Mac Mighty MTH-80 Professional 8-Inch Chef's Knife

It ranks #2 (S tier) on our consolidated chef's knives board, drawn from 14 cited sources across 11 outlets.

1 of the 11 sources that state a view is unconvinced or negative, from JPM.Cuisine. Costs well above the budget picks.

Cooks who want the best all-around chef's knife and are willing to spend beyond budget money. It is Wirecutter's current top pick after testing 24 knives, with pro-kitchen durability and edge life that embarrasses German knives without the brittleness of the hardest Japanese blades. It shares S tier with the Victorinox Fibrox Pro 8-Inch Chef's Knife on our board. If you would rather spend as little as possible, or you are hard on your tools, the Victorinox Fibrox Pro 8-Inch Chef's Knife is the better buy and costs far less. Its only listed drawback is that cost.

Far longer than a German knife. The board research credits its sub-hardened steel with edge retention that beats the Wüsthof Classic 8-Inch Chef's Knife and its peers by a wide margin, while a long pro-kitchen reputation shows it survives daily abuse. Hone it regularly and it needs a full sharpening only a few times a year in home use.

Much less than the hardest Japanese knives. The board research specifically credits it with avoiding the chippiness of blades like the Shun Classic 8-Inch Chef's Knife, which sits in C tier for exactly that problem. It is still a thinner, harder knife than a German blade, so do not use it on bones, frozen food or as a pry tool. Treated as a chef's knife, it has a long record of surviving professional kitchens.

Use a whetstone or a professional service rather than a coarse pull-through sharpener, which is too aggressive for a harder thin blade. Hold a narrower angle than you would for a German knife, around 15 degrees per side. Hone lightly on a ceramic rod between sharpenings. Because the steel holds an edge so well, you will sharpen it far less often than a softer knife.

Hand wash, dry immediately and store it in a block, on a magnetic strip or in a blade guard. Never put it in the dishwasher. Cut on wood or plastic boards, not glass or stone. Avoid twisting the blade in dense food and keep it away from bones and frozen items. Those habits are what turn its long pro-kitchen reputation into a decades-long home knife.