8-Inch Chef Knife – High-Carbon German 1.4116 Steel Kitchen Knife – Professional Cutlery for Precise Slicing and Chopping

If you're a fan of the YouTube creator making these tools, I doubt that you need to hear my opinion on this but if you are not familiar with the creator who makes these tools then this review is for you. The knife is CRAZY quality for the price. He really COOKED (good one huh) with these knives. The handle is such a fantastic shape that fits in your hand nicely. The blade is large, sharp, and will keep its edge for quite a while. Completely easy to clean and dishwasher safe. Being high-carbon German steel, its made of about the same stuff that Wusthof knives are made of, which means it will last you quite a while. A quality knife is not based on how sharp it is out of the box, its how sharp it remains in 6 months and having quite a few of Babish's knives already, I can attest to the fact that they wont need to be sharpened but once a year. Incredible product, appears to me that years of research went into the creation of the knife.

After nearly two years of professional and home service, and some bungling practice on a whetstone, I am more than happy to endorse this knife as it is. At the price point, I was sure Andrew had tossed out a random cash grab through some basic influencer affiliate. It's been nearly two years and my knife stays shaving sharp for weeks after a fresh sharpening, and keeps its edge for months with little more than a quick hone. How is this a $20 knife? Perhaps because the blade is wafer thin, and the handle is minimalist. The temper is temperamental if you're silly enough to run it through the dishwasher - I bought a set for my parents and they lost edge retention in weeks because they couldn't help themselves. I personally don't enjoy the ergonomics of the handle; proper handling dictates the pinch point should be ON the blade, and the center of balance does feel to be in the right place for me, but that leaves an uncomfortable divot where my hand should be resting and likely gives new and amateur cooks the wrong impression of where a knife should be held during use. Other than that? $20 is a steal for this steel. It's a kindness. Chefs would be happy throwing it at new project or experiment, beginners can make every type of mistake with it and still have a quality blade to work with, and home cooks will finally learn how to not ruin the temper of their very nice and useful knives that their grateful son gifted them gosh dang it. The only niche I can imagine not appreciating the quality of steel for the cost is enthusiasts - this is hardly a collector's fantasy.

A decent quality knife, it came well packaged in a double box, plus Amazon packaged it in an additional box. From the manufacturer it had a small nick in the cutting edge and the tip was slightly bent despite a tip protector. I'd assume the damage was there before it was boxed by the manufacturer so it was lack of inspection before packaging

I'm a bit of a knife nerd. I'm not gonna be that guy that lists all my knives, but suffice to say this is on the board with some pretty premium cutlery. Here's why I adore this thing: Oh, quick note before starting. Get a sharpener. No kitchen knife stays sharp forever and a sharp knife makes a world of difference. Remember, at the end of the day all a premium knife does is stay sharp longer. If you just get good at sharpening this could be end game. I recommend the King double sided whetstone, and watch the Adam Ragusea sharpening video. And practice! Alright, why I love this knife! - Room For Growth Even if you upgrade later, this can stay in your collection to ram through joints or hammer through a hard squash when you'd feel bad doing that with your other knives. Or when you just want to do a quick task and put the knife in the dishwasher, you can! No exotic wood handle to shrink or high carbon steel to discolor! - Serious Geometry: This knife is well balanced and it feels great in the hand. There's no heal (where the bolster extends all the way down to the back of the blade) so you can easily sharpen the whole thing with a single whetstone. - Guest-Proof It lives on the magnet board next all my others. When guests come over who don't know how to treat a knife I can hand them this! It doesn't feel like an insult because it's still a serious knife and I keep it razor sharp so it performs beautifully. But then I can watch them cut a sandwich directly on a stoneware plate without even one tear rolling down my cheek! Just chuck it in the washer, sharpen again, and back it goes. - Excellent Durability It's a soft steel so it doesn't chip and it sharpens easily. Bit of a plus or minus here, but if you have a real knife like this you should also have a sharpener. There's really no task this thing can't do.

Very good geometry - good for rocking, chopping and slicing. Not too thick, so it does not wedge. Handle does not get in the way of sharpening, and is well shaped for a pinch grip. Knife is handle heavy, matter of preference. Needed a strop out of the box, but after doing so was hair popping sharp. steel is relatively soft, but hones quite well. Easy to sharpen.

By Bill Marsano, independent product tester and home cook. Anyone interested in value for money should consider this knife for its high quality, Japanese style (although it’s made in China) and impressively low price. I bought one for myself and another, later, as a gift. Both arrived very sharp out of the box and have stood up well to use by conscientious home cooks. (I have since bought and been pleased by Babish’s “Clef” and Santoku.) All are made from 1.4116 stainless steel, one of the cutlery industry's standard steels because of its stain-resistance, durability and ease of cleaning and honing. Edge retention is very good—treated well, the knives will stay sharp far longer that ‘bargain’ blades made of softer steel. Please note: a couple of fear-mongering reviews claim that the knife is dangerous because it is so sharp and has no bolster. This is ignorant nonsense. First, if you have used only very dull knives, you will need to go slowly with this or any other sharp knife. Second, the heel (back end) of the blade is perpendicular to the cutting edge, so your hand cannot slide forward onto the cutting edge--period. Bolsters may aid balance or be relics of earlier forging technology, but they are in no way safety features. No Japanese knives have bolsters because they interfere with sharpening and prevent use of the pull-cut technique. (Zwilling, Wusthof and other leading brands offer both bolster and no-bolster models). To keep your knife sharp, use a “steel” or “butcher’s steel” (a.k.a. “honing rod”). A good steel (not ceramic or diamond-coated but all steel) will cost more than the knife (See Amazon’s 12” Zwillings) but will save many times its cost (and inconvenience) in professional sharpening. Learn to use it from your butcher and some online videos, and use it OFTEN.—Mr. Marsano steels his knives after every use. None has ever been sharpened and some are a decade old. He uses only no-bolster knives and still has all the fingers he was born with.

Sharp knife, definitely is great. I use it for cutting raw chicken, and it cuts through it like nothing. Definitely be careful though!

Feels stable, sharp. Curved on sides where blade meets handle, so can easily clean the area. Good value, comfortable for the knife that is used daily.