We Tested the Best Chef's Knife for Every Type of Task

Our Favorite Chef's Knife

The Mac Professional Mighty Hollow Edge Knife lets anyone prep food as quickly and efficiently as a professional line cook in your very own home. We love how sharp the blade is and how consistently it can cut through any ingredient that comes your way. This is a fantastic choice if you want to invest in a high-quality chef's knife that can handle meat, vegetables, and fish.

Factors to Consider

Blade and Handle Style

When shopping for a chef's knife, there are traditionally two styles. Heavy-duty, German-style models are usually made with a curved belly that allows for a rocking, chopping motion in which the tip of the knife doesn't leave the cutting board. German knives typically have a heartier blade that lends itself to tough tasks like breaking down a whole chicken or slicing through dense squash. As a result, the knives are typically heavier and more durable.

Alternatively, Japanese knives are lightweight with a sharp, straight blade, which makes repetitive motions like rocking and chopping difficult. However, this blade style is ideal for making precise slices and cuts on several different types of foods. Some Japanese knives—like a Santoku knife—also feature dimples on the blade, which aim to prevent food from sticking.

In addition to the shape of the cutting edge, it's important to consider whether or not the blade has a bolster. Bolsters sit between the blade and the handle and act as a guard that protects your fingers from touching the sharp edge. They're common in German-style models and are particularly helpful for cooks who like to choke up on the knife handle. Though bolsters provide protection, they add weight and sometimes cause the knife to feel heavy or unbalanced.

Types of Steel

The type of metal your knife is made from can have major implications on blade sharpness and how easy it is to clean. The much-simplified big picture is that if you need an all-purpose 8-inch chef's knife—one that's in a reasonable price range and carried by most retailers—you have a choice between heavy-duty, German-style models that are usually made with slightly softer steel alloys (like high-carbon stainless steel), or lighter Japanese-style models, that are usually made with harder steel alloys (like Damascus steel). Neither is necessarily better than the other. They are just different, especially in terms of the way they feel and move in your hand.

Harder steel holds a sharper edge for a longer period of time but can be more difficult to sharpen once it gets dull. A very hard, sharp edge can also be more delicate and brittle than a softer one, making cutting up a heavy squash a little risky to the blade. A softer steel alloy, like those used in the German tradition, might be less sharp to begin with and get dull a little faster. However, it can be easier to re-sharpen, and therefore better for heavy-duty jobs—like splitting bone-in chicken breasts—without worrying that you'll damage the blade. Harder steel is generally sharper and more delicate, while softer steel is tougher. If you're shopping for a knife, ask where it falls on the Rockwell Hardness Scale. Low to mid-50s is on the softer end, mid-50s to low 60s is harder.

Balance

One of the most important aspects of a chef's knife is the balance between blade and handle. A knife with a heavy handle can strain your wrist, making long-term use painful and inefficient. Repetitive motions like chopping and slicing can be tiresome, so having a knife that is easy to control and maneuver is essential. The handle should not feel significantly heavier than the blade, and the knife should feel balanced from heel to tip. If you plan to use your knife frequently for prep work like slicing vegetables, chopping herbs, or mincing garlic, balance is a key factor to consider.

Our Chef's Knife Tests

We've been testing chef's knives for years, from early days in the test kitchen to our product testing lab and food editors' long-term insights after months of use. Most recently, we tried several new knives against classic quality brands we trust, and to date, we've tested over 80 different blades over the course of the past few years. Throughout our chef knife tests, we assess everything from how sharp the blades were to how balanced they felt from tip to heel. We also note the weight and grip of each handle and whether they felt heavy or light and slippery or sturdy. We checked how easy each blade is to clean and if the blades stain easily. We always include a few staple tasks to gather as many insights as possible.

Paper Test

To test sharpness out of the box, we conducted a paper-cutting test. Holding the paper tightly with one hand, we dragged the blade of each knife through the paper along the entire length of the blade. We assessed whether or not we could achieve a clean slice and evaluated how easily each blade could move through the paper, noting any snagging or tearing. This test helped us establish a baseline by determining how sharp each knife was directly out of the box, without any prior use.

