Top 10 Best Chef Knives September 2023

The 10 Best Chef Knives

A modern Chef’s Knife is a multipurpose knife. It is designed to perform well at many kitchen tasks, rather than one specific task in particular. It can be used for mincing, slicing, dicing, and chopping vegetables or fruits, slicing meat, or disjointing large cuts.
Not only that, but it is the Swiss Knife and the “workhorse” of the Kitchen.
Here you find our 10 Best Chef Knives!

Lamson Fire Forged 8-inch Chef Knife

The Lamson Fire Forged 8-inch Chef Knife is the workhorse of the kitchen. Its broad blade dices, slices, and chops fruits, vegetables, and meats while protecting knuckles from hitting the cutting board. The blade is forged from the finest high-carbon stainless steel from Solingen, Germany (Grade 4116). The sleek, sturdy handles come in different materials. The pictures show the Acrylic handle of the Fire Series. You can also choose the resin-infused ebony handle (Earth Series) or a natural wood handle. (Rosewood Series, Silver Series).

The blades are precision-forged using the traditional hot-drop method. This makes it easier to temper them to the perfect hardness, resulting in a harder, sharper blade that is both corrosion resistant and highly elastic. Full tang blades with triple riveted handles ensure the ideal balance and weight. A curved and recessed bolster provides a seamless transition from handle to blade, as well as comfortable thumb support for better control and safety. This knife is backed by the Sharp for LifeTM program. It supplies a lifetime of complimentary professional sharpening on every knife Lamson makes. This makes the Lamson Fire Forged 8″ Chef Knife “the best knife made in the USA” for Mike. He owns the Lamson Earth Forged 10-Piece Block Set, and he swears he never will have another block in his kitchen.

Wusthof Classic 8-Inch Chef’s Knife

For the enthusiast that loves a classic heavy German Chef Knife

Solingen in Germany has been the home of master blacksmiths for over 2000 years. And Wüsthof is part of it for over 200 years. A lot of time to perfect the Wusthof Classic 8-Inch Chef’s Knife.
The knife is forged from a single piece of chromium-molybdenum-vanadium steel. It is tempered to 58⁰ Rockwell and finally buffed by hand.
Each knife is sharpened to precision with a laser technology Wusthof calls PEtec to achieve the ultimate sharpness.

The full bolster helps to balance the knife and makes working with it very safe. The knife is full tang and is triple riveted to the handle for superb control of it. The black handle is made from Polyoxymethylene. This is a very durable synthetic material that has a tight molecular structure to resist fading and discoloration. The handle has is curved slightly downwards at the heel to avoid slipping. The knife is approved by the National Sanitary Foundation (NSF).
As you might know by now – I am a huge fan of the Wusthof knives, and particularly of the Classic line. My Wusthof Classic knives are old and have an old design. But they are still so good that I really can not replace them with the new line. This is a knife you will give to your children and their children can still use it.

ZWILLING Professional “S” 8-Inch Chef’s Knife

For the Chef that loves a German knife that is a bit lighter

The ZWILLING Professional “S” 8-Inch Chef’s Knife is from one of the two bigger manufacturers in Solingen, Germany. The knife is made from one-piece precision-forged high-carbon steel. Zwilling calls its method Sigmaforge. It does provide a great geometry, high precision, and improves the stability of the blade and steel structure. This improves the edge retention for long-lasting sharpness. The blades are ice-hardened. This improves the no-stain properties and adds more blade strength as well as improved resistance to corrosion and pitting. The bolster provides weight, insures safety, and adds balance to the knife. The fully visible tang construction provides proper balance and strength. The knife is a bit forward-weighted thanks to the light handle. The handle has is curved slightly downwards at the heel to avoid slipping. The Triple-riveted Novodur handle is dishwasher safe, but we do recommend that you handwash knives only.

The blade has a 57 Rockwell hardness and holds the edge quite well. The edge angle is 15 degrees per side. The knife weighs 9.8 ounces and is one of the heavy knives on this page.

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Enso HD 8-inch Chef’s Knife

For the enthusiast that is willing to spend a bit more time caring for the knife

The first thing you notice when looking at the Enso HD 8-inch Chef’s Knife is the hammered finish of the blade. This reduces sticking, which is good. But that does come with one downside: it requires more care because those pits, if not cared for could conceivably allow bacteria to grow under certain conditions. But this should not be a big problem since you should clean and dry your knife after every use anyhow.

This knife is made by the famous Yaxell company in Seki, Japan. Yaxell is known to make some superb professional quality knives. The Enso HD is very similar to a Yaxell Gou. But it costs only half of what the Yaxell Zen costs.

Yaxell uses Japanese VG10 steel for the cutting core. The steel has a Rockwell Hardness of 61 and ensures excellent edge retention. Packed around the core are 37-layer stainless Damascus layers with hammered (tsuchime) finish. The blade is hand ground to a 12° cutting angle. It has a double bevel (50/50) edge for right or left-handed use.
These knives are full tang for added strength and durability. The knife has a black canvas micarta handle with three stainless steel rivets, a bolster, and a steel end cap. The black canvas micarta has a similar look and feels like wood but will last longer. The balance of the knife is fantastic.
All Enso chef’s knives come with a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects.

