Mercer Culinary M21078 Genesis 8-Inch Short Bolster Chef's Knife,Black

Great knife!! My son bought me one for Christmas along with a magnetic knife stand, and I ended up buying another one that’s a different size. Cut extremely well, but do be careful that you don’t slice your hands, which my husband did the first time he used it. They’re extremely sharp! They do need to be washed and dried immediately after use so they don’t rust. Will be buying more to use as regular steak knives, and they’re holding up really well!

Wow! Maybe I’ve just never had a good knife? I’ve only had it a few months, but I LOVE it! VERY sharp out of the box. I can’t speak to long term, but it is lighter weight which I like, and sharp enough that it doesn’t need more weight.

As you can see from my picture, I built an entire knife block out of the Mercer Genesis series. I was turned on to Mercer culinary products by my friends who went to culinary school which was attached to my college. I'm not a professional chef, but I'm an avid home cook who occasionally cooks for events and gatherings. I use my knives daily, with my chef's knife, bread knife, and vegetable clever being used constantly. I was given a gift of $200 to build a knife block I used that and got most the knives in my picture and have added a few since. Without comparing this knife to other brands I would say it is the best knife in its category. However, if you're more of an avid cook you might be asking yourself if you should get this or the other top German brands. You cannot go wrong, they are both good choices. However, after borrowing a Wusthof for a month and comparing it with this there are some differences but to me personally it is not enough to warrant $150. The only difference I experienced is that the wusthof held its edge for a longer period of time which is not a surprise given the price difference but it wasn't an astounding difference. As a home cook, I was just able to hone the edge and return it or use my whetstone to maintain an excellent edge. The Mercer knife has better balance and feel to me personally. Aesthetically, I really like the short bolster I think it looks really professional. In my experience, the only weak point on these knives are to be expected because they are high carbon steel. If you leave water or have water spots on them for a very long period that you did not notice they will rust. I used to have my knife block by the sink and small droplets of water got on the bolster. This led to small spot rust on the bolster by the handle which was easy to remedy and not on every knife. Now, every month or so I take all my knives out to give them a look over (you pay good money for good equipment so you should take good care of it). If you want to spend the money and get something that is objectively better you can, but for myself, buying a brand that while not made in America is an American company, is better looking and handles better than the expensive brands with 90% of the edge made with the same exact steel compound it was a no-brainer for me. To test it out I had a friend or two trial both of the knives to see which one they thought was more expensive than they thought the Mercer was the more expensive knife.

Moved out and got my own place. Learning to cook. Blade is sharp. Fairly well balanced. Not a bad starter blade.

Excellent knife, easy to handle. I purchased the cover separately which I find very useful.

I have been trying a bunch of chefs knives over the last few years. The last one I rated pretty high and I still think that on sale it's a very good knife for the money. But two things started to bother me. First it, like many, are in the asian style of a very straight blade. I do a lot of chopping and like to use the knife to transfer to the pan and straight blades don't have a lot of surface and that makes it hard. Also I like that the curved blade really does better on an old cutting board. The straight blade made it hard sometimes to cut all the way through and rocking doesn't work well with straight blades. Another annoyance is that that other knife, and a lot of the non premium blades, are not very hard. I sharpen and hone my blades pretty diligently so this wasn't a huge deal but it was noticeable. The Mercer blade is harder than most of the other blades in this price range and it really does make a difference. The fit and finish was better than the other blades, all the sharp edges (except the blade...) were smoothed. On some of the import blades the back of the blade is quite sharp and you need to break it with some sandpaper or risk getting cut. The balance is quite good and for me the blade is the right thickness. We have some big name German blades and I find them a bit too thick. Plus they are now made with a more asian streighter blade. What got me to try these is that they seem to be the "entry" level professional chefs knives. ie they are the knife's people who want to be chefs get before they get famous and can afford to drop a couple of hundred on a single blade. So a good working professional knife. If you have been looking around and maybe have a couple of the chinese "german steel" knives that are out there and are looking for an upgrade I would highly recommend this knife. And if you haven't collected some chinese "german steel" knives I would skip them and go straight to Mercer.

