Mercer Culinary M23510 Renaissance, 8-Inch Chef's Knife

Mercer knives are made with the same steel as Wusthof, Henckels, and Messermeister, but cost a fraction of what the German-made equivalents do. They're not quite as well finished as their German counterparts, but that can actually be an advantage- that mirror polish on the Wusthof is beautiful to behold, but any knife that gets any use at all will inevitably get scratches on the blade and handle. The more polished the knife, the more the scratches stand out. The Mercer knife takes a few design cues from Messermeister, namely the thinner blade, the abbreviated bolster web, and the rounded spine. Back in the 1980s, when Wusthof was king, the thinking was that a heavier blade was better, that somehow the weight of the blade would "do the work for you"- a silly proposition. A thinner blade goes through the food easier and without as much wedging, and the lighter weight is much less fatiguing. The only time a heavier blade is better is if it isn't sharp, and you have to force it through the food with brute strength. Sharpen your knives and you won't have to worry about it. For a long time, a fully webbed bolster was considered a sign of quality. The reason being that it identified the knife as being forged, rather than stamped. The web itself (which is what most people mean when they say "bolster") serves no purpose, and actually gets in the way of sharpening the knife properly, and makes it far more difficult than it needs to be. Messermeister and Mercer have done away with the webbed bolster, so there's nothing getting in the way of keeping your knife sharp. Wusthof and Zwilling/Henckels have nice, crisp, squared-off edges on the spine of the knife. It looks pretty, but when holding the knife properly, the square edges dig into the skin where your index finger meets the palm of your hand. Messermeister and Mercer round off those sharp corners, making it more comfortable to hold correctly, especially when using it for any length of time. I personally don't like the Mercer 10" Chef knife, and the 8" (which is considered the norm for household use) is just not quite enough knife. In my experience, the 9" Chef Knife is the sweet spot, and the one I recommend. This is the knife that will handle 80% of your cutting needs. After that, an inexpensive serrated bread knife and paring knife (serrated knives aren't worth sharpening, once it gets dull, it's best just to get a new one, so a reasonably cheap stamped bread knife is the way to go) will round out the kit. After that, if you're going to be fabricating proteins and/or boning out poultry, a 5.5" boning knife will come in handy.

UPDATE Jan 6, 2019: it’s been almost a year since I sharpened these by hand on my whetstone. I expected to have to have done that again way sooner, and even over my holiday break (I probably just wanted to, there is something therapeutic about the rhythm of a whetstone). After 9 months of almost daily use, as I enjoy cooking and do it often, these are still razor sharp. All I do it swipe it gingerly in my honing steel a few times every few days and it’s been all they have needed. What a quality product. Ps. One of my knives is a 6” Wustof chef knife (more like a petty knife) which I also use often. The Mercer and the Wusthof is comparable in quality in every way. While these don't come from the factory with a fantastic edge (trust me, it is plenty sharp off the line though), these are some high quality knives. Even though I'm not a trained chef, I'd say I'm on the higher end of the amateur culinary enthusiast and can chiffonade and brunoise with the lot. I purchased the 8" short bolstered chef knife, 7" santoku (wife's preferred style), 6" stiff boning knife, and 3.5" paring knives. Once I took these to the whetstone and got a shaving-sharp edge on it, it's been music since. It's been about 9 months since I've done that, and the edges are still ridiculously sharp. I use a Mercer genesis honing steel in between uses and it's done the job beautifully. These knives hold their edges very well assuming you're not abusing the knives or keeping them knocking around in a drawer. I love the weight of these vs a transitional full bolstered Wusthof. You get EXACTLY the same quality steel as the high end Germans, with the slightly lighter (and better in my opinion) balance of Japanese blades. The added bonus is the chef knife comes with a rounded spine, which is super comfy if you use a pinch grip (as you should). An additional plug for the boning knife too. It's a sheer joy to use and I've broken down whole ribeyes, briskets, and many a fowl with it. Again, LOVE THESE KNIVES. Top quality for a fraction of the price.

