Top Pick: 10 out of 10 points in the Süddeutsche Zeitung's bread knife test
The Süddeutsche Zeitung had ten bread knives tested. Our 21-cm Alpha bread knife was the only model in the test to achieve a perfect score—10 out of 10 points and the top rating of “The Best.”
- Model Tested
- Güde , 21 cm, Walnut (W430/21)
- Rating
- 10 out of 10 points — “The Best”
- Price in the Test
- 164 euros
- Test Field
- Ten bread knives
Ten bread knives, one expert, one winner
The tests were conducted by Nathalie Kinzel from the Munich-based organic bakery “Julius Brantner Brothandwerk.” She is responsible there for purchasing raw materials and managing quality control across the three bakeries, and previously spent her days hand-slicing a wide variety of breads at the counter. For the *Süddeutsche Zeitung*, she tested ten bread knives, paying particular attention to the cut surface and crumb formation.
The test loaf was a “Bio Brothandwerk 25,” which has a particularly crispy crust and was fresh and still warm during the test—in other words, the most challenging scenario imaginable for a bread knife.
What Convinced the Expert
Her assessment focuses on the workmanship, the balance, and, above all, the cutting performance:
- Forged from a single piece of steel, handcrafted, with walnut handle scales.
- Full-tang design with a second bolster: Because the steel runs the entire length of the handle and ends at the back with a second bolster, the weight is very well balanced—which provides good control when cutting.
- A clean cut even with bread straight from the oven —the ultimate test for any bread knife.
- Virtually nothing sticks to the blade.
- It feels good in the hand and has a high-quality look and feel.
- The tester specifically highlights the minimalist corrugated cardboard packaging as a major plus.
"It cuts through everything like butter."
"This is the most expensive knife in the test, but also the best."
Nathalie Kinzel in the *Süddeutsche Zeitung*, July 18–19, 2026
Important to know: It wasn't the wood that won—it was the blade.
The 21-cm bread knife with a walnut handle was tested. However, the blade is the key factor in the result—and it is the same for all Güde in this line: the same hand-forged steel, the same fine serrated edge, the same geometry, and the same manufacturing in Solingen.
Same knife—the blade and steel are identical; only the handle is different.
The selection ranges from walnut, pear, and apple wood to barrel oak, olive, acacia, and briar, all the way to Briccole oak from Venetian mooring posts or oak from the Balkhauser Kotten. In addition, there are two non-wood versions: Alpha with a black POM handle and Kappa with a seamless stainless steel handle. It’s a matter of appearance, feel, and price— not cutting performance.
These models are currently in stock
The model used in the test—with a walnut handle for right-handers—is currently out of stock; however, it is available in versions for left-handers and for both right- and left-handers. The following overview shows the current inventory directly from our store. The pear wood and barrel oak models are identical in construction, available immediately, and cost exactly the same:
Walnut wood
Tested by the SZ
- 21 cm €164.00 Available only as left-handed and right-handed/left-handed models
- 32 cm 257.00€ Available immediately
Alpha POM)
- 21 cm €124.00 Available only as left-handed and right-handed/left-handed models
- 32 cm €239.00 Available immediately
Inventory levels are retrieved directly from the store. Most models are also available in left-handed and right-handed versions; the prices shown are for the standard version.
What length is right for you?
The 21-cm model tested here is the all-purpose size for loaf pans and medium-sized loaves. The 32-cm version slices through large, tall sourdough loaves in a single pass without requiring you to make adjustments. In between are specialty models such Delta the Delta and the 23-cm model Caminada by Andreas Caminada . The same principle applies here: the blade quality is the same; it’s the length that determines how it handles.
Left- and right-handed people
The serrated edge of a bread knife is side-specific. Most models are therefore available in three versions: for right-handers, for left-handers, and as a double-sided version suitable for both right- and left-handers. Be sure to choose the correct version—it’s listed directly on the product page for you to select.
Source of the test:
Süddeutsche Zeitung No. 163, July 18–19, 2026, “Living & Enjoying” section, page 60, article “Aufschneider.” Test by Nathalie Kinzel. Rating for the Güde 21 cm Walnut Güde (W430/21): 10 out of 10 points, “The Best” category.
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