what if one never plans to sharpen the knives themselves and opt to hand them to a "pro sharpener"? What if they make a mistake (happens) and end up grinding off a little of t he "blade art"? I'rd rather get a clean plain "blade face" design. This would also allow a home user (most that buy the IKON/Classic) to use an electric belt-sharpener. No worries about changing the look of the side of the knives or a 2ndary bevel to round off . It's nice that Euiro companies now see the benefit of "JP kitchen knife angles"...get the benefit of German/JP design in one knife. SMART. I honestly don't see the benefit of using all those exotic JP steels in JP knives. They won't help the knives cut easier. Or keep the edge that much better (add the good/bad of a steel too hard). Can even a pro feel the difference in the steel of th e blades in their hands? NO. Impossible. I think it's psychological. And Sharpness is dependant on sharpening skill/consistency...more than blade steel. People have compared a "cheap" $30 Victorinox Fibrox to a $300 Kramer. Did just as good performance wise. Likely giveing the same degree of sharpening. Difference is the materials in the handle. Makes me LOL hearing/knowing there are JP knife geeks out there who've spent over $10k on their collection yet aren't anywhere near qualified to use them to their potential. Or simply are overkill for the type of cooking they do. Knife skills. Possibly they buy them because they appreciate "blade tech/artistry" but can't afford Japanese swords (antiques/custom).

Did you ever get around to trying the epicure?

Good video, very informative thank you. A little bit of kindly advice, when making these videos, don't move or turn your hands and the knives so much. it can be annoying trying to get a good look at each side of the knives, before you turn it around and then again. if you use subtle movements you can actually increase the quality of your videos.

Don't like the full bolster on either knife. I'd prefer a Zwilling Pro to either of these.

please i have a question ; are GLOBAL g-2 better than IKON ? THANKS

A gateway knife lol. Like a gateway drug. I just bought some wusthof classics for my mother whose a chef.

ikon no contest, no bolster, nicer handle

The answer is, it depends on which handle fits you better. A study shown that most stainless steel knives don't perform distinctly better than others (especially German ones), because they use the same or similar steels. Personally I'd pick the Classic Ikon if I'm forced to chose, because I think that guard is a pointless feature, and an annoyance for someone who actually sharpens his own knives.

I was gonna buy one of these but I ended up going with a Yaxell Zen, as everyone said these were overpriced for what you get.

Has anyone noticed that there is very little cut test with the wusthof knife? It makes me think

Epicure 20% ... :/

classic may be....

Stupid music in the background, why ?

These 2 knifes are crap for sharpening, as the bolster gets in the way!!!!

More than nine minutes of bullshit bla-bla and nothing cut.

Bla bla-bla-bla bla-bla-bla et bla-bla-bla