Classic Razor-Sharp 8-inch Chef Knife, German Engineered Informed by 100+ Years of Mastery

The HENCKELS Classic 8-inch slicing knife exceeded all my expectations. It’s incredibly sharp right out of the box and glides through meat, fruits, and vegetables with almost no effort. The balance feels perfect in the hand, and the craftsmanship clearly reflects the brand’s long history and expertise. The stainless steel blade is sturdy, precise, and holds its edge beautifully. This knife has quickly become one of my favorite tools in the kitchen—reliable, comfortable, and professional‑grade.

When you're shopping for a chef knife, the sky really is the limit. You can get anything from a cheap discount knife from your local department store to a hand-forged knife with a diamond-studded handle. I'm not a professional chef, but I like to fancy myself a pretty good home chef, and I was looking for a knife that would hold up against the culinary challenges I might throw at it without breaking the bank. I honestly feel like this might be the best value knife for that purpose. It's extremely sharp, has a nice weight, and fits my hand like a glove. I've been loving every minute of working with it so far, and I'm looking forward to using it for many years to come. To test it out, I put it through some serious paces. I had absolutely no problem cutting meat, carrots, or asparagus. It slid through my onions and potatoes like a hot knife through butter. I was able to chiffonade basil with only the slightest of bruising. A top-shelf knife might have done better on such delicate herbs, but I've never seen anything do as well at under $50. If you're a chef on a budget or perhaps a beginning chef looking to graduate to a real instrument as opposed to the dull discount-store knives you've been working with up until now, I really can't recommend this knife highly enough. I would imagine even professionals would be happy to use it. Treat it well and keep it sharpened and you'll have a wonderful tool in your kitchen for many years to come. Note: the manufacturer says it's dishwasher safe, but I don't recommend putting any good knife in the dishwasher, so I can't comment on how it holds up under those conditions. Note also to beware: this review is for the forged knife. I noticed that the 3-piece knife set linked to this knife's page on Amazon is the stamped version.

My husband has been wanting a HENCKELS knife for a decade, he even went so far as to order a set once but ended up with counterfeits. I was very leery about ordering this for the same reason, but did my research and these are the real deal. The difference was obvious as soon as we got it delivered too. This knife is unbelievable! I've never seen craftsmanship quite like this before. WOW! Worth the money and if you can get one while it's on sale DO IT!!! We got a great deal on ours during Prime days around the holiday and I think we saved 40 or 50 % of what these go for. The knife is incredibly well balanced, sharp, and makes food prep so enjoyable! This knife in particular is a perfect size for my husband, he's pretty tall, and this fits in his grip well. It's really a well made, durable, and beautiful knife. I think we'll be ordering this brand in perpetuity. Like I said, if you can get a good deal - don't miss out!!

Hight quality knife. It holds it sharpness well enough and is easy to touch up.

I have a decent collection of knives. I am not into knife sets. I buy individual knives and I like to pick and choose specific knifes. I used to love my santokus but now I am back to the chef knife. I bought this in December of 2023 at just under $39. With taxes where I live, it came to exactly $41. 6 months later, I picked up a Wusthof classic 2 piece set and those have been my go to knives. I mainly own Shun knives but the prices are soaring and I did not want to wear them out. So when I saw this one on sale, I picked it up. I tried to use it for few months but I never fell in love with it. So 6 months later, when I saw a Wusthof 8" chef's knife on sale, I picked it up and that has been my goto chef's knife. I still pick up my Shun but I save those for special occasions. First of all, the quality of Henckels is OK. There are some noticeable issues. - One of the rivits is not level against the resin handle and it's a hair short. When I run my finger across the rivet area, I can feel it dipping down. On my Wusthof, it is smooth all the way across. - The knife protrudes from the resin handle. It isn't sharp but not completely smooth and it bothers me. On the Wusthof, it's slightly tapered so when I rub against it, my finger glides over it. The bottom, where you finger wraps around, isn't noticeable. - Wusthof weighs 260g while the Henckels weights 231g. - The henckels' blade is actually longer. Three reasons for why I choose the Wusthof are: - Better build quality around the handles - The heel is angled on Wusthof. On Hencke's it is straight. I prefer the angled design design. - If you look at the photos, you can see Wusthof's blade is thicker. The knife feels more sturdy. While I feel Wusthof classic is a superior knife, there are reasons why Henckels is a great choice. If you prefer a thinner, longer blade with a straight heel, and don't mind the minor quality issues and can pick this knife on a sale, Henckels is a very good affordable choice. In terms of edge rentetion I have not had any issues. I hone my knives with ceramic steel regularly, only cut on wooden cutting boards (or plastic in a pinch), never use it to cut bones, and hand wash and dry my knife right away.

Very nice knife. Sharp and well balanced. Ordered a cover for it however.

I bought this to use as a practice knife for learning how to sharpen on sharpening stones. But I'm surprised how sharp the knife came. And the balance in the hand is very good as well. I bought this because it was a good price and I knew the metal was a quality blade. But was informed that if I bought this it only comes machine sharpened and not as sharp as it could be if hand sharpened. So just what I needed. But I was surprised that the blade was actually very sharp. I used it to make a meal and it cut through everything wonderfully. So now I can practice sharpening on it and have a great extra knife too. Recommended.

This review is after 8 and a half years of use. I'm not a chef or professional cook so I don't cut stuff in volume. But I know cheap kitchen knives and this aint it. This knife is sharp and keeps an edge. I hone the blade before each use, and I have never needed to put this to a stone. The $56 price tag wasn't cheap, but it was worth it. Life is too short for $15 knives. You can feel the quality. But hey, if you can drop $200 no problem and you like to cook, then I wouldn't hesitate to get a more expensive knife. But if you don't want to spend more than $70, then this knife is good.