Zwilling J. A. Henckels

I wouldn't buy any of them. As far as German knives, I like the Messermeister Meridian Elete Stealth myself. More on reddit.com

They’re ok. Consider a Takayuki grand chef if you’re looking for an alternative. Edit: I don’t like how the handle has some pretty sharp edges on it and the blades are not really special. The wood series suffered from handle scales needing a lot of putty to close gaps. I suspect that’s why they discontinued it. More on reddit.com

Doesn’t matter if it’s forged or stamped out anyways. Knife bevels aren’t stamped anyways and all knives require grinding for final geometry. Here’s an article on forged vs stock removal (what people call stamped) https://knifesteelnerds.com/2019/07/22/forged-vs-stock-removal-knives/ More on reddit.com

You actually want a full bolster? I think you're the first person I've encountered who did, so honest non-rhetorical question here: why? Here are some things I noticed looking at these knives: 79.99: 31161-200 is made out of the same X50CrMoV15 steel as some of the next models up, but doesn't mention a cryo treatment while the more expensive ones do. Cryo treatment tends to increase toughness and potential hardness, though midrange German knives usually aren't run very hard. This also looks pretty thick behind the edge, which makes it worse at cutting things. 129.99 38421-201 is serrated. 149.99: 31021-201 costs more because it's forged from a single piece of steel, which is more expensive to do, but probably doesn't result in any practical benefit. 159.99: 33011-201 has a half bolster that doesn't have an unsharpened portion of the edge like a full bolster does. This makes sharpening easier, and means you'll never run a portion of the knife that can't cut into what you're trying to cut. 199.99: 33951-201 has the first change in steel composition. FC61 is a proprietary name for 13C26 or AEB-L, which has unusually high toughness at high hardness, and the ability to take a very, narrow-angle edge. Unfortunately, they don't really take advantage of it here (I have used this knife) and it would need to be significantly reprofiled to excel. This will need less frequent sharpening than X50CrMoV15. These are 100 USD in the US, sometimes less. 199.99: 38461-201 no steel upgrade here. It doesn't say, but it's most likely X50CrMoV15 again. 249.99: 34681-201 FC61 again, and a much thinner blade stock and edge bevel than the Koh. The blade on this is actually quite nice, but the handle is ridiculously heavy for such a light blade, making it... oddly balanced. 529.99: 31861-201 is made of Cronidur 30, AKA LC200N. This is a nearly rustproof steel. Beyond stainless, you can soak this overnight in a solution of vinegar and salt without it rusting. Very good wear resistance to, so it will need less frequent sharpening. It can't take as thin an edge as FC61, but higher wear resistance means it can probably go about the same amount of time between sharpenings. 599.99: 34401-201 MC66 is a proprietary name for ZDP189, a steel known for its ability to be heat treated to extreme hardness. While generally regarded as a stainless steel, there's a case to be made that it's only semi-stainless. Being extremely hard, it chips more easily than the other steels here and is very difficult to sharpen. This knife looks like it would have the same odd balance as the Kaizen, but I haven't held one to confirm that. More on reddit.com