In almost every review of "best chef's knife", you'll see the Victorinox Fibrox come out on top, which has me convinced those reviews must be sponsored. I bought one based off those recommendations and was entirely underwhelmed by how cheap the stamped blade looked and how flimsy and insecure the plastic handle felt in my hand. Searching for a better replacement in the same price range, I came across the Mercer Genesis and can confidently state that THIS is the knife everyone should buy in the value-priced segment. Everything about the knife is just better. The handle is phenomenal. It fits the palm of your hand very well, and it's reassuringly grippy without ever being tacky like rubber. Also, while the forged steel blade is admittedly a hair softer than the stamped blade of the Fibrox, it simply looks better. That's a completely subjective opinion but, hey, sometimes aesthetics are important. The knife does weigh ~2 more ounces than the Fibrox. I find the slightly greater heft aids on cutting and gives me more control, but some people may prefer something a little lighter. As for the reviews stating their knife has rusted, I know exactly why it happened: they put their knife in the dishwasher, which we all know you shouldn't do, right? Wait, you don't put your kitchen knives in the dishwasher, do you??? Besides the general knocking around that happens during a wash cycle, the chemicals in dishwasher detergent are highly aggressive and can cause pitting, which leads to rust. Don't put your knives in the dishwasher, folks! Overall, this has been my go-to kitchen knife for the past 2 years. I find myself reaching for it far more often than other, much more expensive, knives in my knife block. I keep the more expensive knives around for specialty applications, only. The Fibrox has gone into the utensil drawer (with a blade protector, though, because I'm not a savage) and I haven't looked at it ever since.

I started doing a lot more cooking during the quarantine. Or maybe instead of cooking, I should say "cutting raw ingredients and heating them in the oven to make them edible". My signature dishes are chicken, steak, and roasted vegetables. You heard me right: vegetables. It turns out they taste pretty good when you roast them and add a little bit of seasoning. Previously, I had a very cheap chef serrated knife that I bought from the grocery store. Food preparation involved a lot of vigorous hacking and sawing. At some point it dawned on me that my knife was super dull and it was dangerous to be using my other hand anywhere in its vicinity. So I put on my consumer hat to find the perfect chef's knife. After some research, I decided to avoid getting a knife with a full bolster or serrated edge because of the potential to interfere with sharpening. I decided that a Japanese style knife would likely be too expensive. For German-style knives, something like a Wusthof would also be out of my price range. The Mercers eventually stood out because they are a respected brand, and have some highly rated offerings at budget price points. Specifically, it was between this knife (the Mercer Genesis) and the Mercer Millennia. I chose the Genesis because of the forged construction and full tang, so it has a more premium look and might be more durable over time. The difference between the Genesis and my old knife has been like night and day. Out of the box, the Genesis was like a freaking light saber; anything I threw in front if it, it cut with barely any effort. I became even more worried about cutting myself than I was before, so I try to be extremely careful whenever I am handling it. The handle is very comfortable, and the weight feels very well balanced. The blade has a high quality look to it, and shows no signs of rust or discoloration so far. Along with the knife, I picked up a cheap honing steel, and have been using it every time I use the knife. After about a month of daily use, the edge is still very usable but not as light saber-like as it was initially. At some point, I'll pick up a set of whetstones and have a go at them. So far I am very pleased with this purchase. If you are looking for your first real chef's knife, I would say to definitely consider Mercer's lineup: - the Genesis if you can justify spending around $40. - the Culinary Renaissance looks to be even a little nicer at around $50. - the Millennia at around $20. - the Culinary Ultimate is currently around $12 if you're really hard up. There are a large number of other highly rated (and very nice looking) alternatives on Amazon under $40 if you are less concerned about brand recognition.

Great knife, very sharp from the packaging. Good balance and a nice handle. Definitely a great budget knife!

Sharp, sturdy and really nice to use knife! Good value for money!

Hermoso cuchillo, vale cada peso, el mango es muy elegante, tiene un peso adecuado y es de una sola pieza, muy buen filo y tamaño de la hoja, lo recomiendo a ciegas!.

This knife has a good weight and grip. I use is as a multipurpose cooking knife. It’s of course not as luxurious as the higher priced Japanese/German knifes but for this price, it’s worth it!

Después de comprar un cuchillo en el supermercado, y que éste se rompiera en poco tiempo, decidí buscar un mejor cuchillo. Este cuchillo es sumamente filoso y es ideal para rebanar verduras finamente como papa, zanahoria, y calabacitas. El cuchillo de 8" (20 cm) es de tamaño normal para la mayoría de las personas, sin embargo, algunos podrían pensar que es un poco largo. Para esto recomiendo el de 6" (15 cm) que a lo mejor se adapta mejor para quienes tienen manos pequeñas y poco espacio para cortar. Recomiendo también estuches de guarda para evitar que la hoja se golpee en el cajón donde se guarde, y para evitar que alguien accidentalmente se corte con el filo, ya que es bastante afilado. El cuchillo está hecho de acero al alto carbono lo que quiere decir que aunque es un poco más suave que el acero inoxidable, el filo que tiene la hoja es muy fino. También debido a esto el cuchillo requiere de afiladas más constantes para mantenerse en óptimas condiciones. Esto no es un problema para uso casero, pero aquellos que utilicen el cuchillo diariamente de manera profesional deben recordar afilar el cuchillo regularmente con una piedra de acentar.