Robert Welch began over 50 years ago and has become a successful British household brand that supplies kitchens and living spaces all over the world. Originally being housed in an 18th silk mill in the Cotswolds, the company has expanded hugely and produces thousands of products.
Robert Welch himself graduated from the Royal College of Art and began designing as soon as possible. His idea was to create products that were of exceptional quality, focusing on durability, ease of use and function. He has been hugely successful and his company’s products come highly recommended.
As these two products, the 4 piece and the 2 piece are so similar, I will review them in unison for ease of comparison.
The Robert Welch Signature Limited Edition 4 Piece Boxed Set contains:
- 10cm Vegetable knife
- 14cm Kitchen knife
- 20cm Cook’s knife
- Hand held sharpener
- Gift box presentation
The Robert Welch Signature Limited Edition 2 Piece Boxed Set contains:
- 10cm Vegetable knife
- 16cm Cook’s knife
- Gift box presentation
Both these sets are presented in a really nice gift box (making them excellent gifts) and immediately you can see the fluid, smooth design that makes these Robert Welch knives so attractive. Each knife is crafted with a stunning curve that not only looks outstanding but also allows the knife to fit perfectly into your palm – great for prolonged cutting.
Where the handle joins the blade, the gap is incredibly non-existent to ensure than no food or dirt gets trapped. This is one of my favourite points in the Global range to I’m glad to see it here in Robert Welch designs too.
The blades are tempered to increase their stability and strength and they do certainly feel very trustworthy. Up there with some of the bigger brands. The blades look and work very well and the vegetable knife, at 10cm, is fantastic.
Both the 20cm and the 16cm cook’s knives work very well and I wouldn’t say you lose out with the 4cm length difference between them but that depends on your preference – 20cm is a great length for a cook’s knife. The 14cm kitchen knife is also a good knife but to be honest I would have preferred a paring knife with the kitchen knife instead of a 10cm vegetable knife. For some things, they are interchangeable and I would look for more of a selection.
The sharpness stays well, although notably not as long as Wüsthof or Global. Still, with the 4 piece set you get a very easy to use sharpening block and it takes no time at all to get them back to a good sharpness. Once freshly sharpened, all the knives feel fantastic again. For the price, this isn’t an unexpected issue and should deter you.
And so the price…for the 4 piece set is a good deal depending on your needs. If you’re building a set from scratch then for only £50 more or so you could get a better and more comprehensive set from one of the bigger brands. If you’re only replacing your core knives, like the ones that come with this set, then you could be very happy with these as they are highly satisfactory.
The price for the 2 piece set is also good and, if anything, I would think it was a more useful set as it will only replace the two core knives in many domestic kitchens. And these two knives are really good.
Pros
- Good price
- Beautiful design
- Sharpen easily
Cons
- Limited selections
- Will need sharpening more regularly than better brands
Summary
If you’re a keen domestic chef that is just looking to replace a couple of core knives – you could do worse than to get these. They’re powerful, they work well and they look really great in the kitchen. For prolonged chopping they also fit wonderfully in the hand and they remain very comfortable.
For the price, the 2 piece especially would be great for a cook who doesn’t need a whole set of excellent knives, just the two main knives. Mainly kitchens will get by happily with half-decent knives and two great main knives. If that’s you, these are your two great main knives.
If you’re a trainee chef then these aren’t bad either and you’ll soon get to know how good quality makes preparation so much easier. Overall, I like both these sets and which one you get really depends on the needs of your kitchen.
Robert Welch Signature Limited Edition 4 Piece Boxed Knife Set
>>> Click Here to see Pricing and Reviews on Amazon <<<Robert Welch Signature Limited Edition 2 Piece Boxed Starter Set
>>> Click Here to see Pricing and Reviews on Amazon <<<