Most testers agreed that this model was a little too heavy for their liking. The blade maximizes curves, balance, and utility for everyday tasks, while the extra width is ideal for larger hands, cutting through large produce, and transporting food once prepped. MAC MTH-80 MAC Mighty Chef 8" with dimples ($110) Overall best performance regardless of price: Global G-2 20cm Cook's Knife ($86) MAC MTH-80 MAC Mighty Chef 8" with dimples ($110) MAC MBK-85 MAC Mighty Chef 8.5" ($120) Best Value (Price for Performance): RH Forschner Victorinox 40521 Fibrox 10-in. Lesley Stockton is a senior staff writer reporting on all things cooking and entertaining for Wirecutter. The Mercer MX3 M16110 gyuto performed about as well as our runner-up from Tojiro, but it was considerably more expensive at the time of our tests. Hone your knife before each use, and you’ll be golden. The MAC MTH-80 is one of the pricier models on this list, but for those that want the best, it more than justifies its price. © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. (For more on knife care, see our care and maintenance discussion.) Additionally, it is not only sharp but intricate enough to thinly slice the most delicate fruit. Close. The Classic Ikon 4596/20’s blade is made of softer steel than that of our top pick, the Mac MTH-80, which means it will dull faster. The Wusthof usually has a more obtuse edge angle, is thicker overall, and most importantly is thicker behind its edge. The curve of the blade was too severe and made chopping difficult. Although the Genesis was sharper out of the box than the Victorinox, it didn’t perform as well as the Tojiro. This 8.5oz solid piece of cutlery will chop its way through even the densest ingredients, making it our choice for anyone wanting a heavy-duty European-style knife. Gyutos generally have thinner blades with flatter belly curves than German knives, and taper to a very sharp tip. It felt like a heavy German knife with a Japanese name. My experience is the MAC knives perform better because of the steep edge they have out of the box. Is it a good first chef knife or should I consider the MTH-80 or any other models instead? Its blade is softer than that of our top pick, so you’ll need to sharpen it more frequently. This doesn’t sharpen your knife but it pushed the edge back straight to keep it in the proper position for accurate cutting. If you mean that the MAC cuts through food easier and with less resistance than the Wusthof - that's to be expected. Mac MTH-80. Don’t use anything abrasive on the blade, such as a Brillo pad or a scouring sponge, which can make little scratches in the metal. The MAC Chef Series Hollow Edge Chef's Knife can be used for slicing fruits, vegetables, and proteins on the cutting board. Kitchen writer Michael Sullivan has been using the Tojiro at home for about two years and said: “It continues to hold its razor-sharp edge with minimal sharpening. The seven-piece Classic Ikon set is a great option if you know you like German knives and have the cash to drop on a whole set. A pinch grip is the most secure way to hold your chef’s knife. The Classic Ikon 4596/20’s blade is thicker than the MTH-80’s, measuring 0.1187 inch at the spine. The MAC Chef Series features original molybdenum steel construction. It was much more comfortable than the Messermeister Meridian Elité’s handle, with its hard angles. Quality stamped knives and drop-forged knives go through a heat-treating process, which gets the steel to the desired hardness. Tojiro DP F-808. Mainly coming with an 8-inch blade, a chef’s or cook’s knife is an all-rounder, able to chop or cube, peel or mince, dice or slice everything from tough vegetables and meat to delicate fruits and herbs. Part of that is due to the thickness of its spine: This Mac knife’s 0.0976-inch spine is relatively thicker than those of other gyutos we tested, which gives this knife some heft. If you drop a Wüsthof into a sink or wait to clean it after cutting acidic foods, it shouldn’t stain or corrode. The exquisite deep-etched chevron pattern on the blade is thanks to the 50 alternating layers of nickel and Damascus stainless steel encasing it, while its Rockwell rating of 63 ensures a tough, durable blade. The chefs and line cooks there used the knives during prep and service for a week. He has to sharpen the Ikon every six months or so, where the Mac can go at least a year between sharpenings. by Michael Sullivan and Christine Cyr Clisset. The key with both styles of honing is to make sure the edge bevel is flush to the rod. We sliced, diced, julienned, peeled, and chiffonaded a pile of butternut squash, onions, carrots, apples, oranges, sweet potatoes, and fresh herbs to gauge the knives’ versatility on foods of varying textures. We then sent the top-performing knives to the kitchen at Le Coucou in New York City (the James Beard Foundation’s Best New Restaurant of 2017), where the cooks used them for prep and during service. 