The Petty Petit gyuko or chef's knife was created by the Kitasho Company of Seki City, Japan, a center of fine swordsmiths for 800 years. Kitasho began more recently in 1948 and manufactures a broad line of chef's cutlery and hunting knives built to Japanese specifications rather than toned ...

The Henckels Gourmet 3-Piece Starter Set of three high carbon stainless steel knives pares back the complications of J.A. Henckels manufacturing to the bare minimum but still provides three very useful blades of good quality. The alloy steel matches Henckels' usual standards, but construction methods are much simpler ...

One good chef's knife does a lot for the kitchen, easing all kinds of prep work from slicing vegetables to carving meat and even mincing herbs. In skilled hands, every part of the chef's knife efficiently performs a different essential task. The Meridian Elite Chef's Knife from Messermeister of Solingen, Germany, ...

It certainly has a German shape and a German name, but that's where the similarity ends.

This isn't quite the same level of quality that most folks expect from Wusthof. This stamped blade knife shouldn't be confused with its more expensive "forged" brethren, but it will offer a respectable level ...

Primarily used for deboning and slicing raw or cooked meat, fish, and poultry, the Shun Pro Deba knife with a 6 1/2" plain edge is one of the fundamental blades of the Japanese kitchen, dating back to the Edo period in the city of Sakai. Once famous for fine ...

For precise slicing of large cuts of meat like roast beef, you need a long blade. The Wusthof Gourmet 12" Roast Beef Slicer meets that specialty need and throws in some extra features as well.

In a forged blade, that extra length can be expensive, but the stamped steel ...

Made to Shun's exacting standards with the same materials as their Classic series, this 4 3/8" Chef's Knife follows a design by famous American knifemaker Ken Onion. This beautiful knife makes a practical addition to any cutlery set, with features suitable for collectors.

The curved full tang handle shows ...

An all metal Cook's Knife with an 8" blade and a sculpted handle of 18/10 cutlery grade stainless steel, the Culinar chef's knife from Wusthof almost looks too good to use. The quality extends to the knife's practical features as well, making it a prep knife you'd be tempted to use ...

Japanese blades of all kinds, from swords to carpentry tools, are so refined that to many Westerners the subtle features go unnoticed. The Nakiri vegetable knife is a fine example of a craft so skilled it may cause you to rethink the basics and become a better chef.

At first ...

Five high quality chef's tools and a sharpening steel, plus a fine hardwood 10 slot knife block--with this set from J. A. Henckels you get all the essentials and room for more. The assortment includes a 4" paring knife, 5" serrated utility knife, 7" Santoku knife, 8" Chef's knife and a ...

This set of three fundamental home chef's knives from J. A. Henckels Cutlery is a reasonable choice for someone starting out on a budget. The Professional Series from which these knives are taken isn't the finest Henckels has to offer, but it's serviceable if you are willing to spend time ...

Like the other knives in the Komachi line from KAI, the Japanese company best known for making the well regarded Shun knives, this knife is intended to be used to cut only one type of product or ingredient.

The pink color and animal shaped cutouts in the ...

We've got strong opinions about Chef's knives around here. Check out our guide to kitchen knives on a budget to get an overview, but we tend to recommend Japanese knives like Shun or, if you're on a budget, Tojiro. If you're insistent on German knives, Messermeister is ...

This baby sounds impressive -- it uses titanium! If it's good for golf balls and aircraft carriers, it must make a heck of a kitchen knife, right?

Well... Yes and No. First off, know that the knife's edge is not made of titanium. It's the shiny blue component that is a titanium ...

You've got to digest a few things when checking out this knife you may never have heard of.

First off, the style. It's a gyuto - basically the Japanese equivalent of a western chef's knife - an all-purpose knife sharp enough to cut through multiple meats, vegetables, and fish.

Next up, the brand. Kanetsune is not ...

The Deba knife is a Japanese-style Chef's knife, ideally suited for butchering fish or slicing through hard vegetables. It's hefty enough to cut through fine bones, but is certainly not the heavyweight that a cleaver is.

