Mercer Culinary M21079 Genesis 9-Inch Short Bolster Chef's Knife,Black

I bought this knife for my wife to promote her cooking at home about a year ago. I am a professional chef and have used many knives and different brands over the last 40 years, so I have a lot to compare with. This knife works very well for the home cook, and has application in the commercial kitchen as well. One note, the blade is 9.5 inches long, not 9 inches. This length gives a home cook more control of the knife compared to a 10 inch knife, and is of adequate size for most kitchen tasks at home. An 8 inch knife is easier to handle, but too small for an all around cooks knife. It has a lighter blade than many forged knives like a Wusthof, but this may be an advantage for you. It excels at chopping vegetables, slicing, and lighter kitchen work, but can stand up to most home cooking tasks. The full belly on this knife gives it a nice rocking motion for mincing parsley, garlic, etc. If you will be splitting whole lobsters all day, or heavy butchering, this is not the knife for you. But you can cut up and split a chicken no problem with this knife. The overall quality is very good, the Cro-Moly stainless steel is very resistant to corrosion and holds a very sharp edge for a long time. I have had this knife for a year and have not had to sharpen it with a stone yet, only a few strokes on a steel to bring the edge back up. The knife does have a short tapered (thin) bolster, and this is a help if you sharpen your knife on a machine, no bolster to grind down. The molded plastic handle is textured and has a nice soft feel that is not slippery like some knives. If some idiot puts your knife in the dishwasher, the handle will not get destroyed, but try to avoid this. For a third of the cost of a forged Wusthof or a Henckel, this knife will serve you well, is better quality than a stamped blade knife and is a GREAT value. Most home cooks will never need a better knife than this and it will last them for many years. For the professional kitchen where you are going at it for 8-12 hours a day, it is too light to be your main knife, for that you need a heavier and thicker blade to cushion the ball of your index finger on your cutting hand for all day work, and a full bolster to make the knife stronger and more rigid for heavier cutting. That said, this is a great knife for the price, and could be a good 2nd knife for lighter work, where you want easier control of the blade, that half inch less compared to a 10 inch makes a difference. I am very happy with this knife, although the wife is still not doing much with it, so I use it.

I bought the 9" Forged Short Bolster chef's knife to replace my aging 10" Victorinox. Why did I buy this one? For starters—my research led me here, and for $33, how could I go wrong? And boy, was I happy when it arrived! I like a long knife, and it feels damned good in my hand. I use a pinch grip on knives so this felt much more comfortable than the Victorinox to me.It's also balanced, and it's also new. So yeah... it was sharper then the poor pitted Victorinox. The poor thing couldn't hold on to a sharp edge anymore.But remember my knife research? I'm trying to balance cost with sharpness, durability, ability to be sharpened, weight, and feel. So I bought this. I also bought a Made In knife ($75). And a Misen knife ($60). Initially, I figured I'd take back the one I liked the least. I figured one of the other ones would go back because the value of this Mercer is tough to beat. But now I can't send anything back (mainly because I threw the packaging away for this Mercer) and I honestly didn't expect this outcome.Here's what I've learned: You get what you pay for. I saw some reviews that mentioned this Mercer was great for teaching kids. I laughed, until the other knives arrived. Don't get me wrong: this is not "baby's first chef's knife". And I would easily buy this over the much-lauded Victorinox Fibrox. But for about twice the cost of this, you can get a knife that is amazing.This knife is good. If this is all you can afford, get it. It's a good knife. But don't expect a "5-star at any price" kind of knife. It's a 4 1/2 star knife for $33. It's a 5 star knife for $25. It's also a 1 star knife at $60, and that's ok too.

I ordered this knife based on the stellar reviews. I returned it. LOL. To me, the blade did not seem all that sharp (especially for a new knife) and as you cut down the blade got thicker so it didn't penetrate easy and I had to give it an extra push to cut through the onion. And even then, there was nothing fluid about it. New knives always inspire me to cook, cut, dice, chop and mince more. Not this one. Back to the warehouse you go!!!!

I had already bought some expensive fancy-brand chef's knives by the time I got this knife and other Mercer products in my chef's kit at culinary school. It's a quality tool. Yes, I like my fancy $XXX knives, but in daily practice in a working kitchen, these fifty-buck Mercers are super; they keep a good edge, are balanced, are comfortable -- and if (when) they drop on the floor or get scratched or you whack a bone the wrong way, you don't collapse in tears at the marring of a German work of art. I recently "staged" at a Cuban restaurant; the five cooks there ogled my Mercer, used it and extolled it. I sent each of them one of their own.

It's very sharp, cuts thin slices of onions, tomatoes, carrots and celery effortlessly. Chops up a pile of parsley or cilantro in a flash. Light weight and feels comfortable in my hand and the price is extremely reasonable.Slices beef and chicken very thinly too. I'm probably not using the correct knife for all of these tasks, but it is the best knife in the drawer right now. I've been using this on a daily basis since February 2014 and it's still as sharp as day one. Such a pleasure to use, I will be replacing my full collection of over priced Wusthof knives with Mercer. I am so very happy with this knife, and you won't regret buying Mercer.

I've tried a few other brands, including victorinox and j.a. Henckles, but this is still my choice for being an entry level line cook. Henckles was uncomfortable, victorinox don't come quite as sharp, and I've seen people struggle to put an egde on them. My knife is obscenely sharp, and I get wows from just about everyone who cuts with it. I hone it 3-5 times a day on the line, and I do about 10 minutes on the fine stone about once a week, and this baby cuts veggies, tomatoes, chicken breasts, or anything else like butter. If I could give it a sixth star, I would.

I love these knifes they are amazing and sharp. I beat the crap out of them and they still cut perfectly

You may end up cooking more often, just to enjoy using this knife. It's a pleasure to use. Well balanced, super sharp, easy to maintain and a comfortable handle that won't slip out of your hand.

the blade is very great!!!

I use this instead of the 8" chef knife because it's has a more flat edge as opposed to 8" knife is more curved edge. I cut large rib roasts, briskets & lobsters to name a few. It is very sharp. Handle is made of a non-slip synthetic rubber which is easy to hold onto. Great knife for this price.

Bueno

Son unos cuchillos construidos de excelente calidad y un filo extraordinario llevo utilizando algunos modelos por mas de uño y no he tenido la necesidad de sacarles filo siguen como con un 80% de su filo original, en realidad los recomiendo. Son los mejores a excelente precio