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Kitchen knife reviews

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Last updated: 23 July 2024
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A high-performance knife turns a good cook into a kitchen samurai, so it pays to know what you're paying for. But you don't need to cut chunks out of your budget to buy a good quality knife. Some affordable options deliver a must better cost to quality ratio compared to the more expensive knives, even if they don't perform quite as well.

We lab test and review the latest kitchen knives to help you find the best knife for your cooking needs. We review non-serrated, 20cm cook's and chef's knives. Our expert testers put each knife through its paces to find out which ones:

  • have the best cutting performance
  • have the best initial sharpness
  • have the best sharpness following a blunting test.

We note the blade type (forged or stamped) handle shape and material, weight and general feel of using each knife. Our experts also provide some real-world feedback on how it feels to use each knife.

We've partnered with Shop Ethical on this update to show the ratings the Ethical Consumer Group gives to each company.

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Our Recommended list will show you at a glance which models come out on top.

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Brand

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List of brands we tested in this review.

    Price

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    This is the manufacturer's recommended retail price. Prices are generally flexible, so shop around both online and in bricks and mortar shops for options.

    enter value/s in increments of 1 between 8 and 400

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    Type

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    A cook or chef's knife as claimed by the manufacturer. There's no clear definition between the two categories, with each available at a variety of price points. Though not entirely meaningless, they're usually interchangeable terms, and 'chef' doesn't necessarily mean better quality.

      Cutting performance score

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      We assess the knives' performance by slicing and dicing various foods including tomatoes (full slices), carrots (julienne), onions (half-moon slices) and steak (diced).

      enter value/s in increments of i between 58 and 90

      Sharpness score

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      Made up of the initial sharpness score (30%) and sharpness after blunting (70%).

      enter value/s in increments of i between 59 and 84

      Shop Ethical rating

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      Shop Ethical rates the environmental and social impact of the company (not the product) using independent sources. This rating is not included in our total score. The rating ranks from A (highest) to F (lowest); N/A means there is no rating for that company.

        Included in this review

        Members-only access
        • Recommended
        • CHOICE Expert Rating
        • Cutting performance score
        • Sharpness score
        • Initial sharpness score
        • Sharpness after blunting score
        • Good points
        • Bad points
        • Expert comments
        • Type
        • Price
        • Shop Ethical Rating
        • Claimed blade type (forged or stamped)
        • Handle shape
        • Claimed handle material
        • Handle feel
        • Bolster
        • Dishwasher safe
        • Accessories
        • Blade material
        • Size (cm)
        • Weight (g)
        • Heel height cm
        • Rockwell hardness rating
        • Warranty
        • Country of origin

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