The brand has a knife for just about any occasion. As a Japanese-made company, its selection starts at everyday steak knives and extends to sushi, fillet, and specialty blades, like the Global Shantoku knife. It stops your hand from slipping in tight situations where accuracy is vital. A small knife that packs a punch when it comes to prep. Use the Classic 5.
The Classic 6. Its pointed edge helps you get into tight spaces to remove every bit of meat possible. Get adventurous in the kitchen with the Classic 6. A purposeful kitchen knife, the Classic 6.
Its pointed edge makes this knife ideal for slicing into curved foods like peppers before dicing. Known to professionals as the Nakiri knife, this square-tipped blade is a fantastic chopper. Put it to the test on raw steak, carrots, and even the notoriously hard Japanese pumpkin. The grooved edges help you breeze through your cutting job, minimizing sticking so you can spend less time in the kitchen. Made from just one piece of steel, this hollow-handled blade is an impressive feat.
It has been ice-tempered before being filled with sand for a harder edge and a more balanced feel. The edges are extremely sharp and the blade itself is thicker than your average bread knife. These two elements combined mean that your knife will stay sharper and last longer. Obviously, spending a whole lot of cash on a high-end knife set right off the bat is not ideal, but with that being said, this is what stands out about Global Knives, the fact that they feature an excellent mix of quality and affordability.
Global Knife blades are known for being some of the sharpest and thinnest out there, which allows for precision cutting, chopping, slicing, dicing, and more, not to mention that they also feature excellent edge retention.
You should slightly sharpen it right before using the knife every single time. If you do this, you should only really need to fully sharpen the blade once per year. No, you cannot put these knives in a dishwasher. The extreme heat and powerful detergents in dishwashers may very well damage these knives. These knives should be sharpened at an angle between 10 and 15 degrees. If you happen to see some rust on your knife, a bit of baking soda paste, and a plastic scouring pad should do fine.
Try to avoid using metal scrubbers and harsh cleaning products on red lines. As soon as you are done using your knife, always wash and dry it immediately. Do not use any cleaners that contain harsh chemicals or abrasive materials. Instead, they offer a good blend of durability, looks, and effectiveness that puts them in an ideal spot for most home cooks.
This is a perfect starter set for a less-serious home chef who wants a few extra style points. This no-frills three knife set features three bolster-less knives. Most importantly, however, these knives exhibit a perfect blend of sharpness and durability for casual home use. Let me explain what I mean.
The easier maintenance and worry-free use and storage more than make up for a few minutes of additional honing steel use each year. One thing that I find very interesting when it comes to these knives is the lack of a bolster.
Nevertheless, this hardly impacts the balance at all. These knives have jsut the right amount of heft to dart nimbly around a cutting board. Years ago, I thought that the oddly textured metal handles on Global knives would negatively impact their comfort. I was wrong. The cost of this knife set makes it very easy to justify. This more expensive knife set comes with several additional blades. You get a bread knife, an additional utility knife, and a nakiri knife as well as a stylish wooden block.
The bamboo block features clear sides that show off the cutting edges of your knives while they rest elegantly on your counter. Thus, carbon steel can rust pretty darn easy while stainless cannot. On the other, other hand. Henckels is one of the largest knifemakers in the world and has been around since the s. The Henckels Professional S is one of their top-tier lines and is manufactured in Solingen, Germany where their core factories are located. Henckels also has factories in Spain and, as a newer development, in Japan as well.
Below: Henckels Pro S handle close-up. I inherited a Pro S chef knife from my Mom and it has been one of the mainstays of our kitchen. Believe it not, it can still slice tomatoes. This is proof the steel though by no means the hardest out there has been properly heat-treated. In order to be up-to-date for this review, I took a close look at a brand new Henckels Pro S to compare to my older one. No surprise, Henckels has upgraded in the intervening years, converting the finish on the handle to matte much hipper and making and the blade thickness a touch thinner to compete with the Japanese invasion.
