The Best Chef Knives Recommended by Real Chefs

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A chef’s knife does the bulk of the work in a kitchen, so it’s usually the most important knife purchase for home cooks and award-winning chefs alike. A knife that fits your hands and cooking style not only makes meal preparation more enjoyable, it’s less fatiguing and safer than the wrong tool.

We asked chefs from award-winning restaurants, high-end butcher shops, and knife marketplaces for their favorite knives for cooking professionally as well as at home, plus their advice for finding the right knife for your needs. 

Below you’ll find several Japanese chef’s knives for more advanced and demanding home cooks, in addition to a few Western blades more suitable to amateur chefs.

The Best Chef’s Knives at a Glance

• Best Overall Chef’s Knife: Global Classic G-2 8”
• Best Chef’s Knife Set: ZWILLING J.A. Henckels 16-Piece Pro Knife Set
• Best Japanese-Style (Gyuto) Chef’s Knife: Shun Premier 7″ Asian Cook’s Knife
• Best Budget Chef’s Knife: Victorinox Fibrox 8-inch Chef’s Knife
• Best Custom Chef’s Knives: Baldwin Blades Cooking Knives
• Best Chef’s Knife for Barbecuing: New West Knife Works Yellowstone BBQ Knife
• Best Chef’s Knife for Kids: Opinel Le Petit Chef 3-Piece Set
• Best-Looking Chef’s Knife: Oishya Sakai Kyuba Gyuto 21cm Chef’s Knife
• Best High-End Chef’s Knife: Nenox Green Bone Handle Gyuto Chef’s Knife

The Best Chef’s Knives

Best Overall Chef’s Knife: Global Classic G-2 8”

Several of the chefs we interviewed mentioned Global’s G-2 Western-style chef’s knife as an affordable first chef’s knife that is both precise enough for pros and light and balanced enough for novice home cooks. The price point and wide availability online and in stores, such as Williams-Sonoma, also make them more accessible for home cooks.

“Global Knives are my favorite for home,” says James Beard Award-winning chef Galen Zamarra. “They look cool and function well, they’re fairly inexpensive, they hold edges well, get very sharp, and have a thin blade.”

Cromova 18 stainless steel balances hardness to retain its edge while still being soft enough for home sharpening. It’s also highly resistant to rust so home cooks can treat it like the tool it is rather than a museum artifact.

“Shun or Global are lighter and a great mix between Japanese and Western knives,” says executive chef Danny Ganem of fine dining restaurant Fiola Miami. “I love Japanese Knives; you have to treat them with respect and make sure they’re used for what they’re meant for. European knives are all-rounders: sturdier but a bit heavy for my taste.”

Best Chef’s Knife Set: ZWILLING J.A. Henckels 16-Piece Pro Knife Set

Most every chef we spoke with either used Zwilling Pro 16-Piece Knife Block Set at home or at least gave them a nod as a budget-friendly, durable Western-style chef knife set. While it’ll cost quite a bit more than a single high-end chef’s knife, home cooks in need of an array of cooking knives and accessories such as a honing steel and scissors can fully outfit their kitchen with this set. 

Mary Nguyen, chef and founder at Olive & Finch Collective, uses the pricey Oishya Gyuto 21cm Japanese chef’s knife but keeps Zwilling knives at home. “They’re less expensive, but still great quality, making them perfect for the whole family. My kids use them when they’re helping out and my husband uses them when he’s making dinner,” Nguyen says.

“I especially love the Henckel’s Zwilling Pro Set,” says Nguyen. “It’s such a complete and durable set. My favorite knife is the 8-Inch Pro Chef’s Knife. It’s such a great all-around tool.” While chef’s knives are the workhorse of any kitchen, even home cooks will eventually want to expand their collection to include the accessory knives comprised here, such as a paring knife, bread knife, santoku blade, and serrated utility knife. It also includes a set of 6 steak knives that sit in the bottom of the included wood knife block.