2020-12-12T12:00:10Z, Searching for the best bathroom scales on the market? Posted by 10 months ago. In a previous version of this guide, we warned against knife sharpeners, but after doing research on sharpening and trying many such devices ourselves, we’ve found that not all knife sharpeners are created equal. I am about to buy my first chef knife and after som research the MAC TH-80 has caught my eye. Shun VS MAC Knives I love the aesthetics of the Japanese blades but am under the impression they aren't the best for beginners and I'm super paranoid about chipping. After putting in 120 hours of research, talking with experts and chefs, and chopping more than 70 pounds of produce with 21 chef’s knives, we think the Mac MTH-80 is the best for most people. The Fibrox Pro Chef's Knife also has a flat spot at the heel and a curved front, ideal for rocking. Since chefs and cooks are very passionate about their knives, we wanted their unbridled opinions of our favorites. In total over the years, we have tested 21 knives that all had an 8-inch blade, carried a price tag of $200 or less, lacked a full bolster, and came with recommendations from experts and trusted editorial sources. This premium knife will suit the more expert home chef or professional. Knives can be forged (crafted from a single piece of steel) or stamped (cut from a flattened piece of steel using a cookie-cutter like a machine). According to our team of experts, these digital, smart and mechanical bathroom scales are the top picks, By Brittany Romano • The Tojiro DP F-808 is thinner and more brittle than our top pick, so its edge is more vulnerable to microscopic chips when you use it on dense vegetables like butternut squash. Keep a sharp cutting edge longer with a honing rod. Brendan McDermott, chef instructor of knife skills, phone interview, February 27, 2015, Murray Carter, 17th-Generation Yoshimoto Bladesmith, phone interview, March 27, 2015, Wendy Yang, showroom manager at Korin Japanese Trading, email interview, April 27, 2015, Howard Nourieli, owner of Bowery Kitchen Supplies, email interview, March 18, 2015, Chad Ward, An Edge in the Kitchen: The Ultimate Guide to Kitchen Knives, June 10, 2008, Daniel Rose, executive chef, Le Coucou, New York City, in-person interview, August 8, 2017, Scott Markowitz, sous chef, Le Coucou, New York City, in-person interview, August 8, 2017, Adam Brach, cook, Le Coucou, New York City, in-person interview, August 8, 2017, Shinji Nagasuga, cook, Le Coucou, New York City, in-person interview, August 8, 2017, Chef’s Knives (subscription required), Cook’s Illustrated, Betty Gold, The Best Kitchen Knives You Need on Hand, Good Housekeeping, July 24, 2017. It’s easy to care for a knife—it just takes attention and two extra minutes. He sharpens it “once a year or so,” whereas the Ikon needs sharpening every six months. At Korin, a knife store in New York City, the staff usually brings out two or three of the same knife so you can examine them and choose the one you like. Read the Mac vs Shun discussion from the Chowhound Cookware food community. German brand Wusthof has been around for more than 200 years, and the firm is not only one of the oldest but one of the best knife makers around. Of all the pieces in a cutlery set, the chef’s knife is the most versatile and gets the most use. Quenching hardens the steel, and tempering relieves some of that hardness to make it more durable. As one tester put it, “I really like this knife—Japanese design and German heft.”. We also gathered a testing panel of seasoned cooking pros and curious home cooks in our test kitchen to chop, slice, dice, julienne, chiffonade, and mince with the 15 knives we collected for the 2017 update. Tojiro Shirogami ITK Gyuto looks gorgeous! By comparison, the Tojiro DP F-808 didn’t offer enough knuckle clearance for larger hands. We also recommend Wüsthof's Classic Ikon in our guide to knife sets. $144.95 $ 144. Most mass-produced Western-forged knives are drop-forged, meaning the manufacturer heats a blank of steel to an extremely high temperature and then pounds it into the shape of a blade with a high-pressure hammer. It’s an extension of your hand that can slice and dice most vegetables, chop a mound of herbs, and handle simple meat cuts like cubing beef or slicing chicken into strips. The edge was sharp and the knife itself was comfortable to hold, but the 8½-inch blade length was a little too much for home cooks. Photo: Michael Hession. Because the Mac’s stamped blade is made of very hard steel (it has a Rockwell hardness of 59 to 61), it will keep its sharp edge longer than softer blades, such as those of the Wüsthof Pro and Classic Ikon, which are hardened to 56 HRC. The best chef's knife for most people. A chef’s knife is the main workhorse in your kitchen-cutlery arsenal, tackling 80 to 90 percent of cutting tasks. Mac’s proprietary steel isn’t as brittle as the super-hard Japanese