This Deba sports all the features you've come to love from Global -- light weight, sand-filled ...

MAC makes some incredible knives. They don't have the prominence or the marketing budget enjoyed by more well-known brands like Shun or Wusthof, but their knives are every bit as good.

The Superior series deserves the press it gets for being a great value, but the Professional knives are the ones that ...

Wusthof making Japanese-style knives? Alert the media!

Actually, Wusthof has come a long way recently in redesigning its knives to meet needs of today's chef.

This knife is a good example. The full bolster that prevented re-sharpening is gone. The shape is a departure from the traditional German styling and the ...

Masanobu makes high-end knives that rival brands such as Hattori and Shun.

Masanobu's razor-sharp Japanese blades feature a core made of VG-10 steel. VG-10 steel is one of the sharpest steels you can find in a kitchen knife today. It also holds an edge extremely well.

Additionally, the blade is angled ...

Ah, Global... You either love 'em or hate 'em.

Global ushered in a new era in kitchen cutlery 15 years or so ago, introducing the world to Japanese steel and their resulting razor-sharp knives.

If you like a good story, you can read more about that in our article on the ...

For many Chinese chef's, this type is not just an essential knife, but rather the single most essential knife in the kitchen.

Some will quibble and say that this is a Chef's knife and technically not a cleaver, but what's in a name? If you can use it to hack through ...

Mundial Knives are the choice of many professional chefs, so you know they're high-quality. But don't just take their word for it; check out the details...

This set includes the essential kitchen knives and not too much else. This is a good thing -- you don't want to pay extra for knives ...

We recently wrote about the Kyocera Revolution Ceramic Chef's Knife and spent a fair amount of that space discussing the pros and cons of ceramic. You should check out that post for the details.

For those who want a quick recap, though, ceramic knives are a good alternative to stainless steel ...

If you're looking for a basic set of sharp knives, and don't want to have to mess with the piecework of selecting particular knives over others, this Calphalon set is a darn good choice.

Calphalon is a trusted name in cutlery, though not as high-profile as Wusthof or Shun. This set attempts to combine ...

Warning: I'm about to say something bad about Rachael Ray. If this review ends abruptly, you'll know that the lawyers got to me!

Okay, here goes: You can (and should) get better knives than these for the same money. Regular readers of this blog know that our favorite inexpensive knife set ...

Ceramic knives present a unique set of tradeoffs. On the one hand, they are sharp, lightweight and stainless. On the other, they are brittle and difficult to resharpen.

Let's take a closer look....

The hardness of ceramic means it can be made very sharp. This Kyocera, for example, will almost certainly be sharper than ...

The blade edges are made from a high-carbon steel and molybdenum blend, providing a sharp cutting surface that will hold its edge. Like their more expensive competitors from Shun, their blades are "wrapped" in softer, stain-resistant steel to protect the blade. The Shun's blades are made of a higher-quality steel, but these ...

OnlyKnives' Best $50 Kitchen Knives
This is a great choice for anyone looking to start a knife set on a limited budget.

You get three "essential" knives -- a Chef's knife, a slicing knife and a paring knife. Limiting the number of knives in a set helps you to save money while focusing on ...

Shun knives are by no means budget knives. Some consider them synonymous with "expensive". But limit yourself to a small set of essential knives and you'll actually find them worth every penny.

Why? Because Shun has also become synonymous with "quality". All three of the major US cutlery retailers -- Williams Sonoma, Sur La ...

OnlyKnives' Best $1000 Kitchen Knives
FromShun Classic Knives, the blade is made up of a VG-10 steel core, wrapped by layers of stainless steel. This allows the edge to be extremely sharp, to retain its edge over time and yet still be stain-resistant.

VG-10 is one of the premier steels being used in ...

It's"http://www.onlyknives.com/mac-professional-chefs-knife-8-mth-80-best-budget-chefs-knife/">8" Professional Chef's knife (MAC #MTH-80). It has two features that the Superior Chef's knives don't -- a half-bolster for a better balance and dimples (or "grantons"), to keep food from sticking to the knife.