Otherwise, everything else seems unchanged—same blade shape, same handle, same great feel. I confess, I was curious about mildly testing the factory-edge sharpitude of this new Pro S because, to the touch, it appeared quite decent. So I ran it through my newsprint magazine cutting test see Reviews of Professional Knife Sharpening Services which it passed with flying colors, easily slicing full half moons. The Professional S comes in two sizes, an 8-inch and Please be aware that Henckels makes a very, very similar model of chef knife, the Henckels International Classic , which is manufactured in Spain and goes for less than half the price of the Professional S.
It deserves it. Nevertheless, for the long-term, and if you appreciate finer finishing, I think the Pro S is a better investment. And rest assured, if you were to compare them side by side, handle them both in your hands, you would be able to tell them apart. Most home cooks are accustomed to this weight and enjoy the way its gentle, gravitational pull helps them when they slice downward. But some may opt for lighter and nimbler. See my Best Chef Knives Specs chart at the end of the reviews to compare specs for all the knives.
Note: All specs listed for Henckels are for the latest model. The blade also has a slightly different shape—a steeper curve to the belly and a longer flat area. See photo below. Interesting enough, both Wusthof and Henckels are manufactured in Solingen along with dozens of other blademakers which is one of the knife-making capitals of the world. I recommend looking at the Wusthof Classic Ikon santoku as a contrast to a traditional chef knife because:. It gives you the width of a longer knife without the more cumbersome length.
This thinness gives you less resistance when slicing through dense materials like carrots and squash. A big plus! Like the Henckels chef knife above, this santoku is fully forged and has a full tang. But, unlike the Henckels, it does not host a full bolster. The Classic Ikon santoku also features a scalloped edge that is all the rage—to, theoretically, keep food from sticking. This is most effective for only certain kinds of slicing, but it sure looks cool. Because this model is in the Japanese-style, but made by a German knifemaker, I would call it a hybrid.
Henckels makes santokus as well. The feel will vary slightly because of the different handle , but the blade itself will be exactly the same. I love using this Wusthof santoku to slice up melons, mince onion for guacamole, and to perform pretty much any other kitchen-knifeian task. So shallow, I know. Although I have had this knife professionally sharpened, I distinctly remember it being very sharp straight from the factory. I acquired three Wusthof blades around the same time—a santoku, a nakiri, and a chef knife—and the two Japanese hybrids were noticeably sharper than the chef knife.
No complaints here! Two of my Best Chef Knives entries are, technically speaking, not chef knives at all. But I have included them as alternatives to the standard 8-inch chef knife for those of you who feel intimidated by a larger knife, or simply prefer using a smaller-sized blade. For the majority of kitchen tasks, you might not miss the extra inch and appreciate the smaller footprint.
I easily slice up large onions, yams, and honeydews with my santokus although if you feast on large watermelons all summer long, you might prefer a larger knife. By the way, even though santokus lack a pointy chef-knife tip, I rarely miss it.
If you go the santoku route, please be aware to buy a 7-inch and nothing smaller. Most models come in two sizes, and the smaller around 5-inches is definitely not long enough to serve as your mainstay kitchen knife. As a matter of fact, their forging process Meridian Elite is drop-hammer forged is closer to the older style of doing things than either Henckels or Wusthof.
Messermeister has been a trailblazer in German kitchenknifedom. They were the first to produce a forged chef knife without a full bolster yes, before Wusthof and Henckels , and.
The old German standard being degrees. The blade on a Stealth chef knife is about 25 percent thinner and thus 10 percent lighter…. Less resistance while slicing and less weight to fatigue your arm.
A home cook might not notice much difference. But a pro, wielding the blade eight hours a day, surely should. Cool idea, to offer the customer a choice! I definitely prefer the Stealth version of the Meridian Elite and that is what I recommend. I found the thickness and weight of the original a bit unwieldy. Nonetheless, some cooks love the feel of a weighty blade and may not mind the thickness. More power to them—they can acquire the original.