Vegetable Tests

After completing the paper test, we ran each knife through a series of vegetable tests to see how they performed using different food textures. To test basic prep functionality, we diced an onion both coarsely and finely, which helped us assess the sharpness of the blade as well as how easy they were to use. We made sure to use both the blade tip and the blade's belly to determine if the edge was consistent.

Next, we evaluated each knife by cutting through a tomato whose skins are taut and slippery. Tomatoes are notoriously hard to cut without mashing them, and chefs often use a serrated knife to help manage the uncooperative skins. Therefore, they serve as an appropriate test of blade sharpness and handle grip. We noted which knives could achieve thin, even slices and which caused the skins to wrinkle and tear.

Lastly, we used each knife to cube one of the densest vegetables we could find: a butternut squash. Cutting a thick, heavy vegetable allowed us to assess handle grip, balance, weight, and blade sharpness. Though lightweight knives are typically preferable, having a heavy-duty knife can make tough tasks easier and safer. (You can also check out the best vegetable knives while you're shopping around, especially if you eat a lot of veggies.)

Other Chef's Knives We Tested

Strong Contenders

Global 8-Inch Chef's Knife: If you're most comfortable with a very lightweight knife and want one that's easy to care for, this is a solid option. It's made of just one piece of metal, including the handle, which is hollow and filled with sand. The specific construction makes the knife feel perfectly balanced from heel to tip. Because the handle isn't weighted down with any extra material—like rivets—the knife feels sleek and ergonomic in our hands. The metal handle has dimples to provide a safe grip, and while some cooks think it gets slippery when used to cut chicken, meat, or anything juicy, we didn't find that to be the case. We found cleaning easy, though some ingredients left spots on the metal. (amazon.com, $160)

Material 8-Inch Knife: Adding a simply designed, low-maintenance knife to your toolkit without making a major investment is easier than you think, and this option from Material is still a good choice. We found it ultra sharp when cutting through paper and vegetables and had no trouble breaking down tough ingredients like butternut squash. Though the design is attractive, note that classically trained cooks might find some tasks awkward with the smooth, long handle. We also noted some stains and water marks when cleaning it, so hand wash thoroughly after each use. (materialkitchen.com, $85)

Kiwi Chef's Knife: Despite the extremely low list price, the Kiwi performed well during testing. It's only partial-tang, so it won't have the same longevity as high-end knives. Though the blade is great the handle doesn't feel as secure, which is why we wouldn't recommend it over other affordably priced knives. (amazon.com, $12)

Takamura Santoku 170mm: One of the most popular gift knives sold by Coutelier, a knife shop in New Orleans, this high-performance santoku offers tremendous value for its high-end craftsmanship. “These are incredibly well made by the Takamura brothers out of Echizen in Northwestern Japan,” said Jacqueline Blanchard, owner of Coutelier. “They’re third generation and known for their amazing quality stainless steel production.” Due to this santoku’s slightly shorter blade, it has the added bonus of being comfortable for cooks with any size hands–whether you’re gifting or receiving. (couteliernola.com, $170)

Masamoto VG Santoku Knife: The affordability of this knife makes it a great gateway into the world of santokus. Plus, the Western-style handle offers a balanced feel that will be familiar to cooks who are accustomed to Western chef’s knives. The clean, no-frills design and hyper-sharp edge make this knife a workhorse–use it for everything from pushing through thick cuts of meat to carefully slicing vegetables. (chefknivestogo.com, $180)

Shun Classic Western Chef's Knife: We've been impressed with the quality of this knife as well as the sharpness of the blade. It easily slid through the paper test and achieved precise, thin, consistent cuts in the vegetable tests. The Western-style knife from Shun is slightly heavier than the Classic Blonde, which is one of the reasons we didn't select it as a top choice. Otherwise, this is a fantastic knife for any home cook willing to invest in a high-end knife. ($170, williams-sonoma.com)

