Victorinox 40520 Fibrox 8-Inch Chef's Knife
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Victorinox 40520 Fibrox 8-Inch Chef's Knife
Customer Review: Do not expect a "cheap" knife
Summary: 5 Stars
My requirements of a knife is simple...it needs to be able to cut things. Until recently, my view on knives were that you can pay around $100 for a decent knife that will cut better or just saw through the item with what you have. There wasn't enough of a jump in quality for the price to me...so I did a lot of sawing. Well, that has all changed now after finding this brand that has actually proved to exceed the quality of those low end Henckels or other knives I've tried in the $100 range (or even my friend Joe's Japanese folded steal one that that is priced in the $400 range). It may not be a knife capable of cutting down a tree with a single swoop, but it will very likely impress you...or at least make you begrudge the several multiples more you spent on your only very slightly better knife.
I started with the 8" chef knife, and based on the quality have since purchased 3 other products from this line (7" Santoku, 5" Chef, and a 3 piece set). All of the knives arrived "scary" sharp and have maintained a solid cutting edge after a few months of use. I use a sharping steel after every few uses, and try to get them cleaned and dried quickly after each use (although I often fail in that task, sometimes leaving them overnight before getting to the cleanup). The fibrox handle is quite functional, but some could find it possibly too light for the larger blades and maybe a bit cheap if used to or expecting a rosewood handle type of feel. I do not have any complaints, the weight and feel work for me (especially at the under $30 price point).
I most often reach for the 7" Santoku, and then the 5" chef if the Santoku is dirty or in use. I usually reserve the 8" Chef for bigger jobs now, since I find it is often more knife than I need for our daily cooking (butternut squash, cabbage, and trimming chicken breasts would be the only tasks I'd prefer it to a smaller blade so far). It is versatile enough to chop just about anything, but I'd likely start with something smaller than this if it was my first knife (I'd hesitate to say the Santoku if it is your only knife purchase just because the shape is only really better suited for quick chopping vegetables...maybe a 7.5" or 6" Chef although I have not yet used either blade yet). Based on the 6 knives I have tried from Victorinox with the fibrox handles, I'd easily recommend them to anyone...the question is which one will suit your needs best. You'll be hard pressed to be disappointed at this value.
Customer Review: Another glowing review
Summary: 5 Stars
I love this knife. For starters, Forschner made the very smart move to grind it properly in the first place so that when it arrived, it was hair-shaving sharp right out of the box. Good first impression. I loved the feel of the handle and the wide blade -- both good for someone with big hands.
But before writing this review, I wanted to wait for the blade to dull and then resharpen it, to get an idea of its edge retention. So I waited. And waited. (Note that I am not a professional cook, but I am a serious home cook who makes almost everything from scratch and routinely throws multiple-course dinner parties for 10-20+ guests.) About 4 months later, with only occasional stropping as blade maintenance, I noticed the slightest drop in performance -- the blade still shaved hair, but needed more passes to clear a patch. So I busted out the whetstones and got an arguably sharper-than-the-factory edge with only minor effort and my quite meager sharpening skills. This is without reshaping the edge or taking down the fairly conservative factory angle.
Now here I am to write the review. This knife is fantastic. The only complaint i could begin to muster is that it looks like a cheap knife. If i could, i would give it a 4.9 star review on that basis. But as I prize function and value over form, it's certainly no biggie.
I actually prefer the forschner to my old roommate's Henckles (though certainly not to his Hiromoto gyuto - that thing was a lightsaber). But comparisons to high-end knives are beside the point. Compare this knife to any other $20 piece-of-junk knife I've seen and used in kitchens. The difference in blade quality is downright hilarious, forged or not. Heck, compare this knife to anything whatsoever in your kitchen that you paid $20-$25 for. In terms of bang for the buck, I have not seen a better deal available in kitchenware.
Edit: One other minor drawback of this knife that I only remembered after posting the review --
The knife doesn't come with a sheath, even a cheap cardboard one. And it's too wide to fit into most wooden knife blocks (the width is a good thing otherwise). Making your own sheath isn't hard at all, but I would advise people to either do that or get a magnetic knife strip rather than let it bang around in your drawers uncovered. A blade this nice deserves better.
Customer Review: over-hyped
Summary: 2 Stars
I LOVE to cook and am avid cook; I would love to be able to purchase some more knives like my Shun, but I don't have the money at this time. This knife is a decent knife that does the job.
