Knife and Cookware Comparisons: Global, Wüsthof, Furi, Scanpan and More

A sharp chef's knife and a good frying pan do most of the work in a home kitchen. The details worth checking before buying either are how hard the steel is, what the warranty covers in Australia, and whether a pan works on the cooktop you have.

The figures on these pages come from the makers' own specifications and warranty terms, and from the retailer listings each product links to.

Choosing a chef's knife

• The best chef's knives: six knives from a Victorinox under $100 to the Shun Classic, with each maker's steel hardness, weight and Australian warranty.
• Chef's knife vs santoku: a rocking, curved edge against a flatter, shorter blade for chopping straight down. Global's G-2 and G-46 show the difference in the same steel.

Knife brands compared

• Furi vs Global: Furi guarantees its knives for 25 years. Global's Australian warranty is two years, and its 35-year warranty is a UK offer.
• Global vs Wüsthof: both are hardened to about 58 Rockwell. The Global weighs 170g and the Wüsthof about 263g, and Wüsthof's guarantee is lifetime where Global's is two years.
• Global vs Shun: the Shun's VG-MAX steel is harder, at 60–61 Rockwell, and has a lifetime warranty for knives bought in Australia; the Global is lighter and cheaper.
• Japanese vs German knives: Global's G-2 matches Wüsthof's 58 Rockwell and their edges are within a degree. The consistent differences are weight and the bolster.
• Wüsthof vs Victorinox: forged against stamped. The Fibrox is a third of the price, 182g and rated dishwasher safe; the Wüsthof has harder steel and a bolster.

Knife sets and specialist knives

• The best kitchen knife sets: five block sets, from a Stanley Rogers magnetic block to Wüsthof's Classic Ikon, with what is in each and the warranty.
• The best bread knives: five bread knives from 20cm to 25cm, from a Mercer under $50 to the Global G-9.
• The best steak knives: serrated and straight-edged sets, from a four-piece set around $20 to Victorinox's Swiss Classic.
• The best electric knives: Breville's cordless Slice n' Carve, the Sunbeam Carveasy and a budget Maxim.

Sharpening and boards

• The best knife sharpeners: two MinoSharp water sharpeners, a King 1000/6000 stone, the HORL 2 and a steel and a ceramic rod for honing.
• Whetstone vs pull-through vs honing rod: only the first two actually sharpen. Wüsthof, Furi and Shun all sell pull-through models; Global's warning is reserved for electric sharpeners.
• The best chopping boards: a large acacia end-grain board, OXO's plastic board, a thin Epicurean board that doubles as a trivet, and Joseph Joseph's nesting set.
• Wood vs plastic chopping boards: in a 1994 University of Wisconsin study, bacteria were harder to recover from wood than plastic. For raw meat, Australia's Food Safety Information Council still prefers plastic or glass.

Pans and cookware

• Scanpan ranges explained: the Classic is the only Scanpan range that doesn't work on induction. The non-stick ranges are made in Denmark and the stainless ones in China.
• Scanpan vs Baccarat: Scanpan's Classic is made in Denmark and oven-safe to 250°C; Baccarat's STONE costs less than half as much. Scanpan's Impact set has bigger pots than Baccarat's iconiX.
• Cast iron vs carbon steel vs stainless vs non-stick: the four frying pan materials on weight, sticking, care and induction, with a Lodge, a Black Iron, an Elektra and a Classic as examples.
• The best frying pans: Scanpan's Classic heads a list of six that runs from a budget Tefal for induction to Lodge cast iron.
• The best cookware sets: stainless and non-stick sets from Scanpan, Tefal, Raco, Cuisinart and Baccarat.
• The best induction cookware: sets that work on induction, from Scanpan's Impact stainless to Pyrolux.
• The best woks: carbon steel for gas, stainless for induction, and two non-stick woks.
• Essteele Australis vs Per Vita vs Eternità: Australis is no longer on Essteele's store; Per Vita has a copper base and Eternità is clad from base to rim.
• Le Creuset vs Chasseur vs Staub: three French-made enamelled cast-iron ovens; at 24cm the Le Creuset holds the most and the Chasseur costs the least.