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: There is probably no better BANG for your BUCK in cutlery...
Summary: 5 Stars
I am not a knife snob but we own a true classic workhorse of a chef's knife, the J.A. Henckels Twin Four Star 8-Inch High Carbon Stainless-Steel Chef's Knife, and when a family member got one of these VICTORINOX knives as part of her "kit" for going off to college I was keen on comparing the build quality of the two.
Put simply, the VICTORINOX is quite impressive if not as heavy-duty as the HENCKELS. With its thinner, but excellently forged and machined blade, this knife is more like a SHUN than a top-of-the-line HENCKELS. And right out of the box this knife seems to be every bit as sharp as a friend's treasured SHUN CLASSIC - which is saying a lot!
All of these great knives, VICTORINOX, SHUN, & HENCKELS, are made with high carbon stainless steel - which is an alloy that provides the most useful compromise between the "sharpen-ability" of carbon steel and the stain and rust resistance of stainless steel.
Hopefully I will have a chance to actually prepare some foods with this knife; in the meantime let me say that if I were on a tight budget there is no doubt that I'd go for this tool instead of the HENCKELS at four times the price or the SHUN at five times the price.
More later after I have a chance to put this baby through its paces ;^)
Bon cuisine!
Customer Review: Forschner 8 Inch Chef's Knife - A Pretty Reliable Performer, Nice Value
Summary: 4 Stars
The Forschner line-up of knives are pretty impressive, considering the reasonable cost. This particular model, the R.H. Forschner by Victorinox 8-Inch Chef's Knife, Black Fibrox Handle is one of my personal favorites.
This knife is excellent for general kitchen use and holds its edge for a long time. In addition, the Fibrox handle is very comfortable in the hand.
The R H. Forschner by Victorinox 7-Inch Granton Edge Santoku Knife, Black Fibrox Handle is also a nice alternative, and I enjoy both these knives. While the shorter blade and ridges of the Santoku model make it ideal for chopping, this 8-inch chefs knife is perhaps a more versatile performer overall.
Other than those two knives, I mainly only use a filet knife and a paring knife when cooking. After purchasing more than my fair share of budget knife sets, I have come to rely on my four favorite knives. The rest of the knives I own rarely if ever see any use.
Definitely consider these knives as opposed to a knife and block set. A few carefully selected knives are better than a set of average knives any day.
Enjoy.
Customer Review: Get this knife!
Summary: 5 Stars
I had tried and tried all the techniques shown on the foodnetwork channel and just felt worthless. Nothing seemed to work. My Chicago Cutlery knifes failed me, and I was going to give up and forget about ever having good knife skills.
The I received a Cooks magazine that rated this "best value". I ordered a whole set of these and now my friends think I trained under Julia herself! You should see me reduce an onion into paper-thin slices before the first tear even breaks!
I would recommend the Chef's Station model 130 to go with your knives to keep them sharp. Once a good knife goes dull, it's no better than a butter knife. This knife only needs a good honing most of the time to shave onions almost thin as paper, and it's incredibly comfortable to hold and control.
You *can* put this on the top shelf of the dishwasher if you want, but be prepared for more work keeping it sharp. Handwash this best-buy for sharpness longeveity, and mention Americas Test Kitchen in your prayers.
A good knife does not necessarily make a good cook, but good cooks have good knives, and this is a perfect knife that's worth twice or three times it's price.
This is a must have. Better yet, shop for the whole set with the block.
Customer Review: It slices! It dices!
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm not going to lie to you and say that this is the best knife I own. I compared it against my J.A. Henckels Twin Five Star 8-Inch High Carbon Stainless-Steel Chef's Knife, and definitely found it wanting. A stamped blade is simply not as good as a forged blade, both in terms of balance and edge. I also found it too light and at the same time bulky in my hand, making it more difficult to handle over all.
That being said, in this price range you are not going to find better. Victorinox are the makers of the famous "Swiss army knife", and they know a thing or two about mass-produced quality. For a stamped blade it is very sharp and strong, and with care will hold up for many years of use. I have had stamped blades snap before, especially at the tip or handle, but there are no problems here. I gave it a nice workout in my kitchen, and was very pleased with its performance. The grip is a little rough at first, but it won't slip from your hand which is nice to know.
So, while this isn't going to replace my forged blades any time soon, it is an excellent back-up chef's knife to have, and the cook on a budget is going to be thrilled.
Customer Review: a chef knifen to last a lifetime
Summary: 5 Stars
I've owned thesame knife with a genuine eastIndian rosewood(Dalbergia latifolia) handle for thirty years and since I used it daily, I sharpened it monthly using my own design of a profesional grinder(I sharpenedd knives and tools professionally as a side business)the steel has narrowed by about 3/8" but otherwise is still in pristine condition so much for the criticism of stamped steel vs forged blades( today non forged blades are laser cut). My sole criticism isthat my handle is wquite massive; my hands are large but people with medium to small hands might find that feature annoying(the Fibrox hndles appear in the pictures to be slimmer.
the steel however is beyond reproach and develops an edge sharper than my Wusthoff knives which cost a small fortune.
Adding a good paring knife, Forschners are fineand priced right will get you through 90% or more of a home kitchen tasks, justfind a good pro sharpener and have your knives sharpened every three months and "steel them before each use and I recommend settinjg your steel on a counter covered with a pot holder or towel and angle your knife at a+/- 10 degrees to the steel to reduce the tendencyof steeling to round the cuttingedge, lock you wrist and use a light touch.