Just recived this today and got to try it out. Bought it to start replacing worn out knives in an old Farberware set. This 8" chefs knife was reviewed on youtube as being comparable to a $120 German knife. Being I formerly cooked professionally and wanted a great knife on a budget I decided to give it a try. Out of the package it seems quite sharp to me. The knife feels like it has good weight and is balanced like a higher end knife would be. I decided to wash it and chop up a salad for dinner. It did well gliding through all the vegies and especially tomatoes. It cut into the tomatoes with great ease, not smashing them at all. The only negitive is the blade has a taller profile and does not fit in the space in the block that came with my old set in any place of the old knife block but the cleaver's spot. You can see in the second photo where I have the tired old Farberware chef's knife next to the Mercer how much more substantial it is overall. So now I kinda need a better knife block to store this and the other new knives I plan to buy. Some will be Mercer for sure. 8/6/20 I am still using the knife and several other Mercer knives. They still are very sharp and to maintain that I had to purchase a sharpener that can do a 15° edge as that is what is put on at the factory. This is pretty much typical for Asian knives. I found it here on Amazon. I actually got one that can do 20° for most American and European knives and 15° as well. My advice is use these with a wood or Polly cutting board. Hard wash them as the dishwasher can dull or Nick knives. Sharpen when you can't cut tomatoes well with a good sharpener.

My first good chef knife and I love it. Good feel. Nice and sharp. Great weight. Excellent buy for the money.

After having and using this knife for a few weeks, I have to say, function-wise, the 8" Chef knife is excellent. I see why so many recommend this knife. It came pretty sharp "out of the box", though I would recommend touching it up if you have the tools (I touched it up using a Spyderco Sharpmaker, I have not taken this to my waterstone yet). It is well balanced, and makes quick work of basically everything I throw at it. Unfortunately, my concern is the QC of the steel. I see that there are noticeable number of other reviews that talk about blemishes, tarnishing, and rusting. It is obvious that the knife seems to be properly made in Taiwan, but the raw steel doesnt seem like its QC is up to what I am used to with Taiwanese made products. I have a feeling that they get their "German steel" (just a German formulation of steel, it doesnt mean that it's made in Germany), from some random factory in "China", like the countless other cheapo Chinese made knives you can find. It took only a few days before I had some noticeable blemishing along the blade for me. I do actually take good care of my knives, as I only hand-wash with dish soap and a soft sponge. I also towel dry my knives immediately after washing. It looks like the batch of steel used in my knife was a little off from what it was supposed to be. In the end, the blemishing is not major, as it doesnt seem to be so bad that it might threaten the structural integrity of the blade, it seems to be just cosmetic. Its more disappointing more than anything that the "stainless" steel is not actually "stainless". It looks like, if you get this knife, functionally, you can expect it to perform extremely well, however, you roll the dice on if it will have minor cosmetic issues/rusting.

Once in awhile you find a product that punches way above its weight class. The Mercer 8” chefs knife is an excellent example. I’ve had it for over two years, use it daily and it is an absolute pleasure. Cuts fast, comfortable grip, keeps an edge with minimal effort. I hand wash only, never in dishwasher, but it wipes clean with a soapy sponge in 10 seconds. Feels solid and secure in the hand (L/XL glove size), and the knife is well balanced. This may be the best $50 I have ever spent. Quality materials, solid build, easy to use, excellent fit and finish, comfortable to grip, subtle yet sophisticated; refined. You really have to use it to fully appreciate the engineering behind this product. It’s an experience. Totally next level. I absolutely love it, and at this price point is an INCREDIBLE value.

