Best Kitchen Knives

Wonderful, High Quality, Super Sharp 7 piece Set – Hubby and I purchased this stunning 7 piece Chef X Kurai set during the New Year Sales, subsequently getting very good value for our dollar. We… Read more

purchased them from Myer, and we understand they’re exclusive to Myer.

Firstly, visually, it’s very appealing, and looks solid and strong. The Ash Wood storage block unit looks great, finished beautifully and looks of a high quality. It’s the perfect accompaniment to the knives itself, which, because they’re made from high quality Japanese Stainless Steel, really puts them in a class of their own. Stunningly crafted, I love the TPR handle with the deep grooves which ensures slip resistance, even with wet hands.

The Set includes knives for just about everything you’re ever likely to need on the kitchen when preparing meals. (Chef’s Knife 20cm, Bread Knife 20cm, Carving Knife 20cm, Santoku Knife 16cm, Utility Knife 12.5cm, Paring Knife 8.5cm) all of which are beautifully encased in the pre-cut slots in the high quality Ash Wood storage block.

These knives are surprisingly super lightweight despite their somewhat bulky appearance, and, I found out the hard way, they are incredibly sharp, so much so, that I actually cut my finger badly on the first use. So, customers need to be aware of how sharp they are and use with caution. They are a modern, sleek and stylish addition to our kitchen. It’s such a pleasure preparing food and cooking with this set. It comes with a “Lifetime “ warranty which is another significant indication of how good these knives are. Overall, we couldn’t be happier with our purchase.

I would have no hesitation in recommending this knife block set to anyone, whether they are an experienced cook, or just as a starter kit because it’s great for both. Just make sure fingers are well away from the cutting edge.

Wonderful knives! – I have been looking for another very good knife set for some years now, and I finally found a set that didn't break the bank! For $114.50 on sale… Read more

(half price), they are WELL worth the money! These knives are ultra sharp, light, comfortable to hold - they're very ergonomic - and they go in the dishwasher and are still super sharp afterwards! I've been wanting an Asian-style (santoku) knife for some years as well, because I didn't have one, but now I do :-) The slim wedge block fits so easily on the counter, too. The shape of these knives is fantastic. I can chop so easily. The tip of the knives rolls nicely, allowing for fast motion chopping. I've got a Mundial set at present, and they're very good, but the blades are quite thick. Great for chopping pumpkin, and tougher foods, but sometimes you want a thinner blade eg for chopping chicken meat. I wouldn't use the Stanley Rogers set for cutting really heavyset foods, as they feel a little too bendy for that, but they are fantastic for everyday chopping, which is what the vast majority of my cooking entails. About the only qualm I have is that that the bread knife seems a little too short in blade length, but it makes up for this by being super sharp. However, I have to watch I don't destroy my wooden chopping board now when I slice my fresh bread loaves! My arms and hands are grateful to have found lighter, easy to hold and easy to use knives, and my bank balance is also happy that I got them at such a good price! Highly recommend these knives. A great set to have.

I recently purchased a Kharve15Cm Forged Cooks knife I think its the best I have used so far. I cut up the meat and vegies . Previously I used a… Read more

15cm knife, so old the brand name was no longer present. It is a stamped blade but was able to take a near razor edge However my original knife is very light weight and the designed position of its handle relative to the blade edge never felt quite right. In contrast the Kharve blade fits my hand position naturally. Ergonomic was the word I was trying to think of.

Side by side to its predecessor the Kharve blade is 10mm deeper and its heavier because the blade is thicker. The Kharve blade just glides through the onions and tomatoes.

Tomatoes were slightly difficult for the old blade as the blade on a tomato ‘skidded:' on the skin before it started to cut.

When it comes to re sharpening the Kharve blade I don’t think I shall have problems. Its a chrome moly grade which obviously takes a great edge.

I paid $89 from Chefs Hat.

Great Knives – There are 8 knives in the set plus a steel and the block itself. The full retail price of $399 or thereabouts was probably a bit hopeful and they… Read more

were routinely available for $140 or so. At that price they are very good value indeed (this set is discontinued but I note you can still buy individual knives at $30-$40 each).