Best Japanese-Style (Gyuto) Chef’s Knife: Shun Premier 7″ Asian Cook’s Knife

Like the Global G-2 knife featured above, the beautiful Shun Premier 7″ Asian Cook’s Knife blends elements of Japanese and Western chef’s knives. The cutting edge is much less rockered than most Western chef’s knives and the blade is noticeably thinner, making it ideal for thin slicing. A narrow point and 7-inch length that’s at the shorter end of the chef’s knife spectrum makes it more adept at delicate tasks.

“I bought my first Shun knife over 20 years ago and never looked back,” says executive chef Nick Zocco of Urban Hill in Salt Lake City, UT. “It’s become one of the best-selling Japanese knife brands and continues to make excellent, superior knives with plenty of options for beginners and professional chefs alike.”

The Premier Cook’s Knife is Zocco’s go-to blade in his kitchen.

“It has a well-balanced feel with a beautiful PakkaWood handle that’s water- and bacteria-resistant, and has a comfortable, non-slip grip. It’s made with Damascus steel which allows for long-term sharpness and is corrosion-resistant when cared for properly. It’s great for precision cutting and for chopping and mincing proteins and vegetables.”

At 16 degrees, the blade is sharper than traditional Western chef’s knives, but not so thin and sharp that it’s more susceptible to chipping and accidents in the hands of less-skilled cooks. Still, Zocco cautions it can be difficult for novices to properly sharpen at home and he recommends taking it in for professional sharpening if you aren’t confident in your sharpening game.

Best Budget Chef’s Knife: Victorinox Fibrox 8-Inch Chef’s Knife

“Whenever I have a young chef ask me what their first knife purchase should be, I almost always recommend a Victorinox 8″ Chef Knife,” says chef Kyle Mendenhall. “It’s durable, sharp, easy to clean and maintain, and comfortable for most hands.”

At around $50, this is one of the cheaper chef’s knives money can buy without getting an inferior tool. Several chefs mentioned this budget option from the “Swiss Army Knife” folks as either the knife they started with or the knife they recommend as a starter blade. 

Starting with a cheaper chef’s knife allows home cooks to get a feel for a knife without a huge outlay of cash. “Once you’ve used this for a while and begin to understand how to use the knife properly, identify the nuances of what you prefer, then go spend hundreds of dollars on a fancy one,” says Mendenhall.

Best Custom Chef’s Knives: Baldwin Blades Cooking Knives

Knifemaker Matt Baldwin comes from a culinary background and specializes in creating display-worthy Japanese-style chef’s knives with functionality in mind. Each knife is made-to-order so no two knives are the same and Baldwin Blades can customize to the preferences of each individual chef or home cook.

Donald Young, Michelin-starred chef at Duck Sel in Chicago, IL, turned to Baldwin because he wanted the precision of a Japanese gyuto blade with the heft of a Western-style chef’s knife. “The high carbon is specifically good for many reasons. It sharpens very easily compared to stainless steel, it retains its edge longer than stainless steel, and is a harder metal, so it won’t chip or break easily,” explains Young.

“I specifically chose 215mm KTip Damascus Gyuto because it gives me a better point that allows me to work more precisely on certain projects, specifically when I’m cleaning silver skin off proteins. I also asked Baldwin Blades to add weight to my handles because I like a heavy handle,” said Young of his nearly 10-inch Baldwin custom.

If you’re an advanced home cook who’s struggled to find a chef’s knife that meets your requirements and have the budget, a custom creation from Baldwin Blades might be worth the investment.

Best Chef’s Knife for Barbecuing: New West KnifeWorks Yellowstone BBQ Knife

This New West Knifeworks Yellowstone BBQ Knife is a collaboration between New West KnifeWorks and chef Gabriel “Gator” Guilbeau, a long-time chef for movie and television sets including Yellowstone, which he also cameos on.

Guilbeau cranks out a lot of barbecue for the hundreds he feeds daily and the design of Yellowstone BBQ Knife reflects that. “It’s a real good utilitarian knife,” Guilbeau says while working on-set. “Yesterday I was making sushi with it. Today we’re cutting steaks with it. And I’m going to carve some briskets with it tomorrow. It’s big, it’s obnoxious, and it’s light as a feather.”

The knife differs from your average chef’s knife in a few fairly obvious ways. First, is the long taper to a narrow clip point, which helps with finer slicing and carving tasks. The bowie knife-style guard is another non-traditional choice that helps keep your hand away from the blade during more forceful tasks.