Oxford Chef Kiritsuke Chef's Knife 8-Inch: This Japanese-style knife is still a good choice for any home cook trying to practice their professional knife skills. Throughout our tests, this knife stood out for its ability to glide easily through any cutting surface. We loved how the blade tip was just as sharp as the belly, which let them use it like a paring knife for tasks like mincing garlic and carving out seeds in butternut squash. We did find it is on the heavier side compared to some other knives on this list, and there are knives similarly priced that performed equally well without the extra weight. ($90, amazon.com)

Victorinox 6-Inch Fibrox Pro Chef's Knife: This is an excellent choice for the price. It's sharp and strong—it easily cuts through onions and butternut squash—but we didn't find it particularly nimble when working with delicate vegetables like tomatoes. Despite its sharpness out of the box, our long-term testing revealed that the blade dulls easily and needs to be sharpened more frequently than others. It's still an affordable knife that is lightweight and durable — essential characteristics in any good chef's knife. ($30, amazon.com)

Victorinox Grand Maitre Chef's 8-Inch Chef's Knife: This knife excelled in our tests and had no trouble slicing through paper, tomato, onions, or garlic. The maple wood handle is sturdy, slip-free, and attractive, but the knife is heavy. We noticed that streaks and spots were left on the blade after cleaning. We feel it's a little too expensive for what it is, and better knives are available at the same price point. ($125, amazon.com)

What Didn't Make the List

• Imarku Chef Knife: We found this lightweight knife attractive and comfortable to hold. Though easily sliced through delicate foods, it struggled with heftier ingredients like butternut squash. It's an affordable option, but we'd recommend spending a little more for a higher-quality knife.
• Kramer Zwilling Euroline Essential Collection 8-Inch Chef's Knife: Designed by Master Bladesmith Bob Kramer, this special collection has a rounded spine and wide blade for increased knuckle clearance. Though it proved to be durable for cutting dense vegetables, it's also heavy and slightly awkward for people with smaller hands.
• Misen 8-Inch Chef’s Knife: A hybrid of Western and Japanese styles, this knife is affordable and great for common tasks like smashing and mincing garlic. We had trouble when tackling tougher tasks like chopping butternut squash and noticed that food stuck to the blade. The handle also didn't feel sturdy enough to cut through large vegetables.
• Mercer Culinary Renaissance 8-Inch Forged Chef's Knife: This knife failed our first test. When attempting to test sharpness out of the box, it could not slice through paper and crumpled it. We had no trouble mincing garlic or cubing butternut squash but found it difficult to achieve uniform cuts in the tomato test but
• Mercer Culinary Millennia Black Handle Chef's Knife: We found this knife a bit uncomfortable and unbalanced. The shape of the handle made chopping difficult, and the strain on our wrists was evident. It did not cleanly slice through paper and struggled when chopping an onion.
• J.A. Henckels International Classic 8-Inch Chef's Knife: This chef's knife has a particularly long handle, making it awkward and uncomfortable in our hands. The blade isn't as sharp as others, and it did not pass our tests.
• Kyocera Revolution Ceramic 7-Inch Chef's Knife: This knife is lightweight and can cleanly cut typical ingredients. However, the blade has no flexibility, which we found to be a hindrance when cutting dense squash. We also noticed streaks and spots left behind on the blade after cleaning.
• Made In 8-Inch Chef's Knife: It's balanced from heel to tip and excels at simple tasks like chopping onions or mincing garlic. However, though this knife is on the heftier end, it struggled when cutting through dense squash.

Our Expertise

• Laura Denby is a former professional chef who has spent years cooking in professional and private kitchens throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Hamptons. A graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education with a degree in Culinary Arts, Laura now uses her experience in the kitchen to guide her expert product reviews for sites like Food & Wine and AllRecipes. Her writing can be found on FoodNetwork.com, Delish, Southern Living, Real Simple, and more.