In total, we tested a dozen of the most popular chef’s knives for home chefs from Mac, Global, Artisan Revere, Victorinox, KitchenAid, Ninja, Cuisinart, Homefavor, Farberware, Zwilling, JA Henckels, Aura, Korin, Wüsthof, Material Kitchen, Missen and Mercer . Of these knives, there were a few clear leaders, but most were solidly designed and only one stood out as bad.
Mac, Wüsthof, Made In and Global knives were all favorites for quality and performance. If you’re serious about getting a high-quality chef’s knife, any of these three will do the trick. Mercer, Zwilling, and—to a lesser extent—Victorinox offered solid performance and well-balanced products for beginners looking for a bargain (the Victorinox chef’s knife gets a lot of love online for its value and construction, but it’s more expensive than the Mercer and no quite a lot as well as well balanced).
The JA Henckels Classic Chef’s Knife looks similar to the Wusthof Classic, but its slight differences in balance and design make it a much less pleasant knife for regular use.
Cuisinart, Material, and Homefavor knives were sturdier than cheaper competitors, but didn’t stand out in any category. The JA Henckels Classic, which seems like a natural winner given the reasonable price and similar design to the more expensive Wüsthof Classic, really disappointed me. It’s another workhorse of a knife, but its butt is heavier than it should be, so heavy preparation becomes tiring and grinding feels uncomfortable.
Farberware’s knife was the worst of the bunch: it’s so poorly balanced that we ended the test with the chicken halfway through for safety. The handle is light, which leaves the center of balance of the knife an inch or two down the blade. This makes almost any type of preparation, from slicing and dicing to grinding and deboning chicken, feel awkward at best and dangerous at worst. In short, don’t buy this knife either if you’re looking for a budget blade.
Just a few of the chef’s knives we tested.
A chef’s knife can be your best friend in the kitchen, especially if you find the right knife. Take your time, figure out exactly what you need from your chef’s knife, and make an investment in quality. You could keep buying those ordinary $10 knives from the store every time your knife dulls, but if you’re serious about upping your game in the kitchen, a high-quality chef’s knife is one of the best investments you can make .