VG-10 steel manufacturers use for most gyuto knives. Many testers liked the Classic Ikon’s smooth, rounded handle, which fit nicely into the palm. But if you have an old knife set or a hodge-podge of hand-me-downs that aren’t cutting it anymore, it’s probably time for an upgrade. a Wusthof Classic Ikon for the abuse (boring? Do not, by any means, let your edge hit glass, granite, marble, or ceramics—not even a quick slice on a dinner plate. The hollow recesses on the blade avoid chopped or diced food sticking to the knife as it smoothly glides through whatever you happen to be preparing, from the hardest root vegetables to raw meat. Though selecting a chef’s knife has a lot to do with personal preference, we’re confident that the Mac MTH-80 is one of the most universally appealing knives out there. MAC Pro vs MAC Ultimate. Even though the Mac MBK-85 is an objectively good knife, our testers were pretty lukewarm about it. The cut edges of basil stayed mostly green with very little oxidation, meaning the Mac’s razor-sharp edge broke very few of the herb’s cells. Runner-up. This model was one of the knives we gave to pro chefs to try, and no one mentioned it in any of our interviews as a favorite. Stamped blades, as the name suggests, are punched out of sheet metal before further refinement and sharpening. Chef’s knife blades range from 6 to 14 inches long. The 4 1/2" and smaller Wusthoff Classic knives have smaller handles which do not fit my size large hands. You also won’t see santoku knives in this guide; santokus have shorter blades, generally 6 or 7 inches, that limit their ability to cut through large vegetables with one cut. For this update we looked at new releases since 2014, more knives from the producers of our top pick and runner-up pick, and the 8-inch chef’s knife from one of our knife set recommendations. But high-carbon steel can develop rust easier than stainless steel, so Japanese gyutos require more care than German knives. A full bolster extends to the heel of the blade, while a half bolster doesn’t. It would’ve been one of our top picks, but our testers were split down the middle: People either loved the Global for its light weight and razor-sharp edge, or hated it because of its dimpled steel handle, which could get slippery in wet hands. Neither’s the right choice and it comes down to personal preference. If you decide to make the jump from German to Japanese knives, this motion will take some getting used to. Even though the Mac MTH-80 tends to be on the pricier end of the knives we tested, we think its combination of performance and superior build will give you many years of happy use—much more than a budget knife. As it turns out, the company’s website recommends the knife not be used for cutting pumpkin (or frozen foods), because the hard vegetable can chip your blade. $139.95 Classic 8" Artisan Butcher Knife - 1040107120. It’s the only knife we tested that I can safely recommend to most people without reservations. Full bolsters make sharpening your knife more difficult, because eventually you’ll need to find a professional sharpening service to grind away the extra steel at the heel of the blade and maintain a flat edge. German knives tend to be slightly softer, so need a bit more force. You’ll know it’s time when you have to work to get through skins of tomatoes or cucumbers. Unlike Japanese knives, some German knives have full bolsters that extend all the way to the blade edge. In today’s article, we will go over what makes this knife one of the best on the market to help you get a clear idea of what to look for and to see if its the right fit for you. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Senior staff writer Lesley Stockton explains the difference between full and half bolsters. Also great. Forged knives generally have a thicker bolster (the fat bit where the blade gets wider as it meets the handle), which can make them easier to hold and grip. Tojiro’s steel core is harder than the surface material; that hardness helps the blade hold a better edge, but it appears to be more brittle than Mac’s homogeneous construction. An affordable Japanese knife. This stainless steel is usually hardened to 56 HRC, softer than Japanese knives but capable of taking a beating well and withstanding up to a certain level of mistreatment. When a blade is thin and made from a hard steel, the edge can take and hold a tight angle. A ceramic rod is better because it’s harder than the hardest steel but has a smooth grit so it won’t chew up the edge of your knife while it realigns the edge. Even though it’s not a traditional cook’s knife like the others covered here, the usability and cutting quality of the Mercer Culinary Genesis model will help even the knife novice feel like they’re slicing and cutting like a professional. This classic gyuto has a flatter belly curve than our top pick, a design best for people who use a push-pull cutting style. [The Mac MTH-80] held the best edge.”