For the record, the original Meridian Elite 8-inch is a little over an ounce heavier and almost a millimeter thicker than the Stealth. This is true for both the Original and the Stealth. Below: Henckels, Wusthof, and Messermeister—the Messermeister sports the widest blade and, along with the Wusthof, has a half-bolster for easier sharpening. Plus, the overall weight is lighter by almost half an ounce. So what do these subtle differences mean?
These are all positives in my book and warrant giving the Messermeister serious consideration. Performance-wise, the Messermeister has put me in a pickle and is one of the most glaring reasons I refuse to judge these six recommended knives strictly by their factory edges.
Let me explain. All three blades are of the same caliber—the Oliva distinguishing itself with an olivewood handle. See my Best Chef Knives Specs at the end of the reviews to compare more specs. Out-the-box, the Oliva sliced a tomato effortlessly while with other two had problems. Because the cutting edges on all of the Messermeisters were thin and finely ground, and the blades beautifully polished, and, good old Chad Ward was so enamored of them, I figured the Meridian Elites might still have possibilities.
Problem solved. Is this what a consumer should be prepared to do? No, of course not. It all depends. I was so taken by its beauty, the earthy feel of the unfinished wood, and the comfort of its curviness, that I almost swapped out the Meridian Elite in this list for the Oliva. As for the rest of the knife—forged stainless-steel blade, high-grade finishing—Messermeister quality is all present and accounted for. As you might guess, the handle on the Oliva not only looks different, but feels quite different from the Meridian.
As a matter of fact, it sort of ties with the Shun as chunkiest handle in this list of knives. I absolutely love it. This is mainly due to the fact that the Oliva is constructed with a partial-tang—i. Full-tang used to be one of the must-haves in a quality chef knife, but those days are long gone.
I rarely, if ever, notice. So you must make a habit of rubbing it with mineral oil to protect it. You can use the same exact oil you should be using on your wooden cutting boards. The Oliva Elite only comes in Stealth. As a general rule, German knives are thicker than Japanese and hewn from steel that is not quite as hard.
This is a design choice, not a manufacturing defect. A thin Japanese blade feels a lighter in your palm and b glides more easily through food—especially denser stuff like potatoes, pork loin, etc. And it will take you a while to totally acclimate to it. In addition—a thinner blade makes the knife a bit more delicate, easier to permanently bend or believe it or not break through prying or torquing.
Thus, the cutting edge will wear down more quickly and need to be sharpened more often. Japanese steel will tend to take a finer edge and hold it longer. You must take greater care. Neither steel is perfect. Moral of the story? German and Japanese chef knives both have their day. Otherwise, you risk being sorely disappointed.
Yet in overall shape and design, they often owe as much to Western tradition as Japanese. Global uses their own proprietary steel which they dub Chromova While the shape of the blade on the G G is similar to the Wusthof santoku, the balance and feel is quite different. To say nothing of the styling. No major knife brand stands out as so stunningly modern. Interesting detail: Global injects the perfect amount of sand into the hollow handle to make it balance correctly.
Try a G-2 shown above or a G The manufacturing process and quality are identical to the G santoku. Even though it looks like it might be slippery, the pebbled handle grips quite well. Which it does amazingly! Crazy, I know. Again as with the Wusthof santoku or any knife with less than an 8-inch blade , if you chop up large quantities of vegetables on a regular basis, you will feel a bit overwhelmed. It will cost you more time.
That is the main liability of a slightly shorter blade. The Global santoku can carry the day—probably a touch easier than the Wusthof. For all you eBook junkies who would rather snuggle up with with an iPad than click and scroll on a computer. You can even download a sample if you just want to get a taste! Professionals rave about them with celeb chefs like Thomas Keller and the late Charlie Trotter unabashedly endorsing them as the ultimate cutting machine. That has changed some in the past few years due to internet marketing, but MAC is still under the radar.
