Mercer Culinary Chinese Chef's Knife, 8", Wooden Handle

I recently purchased the Mercer Culinary Chinese Chef's Knife and I am extremely impressed with its performance. The 8-inch blade is the perfect size for chopping, dicing, and slicing ingredients for Asian dishes like stir-fries, vegetables, and meats. The blade is sharp right out of the box and holds its edge very well, making it a joy to use for precision cuts. The wooden handle provides a comfortable, ergonomic grip, and it feels sturdy and secure during use. The knife is well-balanced, which makes it easy to maneuver even during long prep sessions. I appreciate how the handle has a traditional feel but with the durability and quality you'd expect from Mercer Culinary products. I’ve used it for everything from chopping scallions to breaking down proteins, and it performs beautifully. The curved blade allows for efficient rocking motions, making chopping much quicker and more efficient. It’s not just functional but also a pleasure to work with in the kitchen. My only minor concern is that the wooden handle requires a bit of care to prevent it from drying out or cracking, but that’s common with most wooden handles. Just a little maintenance with oiling the handle from time to time will keep it in great condition. Overall, this knife offers excellent value for the price. Whether you're a professional chef or just an enthusiast of Asian cuisine, the Mercer Culinary Chinese Chef's Knife is an indispensable tool in the kitchen. I highly recommend it!

Be aware this is a fairly heavy knife, which is good when cutting foods that require a little more force. It takes a while to get used to, but works well once you do. No problems keeping the blade sharp, at least so far. A good all-around, low-cost utility cleaver.

Came sharp right out of the box. Holds an edge well. Only issue was I needed to break the sharp edge on the top of the blade. The handle could be a little bigger. Mercer is the brand most culinary schools use. They are a workhorse with a price that anyone can afford.

I lived in China for six years. This is fairly close to what I would call a standard Chinese chef's knife that you might find in any home. Not too thick or heavy, and easy enough to sharpen. Has held up well to my wife's abuse, but I would not use it as a meat cleaver. A thicker heavier knife would be more appropriate, especially if you are not good at sharpening or repairing small blade chips. Oiled the handle with mineral oil and hasn't cracked even going through the dishwasher.

Very sharp and handy. So far so good. Made in China.

The knife might be perfectly fine; however, I would not have bought it if it had been properly advertised as Made in China. Instead, it is falsely listed as Made in the USA.

The knife arrived on time. Packaging was very nice from company. Good edge and weight is good. De-bones chicken nicely. I chopped a bunch of veggies, chicken, steak and minced shrimp. Over all great value and works well. Not as heavy as my old one and that was my main concern.

I have several Chinese chef's knives in varying hefts and materials. This one was my favourite by far. I like that its blade is thinner and perfect for chopping hard vegetables like squash and occasional soft bones. I can use its wider blade for easily scooping chopped ingredients compared to western knives. It is sharp out of the box as I can shave my hair with it. I can't say it's ultra-sharp as I don't have a Brubacher Edge Sharpness Scale to measure its sharpness accurately but it's sharp enough for most jobs. It is also very light so it's not ideal as a bone cleaver (you need a heavy and thick knife for that). The box and the description confusingly indicate that the blade material is both stainless steel and one-piece high carbon steel and I neither know how good it retains its edge nor how easy it is to sharpen it since I've only used it for a couple of weeks. The knife's spine is a bit sharp because the edges are squared and not beveled/rounded. If you're going to use this knife for long periods at a time, the squared bolster might nick your palm. It may be best to bevel it with a file or cushion it with a bit of Sugru. The thing about Chinese chef's knives is that they're very utilitarian. It isn't the much-coveted Chan Chi Kee knife but it is a decent Chinese chef's knife for its price point. You can use it and abuse it, resharpen it and abuse it more, and when you totally ruined it, you can just grab another one in China town for cheap. Most of my Chinese friends never spend any more than $20 on a Chinese chef knife.

This is a review for the wooden handle version. Picking it up for the first time it's surprisingly substantial and good quality. I was expecting to be a little underwhelmed considering I only paid £20. This thing is pretty hefty. 14 ounces, +-400g, 2.8mm thick. That's on the heavier side for a Chinese cleaver according to my brief research on the topic. I tapped it on the flat side on the side of my head and it's stiff and solid as can be. It could definitely knock someone out just with a slap. Im not sure if it's intended for bone chopping. The other black version is a nimble 110 grams lighter and is definitely not intended for bones so this could be the tougher bone version perhaps? It seems more middle ground. It feels like it'll have no problems with smaller bones like chicken which is what you're most likely to chop on the odd occasion. I've personally never had to chop through large bones so this isn't a concern for me. I'll leave that sort of thing up to the butcher. Chopping vegetables with it doesn't feel difficult or clunky. I'm slightly above average in strength. Someone with weaker arms or a woman might find it a bit too much. Perhaps not. I suppose it depends on your vigor and enthusiasm. The balance point from the handle is 3/5 along the entire knife. So it's top heavy but doesn't feel overly so when you hold it. You don't hold it from the bottom of the handle though. Your first 2 fingers and your thumb hold the actual blade at the bottom of the metal blade. Keeps the blade nice and steady. The sharpness out of the box is very good but nothing to rave on about. It can easily do the paper cutting trick so long as it's fairly stiff. I noticed the way that blade edge is cut, one side is higher than the other so it's more of a one-sided edge and will need to be sharpened that way, probably on a whetstone. The higher side is on the writing side if that concerns you. The thickness of the blade though, does taper evenly on both sides right down to the cutting edge. It's not a flat 2.8 mm all the way through, only at the top. I particularly like the wooden handle and the Asian writing on the side. It gives it that authentic Chinese cleaver feel. I actually scorched the handle with a confectionery blow torch and buffed it down with fine sandpaper to give it a more expensive antique look. It was pretty intimidating because I was afraid the heat might split the wood but I did it gently and gave it time to cool, and it turned out nice.

