KiwiBrand Stainless Steel 8 inch Thai Chef's Knife No. 21

These are inexpensive, easy to use kitchen knives. In fact, they are the only ones I use. Easy to sharpen, they seem to hold an edge for a reasonable amount of time. If they eear out or get lost, no big deal, disposable razor blades cost more. I just order another one!

Excellent knife for the price! It's very slicy and easily resharpened. The edge last longer than I expected and it's sharpness (and blade life) can be extended easily with regular honing with a ceramic stone and leather strop.

I cook a lot. Both personally and professionally. If you asked me what knife to recommend as a general all-purpose chef's knife I would tell you a Global G-2. And I wouldn't be very wrong. Anthony Bourdain said it is the best starter chef's knife. But it would likely cost you something north of $100.So why am I telling you this when I'm reviewing the Kiwi Brand Stainless Steel 8 inch Thai Chef's Knife No. 21? For perspective.I was in Bangkok a couple of years ago. My wife and I took a cooking class for fun. I'm always interested in learning something new. It wasn't so much cooking techniques that I learned as it was that this knife existed. I liked it. The knife was surprisingly sharp, easy to hold, and enjoyable to cut a variety of produce and proteins. Searching around on Amazon I found this knife which looks to be the same one I used in the cooking school. So I bought it. Why not? Spend $10 or so and see what it can do.Well, it pretty much does almost everything. I wouldn't recommend cutting bones with it. That said, for 95% of what one is likely to do in the kitchen this knife will more than accomodate. And the price is right.I wouldn't toss it in the dishwasher if I was you. Oil the handle occasionally. And sharpen/hone as needed (or every time you use it if you want the very best results). Enjoy it. This knife punches far above its weight. I highly recommend it. You won't regret buying it.

I generally buy high quality knifes but wanted to try my hand at a Santoku before sinking a lot of money into a good quality Santoku design, so this was a cheap way to try it. First about Kiwi knife - blade is very thin and flexes - need to be extra careful using it - , it was dull and arrived with a burr on one side, also there was a couple of small chips on the blade, metal is soft but I was able to sharpen it using 3200 stone and removed all the burr using ceramic rod, it’s now very sharp but metal is soft so it will require regular daily maintenance. If it didn’t have the chips and was sharp, I would give it 4stars, but for $10, it’s absolutely worth it! As for Santoku design, it’s a light general purpose design and it complements my 10” VG10 Chef knife (In my opinion it will not replace a Chef’s knife for an advanced home cook or a chef), and a Zwilling Twin Professional large set Ive had for 30 years that’s still going strong. As for the Zwilling professional set, design is excellent, 30 years ago the German steel was pretty good and had high relative hardness, today however, it’s just ok and is relatively soft but it’s multipurpose, takes a sharp edge, will require regular maintenance, but I know I won’t chip it going thru a bone by accident. I will buy another Kiwi but not as my primary knife!——————-6/10/24 UpdateIt’s funny but with all the great knives I have, I still find myself reaching for this knife instead of my expensive knives, that says a lot. Upping my rating to 4 stars.As for my Zwilling professional western chef’s knife I’ve had for 30 years, I hardly ever use it, just sits in its block. I will never buy another thick blade western knife! Once you use a thin blade knife (slightly thicker than kiwi), you’ll never go back. The magic happens when you have a hard enough blade that holds an edge for a long time, won’t chip and you can sharpen without too much difficulty. Too hard and will hold edge for a long time but will chip and it’s hard to sharpen, too soft and requires sharpening every day but won’t chip.

I am a pastry chef and having been using this as my every day knife for 2 years now. I bought it on recommendation from a colleague and have not been disappointed! This knife is lightweight, well balanced, and comfortable. I have tried many of my colleagues knives all at varying price points, and while some of them were a little better or could be used for more things, I just can't bring myself to spend that much money on a knife.This knife arrives really sharp and has maintained that edge fairly well over the two years I have had it. I can count on one hand how many times I have had to sharpen it on a wet stone. I do use a steel to hone the blade everytime I use it, and if I'm doing a lot of. Slicing and dicing I may hone it multiple times. Just a couple pulls on each side and it can slice through tomatoes ease and cut herbs without bruising them.The blade is a little thin for cutting anything that is too hard, like a block of chocolate, but I have a larger, sturdier knife for things like that. But for an everyday knife to chop fruits, veggies, and some meats, it gets the job done. You will not find a better knife for the money. And everyone of my co-workers who have tried it out cannot believe that it cost me less than $10.I have 2 other Kiwi knives as well, and while this one is my favorite because of the size and utility, they are also of equal quality and have maintained an edge with only one wet stone sharpening each. Kiwi has a customer for life in me!