Mercer Culinary Genesis Short Bolster Chef's Knife

Great everyday knife. Textured handle gives great control, easy to keep sharp. I don't think you can get a better knife at twice the price.

Brilliant knife! My partner has a set at his house, and as a traveling medical professional who cooks more rarely, I purchased this as my one-and-done. Easy to hone, sharp, and durable (my partner has had his for over 10 years), I find it the perfect size to cut just about anything I need- not too small and not too large; this is the most versatile knife for a functional minimalist kitchen.

I started doing a lot more cooking during the quarantine. Or maybe instead of cooking, I should say "cutting raw ingredients and heating them in the oven to make them edible". My signature dishes are chicken, steak, and roasted vegetables. You heard me right: vegetables. It turns out they taste pretty good when you roast them and add a little bit of seasoning. Previously, I had a very cheap chef serrated knife that I bought from the grocery store. Food preparation involved a lot of vigorous hacking and sawing. At some point it dawned on me that my knife was super dull and it was dangerous to be using my other hand anywhere in its vicinity. So I put on my consumer hat to find the perfect chef's knife. After some research, I decided to avoid getting a knife with a full bolster or serrated edge because of the potential to interfere with sharpening. I decided that a Japanese style knife would likely be too expensive. For German-style knives, something like a Wusthof would also be out of my price range. The Mercers eventually stood out because they are a respected brand, and have some highly rated offerings at budget price points. Specifically, it was between this knife (the Mercer Genesis) and the Mercer Millennia. I chose the Genesis because of the forged construction and full tang, so it has a more premium look and might be more durable over time. The difference between the Genesis and my old knife has been like night and day. Out of the box, the Genesis was like a freaking light saber; anything I threw in front if it, it cut with barely any effort. I became even more worried about cutting myself than I was before, so I try to be extremely careful whenever I am handling it. The handle is very comfortable, and the weight feels very well balanced. The blade has a high quality look to it, and shows no signs of rust or discoloration so far. Along with the knife, I picked up a cheap honing steel, and have been using it every time I use the knife. After about a month of daily use, the edge is still very usable but not as light saber-like as it was initially. At some point, I'll pick up a set of whetstones and have a go at them. So far I am very pleased with this purchase. If you are looking for your first real chef's knife, I would say to definitely consider Mercer's lineup: - the Genesis if you can justify spending around $40. - the Culinary Renaissance looks to be even a little nicer at around $50. - the Millennia at around $20. - the Culinary Ultimate is currently around $12 if you're really hard up. There are a large number of other highly rated (and very nice looking) alternatives on Amazon under $40 if you are less concerned about brand recognition.

Moved out and got my own place. Learning to cook. Blade is sharp. Fairly well balanced. Not a bad starter blade.

I have worked in professional kitchens for over 20 years and have used more kinds of knives than I can remember. Forged, stamped, cheap, expensive, American, German, Japanese, carbon, stainless, etc. I bought this as a go to kitchen kitchen knife to use at work, knowing that it will get abused, dropped, left with wet, acidic foods on it and so on. I have been very impressed with how this knife functions. Steel is on par with more expensive knives, does not stain, holds an edge well, hones easily. I absolutely love how this knife is shaped, especially that it has no bolster. Now I read through some of the negative reviews and it seems that many people have an unrealistic view of what a knife should be capable of. You will need a honing rod and eventually it will need to be put on a whetstone. It is not a cleaver so don't go chopping bones with it. If this knife can handle heavy restaurant use than it can easily handle home use. The negative comments are from people who don't know how use use and care for a knife. Also, I prefer the santoprene handles as they allow a better grip when using gloves when having to deal with slippery blood or fish.

Después de comprar un cuchillo en el supermercado, y que éste se rompiera en poco tiempo, decidí buscar un mejor cuchillo. Este cuchillo es sumamente filoso y es ideal para rebanar verduras finamente como papa, zanahoria, y calabacitas. El cuchillo de 8" (20 cm) es de tamaño normal para la mayoría de las personas, sin embargo, algunos podrían pensar que es un poco largo. Para esto recomiendo el de 6" (15 cm) que a lo mejor se adapta mejor para quienes tienen manos pequeñas y poco espacio para cortar. Recomiendo también estuches de guarda para evitar que la hoja se golpee en el cajón donde se guarde, y para evitar que alguien accidentalmente se corte con el filo, ya que es bastante afilado. El cuchillo está hecho de acero al alto carbono lo que quiere decir que aunque es un poco más suave que el acero inoxidable, el filo que tiene la hoja es muy fino. También debido a esto el cuchillo requiere de afiladas más constantes para mantenerse en óptimas condiciones. Esto no es un problema para uso casero, pero aquellos que utilicen el cuchillo diariamente de manera profesional deben recordar afilar el cuchillo regularmente con una piedra de acentar.

Great knife, very sharp from the packaging. Good balance and a nice handle. Definitely a great budget knife!

Sharp, sturdy and really nice to use knife! Good value for money!

Perfect knife for anyone getting into culinary arts. knife comes sharp and ready to use, nice balance and weight. good size and feels weightless. only draw back of this knife is if your hand is not dry or has any juice from produce on them the knife tends to be harder to hold. but other than that this knife is awesome. please note if you are trying to decide if you want partial bolster or full go with full. and for comfort if considering Mercers other knife series while they are just as good blade wise the handles are easy to become gouged.

This knife has a good weight and grip. I use is as a multipurpose cooking knife. It’s of course not as luxurious as the higher priced Japanese/German knifes but for this price, it’s worth it!