Plus, the welded-on bolster creates an unusual combination of super-thin blade with added weight that keeps it balanced in your hand more like a German-style knife. For your average gal, and guys like me with smaller hands, this might be perfect. But if your chefing hand is large-ish and you want the handle on your chef knife to fill it, the MAC might, literally, leave you empty handed.
The narrowness makes it nimble for slicing, while the width is still there where you need it most, close to the handle. The head of marketing for the U. Because they will not allow customer demand to put undo pressure on quality. Music to my ears. Revel in the sharposity, but treat it like a lady. Yeah, I know, this is supposed to be about chef knives.
Damascus-patterned steel wrapped around the latest hi-tech core that will take a fine edge and keep it. I bought one for myself a year ago and I still get a secret little thrill every time I slice up an apple. Miyabi , as the name suggests, is a true-blue Japanese knife manufacturer acquired by Henckels in The majority of Miyabi knives available in the U.
Of course, if what you really need is a chef knife, then scope out the Miyabi Kaizen II which is often on sale. Sandwiched between 32 layers of swirly-patterned softer steel 16 layers per side lies a slim, hard core that creates the edge.
Which gives it the ability to hold a degree edge for a very long time. The sandwiched construction—derived from samurai swords—has a dual purpose. First, and foremost, it protects the hard but brittle core and allows the knife to flex without cracking or breaking. Second, the 16 layers on each side host the intricate Damascus pattern that embellishes the blade. This Damascus technique was, supposedly, lost.
As of late, the term Damascus has been more widely used to describe a patterned visual effect created with very thin layers of steel. More style than structure. For someone accustomed to weightier German blades, the lightness felt almost chintzy. Silly me. Below: Shun Classic chef knife handle close-up. Of the three Japanese-made blades, the Shun is the largest blade in total square inches. What does this mean in practical terms? This will hold true for the Henckels and Messermeister as well who take up similar amounts of real estate.
These are broad, high-riding knives which allow for bountiful scooping of those mounds of chopped vegetables into soup pots. Want to see to the Shun Classic chef knife in motion? The higher the number, the harder the steel. Overall Length Left to right from longest to shortest in overall length. Width at Heel The knife with the narrowest width at heel Wusthof next to the widest Messermeister. So lets make a prioritized list. The data for this list comes from informally testing the factory edges of brand-new knives, as well as professionally-sharpened edges of used knives, on 1 ripe greenhouse tomatoes, 2 news print, and 3 other veggies and fruits including melons, onions, carrots, etc.
Plus, 4 using the knives in various everyday kitchen-knife tasks, 5 understanding their construction and the make-up of their steel, and 6 gathering opinions through the kitchen-knife grapevine. Below: Best Chef Knives onion-cutting tests. The knives grouped in twos are too close to call. The biggest noticeable difference in probability of factory-edge sharpitude should be between the three main groups.
What matters most in the long run is high-caliber sharpening followed by zero abuse and regular honing. These will guarantee kitchen-knife nirvana.
Not the ultimate chef knife. Check out bargains on chef knives at Quality Kitchen Knives on Sale. Shun Classic Chef Knife Pros: — Beautiful Damascus blade and Pakkawood handle — Largest blade, ideal for chopping; lighter than comparably-sized Western knife — Substantial, non-Western style handle — Reputation of very sharp factory edge — Hardest steel of all knives in this list, thus best retention Cons: — Must be extra careful because of thinness and harder steel bones, etc.
Same as above— Henckels and Messermeister. While there is nothing to be gained by beating up your kitchen knives, these will put up with the most abuse.
If you have smaller hands and want your knife to fit snuggly, the Wusthof , MAC , and Global should be your first picks. The handles on all three are more streamlined and less bulky. If you have a larger hand or simply enjoy a meaty knife handle, the Shun wins hands down. The handles are long and the width of the blades should keep your knuckles from banging the countertop.
The Shun and Global would be hard to beat. The Shun is designed in classic contemporary; the Global in high-tech modern. If you love tradition, or know you want a knife with a classic look and feel that will never go out of style, the Henckels is your man or the Wusthof Classic.
