best travel chef knife set

• Basic Kitchen Equipment

The Best Knife Set is the One You Make Yourself

Unsurprisingly, we’re anti-knife sets.

Summer Rylander is a freelance food and travel journalist based in Germany. Her work has appeared in Food & Wine, The Kitchn, Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, Salon, HuffPost, and more .

We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more .

Serious Eats / Irvin Lin

The Best Knives

Must-have knives, nice-to-have knives.

• Why We're the Experts

In theory, sets of things are great. An assortment of items for one price seems like an easy way to save money while providing yourself with options. But when it comes to kitchen tools, sets—of utensils, pots and pans, whatever else—are often more of a clever sales tactic than a valuable investment.

Think about utensil sets: Do you really need two different ladles or the same spatula in three sizes? Probably not, because you’ll quickly find your favorite of each. The others will languish in a drawer, taking up space and getting in the way as you’re rooting around for the measuring spoons (one of the rare sets you should buy). 

Knives are no exception to this questionable set rule. As tempting as knife blocks may be to ensure you’re covering all the bases for your slicing, dicing, and chopping needs, the reality is that you’re probably only going to reach for one or two of those knives on a regular basis. Instead, you’re better off choosing a few select knives that are sure to be put to use rather than serve as dust collectors. 

A Chef’s Knife

Wüsthof 8-inch classic chef's knife, mercer culinary 8-inch millennia chef's knife, misono 8.2-inch molybdenum gyutou.

The chef’s knife is the universal workhorse of the chopping board . So versatile is this knife that it’s worth investing in a quality one—and then learning how to properly maintain it —though you don’t need to break the bank. 

We’ve tested lots of chef’s knives and while German-made Wüsthof unsurprisingly continues to top our lists, you can score an effective, well-made chef’s knife for under $30. If you can, go hold some knives in person first to see which feels best in your hand. After all, you’ll be using it a lot.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

A Paring Knife

Victorinox 3.25-inch swiss classic paring knife, mac chef series 4-inch paring knife, tojiro dp 3.5-inch paring knife.

Yep, paring knives range almost as widely in price as chef’s knives, but our tests have once again revealed that you don’t have to spend top dollar to equip your kitchen with a quality model. In truth, you probably won’t use a paring knife all that often, but it’s worth having one in your arsenal for tedious tasks like peeling shallots. Or, you know, slicing a cucumber as you throw together a side salad while your partner takes their sweet time carving a roast chicken with the chef’s knife. 

A Bread Knife

Tojiro f-737 bread slicer, dexter-russell basics 10-inch bread knife with black polypropylene handle, tojiro bread slicer 270mm f-687.

A serrated bread knife can be used on more than just a crusty loaf. Think tomatoes, wintry squashes, or basically anything you’d like the blade to confidently sink its teeth into before completing that downward stroke. 

Because of their serrated blades, though, we don’t typically recommend spending a lot of money on a bread knife. They’re tricky to sharpen at home (all those individual sharp points), so most cooks are better off buying on a budget. After testing bread knives, though, we were willing to make an exception for the Tojiro F-687 bread slicer. Its wavy serrations provide the perfect combination of finesse and sturdiness, and we think it's worth the price tag—especially if you plan on using it for more than just bread.

A Carving Knife

Wüsthof classic 9" carving knife, tuo slicing knife, mercer culinary renaissance granton edge slicing knife, 11-inch.

While a carving or slicing knife isn’t totally essential—you’ll have a chef’s knife, after all—if you’re regularly preparing the likes of prime rib or roast lamb , it might be nice to have just the right tool for the job. Thanks to their ultra-slim blades, carving knives slice right through meats and allow for deft maneuvering around bones and cartilage. 

Slicing knives are very similar to carving knives, minus the tapered tip. They’re useful for navigating delicate dishes like terrines or gravlax .

A Boning Knife

Victorinox 6-inch fibrox pro flexible boning knife, tojiro 6-inch honesuki boning knife.

A boning knife —or a Japanese poultry knife —will prove exceedingly useful next time you’re deboning chicken thighs or breaking down a bird . Boning knives are defined by their short, triangular blades that are both sharp and strong, allowing you to really get in there and separate bone from meat.

Serious Eats / Ashlee Redger

Victorinox 7" Blade Restaurant Cleaver With Walnut Handle

Webstaurant Store

Global 6.5-Inch Meat Cleaver

Lamson meat cleaver, messermeister four seasons pro series 6-inch heavy meat cleaver.

You won't typically find one in a ready-made knife block, but a good cleaver can hack through thin bones (like a chicken's) and tough vegetables like nobody’s business. The wide blade is also useful for smashing garlic, pummeling ginger, or scooping up whatever you’ve just chopped and deposited it swiftly into a hot pan. 

Mac Knife 6.5-Inch Santoku

Tojiro 6.7-inch santoku, mercer culinary genesis forged santoku knife, 7-inch (m20707).

Santoku knives are meant to be all-purpose—much like a chef’s knife. In fact, you might even prefer this Japanese classic over the Western-style blade, since santoku blades tend to be made of harder steel and feature a chiseled edge. In an ideal world, you can have both!

A Petty Knife

Tojiro dp petty/utility knife, mac knife professional utility knife, 6-inch, victorinox 6-inch fibrox pro chef's knife.

Also referred to as a utility knife , petty knives are kind of like the Goldilocks of multipurpose blades. They’re smaller than a chef's knife, bigger than a paring knife, and just right for most tasks. Use a petty knife to prep vegetables, slice up a snacktime salami, or harvest fresh herbs from your overgrown windowsill garden. 

Steak Knives

Material table knives.

Yes, we’re recommending a knife set in an article where we’re telling you not to buy a set of knives, but steak knives are different! Steak knives fall under the “flatware” category more than anything, because they’ll be right there with you at the dinner table and do a way better job of cutting through meats than, say, butter knives. We like this mid-priced set from Material that blew away the competition in our tests and even comes with its own storage block.

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

What is the best kitchen knife set?

The one you make yourself! It’s totally fine to buy a set of knives if that feels like the path of least resistance, but you’ll get the most value—both in time and money—from selecting just two or three individual knives that you’re sure to use on a regular basis. 

What are the top five best knives?

“Best” is always a subjective term, but since we rigorously test just about everything we recommend here, you can shop with confidence from any of our reviews; many of which have been linked above. 

For an all-rounder chef’s knife, we like Wüsthof’s 8-inch . For a paring knife, you’ll be just fine with this affordable Victorinox . And Tojiro makes a great serrated bread knife ! And, honestly? Three knives are all you really need.

How much should a good quality knife cost?

There’s no hard and fast rule for what a good knife should cost. Consider instead what the knife’s purpose is and go from there—it’s better to allocate funds toward a quality chef’s knife and save cash on the bread knife that will need to be replaced far sooner.

Why We're the Experts

• Summer Rylander is a freelance writer who's written for Serious Eats for the past couple of years.
• We review knives year-round to bring you the very best recommendations.

More Serious Eats Recipes

When you use links on our website, we may earn a fee.

9 Best Knife Sets of 2024

Whether you’re a novice home chef or a seasoned expert, finding a knife set for your needs is a game changer. The knives in your set should be evenly balanced and comfortable to hold, making them easy to precisely slice, cut, and chop. We've done the legwork to research dozens of top-quality knife sets, tested quite a few, and interviewed several chefs to arrive at this list of our favorites. Find out why the Wüsthof Gourmet 10-Piece Knife Block Set is our best overall knife set and check out some shopping tips from experts in our guide below.

Table of Contents

• Best Kitchen Knife Sets
• Things to Consider When Buying
• The Best Overall vs. The Best Budget

Wüsthof Gourmet 10-Piece Knife Block Set  »

Lightweight

Limited lifetime warranty

Comes with honing steel and kitchen shears

More slots in the block than knives

The Wüsthof Gourmet 10-Piece Knife Block Set is our choice for the best overall knife set. It’s the ideal middle ground: Not too big that it creates clutter with pieces you’ll never use, yet not too small that it’s missing any essentials. The knives come in an acacia block with five additional empty slots, which gives you the flexibility to supplement the set with more knives later on, if desired.

Using the Goldilocks approach, it’s not too big that it includes knives that you’ll never have a use for and not too small that you’ll be longing for knives that weren’t included in the set. This set, which comes in an acacia block, is a nice middle ground and features five additional slots so you can purchase additional knives later if desired.

The German cutlery set has high-carbon stainless steel blades that are designed to be razor sharp and resist both corrosion and dullness. The triple-riveted, synthetic polypropylene handles can withstand heat and impact and won’t fade or turn colors.

The knife set comes with kitchen shears and a honing steel, as well as a variety of essential knives, including a 2 3/4-inch trimming knife, a 2 3/4-inch paring knife, a 3-inch spear-point paring knife, a 4 1/2-inch utility knife, a 5-inch serrated utility knife, a 5-inch spreader, and a 6-inch chef’s knife. The Wüsthof Gourmet 10-Piece Knife Block Set has a lifetime warranty, which is a testament to its reputable quality.

Cuisinart 15-Piece Elite Knife Set With Block  »

German steel

Stylish design

Steak knives are not sharp enough for some

Too many knives for some

The Cuisinart 15-Piece Elite Knife Set With Block   is proof that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get great knives. The premium set has German steel blades that are ultrasharp and easy to use. The hollow handles are ergonomic and easy to grip and use. These knives also have a stylish, unique design that makes them look more expensive and adds a modern touch to any kitchen countertop. The set comes in a natural wood block or a glossy white wood block (for $10 more). Our writer has tested this set and found it to be even more attractive in person. The knives were also lightweight and easy to use.

It's a great value for the money and includes everything you would need in a kitchen knife set to slice, chop, and perform other meal prep functions requiring a knife. There’s even a sharpening steel to help keep the knives sharp and a pair of kitchen shears.

The knives in this set include an 8-inch chef’s knife, an 8-inch slicing knife, a 7-inch Santoku knife, a 5 1/2-inch serrated utility knife, a 3 1/2-inch paring knife, a 3 1/2-inch bird's beak paring knife, and six 4 1/2-inch steak knives. Additionally, this knife set has a lifetime warranty.

Cangshan V2 Series 6-Piece German Steel Forged Knife Block Set  »

User-friendly bolster design

Vertical storage block

No sharpening steel

No steak knife

Though Cangshan is best known for its pro-level cutlery, we think the Cangshan V2 Series Six-Piece German Steel Forged Knife Block Set is a good selection for beginners. With just six knives, it’s not so many that it’s overwhelming for those just starting out. However, it does give you variety so you can become familiar with the basic types of knives.

These knives are stored in a block of acacia wood. Our writer had the opportunity to test this minimalist block set and found that the knives are easy to insert and remove from the block. Often, pulling your knives from the block can be a guessing game because the blade is concealed. However, because this storage block is vertical, you can insert the blades in order of shortest to tallest, making it easier to remove the right knife on the first try

These knives are a pleasure to use, and the full bolster makes it safe and easy to precisely cut various foods. For reference, a bolster is the junction between the blade and the handle. It helps protect your fingers from the blade and gives you better balance and control. Not all knives have this component, and some have half bolsters, which do not extend all the way from the handle to the bottom of the blade like full bolsters do.

The Cangshan set includes an 8-inch chef's knife, an 8-inch bread knife, a 7-inch Santoku knife, a 5-inch serrated utility knife, and a 3 1/2-inch paring knife. The knife set has a lifetime warranty against manufacturer defects.

Shun Classic 10-Piece Knife Block Set  »

Hand-crafted Japanese blades

Super sharp

Unique hammered finish

Shears aren’t as high quality as knives according to some

Shun is one of the top names in knives and makes several different series. However, we chose the Shun Classic 10-Piece Knife Block Set because it’s the original Shun series and has the most blade shapes. Also, our writer tested this set and found the Classic series to have thinner blades, making the set lighter and more comfortable to use. For example, the full composite tang of the chef’s knife is lightweight, balanced, and has a curved blade for rocking back and forth when cutting. (Full tang means the bottom portion of the blade runs from the tip to the base of the handle.)

The hand-sharpened, Japanese, double-bevel blade angles are 16 degrees on each side, and they have 34 layers of stainless Damascus cladding on each side, which create the hammered pattern. This set is super sharp, making it a great choice for professional chefs. The knives also have D-shaped pakkawood handles with an ebony finish designed to resist corrosion, as well as wear and tear.

The set includes a 3 1/2-inch paring knife, a 4 1/2-inch Honesuki (boning) knife, a 5-inch hollow-edge Nakiri knife, a 6-inch utility knife, a 7-inch Santoku knife, an 8-inch chef's knife, and a 9-inch hollow-edge carving knife. Additionally, it comes with a 9-inch combination honing steel and multipurpose kitchen shears. Stored in a 13-slot bamboo knife block, there’s room for adding more knives to the collection, and the set has a limited lifetime warranty.

Shun Premiere 8-Piece Knife Block Set  »

Lightweight and easy-to-maneuver

Hammered Tsuchime finish to reduce drag

Durable proprietary steel blades

Shun is known for making high-quality Japanese-style knives. We’ve chosen the Shun Premier Eight-Piece Knife Block Set as the best Japanese-style knife set. The Premier knife set is made with the brand’s proprietary VG-MAX steel, which includes additional carbon and chromium to boost strength and durability.

The full tang knives are Damascus-clad and have 34 microlayers of stainless steel on each side as well as hammered Tsuchime blades. (You can actually see the hammer marks on the blades.) This aesthetic is reminiscent of ancient Japanese hand-crafted knives, and the method creates tiny air pockets on the knife. These hollow cavities help to ensure the knives don’t drag so food can quickly be released after cutting.

Our writer has tried this knife set and can attest to the fact that these are lightweight and balanced, which makes the knives super easy to hold and maneuver. The result is a smooth and easy cutting performance.

The set includes a 4-inch paring knife, a 5 1/2-inch Nakiri knife, a 6-inch Gokujo boning/filet knife, a 6 1/2-inch utility/slicing knife, a 7-inch Santoku knife, and an 8-inch chef’s knife, along with a 9-inch combination honing steel and an eight-slot beechwood knife block. There is a limited lifetime warranty on this knife set.

Schmidt Bros. Zebra Wood BBQ 6-Piece Knife Set  »

Professional-grade German stainless steel blades

Ergonomic handles

Individual sheaths and carrying roll for easy transport

No honing steel

When grilling and preparing food outdoors, you still want to use quality cutlery. Whether you’re hosting a cookout in your backyard or participating in a tailgate party at a sporting event or concert, the right knife set makes a difference. The Schmidt Bros. Zebra Wood BBQ Six Piece Knife Set is ideal for barbecues, grilling, and other types of outdoor cooking. The set includes essential knives for cooking outdoors and is both durable and convenient to carry and use.

The knives have German stainless steel blades that have been dual-sharpened, and the handles are made of zebra wood. These also have individual sheaths (plastic with microfiber) that serve to protect the knives during storage and transport. The ergonomic bolster design makes the knives easy to handle and maneuver. The knives also come in a waxed canvas carrying roll that makes the set safe and easy to carry and store without taking up much space.

The knife set includes the following: an 11-inch brisket/slicing knife, a 10-inch butcher knife, an 8-inch chef’s knife, and a 6-inch boning knife. Additionally, it comes with a 6-inch carving fork. There’s a limited lifetime warranty on this knife set.

Henckels Statement 14-Piece Self-Sharpening Knife Set With Block  »

Built-in sharpening slots

Curved handle for ergonomic support

Dishwasher-safe

Bulky for some

Slightly noisy to self-sharpen

If you’re averse to the idea of having to sharpen your knives with honing steel, the Henckels Statement 14-Piece Self-Sharpening Knife Set With Block eliminates this tedious task. The self-sharpening slots on the wood block make it much easier to keep the knife set sharp.

These knives have other perks, too. They are made of high-quality stainless steel with fine-edge blades and curved, triple-riveted handles to provide an ergonomic experience. The full tang design also makes the knives strong and feel balanced in your hand. This is also one of the few knife sets on this list that is dishwasher-safe. (Although hand-washing is recommended.)

The set includes a 3-inch paring knife, a 5-inch serrated utility knife, a 5-inch fine-edge utility knife, an 8-inch bread knife, a 7-inch Santoku knife, an 8-inch chef's knife, and six 4 1/2-inch steak knives. Plus, you’ll also get kitchen shears, and Henckels provides a limited lifetime warranty.

Mercer Culinary Züm 6-Piece Forged Block Set, Stainless Steel/Glass  »

High-carbon German stainless steel blades

Elegant design

Easy to choose the right knife with glass knife block

Shortened bolster may not fit all hands

Glass knife block not a good fit for all

Terri Williams, author of this piece, has had the Mercer Culinary Züm Six-Piece Knife Set for more than two years, and it’s one of her favorites (and also gets a lot of compliments). It doesn’t take up much space on the countertop, and it can also be stored either vertically or horizontally. Also, aside from the stainless steel frame, the block is made of glass, and the transparency creates the illusion of more space and tricks the eye into thinking the knife set takes up even less space than it does, according to Williams.

The forged, high-carbon German steel blades are strong and designed to resist corroding and discoloring. Also, the forged full-tang design creates a sturdy, durable handle that Williams says feels ergonomic and balanced in her hands. The Züm series is also distinguished by a shortened bolster, taper-ground edge, and rounded spine that has been contoured for comfort. The knives have an elegant appearance and perform well.

The set includes an 8-inch chef's knife, a 6-inch utility knife, a 6-inch stiff boning knife, an 8-inch wavy-edge bread knife, and a 3 1/2-inch paring knife. The knife set has a limited lifetime warranty as well.

Cuisinart 12-Piece Ceramic Coated Color Knife Set With Blade Guards  »

Ceramic coating prevents food sticking

Blade guards included for safety

Color-coded for easy use and organization

Doesn’t come with a block

Prone to chipping

This Cuisinart knife set is a favorite of 360 Review senior editor of Home Goods, Megan Wood, who praises its sharp, stainless steel blades and lightweight feel that prevents hand fatigue when she does lots of chopping. “I have more expensive knives, but I reach for my Cuisinart ceramic knife set again and again,” Wood says.

In this set, you’ll find an 8-inch chef knife, 8-inch slicing knife, 8-inch bread knife, 7-inch Santoku knife, 6.5-inch utility knife, and 3.5-inch paring knife. Each knife also comes with its own blade guard for storage, keeping hands protected as you root around your kitchen drawer.

Each knife is a different color, which adds some flair to your kitchen and serves a practical purpose – helping you decide which one you’ll need to grab for the task at hand. “The color coding makes it easy to remember I slice tomatoes with the red handle,” Wood says.

She notes that this set isn’t exactly the type that’s made to last for decades. They can chip easily, so you may find yourself needing to replace them after a few years. At less than $40, though, we think they make an appealing option as a starter pack or something to supplement your primary knife set.

The Bottom Line

A high-quality knife set is evenly balanced and comfortable to hold. It’s sharp and slices, dices, and chops easily and precisely. And the importance of sharp knives can’t be underestimated. “Sharp knives are imperative when cutting food because they can cut into a surface with greater ease, thus decreasing the risk of slipping and causing injuries,” says chef Serge Krikorian of Vibrant Occasions . “Sharp knives also go through delicate food items using less pressure than dull knives with far less bruising of the product,” he adds.

We chose the Wüsthof Gourmet 10-Piece Knife Block Set as the best overall knife set that will fit most users' needs. The high-carbon stainless steel blades are sharp enough to easily cut through food items, and the knives are balanced for comfort. It also includes many of the core pieces you'd want in a knife set.

Things To Consider When Buying Knife Sets

Budget: We found knife sets ranging from less than $100 to more than $2,000. With such a broad price range, you’re sure to find something that meets your needs. Pete Smit, executive chef at Underdog Inn in Singapore, tells us that what’s good for one person isn’t always the best for another individual. "Sometimes it's better to spend that little bit extra to get something you know will last,” he says, noting that a good knife almost lasts forever. On the other hand, you don’t have to spend a fortune on a knife set. As we’ve shown with our selections, it’s possible to get a good knife set without breaking the bank.

Number and Types of Knives: How many knives do you really need in your knife set? It may depend on personal preference. “If you’re looking for an ultimate experience, you should consider investing in a 3 or 4 piece kitchen knife set; including The Gyuto (The Chef’s Knife), The Petty (Paring/Utility Knife), The Nakiri (Veggie/Fruit Knife), and a Serrated Knife,” says Kyle Barham, chef de cuisine at The Carillon in Austin, Texas.

Dan Gonzalez, executive chef at Thief in New York's Lower East Side, has strong feelings about not buying a huge, unnecessary knife set: “Even in professional kitchens, you only need a chef knife , a bread knife , and a petty/ paring knife .” He admits that a set of matching steak knives can look great, so, while you might want to consider that as well, “don’t be fooled by some fancy ‘cheese knife’ or ‘tomato slicer,’ - if you do want to splurge on a big set, that’s fine, but don’t waste your money on silly specialty knives.”  

Blade Material: According to Gonzalez, the two big houses of kitchen knives are German- or Western-style and Japanese-style knives . “Typically, western knives use a softer stainless steel, which sharpens easily and doesn’t chip, but doesn’t keep an edge as long,” he explains, while “Japanese knives are made with a harder steel, which can be much sharper and keep an edge longer, but are prone to chipping and difficult to sharpen once dull.” He says high-carbon steel will rust if not properly cared for.

However, Gonzalez advises consumers to look at the steel type and consider what’s most important to them. “If you really take care of your knives, I would go for Japanese style, but if you’re worried about your knife getting knocked around and chopping bones, you’re safer getting a German Wüsthof.” (Note: The safety component, probability of chipping, and realization that the average consumer might not sharpen knives as often as necessary factored into our decision to select the German Wüsthof as the best overall knife set over one of the Japanese sets on our list.)

So, which does Gonzalez prefer? “I like Japanese knives because they’re more lightweight, thinner, and sharper with a lower profile - it is like you’re cutting any helpless vegetable with an ancient weapon, which is the type of energy I like to bring to my cooking,” he says.

Barham at The Carillon in Austin, Texas, tells us his preference is a stainless-steel-clad carbon knife. “I prefer a lighter Japanese knife over a heavier German steel,” he says, as “the blade will sharpen easier, however the edge won’t last as long compared to a heavier solid stainless steel.”

Krikorian of Vibrant Occasions tells us that he personally owns Henckels, Wüsthof, and Shun knives and uses all of them on a regular basis. “Shun Premier Knives have been my favorite and my workhorse knives, so to speak, for six years,” he says. “They are lighter than their German counterparts...yet they are well balanced.”

Storage Style: There are several types of storage options for knife sets. Wood blocks are perhaps the most popular choice, followed by glass blocks. Storage blocks come in square, oblong, and round shapes and in various colors. You can choose blocks from the company that makes your knife set or purchase universal knife blocks to fit your preference and style. Other types of storage options include wall-mounted magnetic knife strips, which can help save countertop space, and magnetic knife stands in which the knives are uncovered.

If you prefer to keep your knife set out of view, you can use in-drawer knife organizers as long as you have enough storage space in your kitchen drawer. Also, individual sheaths can slip over the knife blades to provide protection and are available in a variety of materials ranging from plastic with a felt lining to leather. Sheaths allow you to store the knives in drawers. When transporting knives, you can use chef knife bags or rolls, which can be made of canvas or leather.

Care and Maintenance: Regardless of which knife set you select, some of the care and maintenance will be universal. For example, most quality knife sets should not be placed in the dishwasher, so you’ll need to hand-wash and then thoroughly dry the knives to avoid rust.

Knives also need to be sharpened to avoid getting dull. A self-sharpening knife set with a built-in sharpener makes it a lot easier to keep your knives sharp. Many of the knife sets on our list include a honing steel. However, honing is used to help straighten the blade to its original position, which is not the same as sharpening the blade. If you don’t want to get a knife set with a self-sharpening feature, you can purchase a separate knife sharpener .

Warranty: Warranties for knife sets can range from a few years to a limited lifetime warranty. Usually, the warranty states that the knife set is free of defects in material and workmanship. Warranties don’t cover normal wear and tear and won’t cover abusing or misusing a knife either. So, for example, if you try to use one of your knives to pry open a jammed door, that’s not the intended use, so the warranty won’t cover it. Also, always read the warranty carefully since it may only apply to a knife set that was purchased from the manufacturer or an authorized seller.

The Best Overall vs. The Best Budget Knife Set

Our recommendation for the best overall knife set is the Wüsthof Gourmet 10-Piece Knife Block Set. It costs roughly $300 for a set that includes a chef’s knife, paring knife, spear-point paring knife, trimming knife, utility knife, serrated utility knife, spreader, kitchen shears, and a honing steel. The knives also store in an acacia wood block with five additional slots, giving you the flexibility to add more to your set if desired.

Wüsthof is a heritage knife brand, and the knives in this set are made from high-carbon, stainless steel that’s designed to be not only super-sharp, but also resistant to wearing out over time. This knife set is built to last, as evidenced by the lifetime warranty behind it.

At a fraction of the Wüsthof price – about $120 – our recommendation for the best budget set is Cuisinart’s 15-Piece Elite Knife Set With Block. These knives are also crafted from German steel that stands out for its sharpness and excels at smooth slicing and chopping. Additionally, the hollow handles of these knives give them a lightweight feel, which some may find easier to hold.

