Henckels knives should be your choice if you prefer to have ergonomic grips and a knife that won’t chip easily. Imarku knives should be your choice if you want a harder knife that doesn’t dull easily and you’re on a tight budget.
JA Henckels is one of the most reputable and recognizable knife brands of all time. On the other hand, Imarku is a relatively new competitor, only coming in 14 years ago.
Between Imarku and Henckels, which knife brand is better? Which offers greater value?
We dive into the Imarku vs. Henckels showdown in this complete comparison guide.
Imarku Knives: An Overview
Imarku knives are made in Japan and China and is a company that sells high-quality kitchen knife sets and other cutting tools. Imarku was founded in 2008 by Mark Liu.
The brand now makes a variety of knives and cutting tools used by many professionals in different industries.
But mainly, the brand is known for making high-quality products at competitive prices!
Here are the pros and cons of getting knives from Imarku:
Pros
- Value for money
- High-quality stainless steel
- Full tang blades
- Harder steel construction
- Doesn’t lose sharpness easily
Cons
- Harder steel means it’s easier to chip
- Limited options for knife thickness
Henckels Knives: An Overview
J.A. Henckels is one of the brands under Zwilling J.A. Henckels, along with Wusthof, Boker, and DOVO, among others. It was founded in the 1700s in Solingen, Germany.
Henckels makes a variety of knives that are produced in different countries around the world, and they’re also renowned for their high quality at competitive pricing.
Here are the pros and cons of getting knives from Henckels:
Pros
- Great value for money
- Many knife options for different use cases
- Softer steel means it doesn’t easily chip
- Full tang blades
- Great contoured ergonomic grips
Cons
- Softer steel is used and needs regular sharpening
- Made in different regions, including India, Spain, Thailand, and China
Imarku vs Henckels: Head-to-Head Comparison
Now, it’s time to pit these two popular knife brands in a head-to-head comparison. We’ll talk about both brands and then pick a winner for each category.
In the end, we’ll give a verdict on which one is better based on what you prefer in knives!
Where They’re Manufactured
While Henckels was founded in Germany and Imarku was founded in Japan, neither have all of their knives made in their home countries.
Henckels makes their knives in various manufacturing plants across the world. Some models are made in Spain, some in India, Thailand, and others in China. None are made in Germany.
Imarku also manufactures their products in China, but many are still made or assembled in Japan.
This gives the quality consistency win to Imarku because there’s less likely to be a quality difference with fewer scattered factories around the world.
This gives a slight edge to the Imarku knives when it comes to their manufacturing consistency.
WINNER: Imarku
Years in the Industry
Imarku is no slouch in today’s world, being founded nearly 15 years ago in 2008. However, it doesn’t match up to the longevity that Henckels enjoys.
Henckels was founded all the way back on June 13, 1731, nearly three centuries ago. This comes with experience and wisdom in knife making.
Henckels easily wins this comparison.
WINNER: Henckels
Knives Being Offered
While Imarku does offer multiple sizes, Henckels has a much bigger catalog of knives and cutting materials that Imarku can’t match.
It may have to do with how long Henckels has been serving customers or the fact that it’s part of a much larger conglomerate with other knife brands.
Henckels just offers a lot more options that are more likely to satisfy even the most niche user.
WINNER: Henckels
Durability/Longevity
For these next few sections, we’ll compare Henckels’ 8-inch Chef’s Knife to Imarku’s 8-inch Chef’s knife for the fairest comparison.
The Imarku knife is constructed with a higher hardness, similar to how other Japanese knives are made. This makes them more resistant to dulling, but more likely to crack or chip.
On the other hand, the Henckels knife is made with a softer steel. This means it dulls a lot faster than the Imarku, but doesn’t chip as easily.
Both are durable knives if you take care of them, but if we’re talking about less likely to crack, then the Henckels takes the edge.
WINNER: Henckels
Sharpness
Both knives from Henckels and Imarku come sharpened in the box. However, some customers complain that the Henckels knife is too sharp on the opposite edge.
Opposite of the cutting edge, on the top of the blade, it should be duller because chefs and cooks place their fingers there to support and apply pressure on the knife.
Some customers have complained that they’ve cut their fingers when trying to cut with that method because the top edge was too sharp.
Both knives are sharp and work well, but the Henckels won’t cut as well if the chef wants to avoid getting cut by changing their cutting position.
The win here goes to the Imarku knife.
WINNER: Imarku
Grips
Henckels knives have contoured and ergonomic grips that customers have raved about. They have no issues cutting from different positions.
Some customer reviews of the Imarku knives say that the way the handle was shaped makes some cuts awkward. Keep this in mind if grips are a big deal to you.
WINNER: Henckels
Prices
Henckels is known for their high quality at competitive pricing. On Amazon, the 8-inch Chef’s Knife sits at $55 on a massive discount. That’s a great value knife for the quality.
However, Imarku’s knife is always on a discount, at the low price of $40. Currently, Imarku knives offer a better price with a similar quality product, though prices can fluctuate.
WINNER: Imarku
Customer Service/Warranty
Both the Imarku and Henckels knives offer lifetime warranties for any factory defects that you may have with either knife.
As far as customer reviews of the service and warranty, there have been no major complaints for both knife brands so far.
WINNER: DRAW
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Henckels and Zwilling the Same?
Henckels is one of the brands under the Zwilling J.A. Henckels company. Other brands under this company include Wusthof, Boker, and DOVO, among others.
Is Henckels Made in China?
Some Henckels knives are made in China. Others are made in India, Thailand, and Spain.
Does Gordon Ramsay Use Henckels or Imarku Knives?
The celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay uses both Wusthof and Henckels knives, which are both under the Zwilling J.A. Henckels company. There are no records of him using Imarku knives.
Wusthof is another knife brand in the Zwilling J.A. Henckels company that you might want to consider.
Final Verdict: Which Knife Brand Is Better?
Both knife brands have their strengths and weaknesses, and you should choose one based on the kind of knife you prefer.
Here’s a quick summary to help you out:
Buy an Imarku Knife If:
- You want a knife that has a harder blade that won’t dull easily
- You want a knife that has more guaranteed consistent quality
- You’re on a tight budget
Buy a Henckels Knife If:
- You love the Henckels brand and have already used their knives
- You are careful with using the top edge of the knife
- You prefer softer and less brittle blades
- You need more options and need to buy more than one knife
Final Thoughts
While both Henckels and Imarku are great, we do prefer one over the other. In our earlier comparison, we pit the 8-inch Chef’s knives from both brands against each other.
In that comparison, we put the Imarku knife on top of the Henckels knife because of the price and ease of use. However, this doesn’t mean Henckels knives are bad.
If you can find a different knife model from Henckels, the better-contoured grips may be more beneficial to you and worth the extra cost.
Regardless of your choice, either knife from Henckels or Imarku has great value and should be a serious option for even professional chefs!