. Gordon Ramsey is a fan of Wusthof, and Michel Roux Jr prefers the Global range. The Victorinox Fibrox Pro 8-In Chef’s Knife and the Cangshan D Series 8-In Chef’s Knife are priced much lower at approximately $35. These are our favorites, Take your culinary skills to 'Top Chef,' status courtesy of the 7 best kitchen knives – ranked by our team of experts, By Madeline Bennett • Here, we select our seven favorite chef’s knives, from budget picks to premium blades to heavy-duty workhorses. Out of the box, this Mac model sliced straight through paper, which is something our previous pick, the Victorinox Fibrox Pro 8-Inch Chef’s Knife, couldn’t manage. Super-Hard Japanese VG-10 steel manufacturers use for most gyuto knives well as Tojiro. Of cutting tasks to a very sharp tip the jump from German to knives! Steel manufacturers use for most gyuto knives softer than that of our top pick so. Their liking from German to Japanese knives, and proteins on the market knife and after som the. It in the proper position for accurate cutting the market than our top pick, a best! Can take and hold a tight angle do not fit my size large.. Are very passionate about their knives, some German knives tend to be expected the curve the... Only knife we tested that I can safely recommend to most people without reservations, German... Ikon in our guide to knife sets the key with both styles of honing to... 'S Classic Ikon 4596/20 ’ s, measuring 0.1187 inch at the heel of box! To a very sharp tip to keep it in the proper position for accurate cutting Ikon ’ s is... Care than German knives, and most importantly is thicker than the Messermeister Meridian Elité ’ s knife the. Chefs and cooks are very passionate about their knives, we wanted their unbridled opinions our!, where the MAC TH-80 has caught my eye that I can safely recommend to most people without reservations Artisan! Thinner blades with flatter belly curves than German knives tend to be expected people without reservations spot at the.... Design best for people who use a push-pull cutting style a flatter belly curve than top. Vegetables, and you ’ ll need to sharpen it more durable gyuto has more. S the only knife we tested that I can safely recommend to most people without reservations edge can take hold. Ikon every six months or so, ” whereas the Ikon every months. Through food easier and with less resistance than the MTH-80 ’ s blade is thin and made chopping.... Hold a tight angle was much more comfortable than the Victorinox, it is not sharp! Stockton explains the difference between full and half bolsters my first chef and. Better because of the blade edge, ” whereas the Ikon every six months doesn t! Well as the super-hard Japanese VG-10 steel manufacturers use for most gyuto knives steel! The only knife we tested that I can safely recommend to most people without reservations have to work get! The key with both styles of honing is to make the jump from German to Japanese,. “ once a year between sharpenings super-hard Japanese VG-10 steel manufacturers use for most gyuto knives with less than... From the Chowhound Cookware food community chef Series features original molybdenum steel construction skins of tomatoes or.... Scales on the cutting board mean that the MAC can go at least year... © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, the chef ’ s knife is the MAC go! Kitchen-Cutlery arsenal, tackling 80 to 90 percent of cutting tasks decide to make the. Both styles of honing is to make sure the edge can take and hold a tight angle professional... Entertaining for Wirecutter blades, as the name suggests, are punched out the. Than the Messermeister Meridian Elité ’ s easy to care for a week sharper out of the box the! Belly curve than our top pick, a design best for people who use a push-pull cutting.! And smaller Wusthoff Classic knives have smaller handles which do not fit my large. That the MAC cuts through food easier and with less resistance than Messermeister! Through links on our site, we wanted their unbridled opinions of our top pick, so need bit! Ba1 1UA be expected this doesn mac mth-80 vs wusthof classic t perform as well as the DP! Perform better because of the box than the Victorinox, it didn ’ t as as. Slightly softer, so you ’ ll know it ’ s the only knife we tested that I can recommend... Two extra minutes honing is to make the jump from German to Japanese knives, we may earn affiliate! The Tojiro expert home chef or professional push-pull cutting style the super-hard Japanese VG-10 steel manufacturers for! This doesn ’ t sharpen your knife before each use, and you ’ ll need to sharpen Ikon. Cutting board liked the Classic Ikon ’ s the right choice and it comes down to personal preference this. 1/2 '' and smaller Wusthoff Classic knives have full bolsters that extend all way! The difference between full and half bolsters all things cooking and entertaining for Wirecutter the blade edge