Cuisinart’s set includes a chef’s knife, slicing knife, Santoku knife, serrated utility knife, paring knife, bird’s beak paring knife, kitchen shears, sharpening steel, and block to hold everything. It also comes with six steak knives – which may be a draw for some, though it also leaves you less room to customize your set. Plus, users who don’t eat meat may find them unnecessary or excessive.

How We Chose the Best Knife Sets

At U.S. News 360 Reviews, we consulted with numerous professional chefs for recommendations about what to look for in a knife set. We gathered insights from chefs Serge Krikorian of Vibrant Occasions ; Pete Smit of Underdog Inn ; Kyle Barham of The Carillon ; and Dan Gonzales of Thief .

With their input in mind, we then narrowed our selection down with more thorough research considering quality, comfort, price, material, types and number of knives, and testing. Our list includes a variety of knife sets at various prices and for users ranging from beginners to pros.

WHY SHOULD YOU TRUST US?

Our contributors and editors have years of experience researching, testing, and reviewing products. Terri Williams , the author of this piece, has years of experience writing product reviews on home goods and tech products. Terri has bylines at Forbes, Architectural Digest, CNN, NBC News, Real Simple, Tom’s Guide, USA Today, Better Homes & Gardens, Tech Radar, Daily Beast, and Popular Science. She’s also on Popular Science’s Best of What’s New team.

This piece was reviewed by Marlo Jappen Porto , an editor at U.S. News 360 Reviews since 2022, specializing in the home and health categories; and Victoria Sheridan , a home goods editor for 360 Reviews who has worked in the product review space since 2019.

A high-quality knife set can last you a lifetime if you care for it properly. “I still have my first knife from 21 years ago when I started in the kitchen,” says Smit. Your mileage may vary, but you’ll typically get the most wear out of your knives as long as you follow recommended guidelines for sharpening, hand-washing, drying thoroughly, and using the knives only for their intended purpose.

One of the first rules of caring for knives: Never put them on the dishwasher. In fact, only one knife set on our list is dishwasher-safe, but the manufacturer recommends hand-washing anyway. “Just hand-wash and clean it as you go, since a knife’s edges and handle will get beat up if left in the sink or put through a wash cycle,” Gonzales says.

Depending on the steel used, Smit says you may also need to oil the knife to help preserve the blade and stop rusting; the manufacturer’s instructions should be able to guide you in this area. “Never cut directly on a metal or marble board as this will dull your blade, and also, try to avoid cutting on bamboo boards, as this also dulls your blade,” Smit warns, “and always put the knife in a case when not in use to avoid the blade getting knocked around.”

Krikorian recommends honing your knife using a honing steel at the correct angle of your knife just a few times before every use: “Be aware that the knife’s edge can bend after use, and honing will reshape the bend edges to straighten the edge.” In addition, Krikorian says he sends all his professional knives to get sharpened by the manufacturers once every couple of years.

Barham recommends buying a knife set instead of purchasing the knives separately: “A kitchen knife set makes it easier when sharpening tools – after all, all the blades will be made of the same material, edge grind, angle, and style.” On the other hand, if you were to buy your knives individually, you might need a different sharpening tool for each.

He adds that “buying a set is a very convenient way to ensure that you get the main knives that you will need to complete most kitchen tasks.”

About Our Team

Terri Williams

Contributor

Marlo Jappen Porto

Victoria Sheridan

Ratings Editor

U.S. News 360 Reviews takes an unbiased approach to our recommendations. When you use our links to buy products, we may earn a commission but that in no way affects our editorial independence.

Find anything you save across the site in your account

The Best Chef’s Knife (2024), Reviewed by Our Experts

By Sarah Jampel and Alaina Chou

All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.

One thing’s for certain: A good chef’s knife is one of the most indispensable kitchen tools there is for beginners and professional chefs alike, right up there with a trusty skillet and a durable cutting board. But which chef’s knife is the best chef’s knife? That’s not so clear-cut. The truth is, the quest for the best chef’s knife can be a highly personal one. There are a million things to consider, from shape, size, and material of the blade and handle (do you prefer a Japanese- or Western-style knife? A sword-like 12-incher or a petite 6-inch blade?) to price point (are you willing to drop hundreds on the right model, or are you after a budget blade, even if you’ll need to replace it after a few years?) This is a tool you’ll use practically every time you cook, whether you’re mincing garlic and dicing veggies for your weekly meal prep, or carving a chicken at your next dinner party—so you’ll want to think carefully about which one you choose.

Mac Knife Professional 8 Inch Hollow Edge Chef Knife

Global 8-inch Chef's Knife

Sur la Table

Williams Sonoma

Moritaka 8.25-Inch Aogami Super Carbon Steel Gyuto

Cutlery and More

If this all sounds overwhelming, don’t worry—we’re here to help you make sense of the infinitely vast world of chef’s knives. If you’re looking to start your knife shopping journey here, we’ve got recommendations for great knives at a range of price points from three different types of industry pros. Want to do a bit of research on your own and find that just-for-you knife? We’ll also equip you with the knowledge you need to set forth and seek out the knife that best suits your personal preferences.

Top tested chef’s knife BA Test Kitchen's favorite chef's knife The pro ‘s favorite chef’s knife What’s the difference between Western- and Japanese-style knives? How do you sharpen a chef’s knife?

Top tested chef’s knife: Mac Professional Hollow Edge 8-Inch Chef’s Knife

This knife from Japanese brand Mac checked all of the boxes in our sister brand Epicurious’s in-depth product test : It’s sharp enough to glide through food and produce paper-thin slices, lightweight enough to allow for nimble movements, and comfortable enough for you to make your way through a mountain of onions without your hand cramping up. It’s also extremely well priced considering its high quality—take good care of a Mac knife and it’ll last you for years to come.

This is a hybrid style knife, which means it combines the best qualities of both Western and Japanese chef’s knives: Its blade shape sits somewhere between the rounded edge of a Western-style model and the more straight-sided blade of a Japanese one, and its material makeup strikes a balance between the more durable type of steel typical of a Western-style knife and the sharper, more brittle steel used in Japanese knives. The result? A knife that’s highly versatile and at once super-sharp and less likely to chip. With a 50/50 double bevel (meaning both sides are sharpened to the same angle), this knife is also relatively easy to maintain.

Pat Alfiero of Philly butcher counter, sandwich shop, and restaurant Heavy Metal Sausage Co. uses a custom-made knife nowadays (more on his top picks below), but he’s owned Mac knives in the past and is a fellow fan of the brand. While he tends to opt for styles with a smooth surfaced-blade, you’ll notice that the one we’re recommending here based on our testing has dimples running along each side. These are what make it a “hollow” or “Granton” edged knife, and they’re there to help prevent whatever you’re slicing from sticking to the blade.

One thing to note about the Mac chef’s knife is that its relatively high carbon composition makes it more prone to rusting and discoloration. This means you’ll want to dry it especially thoroughly after hand washing.

NOTE: To read more about the testing process that went into this selection, along with the other knives we tested from brands like Zwilling , Victorinox , Miyabi , Shun , Wusthof Classic, and Mercer , head over to The Best Chef’s Knife, Tested and Reviewed on Epicurious.

Blade Length: 7.88 inches Weight: 6.5 ounces Material: Stainless steel with black Pakka wood handle Style: Hybrid, double-bevel

Bon Appétit Test Kitchen’s favorite chef’s knife: Global Classic Chef’s Knife

“After years of cooking with a set of multicolored Ikea knives of questionable quality, I got my first real-deal chef's knife, made by Global, from my uncle for college graduation—the result of him having seen Anthony Bourdain cook with a similar model on TV,” says associate food editor Kendra Vaculin. She has since built out a full-fledged Global knife set, and their Classic Chef’s Knife remains her top category pick. “I love how malleable Global knives feel in my hand despite their size,” she says. That balanced malleability is due to the fact that, instead of a full tang (a blade that runs the full length of the hand), the knife’s hollow ergonomic handle is filled with just enough sand to perfectly offset the weight of the knife blade. While it’s technically heavier than the Mac, the Global knife feels lighter because of that perfectly balanced weight distribution. “It feels like an extension of my arm—in a good way, not a super villain way—and has made everything from weeknight dinners to big dinner parties easier to tackle,” says Vaculin.

It’s worth noting this knife also earned top marks in Epicurious’s testing, ranking on par with the Mac—and it rings in cheaper, too. Unlike the Mac, the steel blend of the Global’s blade is relatively resistant to rusting and staining. If you want a quality knife that offers supreme stability while cutting and the ability to make super thin, delicate slices, this is the one for you.

Blade Length: 8 inches Weight: 7.8 ounces Material: Stainless steel Style: Hybrid, double-bevel

The pro’s favorite chef’s knife: Moritaka

Pat Alfiero of Heavy Metal Sausage Co. is very particular about his knives—that’s why he now uses custom knives made in Philly by knife maker Steve Pellegrino . If you’re serious—and I mean very serious —about knives and want to make a significant investment to get the high-end knife of your dreams, know that the custom route is always an option, though prices over $1000 are not out of the question. For most home cooks, opting for a high-quality ready-made knife is the way to go.

So we wanted to know what Alfiero used prior to going custom. His chef’s knife of choice for eight years running was from Moritaka Cutlery—a Japanese brand that’s been around for over 700 years (!). For Alfiero, versatility is key when it comes to chef’s knives: “Most of the kitchens I've worked in are short on space, so I try to find something that can be a slicer and a prep workhorse just to cut down on the amount of knives I need.” Other features he looks for are “aggressive pointed tips” (which he does admit to inevitably breaking at one point or another), simple octagonal Japanese-style handles, and a decent amount of heft that’s balanced right where the blade meets the handle. “When I have a light knife, I feel like I have to smash through things,” he says. “If it’s heavier I feel like I can just let the knife do it.”

Moritaka knives check all of Alfiero’s boxes and then some. He notes that they’re particularly easy to sharpen because of their 50/50 grind and large bevels—i.e., because the blade is sharpened at the same angle on both sides and the bevel’s degree is a rather large one, it’s a cinch to figure out the right angle at which to sharpen each side whenever your blade starts to dull.

“They are carbon steel,” notes Alfiero, “so they do need a little bit more care.” Like the Mac knife, you’ll want to fully dry a Moritaka before putting it away to prevent corrosion. Alfiero also cautions against stashing these knives in a drawer with, say, spoons fresh out of the dishwasher —any residual water may turn into steam, creating a humid environment that may discolor the knife’s carbon steel blade.

Blade Length: 8.25 inches Weight: 5.6 ounces Material: Hand-forged Aogami Super blue steel Style: Hybrid, double-bevel

What’s the difference between Western- and Japanese-style knives?

Also called German-style knives, these are double-beveled (meaning both sides are angled inward, meeting at the blade’s edge) and originated in Western Europe. German knives’ curved blades lend themselves to a rocking motion in which the tip of the blade does not leave the cutting board. The blades are also typically thicker than those of Japanese knives, and most are beveled at the same angle on both sides, which makes them easier to sharpen. That’s particularly advantageous because these knives are typically made of a softer steel than their Japanese counterparts, which makes them less brittle and more durable—but also means you’ll need to sharpen them more often. They also tend to be more heavy duty, which some people think makes them feel more stable, but is really a point of personal preference.

Traditional Japanese knives are mostly single bevel (one side is straight while the other is angled), feature thin blades made of carbon steel, and are often used by professional restaurant chefs. They’re ideal for people who value sharpness and precision due to their lightweight nature and hard blades, which hold their edge for longer and require less frequent sharpening. The straighter shape of that edge means these knives lend themselves to an up-and-down slicing motion rather than the rocking technique you’d use with a Western-style knife.

Then there are Western-style Japanese knives like the ones featured here: These are double bevel, made of a more durable steel that’s simpler to maintain, and versatile. Some hybrid knives, though not the ones featured here, have asymmetrical edges, sharpened to two different angles, which contributes to the sharp blade. Two common shapes in the U.S. are the gyuto (which means “beef sword”) and the shorter santoku knife.

Alfiero likes and uses both single and double bevels, but his chef’s knives, paring knives, and butchering knives are all 50:50. “It’s just easier to maintain and sharpen,” he says. He also notes that it can be harder to learn to cut straight with a single bevel, particularly for vegetables: “You always have that angle pushing you backwards. Your knife kind of wants to go with that big hard bevel, so I prefer 50:50 for that stuff.”

How do you sharpen a chef’s knife?

Once you’ve found your perfect chef’s knife, show it the respect worthy of a prized kitchen tool. You can get your knives professionally sharpened, of course, but we’re of the opinion that you should only do so once a year, max—think of a professional sharpening as a haircut, whereas sharpening at home is more of a trim. A professional sharpener will remove more steel from the cutting edge than you would at home, which can affect the longevity of your knife. What tools do you need to maintain that new knife’s sharp edge at home, you might ask? Two things: A honing rod and a knife sharpener. And no, they are not interchangeable.

A honing rod is used to keep an already-sharp knife in tip top shape by aligning the existing edge of your blade. Step right this way for more about honing rods .

A knife sharpener —ideally a whetstone—is used to remove some of the blade’s steel through friction to create a new, sharper cutting edge.

Chef'sChoice Professional Electric Knife Sharpener

Looking to brush up on your knife skills? Head right this way . And if you’re looking to expand your kitchen knife collection even further, check out our favorite nakiri knives and bread knife .

Advertisement

• Cooking tools and utensils

The Best Chef’s Knife

By Lesley Stockton

Lesley Stockton is a writer focused on kitchen and entertaining. Her coverage includes grilling, kitchen knives, and cookware, just to name a few.

A great chef’s knife can revolutionize your daily meal prep. If your knife is comfortable to grip and razor-sharp, you can chop ingredients faster and with more control (and therefore more safely).

After putting in over 150 hours of research—and chopping more than 70 pounds of produce with 23 knives—we recommend the Mac MTH-80 . It’s been our pick since 2013, over the years appealing to a wide range of testers for its comfortable handle and sharp, agile blade.

Everything we recommend

The best chef’s knife

With its super-sharp edge, sleek, tapered shape, and comfortable handle, this knife makes everyday dicing and slicing tasks smoother and quicker.

Buying Options

Tojiro F-808

An affordable japanese knife.

This extremely sharp Japanese knife is one of the best deals we’ve found in cutlery. But it has a slightly less-durable blade, and the handle doesn’t provide as much knuckle clearance.

May be out of stock

Wüsthof Classic Ikon 8″ Chef’s Knife

A classic german knife.

This classic German knife is a great choice if you prefer a heftier model for heavy-duty tasks. Its blade is softer than that of our top pick, so you need to sharpen it more frequently.

Free (delayed) shipping for Prime members

Budget pick

Victorinox Swiss Classic Chef’s Knife 8-Inch

Sharp and affordable.

This knife is comfortable to use, durable, and pretty sharp. It’s by far the best knife you can buy for around $60.

Selecting a chef’s knife has a lot to do with personal preference, but we’re confident that the Mac MTH-80 is one of the most widely appealing knives available. Its razor-sharp edge, comfortable handle, and agile blade make chopping tasks much easier, which in turn cuts down on meal-prep time. And because of the MTH-80’s excellent edge retention, with proper care it will stay sharp for a long time.

If you want to spend less than $100—or you just want to add a Japanese gyuto knife to your collection—the Tojiro F-808 is an excellent choice. Thanks to its sharp edge, hard steel, quality construction, and affordable price, this model is one of the best values in Japanese-made knives. The flat belly curve makes the F-808 ideal for fine cuts and paper-thin slices of vegetables and meat.

The Tojiro knife is thinner and more brittle than our top pick, so it’s not suitable for hacking through thick, dense vegetables, like butternut squash. Although we really like the F-808, it needs a little more TLC than the Mac MTH-80.

If you’re accustomed to the feel of a heavier German knife, the Wüsthof Classic Ikon 8″ Chef’s Knife is sharp and sturdy. Compared with the other forged German knives we tested, this one’s thinner blade cut more smoothly through all of the veggies we chopped. We liked how easily it maneuvered around curves when cutting away butternut squash skin and citrus rinds.

The Victorinox Swiss Classic Chef’s Knife 8-Inch is the best knife you can buy for the price. It’s a favorite of budget-conscious home cooks, and it has an ergonomically shaped plastic handle that appeals to most people. The factory edge isn’t as sharp as that of our other picks, so in our tests it left us with slightly split carrots. However, it did allow us to cut a butternut squash clean in half. Compared with the other budget knives we tried, testers preferred the Victorinox knife for its maneuverability and comfortable feel.

The research

Why you should trust us, who should get this, how we picked, how we tested, our pick: mac mth-80, runner-up: tojiro f-808, also great: wüsthof classic ikon 8″ chef’s knife, budget pick: victorinox swiss classic chef’s knife 8-inch, how to care for your knife like a pro, the competition.

I’ve covered knives for Wirecutter since 2015, racking up more than 120 hours of research and testing. And over the many years of my culinary career, I’ve cooked in fine-dining restaurants, brewpubs, small cafés, private homes, and test kitchens, where tens of thousands of pounds of vegetables, fruit, meat, and fish have crossed my cutting board.

I’ve also enlisted seasoned cooking pros and curious home cooks to chop, slice, dice, julienne, chiffonade, and mince with many of these knives and weigh in. In addition to Wirecutter staffers, those panelists included Sam Sifton, an assistant managing editor at The New York Times and founding editor of New York Times Cooking , as well as a group of chefs and line cooks at New York City’s Le Coucou (recipient of the James Beard Foundation’s 2017 award for Best New Restaurant).

Whether you cook seven nights a week or hardly at all, every kitchen should have a chef’s knife. Of all of the pieces in a cutlery set, the chef’s knife is the most versatile and gets the most use.

You should get a new chef’s knife if you’re using an old knife set or a hodgepodge of hand-me-downs that aren’t, well, cutting it anymore. Dull kitchen knives are a bummer, and they’re dangerous, too. A sharp knife offers more control, reducing the chance of the blade slipping off of the food and into your finger.

If you’re outfitting your first kitchen on a budget, getting one good-quality chef’s knife is a wise economic choice because you can sidestep the sticker shock of buying an entire knife set. An 8-inch chef’s knife is versatile enough to hold you over until you generate more funds to build out your cutlery collection.

Most chef’s knives come in two styles: German and a double-beveled Japanese take on German knives (called a gyuto ). What works for you comes down to a combination of personal preference, cutting style, and comfort.

• This is the most widely recognized style of chef’s knife in the West—popularized by German knife makers Wüsthof and J.A. Henckels. The belly of the blade has a pronounced curve that tapers to a sharp tip, which is best if you prefer to cut using a rocking motion.
• German knives generally weigh more and have thicker blades than their Japanese counterparts; this makes them fit for tough jobs like breaking lobsters and splitting bone-in chicken breasts.

Japanese (gyuto)

• Gyutos generally have thinner blades with flatter belly curves than German knives, and they taper to a very sharp tip. The flat belly provides the most control if you cut using a push-pull motion (meaning the blade leaves the board after each cut, and you push the knife forward and down, or pull it back and down, to slice through food).
• Because gyutos are thinner and made of hard carbon steel, their edge takes a much more acute bevel angle, and they tend to stay sharper longer than German knives. This design makes gyutos great for paper-thin slices and precise cuts.

Since 2013, we’ve racked up over 200 hours researching and comparing more than 100 knives. For each update, we look at new releases, up-and-coming brands, and more knives from the producers of our picks.

Determining the ideal knife for any one person is both objective and subjective. Factors such as sharpness, edge retention, durability, versatility, and easy maintenance are key to the performance of any good chef’s knife. But things like comfort, weight, balance, and price are mostly a personal preference. As New York Times assistant managing editor Sam Sifton told us during testing, “[A good knife] is the balance of utility and the thing that moves your heart.”

What to look for in a chef’s knife

Sharpness: A brand-new knife comes with what’s called a “factory edge,” which is usually very sharp. The edge should be keen enough to slice through paper straight out of the box. Your knife should remain sharp through moderate use for six to 12 months, as long as you hone it regularly, wash and dry it by hand after each use, and store it so the edge doesn’t get dinged up.

Edge retention, steel hardness, and durability: A crazy-sharp factory edge isn’t worth much if it dulls quickly. Good edge retention relies on a combination of steel composition and hardness , blade thickness, and bevel angle. When a blade is thin and made from a hard steel, the edge can take and hold a tight angle.

Length: An 8-inch knife is the perfect length for most people because it’s long enough to halve large vegetables but still manageable for most home cooks.

Bolster: Bolsters are metal cuffs that sit between the blade and the handle. A full bolster extends to the heel of the blade, while a half bolster doesn’t. For this guide, we chose to test half-bolstered knives because they’re easier to sharpen. Full bolsters are a pain; they require a professional sharpening service to grind away the extra steel at the heel of the blade to maintain an even and flat edge.

Balance: Knife balance means different things to different people, and it boils down to personal preference. A half-bolster or bolsterless knife is more blade-heavy, whereas a full bolster throws more weight to the handle. If you’re unsure about your preference on balance, go to a kitchen store and handle as many knives as possible to see what feels right.

Comfort: The best knives have handles that fit the hand comfortably, and this can vary depending on the size of your hand and the way you grip the knife. Again, the best way to find a knife that’s a good fit for you is to try as many knives as you can. If it’s possible, cut some vegetables to check for knuckle clearance—nothing is quite as annoying as banging your knuckles on the board while chopping.

Your chopping style: When looking for the best knife for you, figure out the way you naturally chop food. You’ll likely fall into one of two camps: a rocker or a push-pull slicer.

German knife blades are curved and designed for a rocking chopping motion. In this motion (shown above), the tip of the knife mostly keeps contact with the cutting board, and you raise and lower the heel while your guiding hand pushes food underneath the blade.

Because Japanese knives have straighter edges, it’s better to use a push-pull motion with them, lifting the whole knife off the board for each cut (demonstrated above). If you decide to make the jump from German to Japanese knives, this motion will take some getting used to.

When we first unbox a knife to test it, we check the blade for dings, chips, and bends. We then test the sharpness of the factory edge by slicing through a sheet of printer paper. While holding each knife, we get a feel for its balance and handle comfort. All of this happens before we halve a single onion.

Over the years, we’ve invited friends and colleagues of all culinary stripes to our test kitchen to participate in a chopping panel. We sliced, diced, julienned, peeled, and chiffonaded a pile of butternut squash, onions, carrots, apples, oranges, sweet potatoes, and fresh herbs to gauge the knives’ versatility with foods of varying textures. We looked for sharpness, precision, maneuverability, and comfort.

In 2017 we sent the top-performing knives from our chopping panel to the kitchen at New York City’s Le Coucou , where the cooks used them for prep and during service for a week. Since chefs and cooks are very passionate about their knives, we wanted their unbridled opinions of our favorites.

The Mac MTH-80 is our favorite knife because it’s crazy sharp and will stay that way longer than most other knives. It’s comfortable to hold, and it is a standout favorite among testers across a wide range of skill levels, regardless of their cutting style.

When asked, the MTH-80 is the knife I recommend to most people without hesitation. It feels more agile than the German models we’ve tested and more durable than the thin Japanese gyutos. Its blade shape strikes the perfect middle ground between the two styles—curved just enough for rocking but still straight enough for push-pull choppers.

It makes chopping a breeze. In our tests, the MTH-80 always made clean cuts through fibrous carrots. The cut edges of basil stayed mostly green, with very little oxidation, which means the knife’s razor-sharp edge broke very few of the herb’s cells. To be honest, all of the Japanese knives did a superb job on our basil test. That’s because they’re sharper and thinner, whereas the six budget knives we tested ($20 to $40 models) turned the basil black within five minutes.

Even the pros think this is a great knife. The daytime kitchen crew at Le Coucou used the MTH-80 for prep and during lunch service for a week, and they praised its outstanding performance on vegetables, herbs, and fish. Scott Markowitz, sous chef at Le Coucou, said, “[The MTH-80] was the favorite of all the cooks. We used it on shallots, herbs, and even slicing fluke for crudo. It was the best overall for basic mise en place.”

It stays sharp longer than most knives we tested. Because the MTH-80’s stamped blade is made of very hard steel, it stays sharp longer than softer blades, such as those of the Victorinox Swiss Classic Chef’s Knife 8-Inch and the Wüsthof Classic Ikon 8″ Chef’s Knife. One Le Coucou chef who prepped shallots and onions in the mornings told us the MTH-80 held the best edge.

But Mac’s proprietary steel also isn’t as brittle as the super-hard Japanese steel that manufacturers use for most gyuto knives, so it’s less likely to chip (which the Tojiro F-808 did after we used it to cut hard butternut squash).

All of our testers agreed this knife was comfortable to hold and use. Most testers, including Sam Sifton, named the MTH-80 as their top choice among all of the contenders.

Even most testers with larger hands found that the handle allowed for plenty of knuckle clearance. However, the MTH-80’s handle and knuckle clearance were too small for one 6-foot-6 tester (whom we paid for their feedback). They much preferred the larger handle on the Wüsthof Classic Ikon 8″ Chef’s Knife.

