Food & Wine Best Chef's Knives of 2025

[ecowper]

It's that time of year for F&W to tell us how to spend our money on knives .... and it's a great list.

Highlights

Best German Chef Knife - Wusthof Classic 8" (darn them, I like the IKON handles better)
Best Japanese Chef Knife - MAC Professional 8" Hollow Edge
Best Budget Chef Knife - Victorinox Fibrox 8"

And you can read all the details and the other top picks at Food & Wine Best Chef's Knives of 2025

[Midway]

I wish you hadn't just linked to this where I learned my new $136 on sale Dalstrong Professional Chef Knife - 8” Blade - Shogun Series didn't make the cut.

Note to self; do more research. It still is a beautiful looking knife that feels good in my hand.

[Dewesq55]

I love my several Dalstrong knives. Don't fret!

[Mosca]

Pffft. There is no “best knife”, there’s only the best knife for you. These lists only give you the knives that have the most chance of fitting you. It’s like saying Camrys are the best car; then why do people buy Jettas?

[ecowper]

Mosca that's funny since I've owned Jettas and Camrys

[DTro]

I would rather have your Ikon than the Classic. The Ikon handles are nicer and the Classic has a full bolster. I often use the heal of the knife to start cuts, especially delicate items like tomatoes. Can't do that with a full bolster. I have been using a Mac Professional 8.5-inch chef knife for a little over a year. The Mac blade, being thinner and lighter than the Wusthof, makes it nimble and quick, though sometimes I wish it had just a bit more heft. It's a darn nice knife none the less. I opted NOT to buy the hollow edge Mac. Adding a granton edge to an already thin blade did not make sense to me especially when this is the work horse of the kitchen. Last thing I want is a bend, buckle or crack midway through the center of a butternut squash.
Enjoy those Ikons. There is nothing like a Wusthof in hand!

[briano52]

I have a Wusthoff Classic Ikon, and a Mac chef knives. Both have 15 degree edges. They are balanced and perform wonderfully. I have a couple of Dahlstrong knives although not in a chef knife.

I like the 15 degree (Asian style) edges. They cut very well and precisely. The edges are delicate but easy to maintain with regular (before and after every use) honing.

[TripleB]

Nothing to do with research, but got a Wusthof Classic about 20 years ago. But I only use it occasionally. Cooks Illustrated rated the Victorinox chefs knife the best knife for the buck about 15 years ago. That has been my “go to” chefs knife ever since. Have given them out as Christmas gifts. Great knife.

[Oak Smoke]

I’m the bargain hunter in the bunch. Mine is Victorinox.

[Mosca]

I had a Victorinox. Nice blade. I didn’t like it, I gave it to my daughter. I replaced it with a Global, which I love, but a lot of people don’t like.

A year or two ago I found a Zwilling at an estate sale for $9. It’s a damn nice knife! I replaced my Global with the Zwilling for about 6 months, then went back and forth between them for a while. Somewhere along the line I just kept rehoning the Global, and never switched back to the Zwilling. The knives made the decision for me.