Mercer Culinary M20003 Genesis 3.5-Inch Paring Knife,Black

All of my other knives are Wusthof Grand Prix or Grand Prix II model knives. I already have a Wusthof Chef Knife, steak knives, and paring knife. I found myself wanting a utility knife but unsure if I would really use it enough to justify the cost of another Wusthof. After reading reviews on many other cooking and cutlery websites, I kept coming back to this model by Mercer. For the price I thought I wouldn't be terribly disappointed if I didn't use the knife regularly. I am very happy I bought this knife. It has a nice, comfortable grip, almost exactly like the Wusthof Grand Prix line, which is both soft and non-slip as advertised. The blade is also very nice, although like all knives you will need to sharpen it before using and then sharpen it regularly to keep it at it's best. I use a Wusthof Precision Edge 4 Stage Knife Sharpener that Amazon sells, it's easier than a traditional sharpening stone and works great on all of my knives, including this. This is a nice strong, forged knife with no flex. I find myself using it the most of all of my knives, even more than the Wusthof chef knife. I rarely use my paring knife now as this can do almost all of the small trimming, cutting, carving, etc. as well as some smaller chopping like tomatoes and onions, for example. This is an extremely nice knife and a great value at the price when you compare it to the Wusthof pieces. I would say the quality is about the exact same as my Wusthof knives. If I have the need for another type of knife or one of mine break I will look for a Mercer knife since they are an excellent quality at a very good price, this has been that impressive. Last tip for anyone new to higher quality knives, wash your knives with soap and hot water immediately after using or finishing eating, and then hand dry them with a towel and put them back in your storage block or blade guard. Never place them in a dishwasher or leave out for hours with food residue on them or sitting in water.

I started doing a lot more cooking during the quarantine. Or maybe instead of cooking, I should say "cutting raw ingredients and heating them in the oven to make them edible". My signature dishes are chicken, steak, and roasted vegetables. You heard me right: vegetables. It turns out they taste pretty good when you roast them and add a little bit of seasoning.Previously, I had a very cheap chef serrated knife that I bought from the grocery store. Food preparation involved a lot of vigorous hacking and sawing. At some point it dawned on me that my knife was super dull and it was dangerous to be using my other hand anywhere in its vicinity. So I put on my consumer hat to find the perfect chef's knife. After some research, I decided to avoid getting a knife with a full bolster or serrated edge because of the potential to interfere with sharpening. I decided that a Japanese style knife would likely be too expensive. For German-style knives, something like a Wusthof would also be out of my price range.The Mercers eventually stood out because they are a respected brand, and have some highly rated offerings at budget price points. Specifically, it was between this knife (the Mercer Genesis) and the Mercer Millennia. I chose the Genesis because of the forged construction and full tang, so it has a more premium look and might be more durable over time.The difference between the Genesis and my old knife has been like night and day. Out of the box, the Genesis was like a freaking light saber; anything I threw in front if it, it cut with barely any effort. I became even more worried about cutting myself than I was before, so I try to be extremely careful whenever I am handling it. The handle is very comfortable, and the weight feels very well balanced. The blade has a high quality look to it, and shows no signs of rust or discoloration so far. Along with the knife, I picked up a cheap honing steel, and have been using it every time I use the knife. After about a month of daily use, the edge is still very usable but not as light saber-like as it was initially. At some point, I'll pick up a set of whetstones and have a go at them.So far I am very pleased with this purchase. If you are looking for your first real chef's knife, I would say to definitely consider Mercer's lineup:- the Genesis if you can justify spending around $40.- the Culinary Renaissance looks to be even a little nicer at around $50.- the Millennia at around $20.- the Culinary Ultimate is currently around $12 if you're really hard up.There are a large number of other highly rated (and very nice looking) alternatives on Amazon under $40 if you are less concerned about brand recognition.

My wife and I love to cook, and a good quality, sharp knife is an indispensable tool in the kitchen. We have a variety of different brands and blade styles, ranging from a high-end Damascus Shun chef's knife to several small Wustoff paring knives. My wife's favorite knife for most purposes, because it was lightweight, maneuverable, and easy to put a sharp edge on, used to be a very old low-end Wustoff paring knife, the kind with a stamped-steel blade rather than forged, and a riveted slab handle. Unfortunately, over the years it gradually fell apart: pieces of the handle broke off and had to be epoxied back on, and finally, two years ago the blade just snapped off at the handle. After doing some research, I bought her this Mercer paring knife as a replacement, even though I was not familiar with the brand. It is an exceptional knife! She loves how the handle feels in her hand and the blade balances, and I am extremely impressed with how long the blade holds a very sharp edge (much longer than a number of our knives that are considerably more expensive), and once it does lose peak sharpness, it is very quick and easy to resharpen (FYI, I use a small, folding, two-sided diamond whetstone to sharpen my knives). I very belatedly came back to this product page to rate the knife, and was excited to see Mercer also offers a boning knife. We live on a small farm and raise a herd of Heritage Soay sheep, so I do a fair amount of butchering. I've ordered the boning knife and am looking forward to putting it to work.

Did not disappoint I have one and bought this for my son. He fell in love. Raved about how well it handled sharpness comfort of use. It is my go to knife Great quality