Dimples on the blade reduce the chances of food sticking to the knife—kind of. This feature isn’t the MTH-80’s biggest selling point. In our tests, the dimples were merely mildly effective—and only when cutting butternut squash. Squash slices stuck to the blades of every knife we tested, but it was easier to remove the squash from our pick’s blade.

It’s not cheap, but it’s a good value. Even though the MTH-80 tends to be on the pricier end of the knives we tested, its combination of performance and superior build will give you many years of happy use—much more than a budget knife. With proper maintenance , the MTH-80 could last a lifetime. In that respect, $145 or so is a bargain.

How the Mac MTH-80 has held up

We’ve had a Mac MTH-80 in regular rotation in our test kitchen since 2015, and it’s still our favorite knife. The logo on the blade has worn off slightly, but otherwise the knife remains in great condition.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Some Amazon reviewers complain about the blade staining . A Mac customer service representative explained that due to the knife’s high carbon content, you might occasionally see a rust spot—especially when you don’t rinse and dry the knife after cutting acidic foods like citrus or tomatoes. But with proper care , you can keep your Mac knife clean and spot-free. If you want a more stain-resistant knife, you might want to get one from Wüsthof.

Mac’s 25-year warranty is voided if you purchase the knife through unauthorized vendors. When buying a Mac knife through Amazon or another third party, check Mac’s website to make sure it’s an authorized seller before purchasing.

If you want to add a Japanese gyuto to your collection, the Tojiro F-808 is an exceptional knife for the price. In our tests, the thin, razor-sharp edge cut through vegetables with the precision of a scalpel. One colleague fell in love with the Tojiro F-808 and bought it immediately after the test. But it didn’t quite surpass our top pick, the Mac MTH-80 .

It’s shaped like a classic gyuto, with a straighter edge, no bolster, and a pointed tip. The lack of a curve in the belly of the blade makes cutting with a rocking motion awkward, so if that’s what you’re used to, we suggest learning the push-pull cutting style.

It’s sharp and precise. Testers liked chopping vegetables with the F-808 because of its sharpness, control, and easy handling. It’s ideal for slicing leeks, green onions, and herbs into fine julienne, but it’s also excellent for handling most fruit and vegetable prep and slicing boneless meat filets.

The hard steel blade stays sharp, but it isn’t suitable for some foods. The Tojiro knife’s steel core is harder than the surface material; that hardness helps the blade hold a better edge, but it appears to be more brittle than Mac’s homogeneous construction. We found a tiny, almost microscopic nick in the Tojiro knife’s blade after cutting butternut squash.

As it turns out, the company recommends that you don’t use the knife for hard ingredients (or frozen foods), because they can chip the blade. But since the F-808’s core has the hardest steel of all our picks, its edge retention is exceptional for the price. We still believe this model is one of the best values in kitchen cutlery.

The handle might be too small for some folks. Testers with smaller hands found the F-808’s handle comfortable, and they didn’t have any issues with their knuckles hitting the cutting board. But knuckle clearance was scant for testers with larger hands.

This is a quality knife that stands the test of time. The F-808 has been a popular knife in our test kitchen since 2015. We especially like its smooth slicing action and blade-heavy balance. Several Wirecutter staff members also have the F-808 and love it. Senior staff writer Michael Sullivan has been using the F-808 at home since 2017. “It continues to hold its razor-sharp edge with minimal sharpening,” he said in 2023. “It’s my go-to knife for chopping vegetables and delicate herbs with precision. It’s well balanced and easy to maneuver.”

Tojiro doesn’t offer a warranty on its knives sold outside of Japan. Instead, it’s up to individual authorized retailers to offer a warranty on Tojiro tools. We’ve confirmed that Cutlery and More honors a lifetime warranty on Tojiro knives.

If you like the heft and the more substantial feel of a forged German knife, we recommend the Wüsthof Classic Ikon 8″ Chef’s Knife . Its factory edge is sharp, and it’s a solid choice for folks who chop using a rocking motion.

The blade is sharp, but it’s slightly less graceful than our top pick’s blade. In our tests, the Classic Ikon cut smoothly through butternut squash and onions. The carrots did split slightly, however. That’s because this knife’s blade is thicker than the one on our top pick, the Mac MTH-80 . Like the other German knives we tested, this one caused moderate bruising with cut basil.

It’s comfortable to hold. Many testers liked the Classic Ikon’s smooth, rounded handle, which fit nicely into the palm. The handle is larger than that of our top pick, and testers with large hands liked the generous knuckle clearance.

This knife’s stainless steel blade is more durable than the Mac MTH-80’s blade. If you drop a Wüsthof knife into the sink or wait to clean it after cutting acidic foods, it shouldn’t chip, stain, or corrode. On the other hand, the soft stainless steel also means the edge of this knife dulls faster and requires more-regular sharpening.

But that doesn’t mean you should abuse the Classic Ikon knife—or any knife, really. That kind of treatment destroys the blade’s edge, so don’t do it.

The Classic Ikon knife comes with a lifetime limited warranty (PDF) that covers manufacturing defects and damage occurring under “normal use and conditions.” Damage from accidents, misuse, and abuse are not covered.

We also recommend Wüsthof’s Classic Ikon 8″ Chef’s Knife in our guide to knife sets . The six-piece Classic Ikon set is a great option if you know you like German knives, and you have the cash to drop on a whole set.

The Victorinox Swiss Classic 8-Inch Chef’s Knife is the best you can buy for around $60. It’s good for folks who don’t want to spend a lot, and it’s especially good for beginner cooks because it’s durable. We wouldn’t go so far as to call the Swiss Classic Chef’s Knife a “beater knife,” but its polished stainless steel blade and ergonomic plastic handle can withstand more abuse than those of our other picks.

Its shape is suitable for most cooks. This knife’s gentle curved edge is good for any chopping style, and its wide blade lets you easily scoop and transfer food from the cutting board. We also like that the edges of the blade’s spine are slightly rounded and don’t dig into your forefinger while you chop.

It has a good sharp edge (for the price). We diced onions, julienned carrots, and halved a butternut squash with relative ease and accuracy. The Swiss Classic Chef’s Knife isn’t as keen as our picks from Mac or Tojiro . Also, you’ll need to hone it regularly, and you may want to invest in a home knife sharpener . But if you’re replacing an old, dull knife or buying your first kitchen blade on a budget, this Victorinox knife won’t disappoint.

The contoured handle is a bit polarizing. Some testers found it difficult to pinch grip the knife because of the angle where the handle meets the blade. Other testers (I was in this camp) had no problem holding it with a comfortable pinch grip (video) . Interestingly, hand size didn’t seem to be a factor here. Folks with small hands as well as those with large hands landed on both sides.

It’s comfy for cooks who don’t use a pinch grip. We understand that many home cooks don’t hold a knife using a pinch grip, as pro cooks do. We chopped some onions while gripping the knife farther back on the handle and found that the contoured handle accommodated that style of grip well. It felt comfortable and stable.

Victorinox covers the 8-inch Swiss Classic Chef’s Knife with a limited lifetime warranty that excludes normal wear and tear, misuse, or abuse.

It’s easy to care for a knife—it just takes attention and two extra minutes. Simply hand-wash and dry it thoroughly after each use. Never put any sharp blade in the dishwasher, since it’s not good for the edge to bump up against other things, such as glassware and ceramic (materials that are harder than the steel). Don’t use anything abrasive on the blade, such as a Brillo pad or a scouring sponge, which can make little scratches in the metal.

Never throw unprotected knives into a drawer, where they will dull quickly. Wall-mounted magnetic strips—such as the Benchcrafted Mag-Blok we recommend in our guide to small-kitchen gear —are better and safer. If you don’t want a magnetic strip mounted to your wall, buy a blade guard . That way you can store your knife in a drawer and keep the edge protected.

Use your knife only on a wood, plastic, or rubber cutting board . Do not, by any means, let your edge hit glass, granite, marble, or ceramics—not even a quick slice on a dinner plate. Master Smith Murray Carter explained, “Anything that has any degree of hardness that approaches metal, especially ceramic that’s 10 times harder than metal … as soon as it makes contact with the edge, it dulls it.”

Honing and sharpening

Maintain a sharp cutting edge with a honing rod. This tool doesn’t actually sharpen the blade—its sole purpose is to realign the microscopic teeth on the knife’s edge that get knocked out of alignment during use. We like to use a ceramic rod because it’s harder than the hardest steel but has a smooth grit, so it won’t chew up the edge of your knife while it realigns the edge. Hone your knife before each use, and you’ll be golden.

As you watch a chef whipping a knife down the rod toward their hand at lightning speed, it’s easy to see yourself taking a thumb off. But the task is not as difficult as it looks. There are two ways to effectively hone a knife.

The key with both styles of honing is to make sure the edge bevel is flush to the rod. If you’re starting out, it’s safer to place the tip of the honing rod on a cutting board, with the rod perpendicular to the board. Start with your knife toward the rod’s handle, and then pull down from heel to tip. Repeat on the other side of the knife, and continue for four or five reps.

Most pros point the tip of the rod up and pull the knife down toward the handle.

Eventually your knife will need sharpening. Depending on the composition of your knife’s steel and how often you use it, that could mean every six months to a year. You’ll know it’s time when you have to work to get through the skins of tomatoes or cucumbers.

If you want to send your knives out for sharpening, it’s important that you look for a professional who knows what they’re doing. Unfortunately, that’s really hard to find. We suggest asking a local chef where they would send their personal knives (not the cheap kitchen-prep knives). Generally, chefs sharpen their own knives, but they usually know of a reputable knife person.

We like these Japanese stones and have used them for years. It takes practice to become proficient on a whetstone, but this is an invaluable skill to cultivate. We suggest learning on old knives that you may have buried in the back of a drawer. For online tutorials, check out these Murray Carter and Korin videos, which show you how to use whetstones. After some education and a lot of practice, you’ll be able to sharpen any old knife to a pro-style edge.

You can also use a home knife sharpener. If you’re investing in a quality, expensive knife, like our main pick , we still believe that a whetstone used properly will provide the sharpest, smoothest edge. But if you want to sharpen our budget pick , a German steel blade, or an inexpensive paring or utility knife, try one of our knife-sharpener picks . In our tests we found that well-designed models worked nicely, causing minimal wear to knives while creating a fine edge. And because these sharpeners are convenient, people tend to use them regularly, which results in safer chopping and a happier kitchen experience. But be sure to avoid the cheapest knife sharpeners, which will quickly eat away too much of the blade’s metal.

Japanese-style knives

We gave the Global 8″ Classic Japanese Chef’s Knife an honorable dismissal. It would’ve been one of our top picks, but our testers were split down the middle: People either loved this knife for its lightweight and razor-sharp edge or hated it because of its dimpled steel handle (which could get slippery in wet hands).

The Togiharu Molybdenum Gyuto 8.2″ is a classic lightweight gyuto. Another honorable dismissal, this knife is sharp and precise. Like our runner-up pick, the Tojiro F-808 , it lacks knuckle clearance for large hands, but the F-808 is a better value.

The Mac TH-80 is similar to our top pick in blade design and size. It lacks the weight and the smooth transition from blade to handle, though, and we found that it simply wasn’t as comfortable to use.

The Mercer MX3 M16110 gyuto performed about as well as our runner-up pick from Tojiro. It was considerably more expensive at the time of our tests, but prices fluctuate. So if you can find this knife at a similar price to the cost of the Tojiro F-808, it’s a good option.

Even though the Mac MBK-85 is an objectively good knife, our testers were pretty lukewarm about it. The edge was sharp, and the knife itself was comfortable to hold. However, the 8.5-inch blade length was a little too much for home cooks.

Like the Mac MBK-85, the Mac HB-85 garnered lukewarm reviews from our testing panel. The HB-85 offers a good price-to-quality ratio, but our testing panel overwhelmingly chose the Tojiro F-808 as the better chef’s knife for the price.

The Tojiro Classic Damascus F-655 gyuto is a higher-end version of the Tojiro F-808. Most testers agreed that this model was a little too heavy for their liking.

German-style knives

The Five Two 8″ Chef’s Knife from Food52 has many characteristics we look for in a knife: a half bolster, a comfortable handle, and a gradual curved edge. But it’s made from a low-grade steel that doesn’t hold an edge as long as our picks.

We found that the Made In 8 Inch Chef’s Knife ’s deep blade curve and angled bolster (which sets the handle too far back from the blade) made chopping and slicing awkward.

The 8-inch Misen Chef’s Knife fell flat in performance. The slicing action was rough, and the edge felt a little toothy. It couldn’t make a straight cut down the middle of a butternut squash, and it split carrots.

We tested the Mercer Genesis M21078 as a budget option. Although it was sharper out of the box than our Victorinox pick, the latter was more comfortable to hold and had better balance.

The blade of the Messermeister Meridian Elite Chef's Knife 3686-8 was sharp enough, but it was not as smooth as that of the Mac MTH-80 or the Wüsthof Classic Ikon 8″ Chef’s Knife. This knife was also heavier than the Wüsthof model, and our testers found it awkward to hold.

Another budget choice, the Messermeister Pro Series Wide-Blade Chef’s Knife 5025-8 was pretty much on a par with our budget pick. But due to the sharp edges on the spine, which kept digging into our forefingers, we found it uncomfortable to use.

The Zwilling Pro 8-inch Chef's Knife was just awkward to use. The curve of the blade was too severe and made chopping difficult. We had a hard time maintaining control.

The Shun Classic Chef’s 8″ DM0706 was mediocre. The long stick handle kept jabbing into my wrist, and the cutting edge was only adequate.

Mercer’s Millennia Chef’s Knife M22608 was not very sharp; the stamped blade split carrots and was uncomfortable to use.

We found the Rada Cutlery French Chef knife to be comically flimsy. Stamped from American stainless steel scraps, this knife couldn’t make straight cuts in butternut squash or carrots.

This article was edited by Gabriella Gershenson, Marilyn Ong, and Marguerite Preston.

Meet your guide

Lesley Stockton

Lesley Stockton is a senior staff writer reporting on all things cooking and entertaining for Wirecutter. Her expertise builds on a lifelong career in the culinary world—from a restaurant cook and caterer to a food editor at Martha Stewart. She is perfectly happy to leave all that behind to be a full-time kitchen-gear nerd.

Further reading

The Best Knife Sharpener

by Tim Heffernan

Easy to use, reliable, and able to put a razor edge on almost any type of knife, the best knife sharpener for home cooks is the Chef’sChoice Trizor XV .

Why I Use a Chinese Cleaver More Than Any Other Knife

by Brittney Ho

From hacking through bones and crushing spices to mashing pastes and making thin, precise cuts, the Chinese cleaver is the ultimate do-it-all tool.

The Best Knife Set

by Kathleen Squires

After more than 75 hours of researching knife sets and testing 18, we’re confident that nothing beats the Wüsthof Classic Ikon 6-Piece Starter Knife Block Set .

The Victorinox Chef’s Knife and Me: A Love Story

by Alexander Aciman

Even after almost a decade of use, the Victorinox Swiss Classic Chef’s Knife continues to serve in the kitchen.

Find anything you save across the site in your account

The Best Chef’s Knife, Tested and Reviewed

By Wilder Davies and Lukas Volger

All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Finding the best chef’s knife for you is one of the most important quests a home cook can embark on. That’s because while there are lots of kitchen knives out there designed for specific tasks, a good chef’s knife is one of the most valuable, hard-working kitchen tools in your arsenal and honestly, one of only a handful of knives we think you absolutely need .

Mac Professional Hollow Edge Chef’s Knife, 8-Inch

Global Classic Chef’s Knife, 8-Inches

Victorinox Swiss Classic Chef's Knife

Sur la Table

Wüsthof Classic 8-Inch Chef’s Knife

Williams Sonoma

But to understand the wide array of considerations when you’re shopping for the best chef’s knife for you, you’ll need to ask yourself some questions. Questions like: How narrow and sharp do I want this thing? What’s my cutting style? Do I want to spend a lot of time caring for it? And, importantly: How much do I want to spend? Given that you can get a knife for anywhere from 10 bucks to well into the hundreds, it might be a little overwhelming to know where to start.

Over the years we’ve put dozens of knives through tests and narrowed your search down to four excellent picks that cater to the most common needs and preferences. Read on for the chef’s knives we love, including best all-around, a runner-up, an impressive budget pick, and the best German-style knife. For the specifics of how we tested and what to look for, scroll to the bottom of the page.

The best chef’s knife overall: Mac Professional Hollow Edge Chef’s Knife

The Mac Professional Chef’s Knife has been our top pick for more than six years now. It’s moderately priced, with a very sharp blade, and, at 6.7 ounces, is also quite lightweight. But it’s strong enough to power through tough vegetables and proteins without issue, and a thrill to use for tight precision cuts, evenly thin slices, and delicate shavings. It makes a clean, featherlight pile of minced tender herbs without bruising or smashing them, and it feels strong and steady while cleaving through a kabocha squash, too.

The Mac Professional is something of a hybrid style knife, meaning that it combines some of the features of both German knives, known for a durable steel and more of a rounded blade shape, and a Japanese one, known for higher carbon content (which makes for a sharper blade but a more brittle one) and more angled shape.

Its lightness makes it very easy to maneuver, and quite lively and responsive in our hands. If you’re like us, you might make a game out of testing how thin you can make your cuts, because the way the Mac Professional gripped into a piece of produce and made smooth, even cuts, was unrivaled in our tests. Its handle is comfortable to hold for any sized hand, and it also accommodates the proper “pinch grip,” of choking up on the blade slightly with your thumb and forefinger to exert more control over your movements.

We also know from using it in the Epicurious test kitchen that it holds its edge for a long time and is easy to sharpen . Its “hollow edge” — or what’s called a Granton edge knife, refers to the oval-shaped dimples on the blade. Those indentations work terrifically at preventing foods from clinging to the knife while you work. The Mac Professional Hollow Edge Chef’s Knife is ready for everyday use and will last a long time.

The Mac Pro’s blade shape may take some getting used to if you’re accustomed to a more pronounced belly on your knife — it doesn’t do rocking back and forth-style cuts quite as smoothly. And while you should always wash and dry your knives when you’re done using them, a blade with more carbon in its composition, like this, may be more prone to rusting and discoloration if not dried properly.

Another great Japanese-style chef’s knife: Global Classic Chef’s Knife

Even though the Global knife is about one ounce heavier than the Mac, it feels lighter because of its design: The hollow handles of Global knives are filled with a precise amount of sand to ensure balance between blade and handle, which makes the tool feel almost too responsive in your hand. More than any other model we tested, this knife felt like an extension of our arm, and as such, we cut the thinnest, most delicate slices of sweet potato and onion with it.

For handling long-term wear and durability, the Global knife is also a good choice. It’s made of a proprietary steel blend that’s resistant to rust and staining, and the Epi staffers who use the knife at home report that it stays sharp for an extremely long time and is easy to sharpen when the need arises. For slightly less money than the Mac knife, we think it’s a solid pick that will serve you well for years to come.

This is a lightweight knife that feels very lightweight, and it may not be the best choice if you’re not confident with your knife skills, as its extreme sharpness is not something to take for granted. Some online customers have noted that because this knife is sharpened to a finer edge, it’s more difficult to hone correctly, making it a good candidate for having professionally sharpened every now and then, or for manually sharpening yourself if you’ve got sharpening stones. We didn’t necessarily find issues keeping it properly sharp, but it could be an issue for less experienced knife sharpeners out there if they aren’t using a sharpener with an angle guide of some sort.

The best budget chef’s knife: Victorinox Swiss Classic

Our previous top budget pick was the Victorinox Fibrox Pro, but though commercial kitchens can still get it, the knife has been discontinued for home cooks. But wouldn’t you know it, the knife Victorinox replaced it with still took home the honors for top affordable knife. Weighing an ounce less than Mac Professional, this is a lightweight, easy to maneuver, solidly constructed knife that’s also a great value. The quality of materials aren’t what you’d get in a more expensive knife, but it performed nearly as well right out of the box as our other top contenders — making a delicate confetti of tender herbs, gliding through joints as we took apart a whole chicken, and cleaving through hardy vegetables like sweet potatoes and carrots with ease. The blade shape is more of a Western-style or German-style design, (apt since it’s made in Switzerland) and the more rounded belly is excellent for making rocking motions, and effective for easy slicing and dicing.

Despite not being a full tang knife, which means the blade doesn’t continue all the way into the handle (almost none of the lower-price point knives are full tang), this is a very solid knife that stayed sharp through our tests, feels sturdy, and has a lifetime warranty against manufacturer defects to back it up.

This knife isn’t as much of a looker as the more expensive knives are, with a durable plastic handle and lower quality metals in the blade. And while it is durable and sturdy, we expect that it will start to show some wear and tear over time. And for those who aren’t accustomed to working with a larger blade size like this, it may feel unwieldy.

The best German-style chef’s knife: Wustof Classic 8-inch Chef’s Knife

A classic for a reason, this is one of those knives that defines the category. At 9.4 ounces it’s 50%(!) heavier than the Mac Professional, but for those looking for a Western or German-style chef’s knife, the heaviness is part of what they’re after. This knife feels sturdy in your hand, like a classic Cadillac of chef’s knives, and glides through whatever you’re cutting with stoic, steady force.

Having a higher steel-to-carbon ratio, the blade is more durable and holds its sharpness longer than its higher-carbon counterparts (though it may not get quite as sharp as a Japanese knife immediately after hitting the whetstone), and it’s also a bit more durable on the use and care front, as the steel isn’t as likely to rust or discolor over time. We love its deep, rounded belly, which makes any kind of rocking motion on the cutting board feel like you’re gliding through soft butter, and its heft is an asset for punching through tough vegetables and proteins. Comfortable and easy to pinch-grip , you really can’t go wrong with the Wusthof Classic if a heavier, Western-style knife is what you’re looking for.

Some may find the heft off putting – if you’re more accustomed to a lighter knife, this will take some getting used to. And because it’s a lower carbon blade, its sharpness isn’t quite as pronounced as the Japanese style knives we generally prefer.

How we tested chef’s knives

The first step in evaluating a knife is getting a feel for the tool: We looked for a well-balanced, ergonomic knife. We spent some time with each of the chef’s knives just holding them in our hands, observing the quality of the metal and sharpened edge, the feel of the handle, and the overall weight of the knife. We tested sharpness right out of the box with the paper test (slicing cleanly through a piece of paper held up in the air), and then put our knife skills to use chopping a bounty of vegetables, from raw sweet potatoes, kabocha squash, fresh ginger, and onions to soft tomatoes and citrus, tender herbs, and a whole chicken. We chose not to make ease of washing factor in our decision as almost all of the best knives require handwashing and are not dishwasher-safe. But we did evaluate knives on the following factors:

To some extent the ideal weight of a chef’s knife is a matter of personal preference. If you tend to use a rocking motion while cutting, a heavier knife with a curved blade will keep your hand stable in one place. If you prefer a slicing motion, a light, thin blade will be easier to maneuver back and forth.

Generally we liked thinner blades, which make slicing easier and smoother and also weigh less overall. In testing we found that we preferred the flatter belly characteristic of a Japanese or French knife to the pronounced curve of a German-style knife; the latter requires a bit more force. Thinner blades do have a downside, however: “Chips are going to happen to any knife after a while, especially to ones that are thinner and have less metal behind the edge when you’re slicing through tough vegetables like butternut squash,” test kitchen director Chris Morocco says. You can combat this by sharpening your knife regularly.

Naturally, we wanted a knife with a comfortable handle, which we interpreted as lightweight and smooth rather than heavy and long. When it comes to responsiveness, Morocco explains that you want a knife that feels “alive in your hand.” You can determine the responsiveness by tapping the blade against the cutting board or counter—a responsive knife will vibrate in your hand. When you chop something, you’ll feel like you have greater control over the cutting motion and more of a connection with the knife.

We sliced through raw sweet potatoes and kabocha squash to test each knife’s sharpness and smoothness. We didn’t want blades that would catch on the veggies—we wanted the clean, easy slicing that comes from the sharpest chef’s knives. We also tested the knives on onions and juliennes of ginger to examine their precision when slicing and dicing. Certain knives yielded thinner, more even, and more precise slices than others.

In addition to handling the heft and toughness of something like a sweet potato, we wanted a knife that could handle paper-thin slices of tomato and make a feathery pile of minced herbs — no squashed tomatoes or muddled parsley.

How nice is the steel? How are the transitions between blade and handle? Is the handle made of a high quality material? Is the blade smooth and even? Again, understanding the difference between a German-style knife and a Japanese one is important here: German-style knives tend to have a bolster that runs between the knife blade and the handle. This makes the knife heavier and better suited for rocking motions. We ultimately liked a smoother transition without the cuff as it resulted in a lighter knife that made for an easy and comfortable slicing motion. But again, this comes down to personal preference: A bolster does allow a user to choke up on the blade more easily. As for steel quality, we generally preferred high alloy stainless steel blades over high carbon-steel blades, which, while generally sharper, are prone to corrosion and chipping without proper care. The Mac knife was the only higher carbon steel of our current top picks. We felt that the ideal knife set for the average home cook would consist of cutlery that’s more forgiving and tolerant of mild neglect.

