Mercer Culinary Renaissance 8" Steel Chef's Knife, Black

The chefs knife is a great value. The weight of it is slightly less than the Henckels Classic that I was replacing. I suspect that is due to the design of the bolster. The Henckles, has a full bolster, extending all the way down to the knife edge. On this knife, the handle feels the same, but the blade is cut back, angling away from where your knuckles are. It has a bolster, but it fades away just below the handle. This allows for easier sharpening of the blade, and prevents the blade from wedging into larger items, such as cutting through a head of cabbage, or slicing a large melon or pumpkin, for example. It also fits better into a knife block slot. (The Henckles also wedged into the slot) I'm undecided on which I prefer. The knife comes sealed in a plastic and paper covering and is very sharp. There is no blade cover included, which isn't an issue, if you're going to use a block to store it. Overall, I am very happy with the purchase. At $35, it's far less than 1/2 the list price of a comparable Henckles, and about 40% less than the lowest price I could find the Henckles for, online. The package says it is German steel and made in Taiwan.

The forged blade tang goes all the way to the end of the handle. The blade is really sharp and made of German steel. I purchased this knife because it was HIghly Recommended in a kitchen equipment review conducted by America's Test Kitchen. It seems that the highest rated inexpensive knives are either Victorinox or Mercer Culinary. This is a great knife.