These are the closest to a vintage chef knife. You will not be disappointed. Though Global should give it a run for the money.
Six up, six down! As you can see, there are a lot of wonderful knives out there. Hopefully this short list of best chef knives has given you a taste of the possibilities. Have fun cooking! Guess I will just bookmark this blog. Thanks, Nasplastick! Thanks for chiming in Glenn! My G has been resharpened by a fantastic pro sharpening service, so that might make a difference—but I remember the factory edge as being pretty darn sharp as well. Having read your reviews there seems to be a wide range of opinions out there!
Any immediate recommendations? But this list is an excellent place to start. If you are rough on your knives, then you should go German. If you can be careful and mindful, then Japanese is an option.
But there are some foods you should NOT cut with a Japanese knife. Global is really kind of in the middle, straddling both worlds. Their knives are thin and sharp, but the steel they use is not as hard or brittle as the other two makers on this list. So they can take more stress. Then divide up the rest. Here are some other pages on the KKG site which might be helpful.
Some are not as up-to-date as they could be, but they should still shed some light. You should definitely peruse the entire KKG site. Have you skimmed through the rest of the comments on this page? They cover a lot as well. Anybody criticising a knife brand simply based on their own personal bias is silly and ridiculous! If a chef likes using Global, then who are you to criticize? I do not own Global knives but my friend has a whole big knife block full of them.
And he has them for years. When we cook at his house there was never anybody complaining about the Global knives. I have big hands so they are not for me, but I do enjoy working with them at my friends place. Very strange comment. I have been using a G2 chef knife in my kitchen for more than 20 years. I recently had it professionally sharpened which totally revitalized it and made it frighteningly sharp. My most resent purchase is a 01 knife from the SAI series. Totally different animal.
Are they a really commercial brand? That, however, does not make them bad by any means. Can you have better? In fact, quite a kick-ass knife at around half the price of Global. Sorry to be so delayed. I used Seattle Knives on my santoku and that was many years ago, and with proper care and regular honing the edge has remained amazingly sharp.
Unfortunately, Bob Tate of Seattle Knives has relocated and is still trying to reopen his shop. These are real knives, but still not the best kitchen knives in the world. KitchenKnifeGuru is more about educating home cooks about kitchen knives so they can have more fun in the kitchen!
It keeps its edge for a long time and when it gets dull I use a Global sharpening block to realign the bevels. Thanks for sharing, Peter! Sounds like the HAP40 steel that the Kohetsu is made of is an impressively hard steel that will hold its edge longer than most knives out there HRC It might be a little advanced for this crowd and maybe for me, as well.
My biggest concern is, considering how hard the steel is, how susceptible is it to cracking and chipping? Any problems with this? I assume you treat it extra, extra-special. Oh, and can you hone it with a ceramic steel? I believe it can stand all the usual neglect and semi-care of an everyday home cook fairly well.
Best kitchen knives from our side of the pond? Shigefusa would be one that many would mention. Thanks for joining in! But your list includes mainly custom, handmade knives that are in a category of their own. Not fair! Sounds like a lovely knife! This is natural and as long as you wash, dry, and oil after very use, the blade should not rust, but gradually develop a patina a dark gray color without much shine. The patina will act as a natural protective and prevent it from rusting as easily.
But with a high-end knife like this, you probably should only use a leather strop or waterstone—not quite as simple as a ceramic steel. Very helpful review. We are on the move a lot because we are yet to find a group of doctors who are able to fix me. But I really want him to quit being frustrated by the crappy knives found in most furnished rentals. This will help him keep his new knife sharp as long as possible.
Neal, thanks for chiming in! What makes you such a fan of Global knives? Have you shopped around a lot and compared? For that price you can get a mm Misono UX Actually, the Cutco 9. Needs sharpening? Send it to them and they sharpen it FREE forever.
AND they are made in the U. There is a dedicated core of Cutco devotees out there, but many of them are Cutco sales reps, so they are not exactly impartial customers.
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