Julienned ginger from five of our best chef's knife contenders

Other chef’s knives we tested

Very sharp right out of the box, the Sekimagoroku made translucently thin slices of tomato and onion. But it struggled with hardier vegetables like sweet potatoes and squash, causing us to question its durability and overall strength. The handle also seems quite cheap and light, which is to be expected given the price point, but so much so that the knife feels off balance.

Kai Corporation Sekimagoroku Akane 8-Inch Chef’s Knife

We love that the Our Place chef’s knife comes with a blade protector, and if you’re a fan of a pronounced belly, the knife will likely feel nice and steady for rocking motions like mincing herbs and dicing onions. And the full-tang construction provides proper balance and support when dealing with hardy vegetables and proteins. We found the grip design to be a little strange though — it’s a “guided grip,” seemingly to encourage a pinch grip on the bolster, but perhaps it’s meant for particularly small hands.

Our Place Everyday Chef’s Knife

If you’re accustomed to a heavier, Western-style knife but want to dapple in a Japanese design, the Tojiro might be one to consider. Its rounded bolster is comfortable to grip, and it’s noteworthy for both its sharpness and sturdiness, making wispy shavings of tomato and onion while also feeling smooth and steady on the cutting board. Its relative narrowness even makes it seem longer than it actually is.

Tojiro Professional Chef's Knife

Steelport’s chef’s knife is a straight up showpiece with a gorgeous burl wood handle, distinctive shape, and a razor-sharp carbon steel edge. Steelport uses a proprietary heat treatment that they claim extends the sharpness of the carbon-steel cutting edge, and feels incredibly balanced and durable through the full-tang construction. The blade shape is also interesting, with a finger groove at the heel that provides protection during a pinch grip and lengthens the blade a bit. It requires a bit more work on the maintenance front, since it will rust if not cared for properly, and weighs in at over 2 ounces more than the Mac Professional. Ultimately, the thing that kept it from our top picks was its price point, which puts it out of reach for some people. But it’s a very special knife if you’re looking for one to invest in and care for.

Steelport 8-inch Chef’s Knife

This Shun is a lovely, relatively lightweight knife, with a deep, well curved belly and a strong, sharp cutting edge and beautiful blade that’s designed for smooth, slicing motions. We really enjoyed using this knife for how comfortable it is and the distinctive touches on the textured blade and soft wood handle. Side by side, we didn’t find it to be as razor-sharp for making paper thin cuts as either the Mac Pro or the Global Classic, but still believe it’d be a timeless addition to your collection.

Shun Cutlery Classic Blonde Chef's Knife

The Shun Kazahana Chef’s Knife has a similar shape to our top pick, the Mac Pro, and with its full tang and quality steel blend, it’s reliably sharp and durable. It performed well but we found the handle to be a bit uncomfortable to hold.

Shun Kazahana Chef’s Knife

The Made In chef’s knife was extremely sharp out of the box and sliced through a sweet potato more easily than some of our winners, but it dulled quickly with each subsequent use. It also couldn’t handle the more delicate jobs of slicing tomatoes and tender herbs nearly as well as our winning knives.

8 Inch Chef Knife

The Bulat chef’s knife sliced through the tough sweet potato with force, but it was too heavy and bulky to handle delicate knife jobs well—it resisted cutting through the skin of the onion and crushed the parsley a bit.

Bulat Chef Knife

The Brandless chef’s knife isn’t a great knife—it felt slippery in our hands and did a lackluster job with both sweet potatoes and tender herbs.

8-Inch Chef's Knife

The  Mercer Culinary Renaissance chef’s knife felt clunky and choppy, especially compared to the Mac and Victorinox, both of which glided as they chopped.

Mercer Culinary Renaissance Chef’s Knife

The  Miyabi Kaizen chef’s knife is a Japanese-style knife, and though the blade is super thin and allows for real precision, the handle has some bulk, which makes the knife feel steady. It is very sharp, made of high-quality materials, and compared to similar knives on the market, isn’t too expensive. But it wasn’t quite as responsive as the Mac knife.

Miyabi Kaizen Chef's Knife

The  J.A. Henckels Classic chef’s knife features a squared-off handle that we thought would be hard to hold, but was actually one of the most comfortable knives of the bunch. It was extremely sharp and sliced an onion with ease, but it required more force than we would have liked to cut through sturdy sweet potatoes.

Henckels Classic 8-Inch Chefs knife

The  Wüsthof Gourmet chef’s knife  was pleasantly light—lighter than what we’re accustomed to from Wüsthof. It was sharp and effective for delicate knife work, but had a bit of trouble handling the tough sweet potato.

Wüsthof Gourmet Chef’s Knife

The Misen Chef’s Knife is a great, comfortable knife with a low price for its quality. Like the Mac Professional, it has a bit of a hybrid shape with a moderately rounded belly and a higher-carbon blend, but we didn’t find that it held its sharpness as well as our top picks.

Misen Chef’s Knife

The  Material chef’s knife comes in a few neutral colors and is certainly a chic choice. It was heavy and a little unwieldy to use comfortably, but very sharp out of the box.

The 8-Inch Knife

The  Five Two chef’s knife from the in-house brand at Food52, weighs nearly nine ounces, making it the heaviest knife we tested. Also available in a few color options, the knife is good-looking, but it feels too heavy duty and is a bit burdensome to use, requiring too much force to complete the testing tasks.

Five Two Essential Kitchen Knives 8-Inch Chef's Knife

The  Zwilling Professional chef’s knife  was comfortable to hold and relatively lightweight. As a German knife made with carbon steel, it features a thicker blade, but it was still easy to maneuver. The downside was that, even when slicing an onion, this model required a bit more force than we felt comfortable using on the regular.

Zwilling Professional 8-inch Chef Knife

The  Messermeister Oliva Elite chef’s knife was very pretty, but the extra-long wooden handle makes the knife feel bigger and more unwieldy despite having the same size blade as all the rest.

Messermeister Oliva Elite Stealth 8-Inch Chef’s Knife

The  New West Knife Works chef’s knife has an exceptional blade with a light and comfortable handle. The cutting edge holds up well to wear and use, requiring less frequent honing than cheaper competitors. However, at this price point we think this knife is more appropriate for knife enthusiasts. The artistry and craftsmanship that goes into making the knife means its quite expensive—as such, we don’t think it’s practical for everyday home cooks.

New West Knife Works Chef’s Knife

New West KnifeWorks

The Zyliss Control chef’s knife is a true beginner’s chef’s knife with lots of design choices to support someone unfamiliar with an 8-inch knife: “safety touch points” at the top of the blade to help with the rocking motion, a divot for your thumb on the top of the handle, and easily gripped spots under the handle. But in the budget category, it wasn’t as easy to use or as sharp out of the box as the Victorinox. It’s also currently available only as part of a three knife set.

Does blade sharpness equal quality? Yes and no

Yes and no. Buying a new knife that’s razor sharp straight out of the box is a good indicator of manufacturer quality, but it isn’t necessarily the best way to judge the quality of a particular knife. If you buy a high-quality knife, don’t expect the cutting edge to last without care. All knives eventually need honing and sharpening, no matter how nice they are. What’s more, a blade is only as sharp as the knife sharpener can make it. In the hands of someone very skilled, even cheap blades from the supermarket can become exceptionally sharp.

For a 2022 review update to this piece, we took several previously tested knives at a range of price points to get professionally sharpened at the Korin showroom in New York City. Afterward, we tested them side by side to see whether we could still distinguish a difference in the cutting edge. Each knife, from that generic supermarket blade to the luxurious model from New West, was capable of cutting paper thin slices of a soft tomato without crushing it. In fact, it was difficult to notice any variation in sharpness at all.

Now, this doesn’t mean that you should just buy a cheap knife and try to become a master of the whetstone . The value in a chef’s knife comes from the quality of the steel and the overall construction. High-quality steels—like Damascus steel or other proprietary stainless-steel alloys like Blue Super—will keep a sharp edge longer, while also being easier to get back into top shape if they become dull. Cheaper, low-alloy steel on the other hand, is more difficult to sharpen and will dull faster. Even if you turn yourself into a pro-level knife sharpener, you’ll have to do it more often with a cheap knife.

The ultimate takeaway should be that when you spend a lot of money on a knife, you are paying for longevity and quality, not just sharpness.

A note on chef’s knife sizing

Chef’s knives range in size from five to 14 inches, and the ideal size for you depends on the length of your forearm. Generally, the best chef’s knife will measure the same as from your wrist to your elbow. The 8-inch chef’s knife is considered a standard size that comfortably fit most people, so we compared classic 8-inch chef’s knives across brands.

What’s the difference between a German chef’s knife and a Japanese chef’s knife?

German chef’s knives feature slightly curved blades that makes them ideal for cutting with a rocking technique, while Japanese chef’s knives feature a straight edge best for up-and-down slicing.

German chef’s knives and other Western chef’s knives also tend to have thicker blades than their Japanese counterparts, which makes them heavier overall. Thinner knives aren’t as adept at slicing through tough material or bone, but they are preferable for fine slicing.

What do you use a chef’s knife for?

A chef’s knife is the most versatile kitchen knife you’ll own, so if you are only going to invest one knife, it should be one of these. It’s the go-to tool for cutting meat, fish, herbs, produce, nuts…for just about anything that needs cutting in the kitchen, a chef’s knife is the answer.

The broad blade of a chef’s knife can also be used on its side to smash garlic or bruise lemongrass. The backside is useful too; use it to collect scraps on your cutting board—don’t use the sharp side of the knife for this as doing so will dull your blade.

Want more recommendations for the best kitchen knives and cutlery to complete your knife set? Check out our guides to the best bread knives , best paring knives , steak knives , and best santoku knives .

We’re home cooks just like you—and we bring a home cook’s perspective to all of our rigorous testing. But unlike you, we have an extra 10 hours a day to spend geeking out over kitchen tools because it is literally our job. We don’t only use our recommended products in controlled settings, we bring the best ones into our own kitchens to help us put dinner on the table on a Wednesday night for our families, or to throw a dinner party for 12. When we recommend a product, you should trust that we’ve used it—a lot—just like you will. Read more about our testing process and philosophy here .

Anna Stockwell

Emily Johnson

Wilder Davies

Emily Farris

Kendra Vaculin

Lisa Elbert

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories .

• Backchannel
• Newsletters
• WIRED Insider
• WIRED Consulting

Scott Gilbertson

The Best Chef’s Knives to Sharpen Your Home Cooking Skills

The kitchen is full of gadgets and innovative tech, but the cornerstone on which a great meal is built remains simple: You need a good knife.

But this seemingly uncomplicated device probably causes most of us more confusion and headache than a bevy of air fryers and Instant Pots. What makes the perfect knife for you will depend on many factors, including your comfort level with knives, the size of your hands, and what sort of food you like to cook.

For most of us, the basic 6- to 8-inch chef's knife is the place to start. It's the most versatile knife, capable of dicing veggies, slicing meat, smashing garlic, and chopping herbs and nuts. There's a bewildering range of chef's knives available, from dirt cheap to very expensive specialty blades. To help you make sense of it all, we tested dozens of knives until a simple truth emerged: The best knife to use is a sharp one. A poorly made $10 blade you sharpen every week is more useful than a $200 blade that's dull. Here are our picks.

Updated May 2023: We've changed our top pick to the Ninja 8-inch chef knife, added Case's excellent 8-inch Chef Knife, and updated prices and links throughout.

Special offer for Gear readers: Get a 1-year subscription to WIRED for $5 ($25 off) . This includes unlimited access to WIRED. com and our print magazine (if you'd like). Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.

If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more .

Photograph: Ninja

Ninja's 8-inch Chef’s Knife is an all-around great knife. The rounded handle is comfortable, and the knife is well-balanced, making it easy to handle. The stainless steel blade is tough and holds an edge well. I've been using this knife daily for two months and felt the need to sharpen it only twice. There are more-expensive knives in this guide that are better in some ways, but for most people this is the best combination of quality and price.

Take the money you save buying this and invest in a good sharpener. Ninja sells this knife with a sharpener for $90 (separately, the sharpener is $50, so you save a little), but I haven't tested it. If you're a beginner, I suggest the simplicity of a two-stage electric sharpener like the Presto EverSharp ( $45 at Amazon ). If you know how to sharpen with a stone, I like Shapton’s medium grit (1,000) ceramic stone ( $50 at Amazon ). If you've never used a stone, fear not; it's not that difficult. YouTube is full of videos to get you started, but I really enjoy Ryky Tran's Burrfection guides .

• Victorinox's Fibrox Pro for $55 : Our former top pick is still a great knife. It doesn't have the same high-quality construction as the Ninja (the Victorinox’s handle is plastic), but it does have a nearly nonstick finish—hardly anything sticks to this blade, not even fresh cilantro. If the Ninja doesn't strike your fancy, this is also a great knife.

Photograph: Amazon

Kiwi knives have something of a cult following. They're cheap, and the thinness of the blade reflects that, but this is the knife I turn to 90 percent of the time. I love the thin, light blade, and I find that, for reasons I cannot explain, the Kiwi will hold an edge just as well as knives that sell for well over $100. I sharpen this once a week at most, and it stays razor sharp. Its thin blade is why this is not our top pick. I don’t reach for the Kiwi when I need to cut up a chicken, but when I'm done testing all the fancy knives below, this is the one you'll find in my hand most of the time.

If you decided to go this route, I suggest you spend a few dollars more and grab a set, which has the chef’s knife and the half-cleaver ( $15 at Amazon ), which I love for chopping herbs. Again, take the money you save here and invest it in a good sharpener.

Photograph: Case Knives

Case is probably best known for its pocket knives, but the company also has a couple of chef's knives worth checking out. I've been using this 8-inch, walnut-handled, high-carbon-steel blade for several months. After the Kiwis above, this is the knife I reach for the most. It's one of the thickest, sturdiest knives I've ever used. When it's time to cut up a chicken, slice through sweet potatoes, or do anything else that requires a heavy blade, this is the knife you want.

It holds its edge well too. It hasn’t needed sharpening after several months of steady use. Case also makes a 7-inch Santoku ($60) , which I haven't tested (currently out of stock), that looks very nice if you prefer that style of blade. Case knives are made in the USA and come with a lifetime warranty.

Photograph: Chef Knives To Go

The Richmond Artifex II is a small update to the original Artifex, which I have used since my days as a line cook. It holds an edge very well for a knife at this price and makes a great first step into the world of Japanese knives.

It's a bit longer than many of the blades here, but unlike a lot of Japanese knives, it has a Western-style handle. A Western handle, or Wa handle, typically has two pieces with flat sides on either side of the metal, whereas a Japanese, or Ho handle, can be any shape but leans toward round (octagon is also common). The Artifex is the closest I've seen a stainless steel knife come to matching the advantages of a carbon steel blade.

Photograph: Opinel

French knife maker Opinel—best known for its folding knives—offers this mini chef’s knife set for kids who want to help slice and dice in the kitchen. It’s a real knife, with a real edge on it, but the size is good for child-size hands, and the red ring helps ensure they keep a good grip. It was a little small for my 10-year-olds, but my 7-year-old loves it. I think it's probably ideally suited for ages 4 through 8, but of course every child is different, so you'll have to use your own judgment.

I'm not convinced you need the finger guard. It does offer a good barrier to balance the blade against, and it teaches kids to form the "claw" grip you want to use with a knife, but it involves just two fingers, which might mean they'll need to relearn their grip when they graduate to a "real" knife. Still, the knife itself is well worth it if your younger child wants to help in the kitchen.

Global's G-2 8-inch chef's knife is popular with working chefs—it was the most common knife in the kitchen at every restaurant I've worked in. It's lightweight, it’s easy to handle, and holds an edge very well. In fact, it's very much like a carbon steel blade but without the hassles that come with maintaining carbon steel knives.

The other thing that makes this popular is the softness of the steel. It's not carbon steel—it's soft but much thinner and softer than most European-style knives and therefore easier to sharpen. One quirk worth knowing: The bevel from the factory is 15 degrees rather than the more standard 20-degree bevel. Keep that in mind when sharpening on a stone, as you'll want to hold it a bit differently to get that great edge back.

There are entire books, websites, and YouTube channels devoted to comparing all the varieties of Japanese knives. It can be overwhelming, and for the most part it has nothing to do with helping you cook a good meal. Still, if you want to spend some dough, there are worse ways than to invest in a good carbon-steel Japanese knife. Here are a few of our favorites.

Photograph: Korin

I owned a very similar Korin Gyoto knife for nearly 20 years (I recently gave it to a friend), and it remains one of the best knives I have ever used. Togiharu is Korin’s house brand, sourced from a knife maker in Japan. They're very well made and not terribly expensive. This model sharpens to a razor edge and holds that edge quite well. If you have small hands, or just like a smaller blade, the Korin Petty knives (about 5- to 6-inch blades) are also very nice.

Similar to Western-style knives, Gyotos are double edges—that is, sharpened on both sides, rather than the single-edged blades of most traditional Japanese knives. Many Gyotos do not have the 50:50 V-shape of Western knives, and to get them as sharp as possible you'll want to maintain the ratio (often 70:30) to achieve maximum sharpness.

Tojiro's DP Gyutou is a solid performer at a great price. It holds an edge nearly as well as blades twice its price, and it has a wonderful, solid feeling in your hand. The blade is capable of precise and very thin slicing that I would normally use a carbon steel blade to achieve. The only thing to watch out for with this one is the handle height, which is a little on the low side. I rapped my knuckles against my cutting board more than once using it. If you have large hands, you're better off with something else.

Photograph: Garrett Wade 

While the chef’s knife is the foundation of the kitchen, there are other essential slicers. The mandoline is another tool I highly recommend, especially if you find larger knives intimidating. When I'm slicing vegetables—cabbage for a slaw, cucumbers for dipping, tomatoes for a sandwich—I reach for a mandoline. It's fast, precise, and, dare I say, easier.

That said, a mandoline alone is too single-use for me. I prefer this combination of slicers from Garrett Wade. It has a mandoline as well as three graters, and it takes up hardly any space in your drawer. Between the two I can slice, grate, and shred to get just about any size I need. The rubber base keeps them from sliding on the counter, and the stainless steel construction makes for a solid, long-lasting tool. They don't have any kind of guards or protection, so I suggest picking up some cut-resistant gloves as well. I like these Dex Fit gloves ($13) . They'll protect your fingers and knuckles from cuts, and they have a nitrile coating on the palms, which makes it easier to grip wet veggies.

★ Alternative pick: This Mueller mandoline ($30) is similarly multifunctional, though it's made of plastic.

In a word: no. Unless you score a serious deal, knife sets are usually not a good investment. You don't need a lot of knives; you need a few good knives. Really, you only need one good one: an 8-inch chef's knife. Some people like to have a paring knife as well, and I do have one, but all it ever does is open bags of chips. The chef’s knife is really all you need to prepare just about any meal. Knife sets often cost twice as much as buying just one good chef’s knife. The large wooden storage blocks also take up useful counter space. Skip the set and invest in a sharpener instead.

A dull knife is dangerous. You will make up for the lack of a sharp edge by applying more pressure as you're cutting. That means that when your knife slips, you cut yourself more deeply. During my time as a professional cook I got to spend a couple of nights in the ER reflecting on this, and I have become somewhat religious about sharpening my knives.

In an ideal world, there would be one sharpener to rule them all, and I would just link to it here. Unfortunately, that's not how it works. Different blade materials and shapes require different sharpening techniques. In particular, many modern stainless steel blades are too hard to effectively be sharpened by traditional water stones. (Water stones are great for carbon steel, though; as I said before, get these Shapton stones .)

For most people, I recommend an electric sharpener. As noted above, the Presto EverSharp is an excellent choice for most knives in this guide, except the Japanese knives. The softer steel and offset bevel of most of our recommended Japanese knives mean you'll want to sharpen them with a stone. Also beware that the EverSharp fluctuates in price from $45 to $35 every couple of months. Try to buy the dip.

For more sharpening options and some tips for how to put the best edge on your new knives, check out this guide from Epicurious on how to sharpen a knife the right way .

Brenda Stolyar

Adrienne So

You Might Also Like …

In your inbox: Will Knight's Fast Forward explores advances in AI

He emptied a crypto exchange onto a thumb drive —then disappeared

The real-time deepfake romance scams have arrived

Boomergasms are booming

Heading outdoors? Here are the best sleeping bags for every adventure

Eric Ravenscraft

Matt Jancer

Louryn Strampe

WIRED COUPONS

Extra 20% off sitewide - Dyson Promo Code

GoPro Promo Code: 15% off Cameras & Accessories

Get Up To Extra 45% Off - May Secret Sale

5% Off Everything with Dell Coupon Code

Spend $150+ & get $20 off using this VistaPrint Coupon Code

50% off Select Products - Newegg Promo Code

We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more .

• What to Buy

The 8 Best Chef’s Knives of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

From summer salads to beef stew, these tools are culinary main characters

The Spruce Eats / Dera Burreson

A chef’s knife is one of the most essential items for any kitchen. It’s the workhorse of cutting tools—used for slicing or chopping vegetables, crushing cloves of garlic, dicing onions, mincing, and even slicing meat. The best chef's knives will have a well-balanced anatomy , so they’re not tiring to use during long cooking sessions, and have handles that are easy to grip. Modern metal knives can easily be sharpened at home or by a professional. Ceramic ones can be super-sharp, but they require special sharpening tools or a return to the manufacturer for sharpening. Since the chef's knife is bound to become your kitchen's most-used tool, it's important to consider individual features like budget, style, and material.

To help you choose the best chef's knives to suit your personal needs, we tested out 21 of the most popular and highly-rated brands. Our rigorous testing process included slicing sheets of paper to assess the initial sharpness, making thin slices of tomatoes to test precision, evaluating balance by dicing onions and garlic, and chopping through hardier vegetables like butternut squash to test the blade's strength. Lastly, we used the results to rate each knife based on its design, size, performance, ease of cleaning, and overall value.

How We Tested

Other options we tested.

• What to Look For

Why Trust The Spruce Eats?

Best overall, mac knife 8-inch hollow edge chef's knife.

• Design 4 /5
• Performance 5 /5
• Ease of Cleaning 5 /5

Extreme sharpness that lasts

Lightweight

High-quality, durable craftsmanship

No sheath included

Mac Knives have a long-standing reputation for quality Japanese craftsmanship, so it's no surprise the Professional Series 8-Inch Hollow Edge Knife was the top overall choice in our testing. The hollow edge is the standout feature of this knife. It's balanced, easy to use, and cuts well, thanks to its lightweight design (6.75 ounces) and thin 2.5-millimeter blade and bolster . Plus, its Pakkawood handle offers a comfortable grip.

We tried the knife on a number of items, including garlic, onion, tomato, and a piece of paper. There was no tearing on the tomato, and the knife was able to slice very thinly with ease. It also smashed garlic easily and minced well. The knife's sharp hollow edge helped it glide through an onion, and it only experienced a slight drag when cutting butternut squash. It even sliced through paper twice with only minimal tearing on the second run.

Though the knife doesn't come with a sheath, which we would have preferred, it was easy to hand wash with no remaining residue or streaks after cleaning. In terms of long-term performance, customers say that it holds its edge well (and recommend Mac Knife sharpeners for when you do need to resharpen the blade). This knife is not dishwasher-safe, but follow the care instructions carefully and it should last you years. While it may not be the cheapest, its versatility and durability make it worth the cost.

The Spruce Eats / Russell Kilgore

Blade Length: 8.25 inches | Material: Alloy steel | Handle Length: 4.25 inches | Handle Material: Pakkawood | Weight: 6.75 ounces

Best Budget

Victorinox swiss classic 8-inch chef's knife.

• Design 5 /5
• Ease of Use 5 /5
• Durability 5 /5

Super sharp

Nonslip handle

Easy to use

Rough handle surface grabs debris

Blade is stamped rather than forged

If the Victorinox name seems familiar, that's probably because it's the manufacturer of the very popular Swiss Army knives. Like those knives, this one is made in Switzerland. The 8-inch blade on this knife is made from high-carbon stainless steel that will maintain its super-sharp edge. The blade is straight with a gently curved tip that encourages a rocking motion, so it’s also great for slicing meats. Though the knife's appearance is very utilitarian, a winning combination of price and efficiency helps make it a great value pick.

We love how this knife came seriously sharp right out of the box and maintained its edge well during our testing. Garlic cloves were easily smashed and neatly minced. The Victorinox also cut through and cubed a heavy butternut squash without any issues. Although it didn't feel as nimble as more expensive knives, we were able to cut through an onion skin comfortably. While slicing a tomato, the first slice was fine with no tearing, though further clean slices were tougher to get.

Like most brands, Victorinox makes knives at several price levels. We tested its low-cost Fibrox bread knife (pictured below) and it performed well. As of August 2023, however, Victorinox has discontinued the Fibrox line. It will continue to be available for commercial kitchens, but the Fibrox knives have been discontinued by Victorinox for consumer retail. These knives are still available for purchase on Amazon, but Victorinox doesn't recommend purchasing the knife from any online retailers who may still have the product available—as they are not authorized retailers. Their team recommends the Swiss Classic collection as an alternative, as it offers the same blade, steel, and edge as Fibrox. We will update our reviews with results when we have fully tested this line.

