Chef Tamás came back from the shop with seven new knives. Every one cost under 20 euros. Some had list prices three times higher on the tag. None of them has touched an onion yet.
That changes this week. All seven are going into a real restaurant kitchen, on real shifts, next to the knives a head chef already trusts. This page is the scoreboard. We will update it as the results come in.
The lineup
| Knife | Type | What the box promises | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brandani Gyuto | Japanese-style chef’s knife | “Laser engraved damascus pattern effect” | ⏳ Testing |
| Brandani Kiritsuke | Japanese-style chef’s knife with a pointed tip | “Laser engraved damascus pattern effect” | ⏳ Testing |
| Sabatier Professional 20 cm | Classic chef’s knife | Chrome-molybdenum-vanadium stainless steel, Pakka wood handle, 25-year guarantee | ⏳ Testing |
| Rösle, wooden handle | Serrated kitchen knife | German kitchenware brand, founded 1888 | ⏳ Testing |
| Rösle, black handle | Santoku-style knife with hollow dimples | Dimples to stop food sticking to the blade | ⏳ Testing |
| Fiskars Essential | Carving knife | “High-quality Japanese steel” | ⏳ Testing |
| Carl Schmidt Sohn | Bread knife | Triple-riveted handle | ⏳ Testing |
One thing worth knowing before you buy: both Brandani boxes say “damascus pattern effect”. That means the wavy pattern is laser engraved on the surface. Real Damascus steel is made of many folded layers. The pattern looks great in a photo, but it tells you nothing about how the knife cuts. That is exactly what we want to find out.
The plan
- Out of the box: how sharp is it on day one, before anyone touches the edge?
- Real work: onions, herbs, tomatoes, meat, bread. Whatever the shift needs, not a lab test.
- Staying power: how fast does the edge go dull, and does it come back with a honing rod?
- In the hand: comfort and grip with wet hands, after a long shift.
- The honest question: would a head chef keep it in his kit?
🦫 Meanwhile, on the river: Gerzsi offered to test all seven with his teeth first. He was told no. Spike has started counting his cutting boards again, just in case.
Can’t wait for the results?
These knives have already been through independent testing, and you can buy them today:
- Best chef’s knives under $100, including America’s Test Kitchen’s Best Buy, the Mercer Culinary Millennia (about $20) · Check on Amazon
- How to keep a kitchen knife sharp: the honing rod and the cheap sharpener that keep any of these seven working · Idahone rod on Amazon
Want to follow along with the same knives? Search for them: Sabatier · Fiskars Essential · Rösle. Availability outside Europe varies.
Prices on this page are the shop tags in euros, October 2026. Chef Tamás bought these knives himself; nobody sent them to us. Affiliate links: how we make money.
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