Victorinox3.25 Inch Paring Knife with Straight Edge, Spear Point, Large Handle, Black

Kind of the quintessential paring knife. The only trouble is the cost. I can't seem to keep enough in the kitchen!

Saw this item reviewed on America’s Test Kitchen. It was their top pick which prompted me to purchase it. As advertised, it’s a great addition to my existing knife collection.

Mine has been flawless, sharpened many times and great for small stuff like cutting packages, veggies and butter.

While dieting a few years ago, this knife was my best friend! I lived on protein shakes and salads. This knife and I BOTH got one he!! of a workout!I cannot even tell you how many miles of English cukes I’ve cut, or how many HUNDREDS of pounds of lettuce, spinach, cherry tomatoes, grapes, pickles, mandarin oranges, apples, peppers, celery, cooked chicken, etc. that this handy little thing has easily cut through. It is still sharp as new and cuts as well as the first day. (ALWAYS hand-washed.)It feels very comfortable in my (female) hand. I find it to be a very manageable size and, although EXTREMELY sharp and serrated, I do not feel unsafe using it. This thing will pierce and cut through a grape or a tomato like nobody’s business! You can get such thin slices of cucumbers too. Tiny gherkins? Not a problem…however thin you want them! Hard carrots? Effortless!I have bought a few of these for home and several of as gifts too. (Recipients all share my love of this knife!)I use this knife every day…it’s always the FIRST one I reach for…still my best friend.(Shhhh….please don’t tell my husband).

I LOVE this lightweight paring knife! Absolutely love it. I never would have bought such a cheap paring knife if I hadn't been given one. I fell in love with it and find myself reaching over my Wusthof, Trident, Misen, Henckels, Shun... all the paring knives I have long loved. In fact, I'm an admitted knife snob. I like VERY nice knives.I had to face the fact that while I have spent six times the price for a high-end brand paring knife, this little Victorinox is my favorite. I love the thin blade and find it nimble and it's easy to peel and to slice - you can accomplish very thin slices that add elegance to the appearance of your dish. I don't use it for cheese - I use a chef knife for that purpose because I need the heft. I use it for things like peeling, slicing tomatoes, cutting out stems, and making very thin slices of fruits or vegetables. In fact, I just bought my second Victorinox paring knife because everyone in my home who loves to cook is always using it - while I need it, too!Do keep it sharp. I sharpen my knives at end of day - every one that I've used that day. I take very good care of my knives and they reward me for it. I have to admit I was very surprised at how much I love this little paring knife. I'm considering getting a Victorinox chef knife. My go-to chef knife cost just under $400. I can't help but wonder if I'll prefer a Victorinox at a tenth the price.The most important thing you can do with ANY good knife is never, ever put it into the dishwasher, wash and clean it IMMEDIATELY after use, and sharpen it every day that you use it. DO NOT use electric sharpeners - use a whetstone or diamond embedded sharpening stone or plate.YouTube channel, Burrfection, has fantastic videos about knife sharpening, care, use, and how to find the knives that are right for you. I highly recommend that channel if you're wanting your knives to make your work a breeze.

These are great knives, with a couple of caveats:Firstly, the handles have been "updated" and aren't shaped like shown in the picture. If you're looking to match these with knives you already have, you're probably out of luck. I searched everywhere and finally had to settle on these that are shaped slightly different than the ones I already have.Secondly, I have used these paring knives for 20+ years, and until a year ago, never had them sharpened. I had five knives originally, had three sharpened, and even the ones I didn't have sharpened a year ago are sharper than these new ones. Straight out of the packaging, these new knives seem dull when compared with my knives that were new 20+ years ago. Do yourself a favor and immediately have these knives sharpened for the best experience. They sharpen up quite nicely, despite being a rather inexpensive knife.

Cutting vegetables

I am writing this review after two full years of using this knife, and it hasn't let me down yet! I am a three knife kind of guy: one chefs knife, one bread knife, and one paring knife. It keeps my kitchen uncluttered, simple, and most importantly costs less money. That being said, I put more value in quality than price - my daily chef knife has been the $150 MAC Pro for years. When I first started looking for a paring knife, of course I was attracted to the big names like Wüsthof, Global, and Henkels. However, after reading the reviews I decided to give this little guy a chance. I'm willing to spend $40 on a paring knife, but I can certainly spend a few bucks to see if I like this one more.I'm so glad I did - this knife lives up to the all the other glowing reviews. It comes sharp out of the box and has stayed that way with very little decline in my time using it. The handle is comfortable enough in my hand (I'm right handed, but it's symmetrical so a lefty would also find it easy to use). The blade holds up to tough use but is slightly flexible so it feels more like an extension of my hand. The best part is the price! Great performance for 1/3 to 1/5 the price of comparable products. That's a winner in my book.If there is a negative, perhaps I would prefer that it had a little more heft. If weight is very, very important to you, go give an all-metal Global a try. Otherwise, pick up one of these knives and get a great product for a fraction of the cost of another paring knife.