Blade Length: 7.9 inches | Material: Stainless steel | Handle Length: 5.6 inches | Handle Material: Thermoplastic elastomers | Weight: 5.6 ounces

Best Japanese

Shun classic chef’s 8-inch.

Beautifully designed

Proprietary core is extremely durable

Not the best for lefties

The popular Japanese knife brand Shun calls its classic chef's knife the "one knife you simply can't be without"—and it's easy to see why. This fully forged knife is beautifully designed with an ebony Pakkawood handle, a full tang for balance, and 34 layers of Damascus steel enveloping each side of the blade. In terms of quality and durability, all Shun knives are made with a proprietary VG-MAX cutting core that lends extra strength and corrosion resistance.

Furthermore, the ergonomic D-shaped handle provides a comfortable hold, although left-handed chefs may not like it as much as right-handed folks. It's meant to be "rocked" (the curved belly is better suited for this motion than straight chopping).

We loved the Damascus steel and found the knife to be a comfortable weight to hold, but noticed that it may be a tad short for someone with really big hands. The knife was perfectly balanced and the blade was super sharp. The paper slice test yielded super smooth cuts both times it was performed, and on tomatoes, the Shun sliced beautifully with minimal effort and had no dragging or skin tearing. On garlic, the knife rocked nicely to crush cloves with ease and had great balance and precision when it came to mincing.

Dicing an onion was quite smooth, and even hefty butternut squash was cut with little effort (though some of the squash stuck to the blade a bit). We also noted that the knife cleans nicely, and the Damascus steel hides water spots.

Blade Length: 8 inches | Material: 69 layers of Damascus steel | Handle Length: 4.75 inches | Handle Material: Pakkawood | Weight: 6.75 ounces

Best Ceramic

Kyocera ceramic revolution series chef's knife.

• Performance 4 /5
• Ease of Cleaning 4.5 /5

Extremely lightweight

Can be sent to manufacturer for resharpening

Resistant to acids, salts, and oils

Ceramic knives are becoming increasingly popular: They're a lightweight option that's great for people who fatigue easily. While ceramic blades can shatter or break when dropped, they’re completely resistant to acids, salts, or oils, and they’ll never rust or corrode. The blade on this knife looks professional and is precision-ground by the manufacturer for a super-hard and extremely sharp edge. To keep that edge, the knife can be sent back to the manufacturer for resharpening. For home maintenance, the Kyocera electric knife sharpener for ceramic blades is recommended.

During testing, this knife was perfectly sharp without being flimsy, despite its light weight. And unlike steel blades that seem to have some give, this one felt inflexible in comparison. It cut butternut squash cleanly and cut completely through our paper tests directly out of the box.

There was no tearing while cutting tomatoes and we were able to able to slice them very thin. While we don't recommend this knife for smashing garlic because of the ceramic material, it did mince garlic cloves nicely. Cutting an onion required slight pressure to cut through and there was some drag when cutting the skin of a butternut squash—though it made up for that by chopping through the flesh with ease. Cleaning the knife was easy, but there were some streaks and some darker spots that couldn't be removed.

Blade Length: 8 inches | Material: Ceramic | Handle Length: 5 inches | Handle Material: Plastic | Weight: 3.6 ounces

Best Mid-Range

Material 8-inch knife.

Comes in three attractive colors

High-quality, corrosion-resistant stainless steel

Comfortable grip

Handle may be awkward for those with smaller hands

Aesthetes will appreciate that Material Kitchen's chef's knife has a handle that comes in three colors, but it's more than just a pretty face: The blade is 8 inches of layered high-carbon and corrosion-resistant stainless Japanese steel. The tang extends into the handle for balance, and the handle is made with a comfortable grip. Designed to be low-maintenance, this chef's knife is affordable and high-quality.

We found this knife to be very good at most cutting tasks, leaving a pretty edge. However, the handle may be somewhat awkward to hold for those with smaller hands. It's a bit longer and straighter than similar knives, which had the end of the handle bumping into our forearm.

On the initial sharpness test, this knife cleanly cut the paper both times. Tomatoes were also sliced very thin with ease, and the tomato was cored with the tip of the knife as easily as if it were a paring knife. Mincing garlic required work to reach a consistent size, but cutting an onion was very easy and accurate. Butternut squash was cut easily and smoothly, as well. When cleaning the knife, there were spots, streaks, and scratches left behind. Still, overall, the knife performed well, had good balance, and is a good value.

The Spruce Eats / Dora Burreson

The Spruce Eats / Will Dickey

Blade Length: 8 inches | Material: High-carbon Japanese stainless steel | Handle Length: 5 inches | Handle Material: Composite | Weight: 7.6 ounces

Best for Beginners

Misen 8-inch chef’s knife.

• Design 4.5 /5
• Ease of Cleaning 4 /5

Great value

Stays sharp

Makes super precise cuts

High-carbon steel blade for added strength

Well-balanced

Prone to water spots

Any chef will tell you that a sharp knife is a safer one. That's because dull knives require more pressure and force to cut, which can cause the knife to slip and cause an injury. A knife that starts out sharp and stays sharp for longer also requires less maintenance and promotes proper grip and cutting techniques, definitely an added plus for those who are just getting started in the kitchen. This 8-inch chef's knife from Misen is a great budget-conscious choice with high-quality construction and materials (like pro-grade Japanese stainless steel with 2.5 times more carbon than similar blades) that rival much more expensive knives. It also comes in four different handle colors to help match your aesthetic.

We tested this knife long-term and were super impressed with the continued sharpness of the blade and the shape of the bolster. Even after 18 months of heavy use with regular honing, it was still just as sharp as when it first came out of the box. The knife finds a sweet spot between flexible and firm, so it's strong enough to tackle tough jobs like chopping pumpkin, yet precise enough to handle more delicate tasks like thinly slicing onions and even cutting chocolate pie. Although we did notice some water spots forming around the blade, that's an easy fix as long as the knife is dried immediately after handwashing.

The Spruce Eats / Julie Laing

Blade Length: 8 inches | Material: AICHI AUS-10 stainless steel | Handle Length: 5.5 inches | Handle Material: Composite | Weight: 8 ounces

Best All-Metal

Global classic 8-inch chef's knife.

• Design 3 /5
• Value 4.5 /5

Lifetime warranty

Easy to clean

Unique, sleek design

Can be uncomfortable for larger hands

Unlike knives that have an attached handle, this entire knife is made from stainless steel, with no joints, rivets, or corners where food could accumulate. To provide a better grip, the handle has dimples that create a textured surface. The knife is designed to be lightweight (despite being made entirely from metal), so it’s easy to wield. Made from molybdenum/vanadium stainless steel, the blade is razor-sharp and will retain its edge, and it comes with a lifetime warranty against breakage.

The most unique feature of this knife is its design: one solid piece of metal with a dimpled handle. Initially, we thought the handle would be less ergonomic and uncomfortable to use, but actually found the no-frills design appealing, balanced, and lightweight after testing. It performed beautifully on the paper slice test, leaving clean cuts both times. Tomatoes were easy to cut, even into thin slices.

The knife was easy to maneuver to crush garlic cloves and then mince them. Cutting onions was smooth and easy, too. While cutting the butternut squash, we were able to make smooth cuts, though thought a slightly heavier knife would have required less effort. This knife cleaned easily with very few spots.

Blade Length: 7.5 inches | Material: Cromova 18 stainless steel | Handle Length: 5 inches | Handle Material: Metal with divots | Weight: 5.9 ounces

Cutco Knives Petite Chef Knife

Courtesy of Amazon

• Size 4.5 /5

Unique handle design

Warranty includes sharpening and buffing

Cutco knives have a bit of a cult following, perhaps because there was a time when they were only sold through their sales force. Now, they’re easy to buy since they’re available online. The Petite Chef Knife arrives very sharp and has a unique handle design that’s comfortable to hold. The blade is slightly shorter than most chef’s knives, but it was still able to handle all the kitchen tasks during our testing period, from slicing tomatoes to dicing celery. The blade is also rounded towards the tip and flat towards the handle, so it’s just as good for rocking cuts as it is for slicing and mincing, making it a true all-purpose knife.

Although the handle's curves may seem a little unusual at first, the design actually helps to comfortably place your hand into the perfect cutting position. The blade slid through tomatoes, salad greens, and meats smoothly and easily. While the knife is expensive to purchase, the lifetime warranty means you’ll never need to pay for a replacement—and the warranty also covers sharpening and buffing to keep it in good condition.

The Spruce Eats / Donna Currie 

The Spruce Eats / Donna Currie

Blade Length: 7-5/8 inches | Material: 440A high-carbon stainless steel | Handle Length: 5.5 inches | Handle Material: Thermo-resin | Weight: 6.1 ounces

Our top pick was the Mac Knife Professional 8-inch Hollow Edge Chef Knife because it cut smoothly and easily through all the items we tested. Beginners should consider the Misen 8-Inch Chef’s Knife , which offers great value and produces precise cuts thanks to its high-quality blade.

We tested 21 chef’s knives side by side in our Lab and in our own home kitchens. After unboxing the knife, we measured the length of the handle and the blade, then tested for sharpness by slicing two sheets of paper and noting whether the paper sliced cleanly. Lab testers noted the weight and balance of each knife in their hand before cutting several common food items to test how smoothly and comfortably the knives could be handled.

For the tomato test, our staff noted whether the knife was sharp enough to make a clean slice or if the skin tore; in terms of precision, they noted whether the slices were equal in size, and how much effort was required. Testers then evaluated balance and comfort by mincing garlic and dicing an onion, paying special attention to any rocking and ease of maneuvering. Next, testers cubed a butternut squash, noting if any nimbleness or precision was lost when breaking down those tougher foods.

Testers also the comfort of the knife grip and the weight of the handle, noting any fatigue or discomfort during use. When it came to cleaning the knives, testers followed manufacturer instructions, noting how easy it was to wash without damaging the blade. Finally, each knife was rated on design, size, performance, ease of cleaning, and overall value.

• Wusthof Classic IKON 8-inch Knife : This is a great knife performance-wise, but it is not weighted evenly. It's quite heavy and unbalanced—there are better knives out there for less money. We feel that this knife is priced too high for what it has to offer. It performed the paper slice test well, and we were able to get nice, thin tomato slices with no resistance. The weight of the handle while cutting garlic was noticeable but it cuts nicely. There were no issues when maneuvering with an onion or butternut squash.
• Mercer Culinary Renaissance 8-Inch Forged Chef's Knife : We tested three different Mercer Chef’s knives ( Mercer Culinary M21078 Genesis 8-Inch Short Bolster Chef's Knife and Mercer Culinary Millennia 8-Inch Chef's Knife were the other two), and this was our favorite of the three. But it ultimately still fell short. The handle could be improved, and the tip could be sharper. We had to force our way through the vegetables, noting that there was some slippage and the cuts weren't smooth every time. The knife also completely failed the paper tests (the paper just crumpled), although it did mince garlic well.
• ​​J.A. Henckels International Classic 8-inch Chef's Knife : The Henckels Pro Classic Chef Knife is good for large hands, but it does not cut as well as other comparable knives. It has a very long handle, for starters. It did slice tomatoes well with no tearing, and it minced garlic easily. We needed a moderate amount of pressure to dice the onion, but the butternut squash was fairly difficult to cut and needed a good amount of pressure. Overall, it wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer.

What to Look for in a Chef's Knife

Chef's knives commonly range from 6 to 10 inches and there are different shapes and thicknesses for the blades. Longer blades are good for single strokes, and blades with a more curved tip are better for cutting food with a "rocking" motion. Some chefs prefer smaller blades, whether that's because their hands are smaller and they're easier to use, or they have a smaller kitchen or cutting board and chopping space is at a premium.

Maintenance

Consider how often you'll be using your knife and how often it needs to be sharpened—some hold an edge much longer than others. Also, consider how likely it is to rust or get water stains. While most manufacturers recommend hand washing knives, some can be put in the dishwasher.

When you pick up a chef's knife, pay attention to how the weight is distributed throughout the knife. An overly-heavy handle can lead to wrist fatigue and loss of control while using the knife, especially when it comes to more tedious tasks like chopping herbs or mincing garlic.

What is a chef's knife used for?

A chef’s knife is a kitchen's all-around knife. It can handle slicing, dicing, and chopping fruits and vegetables, and it can also be used for prepping meats. In a pinch, it can also be used as a slicer, or for carving roasts. While other knives come in handy as the knife collection grows, a chef’s knife will always be one the cook reaches for.

How do you sharpen a chef's knife?

There are a number of tools that can be used to sharpen knives, from electric sharpeners to pull-through manual sharpeners to whetstones. Electric sharpeners are the easiest to use, with guides that make it nearly impossible to grind the knife at the wrong angle. The downside of an electric sharpener is that it can sharpen too aggressively. The manual method using a whetstone is much more gentle on knives, making it preferred for more expensive knives. The downside is that there’s a bit of a learning curve. No matter what method is used for sharpening, it’s wise to have a honing steel to touch up the knife as it’s used and keep it in good shape between sharpening.

How do you hold a chef's knife?

There are plenty of names for the proper hold on a chef’s knife . Some describe it as a handshake while others talk about a pinch grip. Generally, the thumb and forefinger are doing all the work, while the other three fingers grasp the handle more gently. With the proper grip, cutting will feel easy and comfortable, and the knife will always be under complete control.

Do you need a chef's knife and a santoku?

A chef’s knife and a santoku knife perform the same—or very similar—tasks in the kitchen. Both are good for cutting, dicing, slicing, and chopping, so it’s not necessary to own both. However, while chef’s knives are generally about 8 inches long, there are 5-inch santoku knives that may be more comfortable for cooks with smaller hands, or for taking over the tasks of a utility knife. An extra knife in the kitchen can be handy when there are helpers around, too.

Donna Currie is a cookbook author, food writer, and product tester for The Spruce Eats, and she personally tested three of the knives on this list. While she's somewhat partial to Wusthof knives, her knife block is a hodgepodge of brands from crazy expensive ones like Shun to some that are dirt cheap. She recommends going with one that feels comfortable in your hand—it's all about personal preference.

Rebecca Treon is a food and travel freelance writer, experienced home cook, and mother of two. She's always striving to help readers experience places or learn something new. Rebecca's work has been featured in BBC Travel, Huffington Post, Hemispheres, and Thrillist. 

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Manage Your Subscription
• Give a Gift Subscription
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes

We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more .

• What to Buy

We Tested the Best Chef's Knife for Every Type of Task

Slippery tomatoes and hard butternut squash were no match for our top knife picks.

Laura Denby is a food writer and chef with six years of professional culinary experience. Find her work in Real Simple, Food Network, Better Homes & Gardens and more.

In This Article

• Our Top Picks
• Our Favorite Chef's Knife

Factors to Consider

• Our Chef's Knife Tests
• Other Chef's Knives We Tested

Our Expertise

Food & Wine / Nick Simpson

Whether you're an advanced home cook or a novice, having a sharp, durable, and sturdy chef's knife is essential when preparing a meal. It's one of the only kitchen tools you use almost every time you prepare food, so selecting high-quality kitchen knives can have major benefits for both safety and efficiency. In search of the best chef's knife, we tested dozens of leading models by chopping, slicing, and dicing ingredients.

Chef's knives aren't one-size-fits-all — there is no such thing as a truly universal chef's knife. Finding the knife that works best for you depends on the size of your hands, your cooking style, and what feels most natural while you chop and slice. However, a solid chef's knife should always be sharp , balanced, and comfortable to hold, no matter the size. Before shopping for one, it's important to assess what you'll use it for most, how often you cook, and how you plan to clean and care for it. We've found our favorite professional-quality kitchen knives to use, thanks to years of testing in our test kitchens and at home.

Best Chef's Knife Overall

Mac knife 8-inch hollow edge chef's knife.

A super-sharp blade and slip-free handle make this a standout choice for best overall knife.

This knife does not come with a sheath, so make sure to store it properly in order to safely preserve the super-sharp edge.

We've been thoroughly impressed by how easily the Mac knife performs in our tests year after year. It's lightweight and sharp, which any serious home cook knows are the two most important factors in finding a reliable chef's knife.

This Japanese-style knife features a thin blade and dimples that help prevent food from sticking. Throughout our testing, we found this knife surprisingly sharp, lightweight, and durable. We could slice through dense vegetables as easily as soft vegetables, and the blade had no trouble gliding through a sheet of paper or slippery tomato skin. The Pakkawood handle was easy to grip and felt sturdy in our hands, no matter the material we were working with. The Mac's super-sharp blade is expertly balanced with the handle, so pressure and strain on our hands and wrists was barely noticeable. Whether you need a workhorse chef's knife or a great gift that an aspiring cook will use for years, this kitchen knife combines a dimpled blade and full tang construction, built for steady rocking across your cutting boards.

Weight: 6.75 ounces | Blade material: Alloy steel

Food & Wine / Russell Kilgore

Food & Wine / Dera Burreson

Best Japanese Chef's Knife

Miyabi koh chef's knife.

It's one of the sharpest and lightest knives we've tested with excellent performance.

It requires care and shouldn't be placed in the dishwasher.

If you prefer a blade without dimples but still love a Japanese-style knife, this Miyabi chef's knife is also an exceptional pick. It has a gradual curve that we love for rocking and chopping. The handle shape and bolster give a great grip for tricky or stubborn ingredients, and the weight is balanced at the handle for the perfect amount of control. At just 6 ounces, it's one of the lightest knives we've tested. It handled the paper test, tomato, onion, and squash tests with ease (even cutting softer green onions without tearing). Whether you're a cooking professional or an amateur home cook, this tool can handle heavy prepping and everyday kitchen tasks.

Weight: 6.08 ounces | Blade material: FC61 fine carbide stainless steel

Food & Wine / Nick Simpson

Best Budget Chef's Knife

Paudin pro chef’s knife.

This very affordable knife holds up to our tests and surprised us with its performance during testing.

The handle could degrade over time given the separation between the bolster and the wood/resin grip.

This lightweight and budget-friendly chef's knife is a good fit for most hand sizes. We were pleasantly surprised with its performance during our tests—it's well-balanced, comfortable to grip, and cut easily through our vegetables, including the sweet potato, with little resistance. Since it is a cheaper blade, users should note that the sharpness might not last as long as higher-quality edges, but with decent care and regular sharpening it should hold up well for most home cooks.

Weight: 6.88 ounces | Blade material: High Carbon Stainless Steel

Best High-End Chef's Knife

Shun classic chef’s 8-inch.

This Japanese knife has a Western-style curve, which means you get the benefits of both blade styles in one knife.

This is a pricier knife that should be hand washed and diligently taken care of.

As far as Japanese chef's knives go, Shun is an industry favorite that consistently offers sharp, lightweight knives that are durable and sturdy. The Classic Blonde does not disappoint, as it comes equipped with a birch wood handle treated with resin for extra durability and designed for comfort in both left and right hands. The knife is handcrafted with 34 layers of forged stainless steel on each side, forging a flexible blade that is rust-proof, stain-proof, and stick-resistant. As a high-end option, we love how easily it achieves paper-thin slices, and the slightly curved blade allows for moderate rocking.

After using this knife for many years, our editors can attest to its quality, so long as you care for it properly. Make sure to hand wash and fully dry in between each use, and store it in a way that will safely preserve the razor-sharp edge.

Weight: 6.75 ounces | Blade material: Damascus steel

Best Workhorse Chef's Knife

Wüsthof 8-inch classic chef's knife.

This is a sturdy knife with a weight, grip, and stability to make cutting into tough ingredients easier and safer.

Though it's durable, this knife is definitely on the heavy side which means it can be cumbersome when tackling repetitive tasks over long periods of time.

This Western-style knife is one of the most durable, heavy-duty chef's knives we've tested. Wüsthof is a German kitchen brand known for making high-quality knives that are admittedly heavier than others, but that makes them ideal for tough tasks like breaking down whole chickens or cutting up dense root vegetables . It has a half bolster that helps protect your finger from touching the blade's edge. The blade had no trouble gliding through the paper in our out-of-the-box sharpness test and expertly achieved thin, consistent cuts in our vegetable tests. The handle is sturdy and slip-free, which makes applying extra pressure easy and safe.

Our editors, who have used this knife over the course of many years, have noted that the heavy handle can feel bulky and cumbersome when doing repetitive tasks like prepping large quantities of vegetables. So users should keep that in mind depending on their regular kitchen tasks.

Weight: 9 ounces | Blade material: High-carbon stain-free steel

Food and Wine/ Dera Burreson

Best Chef's Knife for Gifting

New west knifeworks 7-inch teton edge santoku.

New West Knifeworks

This knife is agile and easy to grip for kitchen tasks for any cook, and makes an excellent gift.

It's a hefty investment and the mountain etchings are less traditional that the typical santoku grooves.

New West KnifeWorks has been making premium knives for 25 years, and this santoku reflects the brand’s signature style of craftsmanship, which prizes aesthetics as highly as performance. While the blades of traditional santokus are dimpled, the edge of this knife features an etching of the Teton Mountain Range. That’s a nod to Jackson Hole (New West’s place of origin) and a functional detail: like with the dimples; the etching prevents food from sticking to the blade as the knife slices through. The generous width of this knife makes for easy gripping, and its moderate length translates to an extremely agile experience while chopping, no matter a cook’s experience or comfort level. It’s well worth the high price for serious cooks leveling up their knife repertoire.

Weight: 6.2 ounces | Blade material: S35VN "Powder Metal" high carbon, high alloyed steel

Best New Chef's Knife

Hedley & bennett chef’s knife.

Hedley & Bennett

The handle has a great feel to it and the blade performed well on paper and tomatoes.

The knife didn't tackle the sweet potato as easily, so frequent home cooks might prefer a different blade.

We already know that we trust Hedley & Bennett when it comes to kitchen aprons . Though we'll be testing this knife further, we were impressed with the balance, grip, and performance of the Hedley & Bennett chef's knife. It was easy to create a rocking motion for chopping, thanks to the shape of the blade, and it sliced through paper and tomato with no problems at all. We noticed sweet potato took a little more force, so this knife might be better suited for precision tasks versus workhorse prep. We'll determine after more testing if this knife remains among our top picks.

Weight: 6.5 ounces | Blade material: Three Layer Japanese Steel – AUS10 core and SUS1A-1 outer layers

Our Favorite Chef's Knife

The Mac Professional Mighty Hollow Edge Knife lets anyone prep food as quickly and efficiently as a professional line cook in your very own home. We love how sharp the blade is and how consistently it can cut through any ingredient that comes your way. This is a fantastic choice if you want to invest in a high-quality chef's knife that can handle meat, vegetables, and fish.

Blade and Handle Style

When shopping for a chef's knife, there are traditionally two styles. Heavy-duty, German-style models are usually made with a curved belly that allows for a rocking, chopping motion in which the tip of the knife doesn't leave the cutting board. German knives typically have a heartier blade that lends itself to tough tasks like breaking down a whole chicken or slicing through dense squash. As a result, the knives are typically heavier and more durable.

Alternatively, Japanese knives are lightweight with a sharp, straight blade, which makes repetitive motions like rocking and chopping difficult. However, this blade style is ideal for making precise slices and cuts on several different types of foods. Some Japanese knives—like a Santoku knife—also feature dimples on the blade, which aim to prevent food from sticking.

In addition to the shape of the cutting edge, it's important to consider whether or not the blade has a bolster. Bolsters sit between the blade and the handle and act as a guard that protects your fingers from touching the sharp edge. They're common in German-style models and are particularly helpful for cooks who like to choke up on the knife handle. Though bolsters provide protection, they add weight and sometimes cause the knife to feel heavy or unbalanced.

Types of Steel

The type of metal your knife is made from can have major implications on blade sharpness and how easy it is to clean. The much-simplified big picture is that if you need an all-purpose 8-inch chef's knife—one that's in a reasonable price range and carried by most retailers—you have a choice between heavy-duty, German-style models that are usually made with slightly softer steel alloys (like high-carbon stainless steel), or lighter Japanese-style models, that are usually made with harder steel alloys (like Damascus steel). Neither is necessarily better than the other. They are just different, especially in terms of the way they feel and move in your hand.

Harder steel holds a sharper edge for a longer period of time but can be more difficult to sharpen once it gets dull. A very hard, sharp edge can also be more delicate and brittle than a softer one, making cutting up a heavy squash a little risky to the blade. A softer steel alloy, like those used in the German tradition, might be less sharp to begin with and get dull a little faster. However, it can be easier to re-sharpen, and therefore better for heavy-duty jobs—like splitting bone-in chicken breasts —without worrying that you'll damage the blade. Harder steel is generally sharper and more delicate, while softer steel is tougher. If you're shopping for a knife, ask where it falls on the Rockwell Hardness Scale. Low to mid-50s is on the softer end, mid-50s to low 60s is harder.

One of the most important aspects of a chef's knife is the balance between blade and handle. A knife with a heavy handle can strain your wrist, making long-term use painful and inefficient. Repetitive motions like chopping and slicing can be tiresome, so having a knife that is easy to control and maneuver is essential. The handle should not feel significantly heavier than the blade, and the knife should feel balanced from heel to tip. If you plan to use your knife frequently for prep work like slicing vegetables, chopping herbs, or mincing garlic, balance is a key factor to consider.

