Avoid All Kitchen Knives Except These 7

Companies and Brands

Excellent Japanese chef's knife from Damascus steel. View from above — Andy Gin / Shutterstock.com

Published: March 29, 2024 10:30 am

Picking the best kitchen knife can feel like a big task. There is a lot of marketing, a lot of variations, and a lot of brands out there. We went ahead and made the process simple for anyone looking for a new kitchen knife. When picking a kitchen knife, there are a few things to remember. First, don’t get a set. You really only need a quality chef’s knife; if you want something specific, opt for a paring and then a bread knife. Seriously, ditch the set. Second, make sure the brand you choose is known for something quality (not the same thing as price, note). We’ve laid out some of our favorite picks below. Let’s get started.

To compile this list, 24/7 used crowd-sourced data from the r/cooking subreddit, the r/cookingforbeginners subreddit, and some expert opinions from our writers and editors. Our list goes from worst to best, although it’s important to remember that the “best” may not be the best for everyone.

7. Victorinox

Cutting Zucchini using Victorinox Knife — Victorinox is a Swiss brand that many people know from Swiss Army Knives.

Victorinox gained brand recognition through its lineup of Swiss Army Knives and still retains that association today. The Swiss brand has been creating knives for a very long time, and are well-regarded in the kitchen as quality knife-makers.

More than Swiss Army Knives

While they are known for multi-use knives, they are massively popular in kitchens around the world for the quality chef’s knives they produce. An 8-inch chef’s knife is the real workhorse of a kitchen, home or professional, and Victorinox is easily one of the best value brands out there. If you are determined to spend $50 on a knife, the Fibrox is about as good as it gets in that price range.

6. Mercer

Close-up of a chef's hands with a knife slicing parsley on a cutting board. Side view. Delicious and healthy food — Mercer has great knives at a really reasonable price point.

Mercer is what we would consider a step up from entry or beginner-level chef knives. The brand offers lots of cooking products, but its knives have helped bring them to the forefront in many ways. For most of their knives, Mercer uses VG-10 steel, which is an affordable option but not remarkable. At least they tell us, whereas many other brands just use even worse steel and don’t list it.

Sneaky Great Quality

Chopping and slicing mushrooms with a sharp chef's knife on a wooden cutting board — Mercer is often used in commercial kitchens.

Many cooking schools use Mercer cause they can take a beating and are still well-made at a good price. The brand is German-style (for most of the styles), and options like the Renaissance, Genesis, and a few others are good options.

5. Misen

Kitchen Preparation. Dinner being prepared by a home chef in a chef's home kitchen. Fresh Vegetables, cheese, tomatoes and herbs being chopped, diced and sliced on a wooden cutting board. — Misen creates professional knives for home cooks.

Misen launched to try and give home cooks access to reasonably priced professional-quality tools to home cooks, and they do a pretty good job. From stainless steel cookware to knives, Misen does a great job of straddling the line of quality and luxury while not giving a home chef something they don’t need and forcing them to pay for it.

Modern Value and Ease

Honing Chef Knife/Close up of hand working Japanese chef knife against #1000 water stone using proper method & angle — It’s hard to find a knife for home cooks that offers the quality of Misen.

The Misen 8-inch chef’s knife is one of the most recommended mid-level knives available. For around $90, it’s going to be much higher quality than something like a Victorinox while offering better steel for a longer-lasting edge. As a daily driver for someone who just wants something that works, Misen does a fantastic job.

4. Lamson

Many different knives and board on wooden table, top view. Space for text

Source: New Africa / Shutterstock.com

Lamson is one of the real step-ups on our list and is solidly in the mid to mid-high end of cutlery. The brand is German-styled and is regarded as among the best within its price range. They offer standard chef’s knives, along with specialty options and influencer partnerships.

Balanced and Reasonable

Chinese chopping knife with green onions on a wood cutting board. — Lamson offers an array of products and signature collaborations with popular chefs.

While it sounds silly to recommend a brand’s influencer partnerships, this is an example where that is the case. Lamson partnered with Brad Leone and created a Signature Series Chinese Santoku Cleaver, and people are somewhat divided on it. It’s a workhorse that doubles as a bench scraper (stop, don’t comment that you aren’t supposed to scrape, we don’t care.). Besides the signature options, Lamson’s standard 8-inch chef’s knives are also solid. Also, if it’s within your budget, getting a forged knife will almost always be better than getting a pressed/stamped knife, and Lamson offers both.

3. Hedley & Bennett

Chef's hands cutting red fresh tomato on a wooden board — Hedley & Bennett is a popular and well-known brand for great chef’s knives.

Hedley & Bennett is a maker of high-quality chef’s gear. Unlike most of our steel so far, Hedley & Bennett uses Japanese steel, which is quite common in high-end knives. As a result, many professional chefs use Hedley & Bennett, at least at the more common level.

On the Higher End

Chopped chives on cutting board with chef's knife and chopped tomatoes — Hedley & Bennett is a kitchen supplier for both professional and home-cooks.

Hedley & Bennett is certainly on the higher end when it comes to knives, but it isn’t a full-on luxury purchase like the last two on our list. The standard 8-inch chef’s knife is going to run $100+, but you get what you pay for here. Also, it’s AUS-10 steel is solid, not incredible, but solid.

2. MAC

Closeup of chef hands preparing japanese food. Japanese chef making sushi at restaurant. Young chef making traditional japanese sushi on cuting board . — MAC makes both German and Japanese-style knives.

MAC is a chef’s knife brand that is a workhorse in kitchens all over, and it’s still really affordable. They make both Japanese knives, which essentially means the steel is higher carbon and usually harder, and German knives, which are a bit softer and thicker-bladed.

A Versatile Pick

Cooking juicy beef steak by chef hands on dark black background with copy space for text menu or recipe. — There are a few price ranges for MAC knives, but they can be on the higher end for their nicer lines.

MAC’s 7.25-inch chef’s knife is a wonderful pick that only costs ~$70. The MTH-80 is a little more expensive, topping out around $175+. Regardless of which one you get, MAC makes great knives and can be slightly customized, depending on what you prefer. The most notable Japanese knives from MAC are the Santoku and the aptly named “Japanese Series.”

1. Wüsthof

Chef Knife Isolated — Wüsthof makes some of the most well-regarded knives around.

Wüsthof is easily one of the most renowned knife-makers around today. Making German-styled knives (if you couldn’t tell from the name), Wüsthof is a high-end brand that makes knives for both professional and home-use.

Legendary Status

Set of kitchen knives on a board, top view — While some may say they are too expensive, it’s hard to deny that many top chefs prefer the brand.

You are gonna pay a little more for a Wüsthof than you will for other knife brands, but that has a lot to do with brand association. Wüsthof does get some flack in some online communities for being overpriced for what you get, but that doesn’t stop them from being a quality brand at the end of the day. There are nicer, more specialty knives out there, but Wüsthof is easily one of the most accessible with solid quality. Also, they have a fantastic warranty.

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