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Global G-2 8-Inch Classic Chef’s Knife

If you love a thin and flexible blade

For the knives, Global only uses stainless steel called CROMOVA 18 (Chromium, Molybdenum, and Vanadium). This steel was designed exclusively for Global. The blade of the Global Classic Chef Knife is constructed of a single piece of steel. It has a unique convex edge for a really good performance. It is sharpened on both sides, like Western knives, but to a 15-degree angle. The blade is very light and super thin, and the whole knife weighing in at only six ounces.
The blade is ice tempered and hardened to Rockwell C56 – C58 degrees which hold the edge of the blade quite long.
Usually, Japanese knives are more balanced toward the blade. That is why most come with a light wood handle. Not so the Global knives! Global knives are perfectly balanced, so you will have optimal control of the knife. To achieve this, the hollow handles are filled with sand to the desired weight. The handles are quite ergonomic and made from stainless steel with the Global signature dimple pattern. They offer a comfortable, slip-resistant grip.

If you have bigger hands like me, you might want to try the knife first. I have no trouble working with it for a few hours. But if you use this knife for your job, you might look for an alternative with a bigger handle.

Shun Cutlery Classic 8-Inch Western Cook’s Knife

For the experienced chef

In Japanese, “Shun” (shoon) is the word used to describe local, seasonal food when it is at the peak of its flavor and freshness. In the world of knives, it would be at the peak of its perfection. This is what they aim for with their knives as well. And this knife might be just the right one to fit the name.
Shun combined for this handcrafted knife classic style Western Chef’s Knife blade with its Japanese construction style of the blade and handle. They call it the Shun Cutlery Classic Western Cook Knife.
The knife has a full tang, which means that the blade extends through the handle. This allows for better control and together with the bolster for a great balance of the knife. The blade is thin and fragile if you compare it with a knife made in Germany. You should not use this knife for heavy-duty tasks.

Shun knives are constructed of 2 types of metal. They use VG-Max for the core of the blade. 34 layers of Stainless Damascus Cladding on both sides of the VG-Max blade core adds more stability to it. Stain and corrosion resistance of the blade is also improved. This Shun Chef Knife has a 22° cutting angle instead of the 16° cutting angle of the rest of the Shun Classic series. The moisture-resistant Pakkawood handle provides a comfortable grip, so you can control the knife very easily as you cut.

DALSTRONG Shogun 9.5-Inch Chef’s Knife

For the chef that loves a Damascus knife with a G-10 handle

The DALSTRONG Shogun 9.5-inch Chef’s Knife is a bit longer and has a slight curve to its belly. The blade is 2.2 mm thick and the whole knife is quite light for its size. The knives of the Shogun Series are precision-forged from a single piece of Japanese high-carbon AUS-10V steel with 66-alternating layers of SUS410 Damascus cladding. They get a vacuum heat treatment for stain resistance and durability. And cryogenic tempering with liquid nitrogen increases the steel’s crystalline structure, enhancing strength, flexibility, and hardness. The blade reaches 62+ Rockwell hardness.

The knives are hand-polished and hand-finished in the Honbazuke 3-step method. This creates a beautiful mirror polished edge at 8-12 degrees per side. Since the knife has only a small bolster, you can use the full length of the blade to work.
The full tang knife has an ergonomic G-10 Garolite handle. The handle has is curved slightly downwards at the heel to avoid slipping. Even after hours of working with this knife, you will have a smile on your face. That is how good I find that handle. It is Triple riveted for even more resilience.
The knife is super balanced with a stainless steel end cap.

Mac Knife MTH-80 Professional 8-Inch Hollow Edge Chef’s Knife

If you want nonstick coating on your Chef Knife

The Mac Knife MTH-80 Professional 8-Inch Hollow Edge Chef’s Knife is very different from the other knives on this page. The blade features dimples and is made from high-carbon Chrome Molybdenum Vanadium alloy, with Tungsten. They help the knife to glide easier through sticky foods such as potatoes, apples, and summer squash. Similar to the Global the Mac knife has a really thin blade. This means less wedging into cuts. The added bolster on the handle adds weight and balance to this full tang knife.
Triple-riveted Pakkawood handles that are curved slightly downwards at the heel to avoid slipping. The knife is made in Japan.

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Victorinox Fibrox 8-Inch Chefs Knife

Excellent value for your money

For most people, Victorinox stands for its world-famous Swiss Army Knife. But they do make a lot of other knives as well. The Victorinox Fibrox 8 Inch Chef’s Knife is made in Switzerland with a tapered straight stainless steel edge that cuts with ease and efficiency. The handle is made from thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) and is non-slip. It does work well for small and bigger hands. The handle has is curved slightly downwards at the heel to avoid slipping. The National Sanitary Foundation (NSF) approved knife is weighted and balanced for easy handling. The knife is quite light with only 6.1 oz. It is quite easy to work with. It is dishwasher safe, but we still recommend handwashing and dry after use.

Victorinox gives a lifetime warranty against defects in material and workmanship.

Mercer Culinary Genesis 8-Inch Chef Knife

Very good Beginners Chef Knife

The Mercer Culinary Genesis 8-Inch Chef Knife is in the same price range as the Victorinox Chef knife. And you do get a lot for your dollars!
Made from high carbon x50 Cr Mo V15 forged steel from Soligen, Germany. This saves the knife from stains, rust, corrosion, and discoloration. With the full tang that runs the entire length of the handle, the knife has a nice balance. Mercer Culinary taper-ground the edge for added stability, easy honing, and long-lasting sharpness. On the Rockwell scale, the blade is HRC 56 +/-1 and the blade angle is 15 degrees. Since the knife has only a small bolster, you can use the full blade, and it is easy to sharpen as well.

The knife has a Santoprene handle that is curved slightly downwards at the heel to avoid slipping. The Mercer Culinary Genesis is NSF certified.

If you need more information about the Chef’s Knife in general: All about the Chef’s Knife