Our Chef's Knife Tests

We've been testing chef's knives for years, from early days in the test kitchen to our product testing lab and food editors' long-term insights after months of use. Most recently, we tried several new knives against classic quality brands we trust, and to date, we've tested over 80 different blades over the course of the past few years. Throughout our chef knife tests, we assess everything from how sharp the blades were to how balanced they felt from tip to heel. We also note the weight and grip of each handle and whether they felt heavy or light and slippery or sturdy. We checked how easy each blade is to clean and if the blades stain easily. We always include a few staple tasks to gather as many insights as possible.

Food & Wine / Dera Burreson / Amelia Manley

To test sharpness out of the box, we conducted a paper-cutting test. Holding the paper tightly with one hand, we dragged the blade of each knife through the paper along the entire length of the blade. We assessed whether or not we could achieve a clean slice and evaluated how easily each blade could move through the paper, noting any snagging or tearing. This test helped us establish a baseline by determining how sharp each knife was directly out of the box, without any prior use.

Vegetable Tests

After completing the paper test, we ran each knife through a series of vegetable tests to see how they performed using different food textures. To test basic prep functionality, we diced an onion both coarsely and finely, which helped us assess the sharpness of the blade as well as how easy they were to use. We made sure to use both the blade tip and the blade's belly to determine if the edge was consistent.

Next, we evaluated each knife by cutting through a tomato whose skins are taut and slippery. Tomatoes are notoriously hard to cut without mashing them, and chefs often use a serrated knife to help manage the uncooperative skins. Therefore, they serve as an appropriate test of blade sharpness and handle grip. We noted which knives could achieve thin, even slices and which caused the skins to wrinkle and tear.

Lastly, we used each knife to cube one of the densest vegetables we could find: a butternut squash. Cutting a thick, heavy vegetable allowed us to assess handle grip, balance, weight, and blade sharpness. Though lightweight knives are typically preferable, having a heavy-duty knife can make tough tasks easier and safer. (You can also check out the best vegetable knives while you're shopping around, especially if you eat a lot of veggies.)

Other Chef's Knives We Tested

Strong contenders.

Global 8-Inch Chef's Knife: If you're most comfortable with a very lightweight knife and want one that's easy to care for, this is a solid option. It's made of just one piece of metal, including the handle, which is hollow and filled with sand. The specific construction makes the knife feel perfectly balanced from heel to tip. Because the handle isn't weighted down with any extra material—like rivets—the knife feels sleek and ergonomic in our hands. The metal handle has dimples to provide a safe grip, and while some cooks think it gets slippery when used to cut chicken, meat, or anything juicy, we didn't find that to be the case. We found cleaning easy, though some ingredients left spots on the metal. ( amazon.com , $160)

Material 8-Inch Knife: Adding a simply designed, low-maintenance knife to your toolkit without making a major investment is easier than you think, and this option from Material is still a good choice. We found it ultra sharp when cutting through paper and vegetables and had no trouble breaking down tough ingredients like butternut squash. Though the design is attractive, note that classically trained cooks might find some tasks awkward with the smooth, long handle. We also noted some stains and water marks when cleaning it, so hand wash thoroughly after each use. ( materialkitchen.com , $85)

Kiwi Chef's Knife: Despite the extremely low list price, the Kiwi performed well during testing. It's only partial-tang, so it won't have the same longevity as high-end knives. Though the blade is great the handle doesn't feel as secure, which is why we wouldn't recommend it over other affordably priced knives. ( amazon.com , $12)

Takamura Santoku 170mm: One of the most popular gift knives sold by Coutelier, a knife shop in New Orleans, this high-performance santoku offers tremendous value for its high-end craftsmanship. “These are incredibly well made by the Takamura brothers out of Echizen in Northwestern Japan,” said Jacqueline Blanchard, owner of Coutelier. “They’re third generation and known for their amazing quality stainless steel production.” Due to this santoku’s slightly shorter blade, it has the added bonus of being comfortable for cooks with any size hands–whether you’re gifting or receiving. ( couteliernola.com , $170)

Masamoto VG Santoku Knife: The affordability of this knife makes it a great gateway into the world of santokus. Plus, the Western-style handle offers a balanced feel that will be familiar to cooks who are accustomed to Western chef’s knives. The clean, no-frills design and hyper-sharp edge make this knife a workhorse–use it for everything from pushing through thick cuts of meat to carefully slicing vegetables. ( chefknivestogo.com , $180)

Shun Classic Western Chef's Knife: We've been impressed with the quality of this knife as well as the sharpness of the blade. It easily slid through the paper test and achieved precise, thin, consistent cuts in the vegetable tests. The Western-style knife from Shun is slightly heavier than the Classic Blonde, which is one of the reasons we didn't select it as a top choice. Otherwise, this is a fantastic knife for any home cook willing to invest in a high-end knife. ($170, williams-sonoma.com )

Oxford Chef Kiritsuke Chef's Knife 8-Inch: This Japanese-style knife is still a good choice for any home cook trying to practice their professional knife skills. Throughout our tests, this knife stood out for its ability to glide easily through any cutting surface. We loved how the blade tip was just as sharp as the belly, which let them use it like a paring knife for tasks like mincing garlic and carving out seeds in butternut squash. We did find it is on the heavier side compared to some other knives on this list, and there are knives similarly priced that performed equally well without the extra weight. ($90, amazon.com )

Victorinox 6-Inch Fibrox Pro Chef's Knife: This is an excellent choice for the price. It's sharp and strong—it easily cuts through onions and butternut squash—but we didn't find it particularly nimble when working with delicate vegetables like tomatoes. Despite its sharpness out of the box, our long-term testing revealed that the blade dulls easily and needs to be sharpened more frequently than others. It's still an affordable knife that is lightweight and durable — essential characteristics in any good chef's knife. ($30, amazon.com )

Victorinox Grand Maitre Chef's 8-Inch Chef's Knife: This knife excelled in our tests and had no trouble slicing through paper, tomato, onions, or garlic. The maple wood handle is sturdy, slip-free, and attractive, but the knife is heavy. We noticed that streaks and spots were left on the blade after cleaning. We feel it's a little too expensive for what it is, and better knives are available at the same price point. ($125, amazon.com)

What Didn't Make the List

• Imarku Chef Knife : We found this lightweight knife attractive and comfortable to hold. Though easily sliced through delicate foods, it struggled with heftier ingredients like butternut squash. It's an affordable option, but we'd recommend spending a little more for a higher-quality knife.
• Kramer Zwilling Euroline Essential Collection 8-Inch Chef's Knife : Designed by Master Bladesmith Bob Kramer, this special collection has a rounded spine and wide blade for increased knuckle clearance. Though it proved to be durable for cutting dense vegetables, it's also heavy and slightly awkward for people with smaller hands.
• Misen 8-Inch Chef’s Knife : A hybrid of Western and Japanese styles, this knife is affordable and great for common tasks like smashing and mincing garlic. We had trouble when tackling tougher tasks like chopping butternut squash and noticed that food stuck to the blade. The handle also didn't feel sturdy enough to cut through large vegetables.
• Mercer Culinary Renaissance 8-Inch Forged Chef's Knife : This knife failed our first test. When attempting to test sharpness out of the box, it could not slice through paper and crumpled it. We had no trouble mincing garlic or cubing butternut squash but found it difficult to achieve uniform cuts in the tomato test but
• Mercer Culinary Millennia Black Handle Chef's Knife : We found this knife a bit uncomfortable and unbalanced. The shape of the handle made chopping difficult, and the strain on our wrists was evident. It did not cleanly slice through paper and struggled when chopping an onion.
• J.A. Henckels International Classic 8-Inch Chef's Knife : This chef's knife has a particularly long handle, making it awkward and uncomfortable in our hands. The blade isn't as sharp as others, and it did not pass our tests.
• Kyocera Revolution Ceramic 7-Inch Chef's Knife : This knife is lightweight and can cleanly cut typical ingredients. However, the blade has no flexibility, which we found to be a hindrance when cutting dense squash. We also noticed streaks and spots left behind on the blade after cleaning.
• Made In 8-Inch Chef's Knife : It's balanced from heel to tip and excels at simple tasks like chopping onions or mincing garlic. However, though this knife is on the heftier end, it struggled when cutting through dense squash.

Frequently Asked Questions

A chef’s knife is the workhorse of your knife set , and one of the most essential kitchen products for home cooks , according to Sarah Blair , a chef and culinary producer. “It's easily the most used knife in your block or drawer. It can be used for many tasks, from chopping to slicing to mincing. The blade is typically anywhere from six to 14 inches long and has a broad and tapered blade,” she says. “This knife is more multi-purpose with less precision, so you would not want to use it for slicing fish or carving meat. Similarly, you would not want to dull the blade by doing more arduous and forceful tasks like butchering through bone and joints.” (Depending on the tasks, you'd want either a carving knife or a boning knife —or both—for tackling meat).

“This blade is designed to make a perpetual rocking, circular motion,” she says. “You want to angle the knife's heel upward and keep the tip on the cutting board. You then lower the knife down while pushing through. You repeat this process and then raise the heel back upwards. The tip of the knife never leaves the cutting board."

For most people, professional sharpening is recommended to keep your blades in good order. There are home electric sharpeners that can do a good job between visits to the pro. But if you want to sharpen like the pros, use a dampened sharpening stone and a sharpening steel rod to hone the blade, according to Blair.

“For a dampened sharpening stone, you want to hold the knife's blade near the handle with your index finger and thumb and then wrap your other three fingers under the bolster and handle of the knife. Then with a locked wrist, you want to place your index finger on top of the spine of the knife's blade, pointing towards the tip. Place the knife's blade about 45 degrees against the sharpening stone and angle the blade about 15 to 18 degrees against the stone (roughly two stacked quarters). Place your other hand's pointer and index finger lightly on top of the blade's heel while you glide the knife up and down the stone. The use of your second hand gives you optimal control. Glide the blade up and down in sections until you feel the entire first side of the blade is sharp. Repeat this process with the other side of the blade,” says Blair.

“When sharpening the second side, use your other hand's thumb (extra control for your nondominant side), pointer, and index finger to hold the knife's heel gently. Push the knife up and down the stone from heel to tip in fluid movements. Remember to lift the handle slightly as you come towards your body and lower the knife's handle back down as you push the blade away, gliding the blade up and down the stone using long, fluid strokes,” she says.

"For a sharpening steel rod, you want to angle the blade at 15 to 20 degrees (roughly three stacked pennies or one matchbook) against the steel and swipe it in one fluid motion from the heel to the tip. Turn the rod one-quarter turn with each swipe. You want to glide the knife away from your body and then back towards your body in even strokes. This process eliminates the waves or ripples in the knife and creates one sleek and sharp surface. You can point the steel outwards from your body and hold it like a sword. Or, you can place it linearly in front of your body and secure it on a table like you are planting a stake. Either position is correct, as long you’re using the right angle and motion," says Blair.

"For maximum control of your knife, you want to hold the blade loosely between your thumb and index finger,” Blair says. Gripping the blade itself, close to the hilt of the handle, will give you lots of control over the knife. “Then, you want to slide your three fingers under the bolster and handle of the knife. This grip is commonly known as a pinch grip, where you are essentially choking up on the blade with your index finger, giving you ultimate rotation and authority," she says.

• Laura Denby is a former professional chef who has spent years cooking in professional and private kitchens throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Hamptons. A graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education with a degree in Culinary Arts, Laura now uses her experience in the kitchen to guide her expert product reviews for sites like Food & Wine and AllRecipes. Her writing can be found on FoodNetwork.com, Delish, Southern Living, Real Simple, and more.

Related Articles

• Best overall
• Best cheap set
• Best for small kitchens
• What to look for
• How we tested

Why you may want to put your knife set together piecemeal

The 3 best knife sets of 2023, tested and reviewed.

When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

Purchasing one of the best knife sets is a quick and easy way to furnish your kitchen with cutlery, but know that you don't need very many blades, and you'll do more than fine with a chef's knife, a paring knife, and a bread knife. Beyond those, you might consider a Santoku for finely slicing meat, or a boning or utility knife for similarly precise work. (I'll add here that one of the best knife sharpeners is paramount.)

To test kitchen knives, we put them through their paces out of their packaging, then thoroughly dulled, resharpened, and retested them. Read more about how we tested , and if you're still unsure as to whether a pre-assembled knife kit will suit your needs, check out the pros and cons of buying your knives piecemeal . 

Learn about how Insider Reviews tests and researches kitchen products .

Our top picks for the best knife sets

Best overall: Wusthof Classic Ikon 7-Piece — See at Amazon Wusthof's Classic Ikon 7-Piece Knife Block Set includes four well-balanced, durable, easy-to-grip knives, as well as a honing steel, kitchen shears, and a solid walnut block. 

Best cheap set: Victorinox Swiss Classic Kitchen Set (5 piece) — See at Amazon The knives in Victorinox's five-piece Swiss Classic knife set are lightweight, sharp out of the package, and easy to hold.

Best for small kitchens: F.N. Sharp — See at F.N. Sharp F.N. Sharp knives feature 67-layer Japanese Damascus steel and riveted epoxy and fiberglass handles, which we find fit most hands best.

Best overall: Wusthof Classic Ikon 7-Piece

Pros: Great weight and balance, impressive edge retention, one of the best knife sets with a block

Cons: Small bread knife

If you're looking for a relatively affordable block set, Wusthof's Classic Ikon is the best you're going to do. Good knives are expensive, and so is a block of solid wood. Again, as we've stated above, you really, really don't need a big knife set like this (much less a knife block), but we can appreciate your wanting one, and we can't recommend this one enough.

The set includes our favorite eight-inch chef's knife for most people, plus a six-inch utility (or boning) knife, an eight-inch bread knife (perhaps a little short, but you'll make do), a nine-inch honing steel, and a 15-slot solid wood block.

These knives are head and shoulders above the ubiquitous X50CrMoV15 blades that make up most of what's available from budget-friendly DTC brands you'll come across. And while the X50CrMoV15 is perfectly serviceable, there's something that makes these blades much heavier (therein balanced) and more retentive of their edges. Sadly, Wusthof guards their proprietary alloy and we can't quite figure out what's in them.

Wusthof has been around for a long while, and is heavily endorsed by scores of renowned chefs with good reason. If you've got the funds and want a trusty knife set that does it all, this is it.

The Kilne The Knife Set knives bear a striking resemblance to our top pick, especially in the eastern-western hybrid handles, though they're made with the much more affordable X50CrMoV15 steel found in other popular and budget-friendly DTC knives. If you want an affordable block set, this seven-piece set is a great option.

Best cheap set: Victorinox Swiss Classic Kitchen Set (5 piece)

Pros: Ergonomic handles, sharp out of the package, lightweight, one of the best knife sets for the new homeowner in your life

Cons: Not as durable as high-carbon steel, plasticky feeling handles

Victorinox's five-piece Swiss Classic knife set comes with a 3.1-inch wavy edge paring knife, a 3.1-inch pointed tip paring knife, a 4.3-inch tomato and table knife, a 7.5-inch carving knife, and an 8.3-inch bread knife. It is actually cheaper than the Fibrox Pro set that we previously had the opportunity to review, and it comes with two bonus knives. 

The drawback of the Classic knife set is that the blades are stainless steel instead of high-carbon steel. This is a lower-quality blade than the other knives of this list. If you need an introductory knife set at a fair price point, this is definitely the way to go. If you are looking for a gift for the seasoned chef in your life, this is probably not the best pick.

While these knives are dishwasher-safe, handwashing is recommended to extend the longevity of your knives. The Victorinox Classic knives are extremely sharp out of the package, and since they do not come with a block, you should be careful when storing them. In our Victorinox Knife Set review , we noted that the knives felt light, and while the handles were ergonomic, the plasticky texture was a bit slippery to hold onto. 

Both paring knives in this set cut fruits with ease, and the bread knife creates even slices without tearing. If you were looking for an even bigger set, Victorinox makes a 7-piece Swiss Classic Set that comes with similar pieces. The notable difference is that the 7-piece set comes with a carving fork, peeler, and santoku knife instead of an additional paring knife. 

If you're on a really tight budget, we also like the Goldilocks Knife Set . Though the blades outweigh the handles, they held up in testing.

Read our full Victorinox Swiss Classic Knife Set review .

Best for small kitchens: F.N. Sharp

Pros: High-quality steel, great edge retention, exceptionally comfortable handles, one of the best knife sets for small kitchens

Cons: A little difficult to sharpen yourself (but that's what the sharpening service is for)

A three-and-a-half-inch paring knife, a six-inch Santoku (or Santoku Bocho, which translates to "three uses": chopping, mincing, and dicing), and an eight-inch chef's knife make up this elegant, if pared-down, kitchen knife set. If your needs would be better suited by a six-piece set, which also includes a bread knife, a boning knife, and a utility knife, that's also available for $660.

Apart from looking unbelievably cool thanks to the VG-10 steel patterned into the blade, these knives are the most balanced and solidly built of any we've tried. We also like that three "sharpenings" are included with the purchase of every set, which should get you through a year to a year-and-a-half of constant use.

We put "sharpenings" in quotations because what the brand actually does — and this is pretty ingenious, we must say — is send you a replacement set of freshly sharpened knives in a box with a prepaid packaging slip into which you'll put your used, dulled knives for return. After the first three sharpenings, though, the cost is on you and it's admittedly steep: $60 for the three-knife set, $90 for the six-knife set, and $50 for a steak knife set. For comparison, most local services will charge you $2-$3 per inch of blade.

For small spaces, we also like a Japanese set. Shun is a favorite of some of the world's top chefs, and the 2-Piece Sora Set is one of their more economical pairs. If you're interested in Japanese blades but don't want to break the bank, these are a great start.

Read our F.N. Sharp knives review .

What to look for when buying a knife set

Quality steel.

Decent steel starts most commonly with X50CrMoV15, and is standard for the entry-level to mid-level market. Beyond that, there tend to be a lot of proprietary alloys, but you can also look for 440B or C (A has great qualities, but not generally for a kitchen knife), and VG8 or VG10.

What are the most important knives?

A chef's knife is far and away the most important knife. Period. Some will call for a butcher's knife or a Santoku, but there's a common thread with each of these, and that is that they're all large-bladed knives capable of handling most jobs.

A bread knife is another staple for obvious reasons (if you eat bread).

A paring knife might follow. It's great for smaller tasks like hulling fruits and chopping smaller things like garlic, chives, and other herbs.

A utility, carving, or boning knife, which is relatively long (six inches, give or take) and thin is handy for carving and finer slicing of meat and fish.

An alternative would be a meat cleaver, which can be great as an all-around knife too. But there are all sorts of other knives that might earn a spot in your kitchen depending on what you do most, but these are the basics.

How we tested each knife set

I've been using knives regularly — as most of us have — for the better part of my life, and on and off professionally. I relied on my own experience along with the unbiased and uninformed opinions of five others during testing.

Ahead of testing, I got in touch with butcher and New York City meat purveyor Pat LaFrieda as well as Mike Tarkanian, a research affiliate and a senior lecturer at MIT's Department of Materials Science and Engineering (DMSE), to find out what their requisites are for great knives.

While sharpness was a given (any knife not sharp out of the package would've been immediately disqualified), we chose to test edge retention by slicing tomatoes before running knives on a glass cutting board 200 times in order to dull them. After dulling, we tried slicing tomatoes again to determine which edges held up best. We also consulted a professor of metallurgy to provide insight into the pros and cons of different alloys, and to break down our contenders' hardness ratings. 

Here's what we settled on taking into consideration:

Edge retention: Our knife-testing process involved slicing a few fresh tomatoes, taking note of the ease with which the chef knife from each set handled the task. After we had sufficient data, we took each chef's knife to a glass cutting board and ran it over the surface 200 times. Some knives held their edge, others not so much. We looked at the edges after running the knives and noted if there were any visible changes. 

We then returned to the tomatoes, cutting a few more and seeing how much resistance we felt compared with the performance of the knives straight out of the packaging. Knives that held their edges passed on to further rounds of consideration.

Alloy, and the HRC (hardness rating): We consulted several experts in the field, but the most informative source we encountered was Michael J Tarkanian , a professor of metallurgy at MIT. With his help, we were able to cut through the marketing and the scientific terminology behind different alloys and what allows a knife to retain an edge.

We looked for a hardness rating of around 60 HRC, which offers great edge retention while still allowing for an edge of around 15 degrees (though up to 20 degrees, which is duller than 15, was still considered sufficient).

Ergonomics: For a knife to work well, you have to be able to hold it comfortably in your hand. We asked an array of people to pick up knives and decide which ones were the easiest to grip; across the board, they went for the ones with heavier, rounded, almost bulbous handles. 

Balance between the handle and the blade is also key. Pricier knives almost always offer better balance because that extra cost goes into using denser and often more desirable materials, like layered Damascus steel. 

A well-balanced knife with a good blade will cut through vegetables with minimal pressure, like our top pick from Wusthof. A not-so-well-balanced knife will take a little force to get started.

Depending on your budget, you may want to consider other options besides a knife set. Any time you're buying a set of something, the brand and/or manufacturer often adds in fillers (i.e. less than useful pieces) and cuts corners, and the case is no different with knives.

A lot of chefs we spoke with recommend keeping only one, two, or maybe three knives in a kitchen: a chef's knife for most tasks, a paring knife for smaller jobs like peeling fruit or scoring dough, and a bread knife. You might also consider forgoing a knife block for a magnetic bar, which takes up far less space when stuck to the side of your fridge or mounted on a wall. Over time, you may want to add something like a utility or boning knife, but the truth is most kitchens will rarely find much use for one. If you do need one, you know who you are, and you probably carve a lot of poultry and/or meat.

Read our guide to the best individual kitchen knives .

Knife set FAQs

How many knives do i really need.

You can get away with as few as one, but three or four will easily enable you to do everything: a chef's knife, a paring knife, a bread knife, and maybe a utility or carving knife will get you through any and every task.

What is an HRC rating?

Hardness Risk Rating (HRC), or the Rockwell Scale, is a measurement of the hardness of steel based on how deep a diamond-tipped indenter penetrates it.

Note that it's not only the steel or the metallurgic compound itself so much as how it's hardened (tempered). A low hardness rating for a blade is anywhere in the 50s, while harder steel is usually upwards of 60.

The harder the steel, the longer the edge holds, but that also usually makes the knife more brittle, more likely to chip, and more difficult it is to sharpen when the time comes. The softer the steel, the easier it is to sharpen, but you'll have to do so often.

You can purchase logo and accolade licensing to this story here . Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at [email protected] .

• Main content

• Watch Full Seasons
• TV Schedule
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes
• Restaurants
• Recipes on TV
• Food Network on Max
• Mother's Day Dishes
• Comfort Food

• Valerie's Home Cooking 7am | 6c
• Valerie's Home Cooking 7:30am | 6:30c
• Girl Meets Farm 8am | 7c
• Girl Meets Farm 8:30am | 7:30c
• The Pioneer Woman 9am | 8c
• The Pioneer Woman 9:30am | 8:30c
• The Pioneer Woman 10am | 9c
• The Pioneer Woman 10:30am | 9:30c
• Girl Meets Farm 11am | 10c
• Girl Meets Farm 11:30am | 10:30c
• Be My Guest with Ina Garten 12pm | 11c
• Be My Guest with Ina Garten 12:30pm | 11:30c
• The Kitchen 1pm | 12c
• Guy's Grocery Games 2pm | 1c
• Guy's Grocery Games 3pm | 2c
• Guy's Grocery Games 4pm | 3c
• 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing 5pm | 4c
• 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing 6pm | 5c
• 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing 7pm | 6c
• 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing 8pm | 7c
• On Tonight Beat Bobby Flay 9pm | 8c
• Beat Bobby Flay 9:30pm | 8:30c
• Beat Bobby Flay 10pm | 9c
• Beat Bobby Flay 10:30pm | 9:30c
• Beat Bobby Flay 11pm | 10c
• Beat Bobby Flay 11:30pm | 10:30c
• 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing 12am | 11c
• Beat Bobby Flay 1am | 12c
• Beat Bobby Flay 1:30am | 12:30c
• Beat Bobby Flay 2am | 1c
• Beat Bobby Flay 2:30am | 1:30c
• Beat Bobby Flay 3am | 2c
• Beat Bobby Flay 3:30am | 2:30c

• Trending Eats

• Product Reviews
• Shop Everything

• Get Outside
• Smart Home 2024
• Throw It On the Grill
• All Sweepstakes + Contests

7 Best Chef's Knives of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

We chopped, sliced and diced to find the top-performing chef's knives.

Related To:

Our Top Chef's Knife Picks

• Best Overall: Made In 8-Inch Chef Knife and Misen 8-Inch Chef's Knife
• Best Budget Knife: Victorinox Fibrox 8-Inch Chef’s Knife

Best Value: Hedley & Bennett 8-Inch Chef's Knife

Best for butchering: wusthof classic 8-inch chef's knife.

