Victorinox12-Inch Chef's Knife, Rosewood Handle

Great feel. Super sharp. Everything the 8 inch knife is but more.

The title goes without saying.But I've been fooling around in the kitchen for over 15 years and always used cheap knives thinking, "What's the diff? If it's sharp.. it's sharp."I always knew one day I'd need to get a good knife and wanted a Shen for awhile until a professional chef told me she felt they were too brittle.I looked for a Forschner because my old man was a butcher for over 35 years and told me, "Once you've reached the level of Forschner (outfitted with what is now known as the Fibrox handle) you've passed the point of diminishing returns in a knife." Victorinox had long produced kitchen cutlery under their own name along with the Forschner name but in 2011 Victorinox discontinued Forschner and now only produces the (same knives with) the Victorinox name.So we know we need a good knife.We don't want (or if you do your research don't need) to spend a lot of money on one.We want it to be a quality piece that will last.After getting this knife I can tell you there is a HUGE difference in simply how the blade performs through the cut as compared to a cheap piece. After this beaut I'll never go back to a crap blade.I was so impressed I sliced some romas by merely holding the rosewood handle between my thumb and index finger putting zero pressure on the blade and drawing the knife towards me. This is right out of the package without any sharpening or steeling. Absolutely impressive.One thing I didn't see mentioned from other users is to consider how much downforce you will need to apply to a given knife while in use. Personally, I like a bigger knife because it's slightly heavier and thus requires less force while cutting.What someone else said about the most dangerous tool in a kitchen was right, my old man said the same thing. A dull knife is way more dangerous than the sharpest of the sharp ones in the block.For the person reading this who doubts me, buy a crappy 3 dollar knife sharpener and run your cheap blade through it 10-15 times. The difference you notice? Imagine a performance increase of at least three times that with a high quality blade like this Victorinox.Something I didn't realise until after I ordered this was that I didn't have a steel to draw and set the blade. If you're spending the money on a good knife, get a good steel.Further Reading: http://www.victorinox.com/us/content/cutlery/category/2

This knife is ultra sharp and long enough for the biggest job. I can easily butterfly a large chicken or turkey.

I have a nice set of knives my wife got for me in the 80's. Henckels with Rosewood handles. Can't get them any more. I wanted to add a larger 10" chef knife to the mix because I chop a lot of veggies. I saw this and the pricepoint was good for an experiment. On opening - IT'S HUGE!!! But I love it. I have an 18 x 24 cutting board and this thing uses all of it. Much nicer. One of the things that I noticed right away was the difference the thickness of the blade makes. It's very thin so it feels like it really cuts differently. My other knives sometimes felt as though you were driving a wedge and cleaving what you were cutting. It's my go to knife even for cutting garlic!

I recently replaced my 12" Chef's Knife that I had used since graduating cooking school in 1988. The old knife is still very usable, and the new one is just as high-quality as the first. The blade is not as bulky as the other high-end brands I have tried. In comparison to Chicago and Henkel, I rate this blade superior. This knife is easier to grip if you have smaller hands, and durable enough to be used in commercial settings. I prefer wooden handles - like on this series of blade - and all you have to do is rub a little mineral oil on the handle a couple times a year. Another tip for any blade brand is to hand wash your knives.

This is a beautiful knife, expertly sharpened, stainless steel, thin blade. This may sound strange but I was looking for a tool I could use to cut through 1 1/2 inch thick polyurethane, 40A. It is a kind of rubbery plastic the hardness of which varies according to the number. I tried many different kinds of saws but they really were not suited to the task. This knife worked better than anything else I have tried so far. I would not be at all surprised if it worked extremely well doing things it was intended to do.