What a great knife. So I decided on the Mercer after having bought a more expensive highly reviewed knife from another company and having it arrive warped. And man am i happy! I have owned the 6” petty of their Genesis line, has the same blade steel, and honestly I have put that knife in the dishwasher religiously every night for a few years now, it has ZERO rust. This 8” is all around everything I was looking for in a daily workhorse. Its balanced, not too thick and heavy but also not flimsy and too light. Its contured in the handle with no red flags or unfomfortable feels that stand out to me when i dice. I havent sharpened this model yet but i have the genesis line which is the same blade and steel, its the same steel as most german companies use. It sharpens amazing! Unlike some other higher end brands that spend alot on marketing and chef reviews and testimonials on social media, but yet are made in china and provide no phone number of where to actually reach them in the usa, Mercer is in New York and you can actually contact them. Very happy with this product! I would confidently stack it up against any high end german knife.

I've used Zwilling Jj.A. Henckel's Pro S kitchen knives for many years, and I have been satisfied with how they feel in the hand, and how they take and hold an edge. Recently, I decided to replace my 10" and 8" Chef's knives, which were becoming heavily worn. Wow! I had forgotten how much they cost! I tried the Henckel's International series knives, which look the same, but cost far less. They are not at all the same as the Pro S. The handle is smaller and less comfortable, the steel is not able to take and keep an edge I am satisfied with. I gave them away. I liked the looks of the Mercer Renaissance knives, which harmonize with the Henckel"s Pro S knives in my block, and the simplified bolster at the heel promised to simplify sharpening. The Amazon customer reviews were very positive, and the price was affordable, so I bought a 10" Mercer Culinary Renaissance knife to try it out. I found that the Mercer knife is in no way inferior to the Henckel's Pro S knife, and in comfort to use is superior, due to the slightly larger handle. Right out of the package it was as sharp as I have ever been able to achieve with my Japanese water stones. After a week of daily use, it was not perceptibly dulled, but I gave the edge a quick polish with a #4000 stone (careful to match the 15deg. angle). The clean heel makes sharpening much easier, and the blade is sharp enough to shave with (I tried). I just received my 8" Mercer chef knife, and It seems just as good as the 10" knife (based on the first use).. These knives are professional-grade at a bargain price.

I ordered this to replace an old Mundial full bolster western-style chef's knife which served me well for 20 years. Back then I paid around $50. So to see another quality, fully forged, German stainless steel knife for under $100, about half of a Wusthof or Zwilling of similar quality and features. Its worth every cent, and a good alternative to the similar but high-priced German equivalents. The Delrin handle is comfortable, water and bacteria resistant, the knife is kitchen certified, and is used extensively in culinary arts programs. A US company, German steel, and made in Taiwan. An equation that in this case, works splendidly. This is a very good alternative to the pricier knives, while retaining the best features of a western-style chef knife. Sharp out of the box, a nicely polished spine, and the bolster is not a full one, offering better comfort and control. Even the choil is not overly sharp on the grip, and the rivets and full-tang complete the package. A nice knife to use, and easy on the eyes too in its simplicity and smart design. This is German fully forged steel, full tang, semi bolster and true western profile for everything from rock-chopping to slicking to crushing garlic. Its a workhorse, and at this price, a no-brainer if you want western style, German steel knives for much less than some other, more well-established brands. You wont see these in stores, as the company prioritizes supplying culinary schools and restaurants/food service industry. That alone speaks for the quality and confidence in this US brand. If you want to stock up on industry-approved knives, this is it. You can't go wrong. Now, you certainly can pay more, even hundreds more, for another brand from another country (they are great too - don't get me wrong), but why? You simply do not have to. Get this.

Great knife. sharp well made and has a good balance.

sehr gut Ich bin super glücklich mit dir!

This 8-inch Mercer knife exceeded my expectations. The blade is razor sharp and handles everything from chopping vegetables to slicing meat with ease. It has a solid, well-balanced feel, and the grip is comfortable even during extended use. The knife cuts cleanly and smoothly, making food prep much faster and more enjoyable. What really stands out is the value for money – you get professional-level performance without paying a premium price. Definitely a great addition to any kitchen.

I have bought other so called chef knives only to be disappointed. Wusthof was one knife I was going to buy before I had seen this Mercer knife. The Mercer is one knife that you will find you will be happy with. Comfortable in hand and performs like a professional knife. Just an excellent knife.