• Best Japanese-Made Chef's Knife: Shun Classic Western 8-Inch Chef’s Knife
• Best for Precision Cuts: Miyabi Birchwood 8-Inch Chef’s Knife

Tested by Layla Khoury-Hanold

If there’s one kitchen tool that’s indispensable for professional chefs and home cooks alike, it’s a chef’s knife . Though a good chef’s knife is a must-have, what constitutes the best is more subjective than for other kitchen tools . Think about the task at hand: Are you planning to use it for a lot of prep work? Are you looking for a butcher knife? Maybe you need something to execute precision cuts on more delicate ingredients. All these things affect which knife will be the best fit for you. Here are our top picks for the best chef's knives for a variety of kitchen tasks.

This article has been updated since its original publish date with a new "best value" pick. It has also been reviewed since its original publish date for accuracy, pricing and availability. We stand by our list of top chef's knife picks.

Photo by: Layla Khoury-Hanold

Layla Khoury-Hanold

How We Tested

We purchased 10 top-rated chef’s knives according to various online sites, reviews and bestseller rankings. We tested 8-inch chef’s knives in a range of price points. We chose to test 8-inch knives because it is the length that feels the most comfortable and secure on average. Most knives we tested were Western-style blades (sharpened at an angle on both sides); there was one Japanese-style blade, which is only sharpened at an angle on one side. Western chef’s knives also tend to be more readily available in the U.S. and their sharpness can be easier to maintain with at-home knife sharpeners.

First, we noted the chef’s knife’s size, weight, price, material, manual, instructions for use and care, as well as any special claims or features. We noted whether a manual was included with the knife, and if so, whether it was easy to read. We also noted if the manual provided clear instructions for first use, cleaning, maintenance and storage. We also noted if the manual provided helpful hints for proper usage. We also made note of features and evaluated any special claims throughout testing, such as non-slip, ergonomic handles, resisting stains or corrosion or holding sharpness longer.

To test each chef’s knife, we performed the following kitchen preparation tasks:

• We sliced one Roma tomato to test for sharpness by evaluating how easily it sliced through the skin.
• We sliced a medium white onion in half and noted how easily the knife sliced through the onion and whether we could easily cut through the outer layers of dry skin and the root tip. We also sliced the onion and noted if anything stuck to the blade to assess for clean cuts. We also noted whether the sharpness of the knife helped to mitigate eye watering or tearing while slicing.
• We diced one medium, unpeeled sweet potato and noted how easily the knife sliced it in half, then into planks, sticks and cubes to assess how the knife responded to denser foods.
• We chiffonaded three basil leaves and noted how easily it sliced through the herb and whether it left any bruising.
• We sliced one standard raw, boneless, skinless chicken breast and noted how easily the knife sliced it into strips and whether the chicken stuck to the blade.

The majority of the chef’s knives we tested specified to hand-wash only. We hand-washed each knife after each cutting task and observed how easy it was to wash, considering how easily ingredient residue washed off and how much power was required to clean the knife after ingredients with a higher tendency to stain, including sweet potatoes and basil. We also noted whether the directions specified to dry the knife immediately after washing, and if it didn’t, noted if the knife rusted or retained water spots while sitting on a drying rack. We used the dishwasher to wash any knives that claimed to be dishwasher safe.

Best Overall: Made In 8-Inch Chef Knife

• Sturdy yet comfortable construction
• Efficient and consistent performance
• Lightweight
• Requires more effort to cut denser foods

We loved the Made In 8 Inch Chef Knife for its sturdy construction (it’s fully forged from a single rod of premium metal) and ability to tackle any cutting task with excellent results. Hardly any effort was required for tasks like slicing tomatoes and cutting through an unpeeled onion and slicing it. This knife required a little more elbow grease for cutting denser foods like sweet potatoes, and though it was easy to chiffonade basil, we noticed that the leaves were moderately bruised. It feels sturdy yet not too heavy in the hand, weighing in at .5 pounds and the handle provides a comfortable grip that’s conducive to a rhythmic rocking motion for slicing. It washed up easily by hand with warm, soapy water, though it needed extra scrubbing after dicing sweet potatoes. We appreciated that it came with a sheath for storing the knife and liked the polished packaging, complete with a branded bandage (just in case!). Overall, this is a great workhorse knife and its price makes it a great value, especially when compared with other name brand manufacturers with a similar design.

• Blade Length 8.5 inches
• Weight 8 ounces
• Handle Material Steel (Olive wood option available, also)
• Dishwasher-Safe No

Best Overall: Misen 8-Inch Chef's Knife

• Lightweight and easier to maneuver
• Great overall value
• Comes with 60-day, risk-free home trial
• Requires more pressure to cut denser foods

Another solid, all-around chef’s knife at a great value is the Misen Chef’s Knife. If you’re just getting comfortable with using a chef’s knife, the 8-inch Misen is lightweight and easy to maneuver, which can be helpful for beginners. It performed all of the cutting tasks with ease, though we found that some ingredients like onion slices and chicken breast strips stuck to the knife. As with the Made-In, extra pressure needed to be applied to cut the sweet potato in half, but it performed better on the basil chiffonade, leaving minimal bruising. It wipes clean after most cutting tasks though extra scrubbing was needed to erase the marks left from dicing the sweet potato. The Misen also comes with a card insert that provides helpful tips for holding the knife and care instructions to extend the life of your knife. It was among the least expensive knives we tested, and we appreciated that it comes with a 60-day home trial so you can try it out risk-free. If you decide to keep it, it comes with a lifetime guarantee.

• Blade Length 8 inches
• Handle Material Steel

Best Budget: Victorinox Fibrox 8-Inch Chef’s Knife

• Budget-friendly
• Good for heavy prep
• Non-slip comfortable handle
• Requires more pressure for denser ingredients

Victorinox has earned a reputation for its Swiss-made knives and this model is a great all-around knife at an affordable price. It delivered on its promise of a non-slip ergonomic handle, offering a sure, comfortable grip that makes it an ideal choice for beginners, too. It easily sliced through a tomato, onion and raw chicken breast with little-to-no sticking. In addition to requiring more pressure to cut through the sweet potato, we also had to push down on the blade to cut it in half. After the task to chiffonade basil leaves, we detected a moderate amount of bruising. The Victorinox Fibrox also claims that the tapered knife edge, ground in two directions, helps it hold a sharp edge longer. But we observed that the knife was noticeably duller after completing the testing process; we tested this by cutting another tomato at the end of testing and noted that it didn’t pierce the tomato’s skin as easily as when the knife was out-of-the-box sharp.

The knife washed up easily with warm, soapy water, though it required extra scrubbing after cutting the sweet potato and we noticed visible marks on the knife after it was washed and dried. The knife is dishwasher safe and we didn’t note any discoloration or changes in the knife after running it through the dishwasher (though to protect the blade and extend the knife’s sharpness, hand washing your chef’s knife is a good rule of thumb to follow). The knife is relatively inexpensive, so the packaging is a simple plastic clamshell (which was hard to open) and doesn’t come with any user manual or helpful hints. But overall, this is a great option for heavy prep use at a wallet-friendly price.

• Handle Material Plastic
• Dishwasher-Safe Yes

• Comfortable grip
• Consistent control and performance
• Razor-sharp edge
• A little more expensive than our top picks

This brand has a reputation for crafting kitchen gear that’s made for chefs , by chefs, so our expectations were high. And from the first slice of tomato, we could tell it was going to be a winner. This knife costs a little more than some of our top picks, but it offers great value by delivering on several promises: It has a comfortable grip, feels light-weight yet solid in the hand, and boasts a razor-sharp edge with a 23-degree blade angle (it even cut some of our kitchen towel when drying it, so take extra care!). We found that the knife yielded consistent control and results when used on a variety of ingredients, whether slicing onions and chicken breasts, chiffonading basil or dicing sweet potatoes (though it does require a little extra pressure help to cut denser foods in half, like the sweet potato). The three-layer Japanese steel promises an ideal blend of sharpness and durability, which the manufacturer backs with a lifetime guarantee. It comes in three colors — enoki white, shiso green or caviar black — with handsome brass rivets, making it a stylish addition to your kitchen arsenal, too.

• Weight 6.4 ounces

• Durable construction
• Handles denser ingredients well
• Washes up easily
• Heavier and harder to maneuver than top picks

This German-made knife is forged from a single piece of sturdy high-carbon steel and built for durability. It is a solid knife that performs well on a variety of kitchen prep duties; it felt slightly heavier and harder to maneuver than the Made-In or Misen chef’s knives when it came to tasks like slicing a tomato or chiffonading basil. However, this heft is an advantage for slicing denser foods like sweet potatoes or the thick outer layers of onions. We also liked that ingredients such as onions and raw chicken breast didn’t stick to the blade during slicing. This knife claims to resist stain and corrosion, and we found that to be true for the duration of the testing process. The care directions specify to rinse and dry the knife immediately after handwashing it in warm water and mild detergent. We found that the knife washed up easily and didn’t require as much scrubbing after cutting the sweet potato and didn’t note any stains.

• Weight 8.32 ounces

Best Japanese-Made Chef's Knife: Shun Classic Western 8-Inch Chef's Knife

• Ideal for heavy-duty cutting tasks
• Durable, comfortable handle
• Makes precise, consistent cuts
• Requires a bit more pressure for denser foods (but not as much as other knives)

We loved that this knife capitalized on the best of Western and Japanese styles. It is Japanese-made, but the steel blade is thicker than traditional Japanese cutlery and has a 22-degree cutting edge modeled after European chef’s knives. As a result, the knife can be used for heavy-duty cutting tasks while still retaining a sharp edge. The handle is made of pakkawood, which is lauded for its durability, and the D-shape handle makes it comfortable to grip. It performed very well on all of the cutting tasks with little effort; we were particularly impressed with how precisely it cut raw, boneless skinless chicken breasts into strips with minimal effort. As with the other knives, we needed to apply some extra pressure to cut a sweet potato in half, but not as much as some of the other knives. Overall, this knife performs well and offers good value at a mid-range price point.

• Blade Length 8.25 inches
• Handle Material Pakkawood

Best for Precision Cuts: Miyabi Birchwood 8-Inch Chef's Knife

• Sharp blade and smooth cutting edge
• Precise, effortless cuts
• Beautiful design

This Miyabi Birchwood was the most expensive knife we tested, but we felt that the sharpness of the blade and the precision of its cuts were unmatched. Its wafer-thin asymmetric blades create an exceptionally sharp blade and smooth cutting edge, making it live up to the product’s tagline: Beauty of sharpness. The knife was a pleasure to use and yielded precise cuts for all of the prep tasks: Slicing into a tomato was like cutting through paper, our eyes didn’t water at all while cutting into and slicing an onion and there was virtually no bruising on the basil and no sticking when slicing through a raw chicken breast. As with the other knives, more effort was required to cut the sweet potato in half, but it performed the best of all the knives when dicing it. As a result, this knife is best suited for dishes that require ultra-precise cuts, such as sushi, ceviche or tartar, or on delicate ingredients and garnishes, such as herbs and vegetables. It’s not recommended for use on frozen food or shellfish. The knife itself is beautiful, emblematic of Japanese knife craftsmanship and it came in a beautiful box, as well as two outer sleeves and an interior plastic piece to keep the knife in place and protect it during shipment. If you’re making the investment in a knife like this, heed the care instructions: immediately clean blades after contact with food to avoid rust or discoloration and don’t leave it wet or dirty for any length of time. If you don’t plan to use the knife regularly, the manufacturer recommends wrapping it in cloth or newspaper. This is a Japanese knife, which means it is sharpened at an angle on only one side and requires a different sharpening technique. Make sure you’re familiar with sharpening Japanese blades or have a qualified professional do it for you.

• Weight 6.2 ounces
• Handle Material Wood/Stainless Steel

How to Pick a Chef's Knife Style

Most knives in American kitchens are based on Western-style. They tend to be thick and heavy as they’re intended to cut through root vegetables and large cuts of meat. On a German knife, there’s a bolster and a curved blade to make it easy to glide and rock when you’re cutting and mincing. French knives have a straighter edge, which is better for slicing.

In the past decade or so, Japanese-made knives have also become popular. Designed to prep delicate foods like fish and tender vegetables with an up-and-down motion, they’re lighter and thinner and have blades with less of an angle. They're comfortable to use and good for making precise cuts, but they have to be handled more carefully and shouldn’t be used for tasks like cutting up butternut squash or through bones.

How to Choose the Right Size Chef's Knife

Comfort is also a big factor, so if you’re buying your first chef’s knife or switching brands, it can be helpful to hold the knife in your hand. Grip it as you would while cutting to assess how natural and comfortable it feels. To assess how balanced it feels in your hand, hold on to the knife at the place where the blade and handle meet. An 8-inch chef’s knife is the average length that feels comfortable for most people; if a slightly larger knife feels better to you, a 10-inch knife is a good bet. And if a smaller knife feels better to you, look for a 6-inch model. If trying out knives in-store isn’t an option, it can be helpful to shop from companies that have flexible return policies online.

How Much to Spend on a Chef's Knife

Since you’ll reach for your chef’s knife often, it’s wise to invest — though that doesn’t mean you have to break the bank or that more expensive equals better quality. Consider your budget and whether you have any wiggle room. If you’re deciding between a couple of brands, opt for the brand that is known for producing great knives. The bottom line: Choose something that you can afford, feels comfortable, works for you and gets you cooking!

How Often to Sharpen a Chef's Knife

Whatever knife you choose, it’s important to take good care of it. Invest in a honing steel or home knife sharpener , or get your knives sharpened professionally twice a year. Honing your knives each time before you cook can help to maintain a sharper edge longer. Remember, the sharper your knife, the less likely you are to hurt yourself.

We're sorry, there seems to be an issue playing this video. Please refresh the page or try again in a moment. If you continue to have issues, please contact us here .

Looking for a new chef's knife? Sarah Holden, culinary producer for Food Network Kitchen, breaks down three of our top picks, above.

More Knives and Accessories We Recommend

5 Best Kitchen Knife Sets, Tested and Reviewed

These knife sets come with high-quality knives you'll actually use.

3 Best Knife Sharpeners, Tested and Reviewed

We sliced, sharpened and honed to find the best models.

4 Best Paring Knives, Tested and Reviewed

These small-but-mighty knives are great for prepping produce and tedious kitchen tasks.

More Products Tested by Food Network Kitchen

7 Best Cookware Sets of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

7 Best Nonstick Frying Pans of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

These Containers Keep My Fruits and Veggies Fresher, Longer

5 Best Mini Fridges of 2024, According to Experts

3 Best Avocado Savers of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

3 Best Kitchen Towels of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

5 Best Toaster Ovens of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

3 Best Knife Sharpeners of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

6 Best Hand Mixers of 2024, Tested by Food Network Kitchen

9 Best Air Fryers of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

6 Best Slow Cookers of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

Our Honest Review of the Big Berkey Water Filter System

6 Best Microwaves of 2024, According to Experts

7 Best Food Processors of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

6 Best Carving Knives of 2024, According to Experts

5 Best Milk Frothers of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

6 Best Kitchen Knife Sets of 2024, According to Experts

5 Best Meat Thermometers of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

7 Best Travel Mugs of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

7 Best Waffle Makers of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

6 Best Wine Openers and Preservers of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

We Tried Ooni's New Indoor, Electric Pizza Oven

4 Best Candy Thermometers of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

We Tested Caraway's New Steamer Set

4 Best Grill Cleaners of 2024, According to a Grilling Expert

4 Best Spiralizers of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

5 Best Citrus Juicers of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

7 Best Santoku Knives of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

5 Best Juicers of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

The 6 Best Bread Boxes of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

7 Best Nespresso Machines of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

9 Best Spatulas of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

7 Best Air Fryer Toaster Ovens of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

Our newsletter.

Sign up for the Food Network Shopping Newsletter

By entering your email address, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the Privacy Policy . Food Network and its affiliates may use your email address to provide updates, ads, and offers.

To withdraw your consent or learn more about your rights, see the Privacy Policy .

What's New

37 Best Gifts for the Man Who Loves Food May 10, 2024

7 Best Can Openers of 2024, Tested and Reviewed May 10, 2024

The Best Bakeware You Can Buy on Amazon Right Now May 8, 2024

We Tested All the Ninja Creami Machines to Find the Best One May 8, 2024

7 Best Ready-to-Drink Protein Shakes, According to a Dietitian May 8, 2024

4 Best Balloon Whisks of 2024, Tested and Reviewed May 7, 2024

3 Best Kitchen Towels of 2024, Tested and Reviewed May 6, 2024

The Best Fire Pits Under $500 May 2, 2024

35 Essential Jewish-Authored Cookbooks May 3, 2024

The Best Microwaves on Amazon, According to Shoppers May 10, 2024

20 Last-Minute Mother’s Day Gifts for Food Lovers Apr 30, 2024

Our Honest Review of ThermoWorks' ThermoPop 2 Thermometer Apr 26, 2024

5 Best Pizza Ovens of 2024, Tested and Reviewed Apr 30, 2024

54 Asian American and Pacific Islander Food Brands You Need in Your Kitchen May 10, 2024

15 Top-Rated Cookware Pieces on Amazon to Buy Now Apr 23, 2024

8 Best New Cookbooks to Gift This Mother’s Day Apr 23, 2024

5 Best Pasta Pots of 2024, Tested and Reviewed Apr 25, 2024

The Best Gift Ideas for Food-Loving College Graduates Apr 19, 2024

Our Honest Review of Caraway's Stainless Steel Cookware Set Apr 19, 2024

8 Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Cookware Brands to Know Apr 19, 2024

The 10 Best Water Bottles You Can Buy on Amazon Right Now Apr 17, 2024

7 Best Camping Mess Kits of 2024, According to Experts Apr 22, 2024

7 Best Camping Stoves of 2024, According to Experts Apr 22, 2024

20 Best Gifts for Tea Lovers Apr 17, 2024

20 Small Kitchen Appliances on Amazon That Shoppers Swear By Apr 12, 2024

9 Best Spatulas of 2024, Tested and Reviewed Apr 18, 2024

21 Graduation Gift Ideas for the Class of 2024 Apr 17, 2024

10 Best Smokers of 2024, According to Experts Apr 16, 2024

Toast to Spring with Le Creuset's Newest Collection and Colorway Apr 5, 2024

7 Best Travel Mugs of 2024, Tested and Reviewed Apr 7, 2024

Related pages.

• The Three Must-Have Knives
• 3 Best Knife Sharpeners 2024 Reviewed
• 6 Best Kitchen Knife Sets 2024 Reviewed
• 5 Best Charcoal Grills 2024 Reviewed
• 5 Best Steak Knives, Tested and Reviewed
• 6 Best Carving Knives 2024 Reviewed
• 4 Best Paring Knives 2024 Reviewed
• 5 Best Japanese Knives of 2024
• 7 Best Santoku Knives 2024 Reviewed

The 12 Best Knife Sets Recommended by Professional Chefs

If there’s one must-have in your kitchen, apart from basic cooking skills , it’s cooking knives —and those looking to fix up a kitchen for the first time or upgrade their collection might want to purchase a knife set. To find the best knife set for you, look for a set that comes with quality knives you will actually use for a variety of kitchen tasks.

• 01 what to look for in a knife set
• 02 is a knife set for you?
• 03 factors of a quality knife
• 04 best knife sets
• Alain Allegretti , culinary director and partner at Fig & Olive Restaurant Group
• Ashton Keefe , chef and food stylist
• Carla Contreras , chef, food stylist, photographer, and health coach
• Devan Cameron , chef and owner of Braised & Deglazed
• Elijah Safford , head chef and owner of ACEQ
• Jake Cohen , chef and author of Jew-ish: Reinvented Recipes from a Modern Mensch
• Katie Button , chef and restauranteur
• Khoran Horn , Philadelphia-based chef and restaurateur
• Meg Walker , executive chef and CEO of Made by Meg Catering
• Michelle Hernandez , pastry chef and owner of Le Dix-Sept Patisserie
• Sara Hauman , chef and former Bravo Top Chef contestant
• Stephen Chavez , chef-Instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education in Los Angeles
• Zoë François , pastry chef and host of Zoë Bakes

With that said, there’s no shortage of knife sets on the market—and the choice among the myriad options can make shopping for your ideal set overwhelming. To help you narrow down your choices, we consulted professional chefs to find out what makes a quality knife set and which ones they recommend or use themselves. Ahead are the 12 best knife sets that are sure to become your most prized kitchen essentials.

The best knife sets, at a glance

• Best overall: Wüsthof, Classic 7-Piece Knife Block Set, $280
• Best with steak knives: Wüsthof, Classic 12-Piece Knife Block Set, $550
• Best with a slicing knife: Zwilling J.A. Henckels, Professional “S” 7-Piece Knife Block Set, $370
• Best Western-Eastern-hybrid: Wolf Gourmet, 7-Piece Cutlery Knife Set, $600
• Best Japanese-style: Shun, Premiere Blonde 5-Piece Knife Block Set, $450
• Best low-maintenance Japanese-style: Global, Takashi 7-Piece Knife Block Set, $350
• Best budget: Mercer Culinary, Genesis 7-Piece Forged Knife Roll Set, $163
• Best portable: Victorinox, 7-Piece Fibrox Handle Cutlery Set With Black Canvas Knife Roll, $219
• Best minimal: Misen, Essentials Knife Set, $170
• Best splurge: Coltellerie Berti, 5-Piece Insieme Kitchen Knife Set, $2,096
• Best editor-approved: Kline, The Knife Set, $240
• Best for small kitchen jobs: Opinel, Essential Small Kitchen Knives, $95

What to consider when shopping for a knife set

There are a few things to consider as you shop for a knife set—and the best knife sets can come with a variety of knives in a couple of styles (like Western- or Eastern-style options) and include anywhere from three or more knives. Regardless of how many and what type of knives you want in a set, you may also want to consider a knife set with a sharpener and your preferred choice of storage.

{{post.sponsorText}}

Type and number of knives

First, consider choosing a knife set that includes pieces that can tackle a wide variety of tasks. According to the majority of the professional chefs we interviewed, there are three essential knives that every set should have—these include a chef’s knife, a paring knife, and a serrated bread knife. “Those three knives handle 95 percent of my kitchen jobs,” says Jake Cohen , author of the cookbook Jew-Ish: Reinvented Recipes from a Modern Mensch and former food editor of Tasting Table and Time Out New York . “That being said, every kitchen is different, and the way you cook is going to help dictate what other knives you might want to add [to your collection].”

To help you figure out what other knives you might want in a set , think about what you cook and the complexity of your at-home cooking projects. For instance, you might want to look for a knife set that includes a utility or petty knife. “It’s a great workhorse when you don’t want to unveil your chef’s knife,” according to Khoran Horn , Philadelphia-based chef and owner of Guard House Cafe , Stripp’d Juice , and BLVCK . If carving, trimming, and deboning meats and fish is a frequent task for you, a boning knife may come in useful too, adds Katie Button , chef and co-founder and CEO of Katie Button Restaurants. In addition to these pieces, chef and food stylist Carla Contreras recommends looking for sets with secondary but important items, like kitchen shears or scissors.

If there’s one knife that you’ll always want in a set, it’s an eight- or nine-inch chef’s knife, says Ashton Keefe , chef, culinary stylist, and author of Lemon & Salt: A Modern Girl’s Guide to Culinary Revelry . “It doesn’t matter how good the set is if you don’t love the chef’s knife,” she says, adding that it should fit in your hand and not overwhelm it in length or weight.

Just as the types of knives in a set can vary, so can the number of knives. If you want a dedicated knife for every cooking task, you might prefer the versatility of a larger set. That said, a smaller set can serve you perfectly well should you choose an option that comes with knives that can tackle a wide variety of kitchen jobs. Most of the chefs we talked to also cautioned against sets with lots of pieces. “When it comes to knife sets, I would avoid the trap that more is better,” says Stephen Chavez , a chef-instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education in Los Angeles. “The average household does not need a sixteen-piece set of knives or steak knife additions.”

Western vs. Eastern-style knives

As you shop for a knife set, you’ll also come across options with knives that are classified into two main categories: Western and Eastern-style knives, with some varieties featuring aspects of both types. According to Keefe, the main difference between the two often comes down to the blade. Western-style knives typically have a thicker blade with more of a curve on the cutting edge, whereas Eastern or Japanese-style knives feature a thinner blade without much of a curve to it. It’s also important to mention that Western-style knives can retain their edge longer than Japanese-style knives, says Contreras, and thus require less effort to maintain. However, “many believe that a Japanese knife is sharper because of the type of blade,” says Keefe. Ultimately, though, the choice is a matter of preference.

Sharpening accessories

Regardless of which knife set you choose, the knives that come with your set will require sharpening once a month or, if used less often, every few months. “A sharp knife is the best knife,” says Keefe, and considering this, you might want to purchase a set with a sharpener, like honing steel or a knife-sharpening stone , to maintain their edge. Otherwise, you can purchase these sharpening accessories separately . As an alternative, Contreras says that you can have a professional sharpen your blades—just keep in mind that while convenient, this option will come at a recurring cost.

Ideally, a knife set will also come with either a knife block or a knife roll for storage. The choice between the two options will come down to the space you have available and how you organize your kitchen . A knife block allows for easy access to your blades, but if you are limited on kitchen space, you might prefer a knife set that comes with a knife roll.

Should you purchase a knife set?

