In total, we tested a dozen of the most popular chef’s knives for home cooks, from Mac, Global, Artisan Revere, Victorinox, KitchenAid, Ninja, Cuisinart, Homefavor, Farberware, Zwilling, JA Henckels, Aura, Korin, Wüsthof, Material Kitchen, Misen, and Mercer. Of these knives, there were a few clear leaders, but most were solidly designed, and only one stood out as bad.
The Mac, Wusthof, Made In, and Global knives were the clear favorites for quality and performance. If you’re serious about adopting a high-end chef’s knife, any of these three will do. Mercer, Zwilling, and — to a lesser extent — Victorinox offered solid performance and well-balanced products for beginners looking for a bargain (the Victorinox chef’s knife gets a lot of love online for its value and construction, but it’s more expensive than the Mercer and not rather (as well as balanced).
The Classic Chef’s Knife from JA Henckels resembles the Wusthof Classic, but the small differences in balance and design make it a much less pleasant knife to use regularly.
The Cuisinart, Material, and Homefavor knives were sturdier than their cheaper competitors, but they didn’t stand out in any category. The JA Henckels classic, which seems like a natural winner given its reasonable price tag and similar design to the more expensive Wusthof classic, really disappointed me. It’s also a workhorse of a knife, but the butt is heavier than it should be, so heavy prep becomes tiring and chopping feels uncomfortable.
The Farberware knife was the worst of the bunch: it’s so poorly balanced that we ended the chicken test halfway through to be safe. The handle is light, placing the knife’s center of gravity a few inches below the blade. That makes almost any type of prep, from slicing and dicing to chopping and deboning chicken, awkward at best and dangerous at worst. In short, don’t buy this knife and don’t buy it if you’re looking for a budget knife.
Some of the chef’s knives we tested.
A chef’s knife can be your best friend in the kitchen, especially if you find the right size. Take your time, figure out exactly what you want from your chef’s knife, and invest in quality. You can keep buying those generic $10 knives at the store every time your blade gets dull, but if you’re serious about upping your kitchen game, a quality chef’s knife is one of the best investments you can make.
