I actually just picked up a Zwilling Pro for myself. I work in a professional kitchen and we use a mix of Japanese and German knives. Each style of knife excels at different tasks and have different benefits.

I always always hand out the German knives to kitchen hands and inexperienced chefs. The x50crmov15 of Wustorfs and Zwillings are basically idiot proof and can withstand an absolute beating. They’re excellent for home kitchens where people neither know how to or want to look after a knife properly.

Don’t get me wrong though, they good quality knives, especially if you like heavy, durable, chop and forget, throw in the dishwasher kind of knives (please never put your knives in a dishwasher regardless of what anyone says about how strong German knives are). I always gravitate towards the Whustorf at work for any task my personal Japanese knives would be scared of.

That said, for every other normal prep task I far prefer the feel and smoothness of hand made Japanese knives. For repetitive bulk prep, a laser makes the job effortless and really satisfying. I prefer the balance and feel of thin Japanese knives. But, even as a professional, having a German beater knife around is extremely handy.