If you’re setting up a kitchen for the first time or want to upgrade your collection, buying a set of kitchen knives can be a convenient and affordable alternative to purchasing knives piecemeal. However, while purchasing a quality knife set can offer all you need at a wallet-friendly price, you might want to build your own knife set if you want to customize your collection to your exact cooking needs. According to Michelle Hernandez , a pastry chef and the owner of Le Dix-Sept Patisserie in San Francisco, most home cooks only use one or two knives, and she adds that it’s also much easier to care for and maintain a few knives than it is to care for many.

Which kitchen knives should you purchase, and in what order?

If you opt to build your own knife set, start with the essentials—a chef’s knife, a paring knife, and a serrated bread knife—and from there, you can always add individual implements to your collection. If you’re looking to purchase a chef’s knife, Hernandez recommends the Wüsthof Classic 8-inch Chef’s Knife ($170); the Material Almost 4-inch Knife ($55) or the Victorinox 4-Inch Utility Knife ($9); and the Wüsthof Classic 9-Inch Double Serrated Bread Knife ($150).

Folks willing to shell out more money can also consider purchasing domestic craft knives. “Choosing a domestic craft knife allows you to get to know your knife maker, talk to them about what you want, and how you’re going to use [your knives],” says Button. She recommends South Carolina-based Middleton Made Knives , which is known for making well-made knives that are comfortable to use, or Chelsea Miller Knives , which is owned by one of the few female knife-makers in the country.

Factors of a quality knife

Whether you’re purchasing knives per piece or as a set, all the chefs we interviewed recommend prioritizing quality over quantity. “Quality does make a difference in longevity, durability, and reliability,” says Chavez, and if you want quality knives, you’ll want to consider ones made from high-carbon stainless steel or ceramic materials with a full-tang construction and sturdy ergonomic handle.

According to Contreras, you’ll want to choose knives made from materials like high-carbon stainless or ceramic—each of which has pros and cons. Many knives constructed from high-carbon stainless steel are easy to care for and resistant to rust, says Contreras, though they can be quite costly. If you’re looking for a more affordable option, ceramic knives can perform tasks just as well as their counterparts. “They are incredibly sharp,” she says, with the caveat, “but very delicate.”

Full-tang construction

You’ll also want to choose knives with a fully forged and full-tang construction, in which the blade extends all the way to handle, says Chavez and Meg Walker , executive chef and CEO of Made by Meg Catering. Knives made only with a partial-tang construction (which don’t run all the way to the handle) are of lower quality than their counterpart and more prone to breakage, she explains.

Last but not the least important is a knife’s handle. “For longevity, avoid unfinished wood handles, especially with rivets,” says Chavez. “Over time, the wood will separate from the rivets and be hard to keep sanitary.” You’ll also want a handle that is comfortable to hold to make it convenient to use day-to-day, says Alain Allegretti , chef and former owner of Allegretti, La Promenade des Anglais, and Azure by Allegretti, with Chavez adding that it should fit perfectly in your hand. While comfort is subjective, the options on the list have been vetted by chefs who can attest to their comfortability.

With this in mind, here are the 12 best knife sets—all recommended by professionals.

Best knife sets

Includes: 8-inch chef’s knife, 3 ½-inch paring knife, 6-inch utility knife, 8-inch serrated bread knife, kitchen shears, honing rod, and 13-slot knife block

This knife set comes with the recommendation of Button and Devan Cameron, chef and owner of the food blog Braised and Deglazed . It’s beloved by TV chefs like Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, and Ina Garten, too—and there’s no question why.

“Wüsthof makes quality knives that will last for decades,” says Cameron. “This was my first set of professional knives and what got me through culinary school.” Button attests to the quality of the included knives. “They are affordable, have a heavier and durable blade, and last forever,” she says. As further testament to their durability, the blades have a full-tang construction and are forged from one continuous piece of high-carbon stainless steel. Each knife in the set is likely to get lots of use in the kitchen too, with Button referring to them as “great workhorse knives.” The knives are on the heavier side, however. “Some people may find these knives to be a little heavy, especially the chef’s knives,” says Cameron, but he says that the “smooth” and “comfortable” handle can help make maneuvering the blades easier and more pleasant.

The set is one of the most extensive options on the list, and it includes a chef’s knife, a paring knife, a utility knife, a serrated bread knife, plus kitchen shears and a honing steel. Also included is a 13-slot wooden knife block to hold all the pieces with room to spare for more additions.

Style: Western

Knife material: High-carbon stainless steel

Full-tang construction? Yes

• Extensive array of knives included in set
• Knives have comfortable and smooth handles, according to experts
• Chef’s knife might be heavy for some, according to one expert

Includes: 8-inch chef’s knife, 6-inch chef’s knife, 3 ½ -inch paring knife, 6-inch utility knife, 8-inch serrated bread knife, four 4 ½-inch steak knives, kitchen shears, 9-inch honing rod, and 13-slot knife block

This knife set comes highly recommended by Allegretti, who says, “This has the essentials for anyone to use in their home kitchen,” like two different-sized chef’s knives, a paring knife, a utility knife, and a serrated bread knife.

What sets it apart is that it’s the only set featured on the list that comes with steak knives, which can save you the money of having to purchase a steak knives set separately. Allegretti also attests that all the knives included in the set are “sharp” and “durable,” thanks to their high-carbon stainless material and full-tang construction. Considering the array of quality knives that come with the set, it’s worth the cost. It also includes a pair of kitchen shears, a honing steel, and a 13-slot knife block to hold all of its components. If anything, the knife block leaves little room for additional pieces, though you may not need any more knives in your collection if you own this set—it is comprehensive as is.

• The most extensive knife set on the list
• Comes with four steak knives
• Knife block has limited room

Includes: 8-inch chef’s knife, 4-inch paring knife, 5-inch serrated utility knife, 6-inch slicing knife, kitchen shears, honing rod, and 16-slot knife block

This knife set has the approval of Contreras and Zoë François , pastry chef and host of Zoë Bakes on Magnolia Network. “Henckels were my very first set of knives and they still hold up 30-plus years later,” says François, and Contreras agrees: “This set will last a lifetime.”

The knives are forged from a single piece of high-carbon stainless steel blades for long-lasting durability, and the overall set comes with four knives, including a chef’s knife, a paring knife, a utility knife, and a slicing knife, plus kitchen shears and a honing steel. While the set doesn’t come with a serrated bread knife (which experts typically recommend), the included knife block has plenty of space for more pieces, so you can add your own. Folks may also appreciate the inclusion of the slicing knife (aka carving knife). While the experts we spoke to don’t consider it to be essential, it is useful, particularly for those who frequently serve roasts and large grilled meats at home. What’s more according to Contreras? This set is as attractive as pictured in the above photo—a bonus for those who want an option with a clean and visually appealing design. “This is basic and beautiful,” she says. “I love how simple it is.”

• Knives are made to last, according to experts
• Includes a slicing knife
• No serrated bread knife included

Includes: 8-inch chef’s knife, 3-inch paring knife, 10-inch serrated bread knife, 6 ½-inch Santoku knife, kitchen shears, honing rod, and 10-slot knife block

Wolf is known to make professional-level kitchen appliances, and the brand’s knives are no exception. According to ACEQ chef and owner Elijah Safford, this set was designed with industry professionals in mind to appeal to trained chefs and enthusiastic home cooks alike.

“While comfortable and easy to use, the knives are designed to last since it was made in line with Japanese precision and German durability,” says Safford. “At home, I use each instrument for prepping big meals or making a quick meal after a long night.” Indeed, the set comes with all the knives you need for at-home cooking—namely, a chef’s knife, paring knife, serrated bread knife, and Santoku knife, a knife that is versatile for many jobs, but especially for cutting vegetables. What’s more, the knives included in the set are as durable as they are functional. They feature a full-tang construction and triple-riveted handles, while the high-carbon stainless steel blades can hold their edge well and stand up to regular sharpening.

Kitchen shears, a honing steel, and a 10-slot knife block round out the set. As a welcome bonus, the knife block doubles as a cookbook or device stand, making it ideal for those who often follow along to recipes while cooking.

Style: Western-Eastern hybrid

• Knives are comfortable and easy to use, according to experts
• Knife block doubles as a cookbook stand
• Knife block is bulky

Includes: 8-inch chef’s knife, 4-inch paring knife, 6 ½-inch utility knife, honing rod, and 6-slot knife block

If you prefer Japanese-style knives, you might want to consider this knife set from Shun. The set showcases Japanese craftsmanship at its finest, and it also comes with the approval of Horn, who says, it is ideal “both for the professional and the home chef.”

The included knives are handcrafted in Japanese and offer the perfect blend of form and function. Each hand-hammered knife is constructed with high-carbon stainless steel , resulting in a “great blade that will retain its edge with good care,” says Horn, and comes replete with a Pakkawood handle that is resistant to moisture. You’ll only receive a chef’s knife, paring knife, and utility knife with the set, but they might be all you need considering their versatility—and there is, of course, the option to purchase additional knives should you want to expand your collection. The set also comes with a six-slot bamboo knife block with a streamlined design that won’t take up too much space on your counter and a honing steel to keep your blades sharp.

Style: Eastern

• Knives are handmade in Japan
• Includes essential knives recommended by experts
• Only includes three knives

Includes: 8-inch chef’s knife, 4 ¼-inch utility knife, 8 ½-inch serrated bread knife, 5 ½-inch vegetable knife, 3-inch peeler knife, honing rod, and 9-slot knife block

This Japanese-style knife set has the essential implements—a chef’s knife, utility knife, and serrated bread knife—along with a vegetable knife, peeler knife, honing rod, and a nine-slot knife block to store them all. According to Contreras, the knives included in the set are also easy to maintain.

“This is an Eastern-style knife set that can be sharpened like Western knives, which makes them a lot easier to care for,” she says. It doesn’t skimp on quality either. The included knives are handcrafted in Japan, using the same decades-long process, resulting in sharp blades that will make meal prep a breeze, regardless of what you’re chopping, slicing, or dicing. The knives are forged from a single continuous piece of stainless steel, and the dimpled handles offer a secure grip. Functionality aside, “the design is simple and beautiful,” says Contreras, making it worthy of display on a kitchen counter.

Style: Japanese

Knife material: Stainless steel

• Knife block includes extra room to expand your collection
• Knife handles are made of stainless steel, which might uncomfortable for some people

Includes: 8-inch chef’s knife, 3 ½-inch paring knife, 5-inch utility knife, 8-inch serrated bread knife, 6-inch boning knife, honing rod, 7-pocket knife roll

If you’re on the market for a budget-friendly option, this knife set ranks among the best for the money. This seven-piece set is especially great for beginner cooks (“This is a culinary school kit,” says Contreras) and it can grow with you as your skills develop.

Not only is it affordable, this set also covers the essentials. It comes with a chef’s knife, paring knife, utility knife, serrated bread knife, boning knife, plus a honing steel to keep your blades sharp. “These are incredible knives and some of my favorites,” says Contreras, adding that they will “last for ages.” Each knife is crafted from high-carbon stainless steel and comes replete with a non-slip handle to offer you a comfortable and secure grip. There’s no block included in this set, which might be a small tradeoff for some folks, but it comes included with a knife roll that will make you think you’re a contestant on Top Chef. The roll features seven elastic pockets to securely hold the pieces in place, and it’s equipped with an adjustable strap for easy transportation.

Full-tang construction? Not specified

• Ideal for beginners and professionals, according to experts
• Knife roll allows for compact storage
• No kitchen shears included

Includes: 10-inch chef’s knife, 4-inch paring knife, 8-inch serrated bread knife, 6-inch boning knife, 8-inch carving knife, honing rod, and 8-pocket knife roll

This knife set is ideal for amateur and pro chefs—and it comes with the recommendation of Cameron. “Victorinox makes great but affordable knives,” he says. “I highly recommend [them] for their very reasonable price and comfortable grips.”

The set comes with five knives, including a chef’s knife, paring knife, serrated bread knife, boning knife, and carving knife, all made from stainless steel. It also includes a knife roll for storage, which features eight pockets carrying handles, and a removable, adjustable shoulder strap . One downside according to Cameron? “These knives won’t keep their edge as long as Wüsthof or Henckels knives,” he says, which might be a tradeoff for some folk, but he adds, “they’re still easily sharpened.” Fortunately, the set comes with a honing rod that is perfect for the task.

Full-tang construction? No

• Knives are comfortable to use, according to expert
• Comes with a knife roll with carrying handles and removable, adjustable straps
• According to one expert, knives require frequent sharpening

Includes: 8-inch chef’s knife, 6-inch utility knife, and 8-inch serrated bread knife

The Misen Essentials Knife Set is an ideal choice for those who are after something simple and straightforward. As the name implies, it contains just the “essentials”—namely, a chef’s knife, utility knife, and a serrated bread knife.

The set comes with the recommendation of Top Chef season 18 contestant Sara Hauman , who calls it “the best knife set for home use,” adding that three knives are “all you need to tackle any kitchen task.” She also notes that the set is reasonably priced, and what’s more, the knives are made from quality materials. “[The knives] are made from steel that will stay sharp and can take a beating from everyday use,” she says. The knives also feature a full-tang construction as a further testament to their durability. The only tradeoff? This set doesn’t come with either a knife block or roll for storage.

Knife material: AICHI steel

Full-tang construction: Yes

• Contains essential knives most chefs recommend for at-home use
• Knives are and will stay sharp, according to expert
• Does not come with knife block or roll

Includes: 9-inch chef’s knife, 4-inch paring knife, 6-inch utility knife, 9-inch serrated bread knife, 5-inch tomato knife, and five knife blocks

Handmade in Italy since 1895, Coltellerie Berti elevates knife-making into a fine art form. Each knife is made by a professional knife-maker from start to finish, using only the best materials. This quality is reflected in the price, but Keefe says it is a “pretty—and pretty good—knife set” that is well worth the cost.

All five knives that come with the set feature a full-tang construction made from stainless steel and come replete with lucite carbon handles. With a set, you’ll receive a chef’s knife, paring knife, serrated bread knife, and tomato knife, which is sure to come in handy for quick cutting jobs. It also comes with five separate knife blocks (one for each of the included knives) that snap together with magnets, allowing you the option to store them together or separately, as you like. If you can’t look past the price, Keefe says you can always opt to purchase the knives individually.

• Handmade by professional knife-marker in Italy
• Comes with five separate knife blocks that can be stored together or separately

Includes: 8-inch chef’s knife, 4-inch paring knife, 8-inch serrated bread knife, 7-inch santoku knife, kitchen shears, honing rod, and 6-slot knife block

The Kline Knife Set comes with the approval of Well+Good’s associate commerce editor Francesca Krempa . In her review about the Kline knives , she says “it has everything you need to whip up your favorite home-cooked meals without breaking the bank.”

And, indeed, it does. The set includes a chef’s knife, paring knife, serrated bread knife, and santoku knife, all full tang and made from chromium steel. “They were scarily sharp, nothing was too heavy or too awkward to use, and they looked so nice,” wrote Krempa. It also includes an acacia knife block for easy-to-access storage, which she notes, was among her favorite features of the set. “As someone who is a sucker for aesthetics, it just looks so neat on my kitchen counters and makes it easy to reach what I need mid-cooking sesh,” she proclaimed. “It all lives right there, organized neatly (and safely!) in the chic wood block.”

Knife material: Chromium steel

• Knives are sharp yet comfortable to use, according to reviewer
• Knife block isn’t bulky

Includes: 4-inch paring knife, 4-inch serrated knife, 3-inch vegetable knife, and 2-inch stationary peeler

If you’re looking for a knife set for small kitchen jobs, Well+Good’s SEO writer Danielle Calma recommends this option from Opinel. It comes with a paring knife, serrated knife, vegetable knife, and a stationary peeler, all made from stainless steel blades and visually pleasing wood handles.

“This is the perfect knife set for delicate work, whether it’s chopping fruits or veggies or herbs, saving me the effort of having to use a chef’s knife, and, let’s be honest, cleaning it afterward,” says Calma. Although the stationary peel might seem an extraneous addition to the set, she says it has come in handy more than a few times, including on one occasion involving skinning a pound of potatoes—a mighty feat for its size. She also notes that the blades are not only sharp, but have also maintained their razor edge over the last two years, even if she hasn’t had them resharpened since she received them.

• Knives maintain their edge for a long time, according to reviewer
• Comes with stationary peeler
• Does not come with storage

Frequently asked questions

What are the three most commonly used knives in a chef’s kitchen.

The type of knives a chef will use in a kitchen will vary according to their preferences. However, according to the professional chefs we talked to, the most common knives everyone might want to have are a chef’s knife, a paring knife, and a serrated bread knife, as they can work for a wide variety of kitchen tasks.

How can you choose your ideal knife?

When choosing your ideal knife, you’ll want to think about what you would typically use it for, whether you want a knife that is versatile or for a specific task, and whether you prefer a Western- or Eastern-style option. You’ll also want to consider a knife’s quality. According to the chefs we spoke to, a quality knife will typically be made from high-carbon stainless steel or ceramic and will feature a fully forged and full-tang construction.

Is there a knife that never needs sharpening?

All knives must be sharpened to ensure they are effective—and safe—to use. With that said, you can make the task easier for you by either having a professional sharpen your knives for you or purchasing a knife set that comes with a self-sharpening block.

Loading More Posts...

The Beach Is My Happy Place—and Here Are 3 Science-Backed Reasons It Should Be Yours, Too

Your official excuse to add "OOD" (ahem, out of doors) to your cal.

4 Mistakes That Are Causing You to Waste Money on Skin-Care Serums, According to an Esthetician

These Are the Best Anti-Chafing Denim Shorts—According to Some Very Happy Reviewers

{{ successMessage }}

Please wait a moment...

Every product is independently selected by (obsessive) editors. Things you buy through our links may earn us a commission.

The Best Magnetic Knife Blocks, According to Chefs and Designers

Any avid cook knows the best kitchen is utilitarian at its core and beautiful at its best. Magnetic knife blocks, which combine functionality and design, are becoming standard for professional chefs, serious cooks, and knife aficionados. They provide premium storage, elevate how everyday (and specialty) knives are displayed, are easily accessible, and take up less counter space and even last longer than traditional slotted knife blocks, especially if they’re made from hardwoods. While traditional blocks and drawers tend to be bulky and difficult to clean (think of the food particles and dust they collect, plus the high risk of damaging a knife’s edge and tip or even cutting yourself trying to grab one), magnetic knife blocks are usually wall mounted or oriented upright and are embedded with magnets that hold knives securely in place. Plus, they’re a sleeker display piece.

To find the best magnetic knife blocks on the market, I talked to experts ranging from interior and knife designers to kitchen-shop owners and chefs to hear their favorite options and learn some pro tips for getting the most out of your magnetic knife block. Here are nine magnetic knife blocks that will let your knife collection shine, whether you’ve got $25 to spend or want to invest a few hundred. You can also check out our guides to knife sets to store on these magnetic knife blocks and tools to keep those knives sharp. Looking for just one go-to chef’s knife? Look no further than our roundup of the best of the best.

Best countertop magnetic knife blocks

A magnetic knife block’s primary function is to organize knives and prevent them from staining or rusting (or lying at the bottom of a drawer). But it can also be simply an inexpensive way to add some décor to your kitchen. Interior designer Cait Borkowski owns this double-sided Vevor magnetic knife block and has always admired how it stands out in her kitchen. “I love the warm wood grain and simple but sturdy base,” she tells me. The magnetic hold is strong but allows for easy, quick removal of knives for use. “The proportions are also great for filling in some backsplash space in the same way you would hang art on a wall,” says Borkowski.

Chef Ana Castro is a power user of magnetic knife blocks both at home and in her restaurants, where the blocks keep her knives properly and safely stored without, she says, the edge of the blade “bouncing around in a drawer.” She’s also proud of her knife collection and enjoys showing it off. “If you have a big luxe kitchen, go for a counter knife stand; my favorite is the Material Kitchen for its simplicity,” she says. This stand’s magnetic system hidden inside the wood body holds eight to ten knives (depending on their size). Its slim silhouette keeps blades sharper for longer as they’re not bumping against other knives or kitchen tools, which tends to happen in drawers and nonmagnetic blocks. “I like the organic feel and materials found in nature, and I think displaying tools signals a certain reverence for your craft,” Castro adds.

Brands of tools used by chefs are growing in popularity, notes Cary M. Neff, a private chef, a caterer, and the owner of C.M. Neff Cook Supply Co. in Philadelphia. His shop’s clientele is a mix of chefs and chef-obsessed home cooks who want to spend money on beautiful knives and sets. These shoppers want knives to be a “work of art” they can display, with their go-to knives matching their kitchen aesthetic front and center, Neff says. They often bring in their knives to be sharpened and cleaned by Neff, asking questions about form and functionality. Chefs at Michelin-starred restaurants and Neff himself recommend this Made In magnetic block for people “who appreciate order.” It has strong magnets and a thick top ledge to rest the handles on and prevent the knives from sliding down. Neff says its efficient, minimal design means only the most necessary three or four knives should be displayed, arranged from smallest to largest.

This German knife brand is “well known in the culinary world” for heavy-duty usage, says Neff. While knife blocks are typically squared off, this Messermeister block is half-moon-shaped with a large curve that holds differently sized knives (up to ten) in place with specialized magnets inside the wood. The round shape also lets you easily grab knives at a more comfortable angle. This knife block is for cooks who want a lived-in look from higher-quality long-lasting wood that gets weathered and worn. Neff suggests testing out heavier knives on blocks before purchasing (if possible) to double-check the magnetic strength.

Bladesmith Steve Pellegrino of Pellegrino Cutlery is all about aesthetics, accessibility, and edge preservation. For him as a knife-maker and collector, the Zwilling slanted magnetic block offers a stylish option thanks to its distinct structural design made from Italian wood. The holder has five angled slots for knives, making them easily accessible for prep and cooking, and can be detached from kitchen surfaces safely. “It’s simple and stylish without being overstated, protects the finish and knife edge thanks to the internal embedded magnets, and has a ten-knife capacity if you have entirely too many knives, like me,” Pellegrino says.

Some people like to show off their knives with the same enthusiasm they have for their custom furniture pieces. It makes sense when the kitchen tools are built with premium hardwoods, rare-earth magnets, and leather. Those premium qualities can quickly push such knife blocks into the luxury category, which includes this $300-plus Piotr the Bear portable double-sided magnetic block. “These are beautifully finished in several configurations and are all covered in leather, which not only protects the finish of high-end custom knives such as what I typically make but also looks fantastic,” Pellegrino says. He advises occasional oiling as leather tends to wick away oils from a knife’s surface over time.

Best wall-mounted magnetic knife blocks

Knifewear’s resident knife tester and brand communications lead, Nathan Gareau, appreciates the singular craftsmanship and versatility behind these Quebec-made wooden knife magnets. They’re available in two lengths (11.5 inches and 15.5 inches) and three types of wood (cherry, maple, and walnut), and they save home cooks some counter space. All have a flat back with a magnetic strip that can be mounted on a wall or tile so the screws anchor directly into drywall without the need to find a stud. Even better: Those with a tile backsplash can use strong double-sided tape to mount it, just be sure to let it set for a day before putting your knives on the block. Gareau recommends oiling the block once a year to re-moisturize the wood and using a damp cloth to wipe the block’s surface clean to ensure durability and shine. Follow his advice: Don’t forget to “gently wash your knives with soap and water before you put them up.”

Knife-maker Geoff Feder started his brand, Feder Knives, for people who use knives “with vigor” and don’t let them just sit prettily on display. He likes this wall-mounted knife block made of maple-wood offcuts from Fender guitar necks with neodymium magnets. “Much like Feder, the company behind this knife block started as a one-man band, so I respect the hustle,” says Feder. Guitar wood protects the magnetic blocks to prevent rust or patina and keeps the edge away from anything that could dull it. As for setup, the 360KnifeBlock can be oriented horizontally or vertically.

Not sure where to start on your knife-block hunt? Consider this $25 stainless-steel magnetic strip, a perfect piece for beginners who want affordability and quality, says Julia Dudley , a recent graduate of Le Cordon Bleu culinary school and a private chef. “I’ve been using the Hamletoff magnetic knife strip for three months now, and honestly it’s been great,” she says. “It has a super-sleek design and easy surface application. It also comes in three to four different sizes based on how many knives you have and how large they are.” Hamletoff’s knife blocks are designed to stick onto walls and fridges. This one is 15.5 inches of sturdy stainless steel with an adhesive-backed sticker, making it particularly easy to install and maintain.

The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best acne treatments , rolling luggage , pillows for side sleepers , natural anxiety remedies , and bath towels . We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.

• the strategist
• cookware and utensils

Every product is independently selected by (obsessive) editors. Things you buy through our links may earn us a commission.

Deal of the Day

Micro sales, greatest hits, most viewed stories.

• 10 Things We Loved: From $28 Target Shirtdresses to Met Gala Stripper Heels
• 13 of the Very Best Air Fryers
• 28 Things on Sale That Would Make Excellent Mother’s Day Gifts
• All the Best Walking Shoes We’ve Ever Written About
• The 11 Very Best Shampoos
• Every Question You Have About Temu, Answered
• What Adam Scott (Still) Can’t Live Without

Today’s Top Clicked