Zwilling claims to be one of the oldest brands in the world. The name was registered in 1731 by Peter Henckels but it took his son Johann Abraham to open the first shop in 1818, in Berlin. In a hundred years he had got to New York and Chicago too. Along the way, mainly in the 1990s, the company picked up a few other brands like the French Staub cooking pots, Italian Ballarini cookware, Belgian stainless steel specialists Demeyere, and fabled Miyabi knives from Seki in Japan. The flagship shop is now in Dusseldorf. Modern kitchen inspiration, they call it. The emphasis is towards trade utility with sets and blocks getting better value the more you buy. A 14 knife set with ash block is £289. A set of eight steak knives is £69.95. The Henckel knives are the everyday workhorses where the Zwilling brand is said to be the premium. A Zwilling Pro is £109. A Miyabi Gyuto is £429, alas. There is a review here that concludes not if you have small hands! Also they sell sous vide equipment and some helpful advice.