Absolutely fantastic knife for the money. Good weight and well balanced, heavy enough for tackling tough root vegetables but light enough to use for more delicate prep work. Takes a good edge and holds it so long as you don't abuse it too much. I've used it for veg prep, breaking down chicken carcasses and larger joints of meat and for simple things like cutting my sandwiches. My only nitpick is that the handle is just a tad short for my liking but I do have large hands and find with an adjusted grip its still comfortable and easy to control. Will definitely be a part of my everyday set of knives for years to come.

Once again, if you are reading this, then you are looking at the Mercer chef's knife. my photo would be the same as the one you are looking at. Firstly, I took a good look around before buying this knife to fit my purpose, and in the process, i noted many reviews that were, well, not so much unfair but more "misplaced". A knife is a tool, and every tool is designed and built to serve a specific purpose…. Sorry, this is one of my pet peeves, as an erstwhile knife smith and engineer. This applies perhaps more to knives than for most forms of tool. The knife is in some ways the most primal of tools in that it has been with us since the first cave man broke a piece of flint and realised how sharp it was (probably cutting himself to the bone in the process - [the first lesson - treat knives with RESPECT!]. A good knife is almost a living thing and in fact for some of the deeper cultures [including me], it is considered to be exactly that - a living thing in it's own right. Certainly, that is the belief of many of the finest knife smiths. IF you are going to buy a knife, first make certain that you know what you want it to do, and have teh consideration to understand the various forms, shapes, behaviours and functions of knives so that you wont be disappointed. A Chinese / Japanese vegetable knife, for example is a fast, subtle, efficient tool that is totally fit for purpose, and while it might look like a cleaver, IT IS ABSOLUTELY NOT A CLEAVER and if you are crude enough to use it as cleaver, then you don’t deserve it! When you abuse such a tool, don’t be surprised if small bits of metal break off at high velocity and you get one in your eye, or do yourself some nasty damage! a vegetable knife is not a *****y axe. First learn, then choose and buy the most expensive, highest quality tool that is fit for your purpose. learn to look after and care for it, and it will serve you with honour for the rest of your life. Talk to the manufacturers. They will be delighted and honoured to help you. NOW; this Mercer Chinese chef's knife is a very nice piece. IT IS NOT A CLEAVER, AND IT IS NOT AN AXE!. IT has a very nice weight and balance that facilitates the most efficient movements for work with vegetables and meat. IF you master the techniques of cheese cookery, you will be surprised how quickly, safely and easily you can prepare food. Fine for veg; fine fore meat, but not of bones, if you really want to look after your investment. That said, it would chop light chicken bones, although i would not consider it, because i care for my knives. The blade was well sharpened for a factory edge, and i spent around 5 to ten minutes bringing it toe a satisfactory edge. Now it will happily slice paper form a magazine page to a cigarette paper with no effort or hesitation. A knife should be sharpened in the manner appropriate for the work you want it to do. A meat or bone cleaver requires a very different edge to that of a vegetable knife. The belly of this knife has a gently curve and efficient "belly" that is just nice for me, when cutting and preparing veg; filleting and preparing meat. good balance,; good steel with a nice temper. Not so hard it takes all day to hone, but hard enough to hold the edge i want for a good time. The handle has a nice brass bolster, smooth and comfy, although i do wonder if it is solid or sheet brass. which doesn’t really matter much except for a little greater strength and personal satisfaction and just possibly a tiny vulnerability for food and other deleterious mater to collect where the tang, bolster and heel meet. A very minor point but i am fussy, THE brass is nicely finished, and the heel reasonably comfortable for control and accuracy, although – if anyone is listening, the corner edges of the heel would benefit from a light rounding. Over time, they get a little abrasive. It doesn’t need much, just enough to remove the angularity of the edges that could conceivably chafe hands that have soft skin. The steel gives a very satisfactory ring when i take it off the rack. Nice tone. Good balance. It has a round wood handle that looks like it might be rosewood, and is varnished. This is the most significant design flaw in the knife. the round handle with varnish on a blade of this design can make problems if your hands get wet, and make it unwieldy. IT would benefit form a more ergonomic shape of handle with a more tangible grip for fine control, especially at speed. I think i will probably sand the varnish off and perhaps apply a LIGHT wipe of linseed oil - if the wood will absorb it rather than remain on the surface. Or i might fit a better shaped handle - perhaps linen Micarta, well shaped to the hand and nice to look at, or possibly a shaped wood laminate.. either way definitely a round handle detracts from it's utility as from time to time it is inevitable that the handle or hands will get wet and it s not inconceivable that oil can also get on to one\s hands. Over all, I am very pleased with it in all other respects. Money well spent and good value for the money.

Amazing value for money! Incredible knife! Great asset to my kitchen! Many thanks!

Outstanding weight and sharpness