Comparison Peterhof PH-22358 vs Rondell Kronel RD-459

— Sharpener. Device for sharpening knives. Most often, slot-type sharpeners are used in kitchen sets: the working part of such a device has the form of a slot in which two abrasive elements are located at an angle. When sharpening, you need to pass the cutting edge several times through the slot, which plays the role of a guide. Note that such a sharpener is intended mainly for sharpening slightly dull knives and is not designed for serious tasks such as restoring a damaged blade; however, in everyday life, more often than not is required. Also note that the sharpener can be either separately made or built right into the complete stand.

— Musat. Musat looks like a round or oval rod with a fine notch along its entire length and a handle for easy holding. Its purpose is to straighten the cutting edge of the knife — to eliminate irregularities that inevitably arise during work, as well as to remove burrs. Experienced cooks recommend this procedure before each more or less large cooking using a knife — a smooth blade is much more convenient to work with a deformed one, even if the irregularities are almost invisible. It should be noted that, despite the similarity of dressing and sharpening processes, musat is intended solely for straightening the cutting edge of the knife and is not designed to be a sharpener, and its regular use does not eliminate the need to periodically sharpen...the knife. This tool counts towards the items in the set.

— Scissors. Kitchen scissors are similar in principle to ordinary scissors and differ only in shape — the design itself is more massive, and the blades are shorter and wider. They can vary in design and purpose, and use cases include butchering and cleaning fish (cutting fins), butchering meat, cutting greens, opening bags, etc. Many scissors also have additional attachments — for example, serrated inserts in handles for cracking nuts. This tool counts towards the items in the set.

— Stand. The stand greatly simplifies the storage of the set — all the knives are in one place, at hand and on the "seats" that are optimally suitable for them. At the same time, stands, unlike holders, do not require installation — it is enough to have free space on the table. In addition, if necessary, they can also be used for "non-native" knives, if the latter are suitable in size. On the other hand, on small kitchen tables, coasters can be inconvenient by taking up extra space. When counting the number of items, they are not taken into account.

— Holder (magnetic). A kind of “knife hanger”: this device is attached to the wall, and knives “stick” to its magnets for storage. The advantage of this storage over stands is not only that the holder does not take up space on the table — it also acts as a dryer, since the blades remain open on almost all sides. Among the shortcomings, it is worth noting some difficulty in mounting and moving the holder from place to place. Not taken into account when specifying the number of items in the set.

— Blade cover. The sheath that covers the blade outside of working hours prevents unwanted contact of the knife with other objects, which can lead to both damage to the mentioned objects and blunting the blade. This accessory will be especially useful for knives that are difficult to sharpen or not suitable for sharpening at all — for example, with a ceramic blade (see below). Since it does not apply to tools, it is not included in the number of items in the set and is not taken into account when calculating.

— Peeler. A tool, in full accordance with the name, designed for the convenience of peeling vegetables, especially potatoes. Usually it is a blade with a slot almost the entire length, mounted on a handle in the form of a slingshot, between the "horns". The cutting edge is located on the inside of the slot, and the blade itself is able to rotate slightly on the mounts and, due to its special shape, also works as a depth limiter. Due to this, you can easily remove the peel without worrying about its excessive thickness — while the process is faster than when working with a conventional knife. Characteristic "lugs" can also be provided on the sides of the handle to remove small but deep defects that the blade cannot cope with. When counting the number of items in a set, the peeler is included in the count.

— Meat fork. A large, usually two-pronged fork of a characteristic shape, used as an auxiliary tool when working with meat — for example, to turn chops or check the readiness of boiled pork. It is included in the list of the main items of the set and is taken into account when calculating.

— Cutting board. This item can be either a classic kitchen board or a stand (see above) with a special overlay on the top, which can be used as a surface for kitchen work. In both cases, the board counts towards the number of items in the set.

The material from which the blades of the knives in the set are made. Usually, it is the same for the entire set.

— Steel. In this case, we mean steel blades made by stamping. It is believed that this method alone does not provide as high a quality as forging; in addition, the blade and shank in this case can be made separately and then welded together, which further reduces the durability of the knife and increases the risk of breaking it with great effort. However, stamped blades are easy to manufacture, inexpensive, and usually strong enough for most tasks, both everyday and professional. This ensured their high popularity.

— Steel (non-stick coating). Steel blades (usually stamped, see above) with a special polymer coating applied to them. It not only prevents sticking of products, but also protects the blade from corrosion, provides ease of cleaning, and also gives the tool an original and bright appearance — after all, the coating can be given any colour. Among the shortcomings, it is worth noting the tendency to abrasion, which pretty quickly reduces many of the advantages of such a blade to nothing.

— Forged steel. Blades made of steel by forging (when a relatively thick workpiece is flattened to the desired shape by a series of successive blows). Such knives are considered much stronger and more durable than stamped ones,...in particular because the shank and blade are initially one piece, which reduces the risk of breaking the knife. And in terms of performance, forged products win. On the other hand, the process itself is quite expensive and troublesome, and therefore is used mainly in premium knives.

— Damascus steel. Damascus steel in modern knives means steel consisting of layers with different carbon contents. These layers vary in colour, which gives the blade a characteristic beautiful pattern, while the Damascus blades combine high strength, flexibility and durability. However, the complexity of production significantly affects the price — such knives can cost many times more than even similar forged ones.

— Ceramics. Ceramic, usually based on zirconium, is considered a highly advanced material. It allows you to create very sharp blades that do not dull for a long time, do not oxidize, are easy to clean, are not prone to scratches, and also weigh much less than steel. On the other hand, ceramics are very fragile and completely devoid of flexibility, due to which they are prone to chipping and are very sensitive to bumps and falls. Therefore, ceramic knives are not recommended to be washed in the dishwasher. In addition, due to the high hardness of the material, such blades cannot be sharpened by traditional methods, and special ones are quite expensive — despite the fact that the cost of the knives themselves is also very high.

The country of origin of the brand under which the knife set is marketed. Usually, it is indicated by the "homeland" of the manufacturing company or by the location of its headquarters.

There are many stereotypes associated with the “nationality” of brands and products, but most of them have no basis nowadays. First, the actual place of production is often different from the brand's country of origin. Secondly, the quality of the goods depends not so much on geography, but on the policy of a particular company and how carefully this very quality is controlled in it. Therefore, you should pay attention to the country of origin of the brand only if you fundamentally want or (do not want) to support a manufacturer from a certain state. Quality is best judged by the reputation of a particular brand and the general price category.