One knife does eighty per cent of the work; this is that knife
The chef’s knife is the one that earns its place, and the figures that describe it are all stated by the maker rather than measured here. Hardness, quoted in HRC, is the trade at the heart of the category: a harder blade holds an edge longer and chips more readily, a softer one dulls sooner and is easier to bring back on a steel. Length is the second decision — 20 cm suits most hands and most boards, 24 cm rewards a large board and punishes a small one. Profile decides technique: a curved belly rocks, a flatter one chops. We compare stated steel and hardness, length and profile, edge angle, balance point and handle shape.
20 cm blade · stainless · ergonomic handle · blade guard included
The cheapest chef’s knife in the catalogue, and it arrives with a blade guard — which is the accessory a knife in a drawer actually needs.
Best for: A first knife, a second kitchen, or a knife you will not mind lending.
≈ 10 €
20 cm blade · German knife steel · acacia wood handle · ergonomic
A 20 cm blade in German knife steel with an acacia wood handle — the only knife in this hub with a wooden grip at this price.
Best for: Someone who wants the feel of wood and will wash the knife by hand.
≈ 23 €
20 cm blade · X30Cr14 chrome-vanadium hardened steel · full tang · balanced
A 20 cm knife that names its steel — X30Cr14 chrome-vanadium — and states a full tang running to the end of the handle, which is more than most knives at this price publish.
Best for: Someone who wants a knife that is easy to bring back on a steel.
≈ 18 €
20 cm blade · FRIODUR ice-hardened special steel · deep bolster · made in Germany · seamless handle
A German-made 20 cm knife with Zwilling’s FRIODUR ice-hardening, a deep bolster and a seamless handle join — the construction that keeps water out of the handle.
Best for: A knife bought once, for a kitchen that cooks daily.
≈ 50 €
20 cm blade · forged from one piece · stated 58 HRC · laser-measured edge · stainless
The top of this hub and the only knife in it that publishes a hardness: forged from a single piece of Wüsthof steel, stated at 58 Rockwell, with a laser-measured cutting edge.
Best for: The knife you sharpen for thirty years.
≈ 95 €