These look to be a copy of Wustof Classic Ikon, and they have done a great job:

- Bolsterles design

- Very cleanly forged

- Great heft and balance (except for mini chef knife)

- Good steel (same as Wustof DIN 1.4116, ice hardened HRC 55)

- Great factory edge

- Good looking block

After nearly a year of use there are no chips on the blades and the synthetic handles are like new (I don't put them in the dishwasher, that will weather the handles and blunt the edges). Now 8 knives is essentially too many - I really only use the Chef, Mini Chef and Paring knives. The bread knife is superfluous as either of Chef's cut crusty loaves easily. My only complaint about the design is the balance of the Mini Chef - it is handle heavy, whereas the Chef is completely neutral, would have been great if they were both the same (and neutral).

Edge retention is good. I started using the steel to stop them losing their edge, but probably could have prolonged that for 3 months or so. The steel makes the edge a little rough looking compared to the factory grind, however you can use a stone to get a completely clean edge again.

You can modify the grind (I've got mine re-edged to 15 degrees instead of the factory 20), but then retention does suffer noticeably - only do this if you like sharpening knives! However the usage does improve immensely (I note that the Wustof Ikon is edged at 15 degrees...so the steel is in theory able to handle it).

Probably worth noting that the bolsterless design (remember I said they are a copy of Wustof Classic Ikon), means you can cut yourself really seriously on the heel of the blade. Proper finger/hand guarding is needed, especially as the Chef's knife is heavy - if it gets you it will hurt!

Great balance of quality, price and finished product – Like many of us (amateur cooks) I could not see how I spend big on knives. Let's be honest, if there is a knife that does the job and doesn't require… Read more

a second mortgage to buy one - that's a great outcome... Well, maybe... Recent events around the world made us stay home more. As a result I found myself in the kitchen more than I ever imagined I'd be. This is when I discovered that my budget, no name knives, were not doing a good job at all. I started researching what can I afford to buy so cooking will be a pleasant task again? My research led me to fenomenon that many refer to as a "rabbit hole". To conclude - there is NO such thing as a "best knife". There are a couple simple characteristics of knives people refer to when they choose one, let's unwrap them. 1. Cutting ability. Simple, right? Not so much. There are serrated knives, straight knives, funky shaped knives, big, small, heavy, light etc. Well, if you're not going for the cheapest knife, most of them cut well. However, different shapes, sizes and forms are for different cutting. So there, no perfect knife here - you most likely need multiple knives to cover all bases. 2. Stainless steel (corrosion resistance). Without going to the chemistry of blade composition, most medium range knives from reputable brands will ensure that. However, any composition that will use metals that prevent rusting will compromise blade hardness in one shape or another. Again, no best knife here 3. Hardness (how long it will stay sharp). Long story short... Hard knives are brittle, they need skills to work with, they're not for everyone. Softer knives are great, but will need frequent sharpening. No best winner here. All above leads me to the point where instead of choosing brand of knives or how they look like I'd suggest focusing on blade chemical composition or as people refer to - hardness. After assessing my cooking skills and available budget I decided that 420j2 or 56HRC steel is good enough for my needs and won't be too hard on my finances. Here is how I ended up with something that I call - value for money product: Baccarat Damashiro Bodo 10 Piece Japanese Steel Knife Block. The set is affordable, handles household chemicals well, can be sharpened at home (no need to visit a specialist) and performs superbly for what it is. The set also includes a magnetic cutting board, which is an added bonus. I'm under no illusion that this set is NOT the best set of knives out there. However, what is the best knife? :-) There are many forums that focus on Brands rather than on steel, or or rubbishing 420j2 steel altogether. Well, it is "budget" still that is sufficient enough for many. Hence I won't hesitate to recommend Baccarat Damashiro Bodo 10 Piece Japanese Steel Knife Block with Chopping Board to anyone who is not pro cook by trade. Watch out this space for the "right price" if you are in the market for the set: https://amzn.to/3dTI47G Also, while you're there don't forget to get your sharpener that will save you time and money in the long run: https://amzn.to/2ZYfnhW

Global G-12 Cleaver - Perfect Match For Chef or Santoku – The design of the more standard Global knives (very thin blades, welded tang) mean that they can't really be abused the same way a western Chef's… Read more

knife can. Enter the G-12. Wow - this guy is solid! Featuring a forged construction (the lighter Globals are stamped), and while it too has a welded tang it is very beefy, so I've had no hesitancy about using it to smash through pumpkin, and pound garlic cloves (the latter using the flat of the blade).

It arrived not terribly sharp, but is easily sharpened (water stones seem to work best - I'm using Naniwa). I've got the edge ground 11 degrees and it works fabulously!

I ended up buying a number of Global knives (mainly out of interest in assessing them) - but you could get away with this guy plus a Chef or Santoku as your entire set.