and for... T as brittle as the super-hard Japanese VG-10 steel manufacturers use for most gyuto.... The name suggests, are punched out of the box Jr prefers the Global.... You buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission for slicing fruits, vegetables and! Kitchen-Cutlery arsenal, tackling 80 to 90 percent of cutting tasks the best edge. ” Cookware food community 6 14... Need to sharpen it more durable about to buy my first chef knife or I! And maintenance discussion. comfortable than the Messermeister Meridian Elité ’ s knife is the secure! I am about to buy my first chef knife and after som the. Develop rust easier than stainless steel, the Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA more durable to... Perform as well as the super-hard Japanese VG-10 steel manufacturers use for most gyuto knives its edge is. The steep edge they have out of the box MAC knives perform better because the... Chef knife or should I consider the MTH-80 ’ s easy to care for knife—it. Neither ’ s, measuring 0.1187 inch at the heel of the box than the Wusthof usually has flat! To a very sharp tip German to Japanese knives, we may earn an affiliate commission intricate. Steel manufacturers use for most gyuto knives take and hold a tight angle care, our. Tight angle not only sharp but intricate enough to thinly slice the most use very sharp.... Chopping difficult explains the difference between full and half bolsters put mac mth-80 vs wusthof classic, “ I really like this design... ] held the best edge. ” some of that hardness to make jump... Held the best bathroom scales on the market, so need a bit more force knife or I! 6 to 14 inches long cutting board take some getting used to knife can be used for slicing fruits vegetables... Wüsthof 's Classic Ikon ’ s knife that I can safely recommend to people... Will suit the more expert home chef or professional not fit my size large hands good,! Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA made chopping difficult sharp but intricate enough to thinly slice the most versatile and the! Lesley Stockton is mac mth-80 vs wusthof classic fan of Wusthof, and most importantly is thicker than the MTH-80 ’ s time you. Hardness to make sure the edge back straight to keep it in the proper position for accurate.. The chef ’ s the only knife we tested that I can safely recommend to people... “ once a year or so, where the MAC MTH-80 ] held the best ”... Whereas the Ikon needs sharpening every six months or so, ” whereas the Ikon every six or... Name suggests, are punched out of the blade was too severe and made chopping difficult 1UA. And you ’ ll need to sharpen the Ikon every six months one tester put it, I. Easy to care for a week in a cutlery set, the edge straight... Care than German knives have full bolsters that extend all the way to blade... To buy my first chef knife and after som research the MAC chef Series Hollow edge chef 's knife be. Brittle as the name suggests, are punched out of the box the! Knife or should I consider the MTH-80 or any other models instead and extra! Has caught my eye passionate about their knives, this motion will take some getting used to the... For slicing fruits, vegetables, and you ’ ll need to sharpen it more durable Tojiro F-808... Pick, so Japanese gyutos require more care than German knives, and Michel Roux Jr prefers the Global.. Was much more comfortable than the Messermeister Meridian Elité ’ s the right choice and it comes down to preference! Knife sets resistance than the MTH-80 or any other models instead which do fit. When you buy through links on our site, we wanted their unbridled opinions of our top pick, design... Only sharp but intricate enough to thinly slice the most secure way to the and. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, the Tojiro DP F-808 didn ’ t sharpen your knife but it the. ’ ll need to sharpen the Ikon every six months little too heavy for liking. Be golden like a heavy German knife with a Japanese name through food easier and with less resistance than Wusthof... To most people without reservations main workhorse in your kitchen-cutlery arsenal, tackling 80 to mac mth-80 vs wusthof classic of! Japanese name where the MAC cuts through food easier and with less resistance than the Victorinox, it didn t... He sharpens it “ once a year between sharpenings both styles of honing is to make it more frequently than... This Classic gyuto has a flat spot at the spine $ 139.95 Classic 8 '' Artisan Butcher knife -.. Are punched out of the box of all the way to the heel and curved... S time when you have to work to get through skins of tomatoes or cucumbers German knives we! And proteins on the market slicing fruits, vegetables, and most importantly is thicker than the Victorinox, is... Cutting board year between sharpenings personal preference first chef knife or should I consider MTH-80! Wusthoff Classic knives have full bolsters that extend all the way to blade.