Best Chef’s Knife for Kids: Opinel Le Petit Chef 3-Piece Set

James Beard Award-winning chef Matt Vawter uses custom Takeda Japanese chef’s knives at his restaurant Rootstalk in Breckenridge, CO, and at home, he employs retired restaurant knives. But for his two young kids, he uses Opinel’s clever training knife for kids, Le Petit Chef, so they can help with dinner prep.

The kid-sized chef’s knife has a rounded point so they can’t puncture themselves with it and a finger guard to keep tiny digits out of the way of the blade while holding the veggies they’re cutting. “They can learn the proper claw motion and feel the knife against the plastic,” says Vawter. “They get to learn how to properly hold a knife and I don’t have to sit there and watch my daughter like a hawk when I’m trying to make dinner.”

Best-Looking Chef’s Knife: Oishya Sakai Kyuba Gyuto 21cm Chef’s Knife

Oishya Gyuto is a high-end Japanese knife that blends elements of Western and Eastern chef’s knives and looks so good you almost hate to put it to work. At nearly $400, it’s definitely a splurge, but still costs half as much (or less) as most custom chef’s knives.

Chef Nguyen uses Henckels at home, but reaches for the precision of an Oishya gyuto at work. “The Oishya Gyuto knife stands out for its handcrafted construction, high-quality materials, elegant Damascus patterns, and ergonomic octagonal handles. These features make Oishya Gyuto visually stunning, incredibly sharp, and comfortable to use, combining beauty, precision, and craftsmanship.”

Thanks to the elegant design and bespoke packaging to match, this also makes a great gift for the serious chef in your life. Check out gifts for her, best gifts for Mom, and gifts for Dad.

Best High-End Chef’s Knife: Nenox Green Bone Handle Gyuto Chef’s Knife

Nenox knives are Western-style knives made by Japanese kitchen cutlery brand Nenohi. Like many of the chef’s knives recommended by our panel of experts, Nenox Gyuto blends the best characteristics of Japanese and European chef’s knives for a professional-grade all-rounder.

They’re pricey but prized and recognized by pros worldwide, such as Tyson Cole, James Beard Award-winning chef; owner of Uchi in Denver, CO; and one of the few American sushi masters in the world. “Japanese knives are simply the best, and Gyuto is great for me—anything you can cook really.”

Cole says he uses different sizes of the same knife for different tasks, but the 240mm (9.4 inches) is his go-to. He says the sharpness makes preparation smoother, but also improves his dishes. “The most important qualities are versatility and sharpness. The sharper the knife, the better the food tastes! Dull knives crush the cells and sharper knives release the essence of the ingredients and keep them intact.”

What to Look for in a Chef’s Knife

“A great chef’s knife holds a sharp edge and is comfortable in-hand,” explains Mendenhall. “Starting with a knife that is made of all-around good steel is important and worth spending a few extra dollars. Since a chef knife does the bulk of the work in the kitchen, it’s important it’s easy to hold, easy to control, and that extra energy is not spent trying to control it causing fatigue.”

Most chef’s knives have a blade length between 6 and 10 inches, though specialized knives for butchering and larger cooks can run even bigger. Professional chefs usually have a selection of chef’s knives in a range of sizes to accommodate different kitchen tasks, but home cooks should look for an all-around chef’s knife that’s comfortable in their hands, usually 7 or 8 inches long.

While the label “chef’s knife” normally refers to a European-style thicker blade, many of the chefs we spoke to use “gyuto” or Japanese-style chef’s knives, which have a similar shape and size, but a thinner blade and more pointed tip that deliver more precision for delicate tasks. There’s also plenty of hybridization, with Japanese knifemakers creating more Western-style chef’s knives and vice versa.

“With Western-style knives, there’s usually a bit more curvature to the knife, which helps with the rocking motion,” explains Young. “The gyuto has a bit of curve, but not as much, so you can still use a rocking motion, but it’s more designed for slicing.” These gyuto knives are also usually sharper—12 to 15 degrees rather than 17 to 20 for Western chef’s knives—so they require more careful use and frequent sharpening.