Erin Elizabeth
One of the important tools in the kitchen is a durable chef’s knife waiting in their knife block. Its versatility means you can use it to prepare meat, veggies, fruit, garlic, herbs, and much more.
The question is, which knives are worth the investment? Find out below in this list of the eight best chef’s knives you can add to your cutlery collection.
Best Chef’s Knife
Check out our list of top-rated chef’s knives. These knives are perfect for both professional chefs and home cooks.
Wusthof Classic 8-Inch Chef’s Knife
Wusthof’s Classic 8-inch chef’s knife is an all-rounder in the kitchen.
This knife features a handle made of resilient synthetic material that instantly felt comfortable when I held it.
With this knife in hand, it was a breeze mincing, chopping, or cutting meat, fruit, and vegetables.
This design has been tweaked and improved over the years to its current style.
I wasn’t surprised when I learned that this knife has an HRC rating of 58, which puts it in the professional category of cookware.
This rating, determined by the Rockwell Hardness rating, gives consumers an idea of the quality of the product.
Wusthof offers a lifetime warranty and free returns for their products.
Made In 8 Inch Chef Knife
Made In 8-Inch chef knife is a fully-forged, nitrogen-treated chef knife.
It is constructed as one piece of stainless steel, from the tip through the hilt, and can cut through anything.
The blade is nitrogen-treated, giving it its HRC rating of 58. The total length of this knife is 13 inches, the blade taking up approximately 8.5 of that.
You can order this knife in three colors; red, black, and light wood. I chose red for its distinctive shade, which really popped in my kitchen.
As I worked, I could tell that this knife was in its element slicing, dicing, chopping, and mincing.
It would also be great at deboning meat and scoring dough. Made In allows returns within 45 days of purchase, and all of their knives are produced in Thiers, France.
Misen Chef’s Knife
Misen chef’s knife is made with premium high-carbon stainless steel, offering a better balance between lasting sharpness and durability.
It combines the best features of Western- and Japanese-style blades.
Compared to most Western-style knives with an edge angle of 25 degrees, Misen’s knife has a 15-degree angle for a sharper cutting face.
I appreciated the accuracy while making a lunch that required very fine prepping.
One tip: avoid dishwashers. I keep this blade looking and acting brand new by washing and drying immediately after use.
Misen offers returns within 60 days of purchase but does offer a lifetime guarantee. If you send the knife back, Misen will cover the cost of returning the product.
Shun Classic Western 8-Inch Chef’s Knife
Shun’s classing Western 8-inch chef’s knife is ideal for heavier duty kitchen tasks.
It is made of VG-MAX steel, making it wear and corrosion-resistant. You can use this knife for tough tasks while cooking, such as cutting through winter squash.
While I don’t do a lot of heavy-duty cooking, Shun’s knife still excels at simple tasks like slicing and dicing softer foods.
The ebony-finished handle is beautiful. When I first opened the box, I couldn’t help admiring the quality.
But, most importantly, it feels comfortable in the hand (it’s also ambidextrous) and doesn’t collect bacteria.
Shun’s knife has a 22-degree cutting angle which differs from the rest of their knives which sit at 16 degrees.
This less acute angle gives it the strength needed to tackle large ingredients, like heads of cabbage.
Victorinox Fibrox Pro Chef’s Knife
Victorinox fibrox pro chef’s knife is a Swiss-made 8-inch knife ideal for carving meat.
It has a comfortable, non-slip handle and optimal weight and balance because of its extra-wide blade.
You can easily slice grilled meat and other foods as needed. I like the simplicity of this knife as it can work with all ingredients.
In my opinion, it’s best seen as a replacement for a knife set, but it does its job well and efficiently.
I loved how it felt in my hand. This knife only weighs 6.1 ounces and that is something I quickly noticed when I got to work in the kitchen.
Victorinox offers a lifetime warranty with their knives. Keep in mind that damage caused by normal wear and tear, misuse, or abuse is not covered in this guarantee.
J.A. Henckels Classic 8-Inch Chef’s Knife
J.A. Henckels classic 8-inch chef’s knife is a workhorse and one of the best chef’s knives on the market.
