Mercer Culinary M20608 Genesis 8-Inch Chef's Knife,Black

I am very impressed with the Mercer Culinary Genesis 8-Inch Forged Chef's Knife. It is, as a type, very similar to the Wüsthof Classic 8" Chef's Knife and the Henckels International Classic 8" Chef's Knife, both of which cost more, much more in the case of the Wüsthof.The Mercer Culinary Genesis Chef's Knife is a delightful kitchen tool, well balanced, made in Taiwan from high-carbon, German cutlery steel. This seems to be the method these days with Chinese and Asian knives: made in China or Taiwan to cut costs from imported high end German steel. The knife is definitely sharp right out of the box. Although I don't know for sure I would guess that it uses a standard 20 degree bevel rather than the 15 degree Japanese style that has become fashionable for super sharpness. For home cooking it should hold its edge for quite some time between stropping or sharpening.I especially like the feel and grip of the Santoprene handle. Of course synthetic materials like Santoprene always raise a small worry about long term wear and durability. But I have had Henckels knives with wooden handles that splintered after a few years and also Chinese knives with ABS handles that shattered or separated. So it's mostly a matter of quality and the Mercer impresses that no corners were cut in its manufacture. The bolster on the Mercer Culinary Genesis is, for me, especially well proportioned and makes it easy to grip the knife properly. The knife has a full tang that runs the length of the handle, something that many cut rate but otherwise good looking Chinese knives do not have. Be especially careful of such Chinese made knives that have ABS handles with faux rivets and no visible tang on the top or bottom.Mercer Culinary is not a brand well known to most consumers. Mercer knives are sold mostly to culinary professionals and food service businesses through restaurant stores and other commercial outlets. But in the industry Mercer Culinary knives are one of the go to brands for dependable high quality long wearing knives to be used in daily food service and food industry work that in one day probably does more work than the average home cook would do in a year. The Mercer Culinary Genesis 8-Inch Forged Chef's Knife can typically be had for about $30.00-45.00 whereas the Wüsthof Classic 8" usually goes for about $130-155.00. The Mercer Culinary Genesis 8-Inch Forged Chef's Knife is a solid, dependable, sharp high quality chef's tool at a very affordable price. RECOMMENDED.

Mercer 8-inch Chef's knife at a reasonable price. Substantial, double-bevel blade with good shape (belly) and sufficiently sharp - but not overmuch. Good finger guard and reasonably large handle. Knife weight is about right (heavier than some). Generally, knife seems both sturdy and easy to manipulate. Surely there are better knives on the market but this one seems appropriate to the average kitchen.

This is a very nice knife feels very comfortable in your hand, hold a sharp edge and was incredibly affordable.

After using Henckels knives for a few years and busting my knuckles when chopping I decided to upgrade. I have only used this knife for a couple of days so I can't speak to how long it holds an edge. The grip is great with the rubberized handle. There is plenty of room between my knuckles and the cutting board when using to chop veggies. This knife feels like it has a decent amount of heft with a sturdy handle and blade. Having said that I will say that the blade is a tad thinner than my other chefs knives which I feel is a plus when it comes to cutting thru thinker produce. Ok so how does it cut? It came reasonably sharp but I have a set of diamond stones and used these to put a razor sharp edge on this knife. It cut thru celery, bell peppers, carrots and onions like butter. I accidently touched the blade to the back of my finger and an now typing with a bandaid on one finger. No fault of the knife itself. The blade was just as sharp when I finished as when I started with about a half hour of cutting done which is not what I am used to. I usually have to sharpen at the start of a meal prep and again part way thru to keep a keen edge. I would buy a whole set of these knives if they offer them.

I'm a serious home cook and have my expensive go-to chef's knife. I bought this for travel as I'm on the road a lot and like to do my own cooking when possible. It was recommended on one of my favorite cooking websites as their budget choice and I concur. It's an excellent knife. I've also given it as a wedding gift a few times.

Before I go further, this replaces a Henkels chef's knife that I have used every day for 30 years or so. I use a wetstone regularly and keep my knives very sharp. Any difference in feel creates an issue for me; something that will take time to get used to.On the plus side this knife is very good value. That it is made in Taiwan is irrelevant - it seems to be well constructed of very good steel. The dry handle has a great feel to it. The blade has ample width and it came razor-sharp out of the box.On the minus side, the spine is rather thin for a forged knife. If you hold your knives correctly you will notice the thinness with roll cuts. There is additional stress where the knife's spine meets the hand at the webbing between thumb and forefinger. You can appreciate this in the photo (the Henkels knife is on the left). With a straight chop it makes no difference. The handle is a tad problematic if you rinse the knife while you are working with it. Due to the texture it is impossible to completely towel dry.

This knife is of very good quality, very sharp. works great. recommend.

best knife I've been using so far