What Is Solingen Steel?

When you’re looking for a good knife, you need to make sure you have good steel for that knife. It’s crucial that you do your research to make sure you’re getting the kind of knife you want. In your research, you’ll probably stumble upon websites talking about all types of steel, like carbon steel, stainless steel, and tool steel.

Then we have Solingen steel. Unlike the other steels, this one is named after the city in Germany. Solingen has long been renowned as a center for fine cutting tool production. In fact, Solingen has been called the city of Blades. They’ve been making high quality knives (especially cutlery and kitchen knives) for centuries.

Germans are also notoriously known to have rather perfectionist tendencies with their manufacturing and engineering processes, which is why German brands are so popular in various industries like electronics and automobiles. Solingen steel basically refers to the steel that the Solingen makers of knives, scissors, blades, and even swords use for their products.

What is Solingen steel?

Solingen steel generally refers to the steel used by the Solingen brands to create their cutting tools like knives and scissors. The Solingen knife makers have a reputation for excellence to maintain, so they’re famous for only using the best steels for the job.

There are specific quality standards that must be met before any steel can be considered Solingen steel. It’s a bit like how whisky has to be made a certain way before it’s called “Scotch” or how a wristwatch can be considered a “Swiss” watch.

Common Uses of Solingen steel

Brands that use Solingen steel generally use the steel for the following products:

• Kitchen knives and cutlery
• Pocket knives
• Hunting knives
• Bushcraft knives
• Military and tactical knives
• Scissors
• Razor blades
• Tweezers
• Manicure and pedicure sets

Solingen Steel Chemical Composition

This can be very hard to pinpoint, given that we’re talking a set of steels. Some steels are even proprietary and hand-forged, so there’s very little data regarding the specific amount of particular alloying elements in the steel recipe.

But we can use the steel used in the Güde knives on our list to give us a clue on the capabilities of the steel. Güde uses a particular alloy made with chromium, vanadium, and molybdenum, and we have a general idea of what benefits these elements bring to the table.

• Chromium
• Vanadium
• Molybdenum

Chromium: This Solingen steel used by Güde is a type of stainless steel, so the steel must contain a minimum of 12% chromium. With the excellent corrosion resistance that you get from these knives, you probably get a lot more chromium than the minimum.

Vanadium: This works as a deoxidizer, removing oxygen bubbles from the molten steel. It helps with the strength and wear resistance. A lot of steel hand tools are made with chrome-vanadium steel alloys.

Molybdenum: When combined with chromium, you get greater strength and impact resistance, and also greater toughness. Molybdenum also helps to increase corrosion resistance.

Solingen Steel Hardness

Again, there’s no specific hardness we can point to, as there are several types of Solingen steel to consider. In many cases, we don’t even know the precise chemical composition of the steel, and we don’t really know how the steel was treated and made.

Still, it’s very clear that the stereotypical steel offers excellent, suitable hardness. That’s especially true for their kitchen knives. Some steels are hard enough that they’re expected to cut smoothly through food ingredients through decades of use. They offer great wear-resistance.

Does Solingen Steel Rust?

Strictly speaking, it does. That’s to say that the Solingen steel will rust, given the right conditions. If you keep the knife wet and exposed to the air all the time, then eventually it may rust.

But when we’re talking about Solingen steel used for kitchen duty, then rust isn’t really a major concern. Solingen brands tend to manufacture premium kitchen knives for professional chefs, and we are talking about the very best steels possible. You can be absolutely certain that an average Solingen brand wouldn’t have overlooked a very basic issue like corrosion resistance.

In practical terms, if you wash and wipe your Solingen steel blades clean regularly, then any corrosion issue may only come up after decades of use.

Properties of Solingen Steel

Excellent Edge Retention

It’s always best that you keep your knives sharp, even when they’re made with Solingen steel. but what really makes this steel excellent for newbies is that it takes a very long time (as in years) before you’d notice a dip in cutting performance in your home kitchen.

Terrific Corrosion Resistance

The Solingen steel usually contains a lot of chromium and molybdenum to really fight off corrosion. The kitchen knives the Solingen brands make are made with Solingen stainless steel.

Fantastic Wear Resistance

Some kitchen knives last only 5 years or so before you have to throw them away. But with Solingen steel knives, you can expect decades of superior performance.

Is Solingen Steel Good for Knives?

Yes, absolutely. In fact, calling Solingen steel good for knives is definitely an understatement. It’s like saying that a basketball player that’s a member of the NBA Hall of Fame was a “good” basketball player.

Basically, you get tremendous cutting power with terrific edge retention, but with acceptable toughness so the blades don’t chip off easily. At the same time, you also get terrific corrosion resistance. You can reasonably expect a knife made with Solingen steel to offer superior performance for many years—probably decades!

Pros & Cons of Solingen steel

Best Solingen Steel Knives

Here we have a list of 3 great kitchen knives made to meet the exacting specifications of nitpicky chefs all over the world. These are all part of the Güde Alpha series, so we have to talk about these knives collectively first. That way, we don’t repeat information when reviewing the specific knives.

The Güde Brand

This isn’t just any brand based in Solingen. It’s been around since 1910, so a quick check at the calculator app gives us more than a century of experience. They’ve made it a point to produce kitchen knives that a good professional chef will approve of.

One of their most notable specialties is precisely calibrating their handles with the right amount of weight for perfect weight balance. They give you a measure of control over the knife that you wouldn’t have experienced before with regular knives. After getting used to this type of weight balance, going back to a regular kitchen knife can be rather unpleasant.

The Solingen steel they use are also sharp right out of the box. In addition, the edge retention is fantastic so that it takes a very long time before you’ll need to sharpen the knife. That’s true even if you use the knives every day.

Sharpening the knives can be an issue eventually, especially if you’re a newbie. Güde does offer a sharpening system for their knives. They even offer to sharpen the knives for free, as long as you send your knives to them.

The Alpha Series

Several characteristics define this Güde series. One is that they use a special alloy that contains notable amounts of chromium, vanadium, and molybdenum.

They also forge each of these knives by hand, instead of making them through an industrial line at the factory. The entire production process actually takes more than 30 steps, and the whole thing is overseen by a nitpicky professional knife maker. These knives are all stainless steel, and also sharpened by hand.

The grips are ergonomic and polished, made with tough, long-lasting plastic. It’s a special plastic called Hostaform. It’s not just durable and pleasant to hold, but it’s also dishwasher-safe.

Sure, you can get any one of these knives and get terrific value for your money. But you should really consider getting all 3 knives—that way, you’re able to get the precise knife you need for any cutting you’ll need to do in the kitchen.

Conclusion

If you really care about the quality of your kitchen knives, then Solingen steel is a solid choice for your kitchen knives. These knives are made to meet the needs of professional chefs, and they’re great if you’re an enthusiastic amateur in the kitchen who’s determined to get the best knives possible.

Sure, they’re expensive. But if you look at your long-term costs, these knives are actually cost-effective. These knives can last you for at least 20 years. That makes the cost per year almost a bargain!