For the rest of your knives, the Superior series is great. The 7" utility knife (#SA-70) and 5" ...

Global Knives are known for their razor-sharp edges, lightweight feel and funky contemporary styling.

This set consists of five essential kitchen knives and nothing more. It features an 8" chef's knife, an 8.25" carving knife for slicing meats, 8.75" serrated bread knife, 5.5" utility knife and a 4" paring knife.

As you probably know by ...

Never heard of Messermeister?

That's good news. Since they're lesser-known than Wusthof and Henckels, they don't charge the huge markups that come from being a household name.

Instead, they just make great knives. Their San Moritz Elite features blades made of X55CrMoV15 steel -- a high-carbon blend containing molybdenum and vanadium for sharpness and edge-retention.

Those ...

Made in Solingen Germany for over a century, all Messermeister knives are finely crafted tools.

The forged steel blade is crafted from a single piece of steel. It is not only durable but holds a fine edge.

Thanks to the bolsterless blade heel, it can be easily sharpened down the full length of the ...

Stand back, zucchini, and prepare to meet your maker!

This is a 6.5 inch Japanese slicing blade is made by MAC. MAC is known for producing razor-sharp Japanese knives that are reasonably priced.

Despite the name, it can be used on meats quite effectively as well as vegetables, from slicing and dicing to ...

You may know that Shun and Kershaw brands are both owned by the same company. You may also know that Ken Onion is one of the most successful designer of Kershaw knives, winning numerous industry awards throughout his career.

So what happens when a premium kitchen knife maker asks a ...

Designed in Japan, this 7-inch knife from Global is optimized for slicing and chopping vegetables.

The blade is specifically balanced with a precise amount of sand in the handle to achieve the correct balance. It is lightweight with a blade constructed from molybdenum/vanadium stainless steel.

The blade is also face ground with a long ...

This is the top of the line for Shun.

Their Shun Classic Knives are excellent, lower-priced knives.

What this knife has over the Classic knife is the steel. It's a powdered SG-2 steel, which is pretty much the highest-end steel you're going to find in a kitchen knife.

The Shun Elites are handcrafted in ...

The 8" Chef's knife is the de facto workhorse of the kitchen. Choose wisely on this one, since you'll be using it a lot.

Many people ask the question "Should I buy Wusthof or Henckels?" It's a fair question, but is about 15 years out-of-date. This knife, as well as the ...

This Henckels Chef's Knife, 30121-203, features Henckels' best Sigmaforge high-carbon stainless steel blade.

Henckels has been knocked around a bit lately, what with all the fancy Japanese knives getting all the great reviews.

Sigmaforge is Henckels' one-piece full-tang, ice-hardened construction that is intended to be durable and easy to sharpen. ...

Tired of buying a new knife every couple of years? Try this sturdy Wasabi Deba Knife manufactured by Kershaw.

This 8-1/4 inch knife is very handy for chopping vegetables, slicing up poultry, or even boning fish.

The durable handle, made of polypropylene mixed with bamboo powder, is attached to a one-inch carbon ...

The Shun Classic 8-Inch Chef's Knife is a great example of the high-end ultra-sharp Japanese knives that are now all the rage.

It is made from premium VG-10 steel -- a high-carbon, molybdenum and vanadium blend which is known for its extreme sharpness. The blade is hardened to a Rockwell hardness of ...

The Anolon Advanced Collection 3 1/2-Inch Parer Knife is perfect for many kitchen jobs such as cutting and peeling fruits and vegetables or even trimming and cubing meat.

The blade is crafted from German high-carbon steel, known for it's superior quality and for being resistant to staining and rust.

It has an ergonomic grip ...

This knife is made by R.H. Forschner, a division of Victorninox -- maker of Swiss Army Knives. No pocket knife here here, though.

The accolades for this one are unending:

For starters, it is part of our Best $50 Kitchen Knife Set. Read that review for more details about the set.

Next up, ...