I know this is a Cook's Illustrated, Cook's Country, and America's Test Kitchen (all the same company by the way) recommended knife, but it's a poor recommendation. After using more expensive knives this knife feels cheap and flimsy. I get the feeling that it won't hold up all that long; in fact the handle has cracked already after 3 months of use. America's Test Kitchen said the price was one of the main reasons that recommended the knife; keep that in mind if you are thinking about buying the knife! Other knives did better in all their tests but this knife won based on price. Also, if you watch their shows or see their videos online you will notice NOT ONE of them uses this knife.
***UPDATE*** I was corrected, and rightly so, by someone who mentioned that this knife is frequently used on their shows. I just did not watch enough of the programs to see the knife being used. Sorry for the misinformation; I don't usually watch their programs. I have a subscription to their website.
My biggest complaint with the knife is the depth (the measurement from the widest part of the blade, by the handle) is pretty shallow. I can't choke up on the knife handle or else I will cut a finger off. I have to hold the knife further back on the handle. The depth issue also makes me bump my hand on the cutting board when I am holding the knife. My hands are not that big, but when I hold the handle my knuckles are on the board. All of this means that I can not cut as efficiently as with my other knives. Lastly, this knife maybe sharp but it does not hold an edge.
I wish I would have saved my money and purchased a Shun or a Global. If you haven't heard of Global Knives, look them up they are not as expensive as Wusthof or Shun, but they are just as good quality if not better.
***UPDATE*** I have recently become aware of Ergo Chef Knives. These knives are great! Truly a GREAT quality knife for around $80-$90.
On the pro side: the knife is light weight, inexpensive, and sharp. It does the job in the mean time.
Customer Review: Incredible value for the money
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm not a professional chef, but I know my way around a kitchen. One thing I never stint on is knives. Cheap knives are a waste of time--good knives are a joy forever. By "cheap" I mean badly crafted knives, not inexpensive knives, because it's always possible to find a moderately-priced knives that outperforms knives double or triple the price.
This is one of those knives.
I haven't been able to determine whether this knife is forged or stamped. The price makes me think it must be stamped, but the Victorinox site implies it's forged. No matter--either way, this is a fantastic knife.
It weighs a bit less than my Calphalon 8" chef's knife, and while I don't think the Calphalon is too heavy--many people do--I find that the Fibrox knife just feels better over the long haul--easier to manuever and control. It doesn't have a traditional bolster (another reason I wonder if it was stamped) but I find that it makes little or no difference--it's so well-balanced that gripping the front of the handle is perfectly adequate for control. (And you know what? The fibrox handle is very, very comfortable.)
Sharp? Yes, very. The reviewer who found hers to be dull must have had a knife that was damaged in some way, or somehow got past quality control, because out of the box this knife was exceeded in sharpness only by my Shun santoku.
Over the last two days, I've used this knife to trim and cube chuck steak and Boston butt, chop kale, slice chorizo, and dice roasted red peppers. I used it to carve our turkey at Thanksgiving, and it's equally at home doing a chiffonade of basil or dicing carrots. At this price, I'm likely to buy duplicates to keep both at my parent's and in-law's houses for when I cook there, because it's rapidly becoming the knife I can't work without in the kitchen.
Yes, I paid more for that santoku, but I think I like this knife better.
Customer Review: Good value but a bit overrated
Summary: 3 Stars
Based on all the promotion by Cook's Illustrated one would think that using this knife would be some sort of zen-like experience. It's not.
The stamped blade arrived very sharp and the handle is grippy but has some deformation where it was pulled from its mold. The blade slices easily through food and is capable of making thinner slices than most forged knives but that's where the good news starts to end. Food sticks like crazy to the smooth-as-glass stamped blade which can really slow down certain tasks. When chopping or mincing, the lightweight design doesn't feel nearly as smooth as a good forged knife.
I compared the Victorinox side by side with a generic Chinese forged knife that is a copy of a Wusthof or Henckels. I prefer the Chinese knife by a considerable margin. The forged knife has a much better feel when chopping and the rougher surface of the forged blade causes most food to pop off the blade whereas it sticks to the Victorinox. The wedging action of the thicker forged blade also helps to make prep work go faster with most foods than with the Victorinox.
So while the Victorinox is a good knife for the price it's certainly not a worthy substitute for a high-end German or Japanese knife. In fact, a good Chinese forged knife might be a better choice for about the same amount of money. The Chinese knife will probably need to be sharpened out of the box but that's a skill that every knife owner should know. If you're really a serious chef then get a Wusthof Ikon or other high-end knife and enjoy. Of course, those knives will eventually need sharpening as well.
I have to agree with some of the more critical reviews here. The Victorinox is good for an inexpensive knife but it's not the chef's delight that some would have others believe.