Overall, we tested 12 chef’s knives from popular brands for home cooks, including Mac, Global, Artisan Revere, Victorinox, KitchenAid, Ninja, Cuisinart, Homefavor, Farberware, Zwilling, J.A. Henckels, Aura, Korin, Wüsthof, Material Kitchen, Misen, and Mercer. Among these knives, there were some clearly outstanding products, but most were well-designed and only one stood out. bad.
Mac, Wüsthof, Made In and Global knives were especially popular for their quality and performance. Any of these three will do if you’re serious about buying a quality chef’s knife. Mercer, Zwilling and, to a lesser extent, Victorinox offered solid performance and a good balance for beginners looking for a bargain (Victorinox chef’s knives get a lot of praise online for their value and construction, but they are more expensive than Mercer and tend to be a bit more expensive). very It is also well balanced.
The JA Henckels Classic chef’s knife is similar to the Wusthof Classic, but with slightly different balance and design, it’s a less enjoyable knife for everyday use.
The Cuisinart, Material, and Homefavor knives were sturdier than their cheaper competitors, but didn’t stand out in any category. The JA Henckels Classic seemed like the obvious winner given its reasonable price and similar design to the more expensive Wüsthof Classic, but it really disappointed me. It’s another knife that gets a lot of use, but the blade is so heavy that it’s tiring to cut heavy objects with it and awkward to chop with it.
The Farberware knife was the worst of the bunch. It was so unbalanced that I had to stop the chicken test midway for safety reasons. The light handle means the knife’s center of balance is an inch or two below the blade, which makes nearly every preparation, from slicing and dicing to mincing and deboning chicken, feel unnatural at best and dangerous at worst. In short, don’t buy this knife if you’re looking for a cheap blade.
These are just some of the chef knives we tested.
A chef’s knife can be your best friend in the kitchen, especially if you find the right one. Take the time to figure out exactly what you want in a chef’s knife and invest in quality. You could keep buying a $10 generic knife from the store every time your knife gets dull, but if you’re serious about improving your skills in the kitchen, a quality chef’s knife is one of the best investments you can make.