I’ve had one for as long as I can remember, and can never fault its versatility and fine edge.
Let me tell you that it’s just as at home dicing up apples as it is chopping potatoes or cutting up meat.
It is made from high-quality stainless steel with a satin finish. The blade to handle is flawless, giving it extra durability, and I love the sleekness.
This knife is easy to pick up and use in any kitchen. Weighted balance is always something I look for, and Henckels impressed me on that front.
The handle is ergonomic and triple-riveted, providing balance and comfort. These knives have an HRC rating between 55 to 58, placing them in the professional category.
Kramer by Zwilling 8-Inch Chef’s Knife
Carbon 2.0 Kramer by Zwilling 8-inch chef’s knife is a reliable and all-rounder knife.
It is Bob Kramer’s latest evolution in knife design; it has a redesigned blade shape that offers improved weight distribution and balance.
The blade is straight carbon steel and goes through a special hardening process to make it strong enough for any task.
I found the rivets to be an unusual sensation at first. However, once I adjusted my grip, it was evident that this was a quality blade and intuitive to use.
I could feel the difference in smoothness when chopping up tomatoes.
Its handle is micarta and includes brass rivets, and a Bob Kramer mosaic pin. It scores a 61 on the Rockwell Hardness test, making it extremely durable.
This knife requires special care to maintain because it is made of straight carbon steel and should not be put in a dishwasher.
Tojiro DP Gyutou
Tojiro DP Gyutou chef’s knives come in multiple lengths from 7 inches to 10.75 inches.
The most common knife size is 8, however, Tojiro DP offers 8.25 inches as the closest comparison.
These knives are made with a VG-10 super steel core encased between two layers of rust-resistant stainless steel.
It maintains a 60 on the Rockwell Hardness test and has a blade angle of between 9-12 degrees on each side. Now, this knife is super sharp.
It’s something to keep in mind before investing in this exquisitely thin blade. You may notice that when cleaning it with a sponge.
Of course, that does make the Tojiro ideal for slicing, dicing, chopping, and mincing vegetables and poultry.
It was a breeze cutting up a leg of lamb and slicing tomatoes was effortless.
Global G-2 8-Inch Chef Knife
Global G-2 8-inch chef’s knife is a multipurpose knife that’s perfect for prepping, cutting, slicing, and chopping, slicing.
I often use this knife at home and have never had any issues. One thing I love about the Global is that it is easy to maintain and sharpen as needed.
The steel is seamless and has a convex edge for phenomenal performance. Its handle is hollowed and sand-filled, offering ideal weight and balance. So, no matter what, I feel like I’m in control.
This knife scores an HRC rating between 56 and 58, illustrating that it stays sharp longer than most other steel options.
The handle is made of stainless steel and has added dimples to create a comfortable and slip-resistant grip.
What is a Chef’s Knife?
A chef’s knife can take the place of nearly any other knife in a kitchen. If you are not looking to purchase a set of cooking knives, invest in a durable and long-lasting knife. It is a true multifaceted tool in the kitchen.
You can use a chef’s knife for smaller jobs like chopping herbs or mincing garlic and large jobs like dicing an onion or slicing a ham. Throughout a recipe, you will most likely be able to use this knife for all of your chopping, cutting, slicing, and dicing needs.
When searching for your next chef’s knife, I recommend looking at the HRC score. This score based on the Rockwell Hardness test measures the steel’s resistance to permanent distortion.
Anything between 52 and 54 typically means you have an inexpensive knife that can do the job. Knives with HRC scores between 55 and 64 are premium.
The HRC score is important, but you should also consider which style of knife you prefer. Japanese knives have thinner blades for better precision but may not be able to cut through large vegetables or meats like a Western-blade can.
Final Thoughts
Finding the perfect chef’s knife is a great way to step up your cooking. Having one in your arsenal allows you to perform all the prep stages of cooking a meal.
It also takes the place of an entire knife block if you are not ready to spend the money on multiple knives.
While we have listed the best chef’s knives on the market, be sure to research which is most suited to your cooking style. Once you’ve found the blade for you, your next step will be to get busy in the kitchen!
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