Victorinox 40520 Fibrox 8-Inch Chef's Knife
by Victorinox
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List Price: Our Price: $24.95 You Save: $15.05 (38%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $17.99 (click here) Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Victorinox 40520 Fibrox 8-Inch Chef's Knife
Customer Review: A Best Buy
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of the first knives that I've ever gotten based upon a chef's review. Usually I've always had a box set like you could find in any homegoods store [Target, WalMart, etc]. Some knives that I've gotten in those stores claim to be Chef quality, but once you get them home and have them in use they don't seem to live up to the claims. However, I heard about this knife on [...] and was immediately intrigued.
I love to cook and bake, but most of the knives I've had to date felt wrong in my hand. The Victorinox has no such problem. It is nicely balanced and feels great even when my hands are covered in avocado pulp.
Some of the other problems I've had with store bought knives include a propensity to dull quickly, feeling dull right out of the box, feeling unsturdy, or having a blade that is so thin that it gives the feeling of splintering in your hand.
Just as the LifeHacker review claimed, this knife's blade is thick on the top side while have a very narrow cutting edge. This solves the 'flimsy' feel problem while still giving you an ultra-sharp cutting edge.
I received my knife for Christmas and only just used it yesterday. I sliced a large onion [went through like butter], some roma tomatoes [no tearing of the skins at all], and avocados [similarly sliced through like butter].
For the price, this knife is a steal. Like I said, I have not had it overly long, so I cannot attest to its edge keeping ability or its rust proof quality. However, it is made by the same people that make Swiss Army knives so I do not foresee any issues.
This is a definite must have for an at home chef.
Customer Review: Lightweight but a 'heavy-weight' contender for best value
Summary: 5 Stars
One of if not THE most important items in any kitchen is a good chef's knife. Probably more important than a multi-thousand dollar Viking stove. Any money spent on a good 'high-end' chef knife will be money well spent.
Prior to this I had Henckles Pro S 6 inch Chef Knife and Pro S 6 inch utility knife. I wanted another chef knife and wanted to try an 8 inch. Based on the reviews garnered here I went for the Victorinox. My first impression without the first cut was how light it was. I was a little concerned.
However, the balance is great, the handle while not particularly good looking feels good in the hand, but most importantly it slices and chops like a heavy knife. It goes through all my vegetables so far without any problem. I am able to make thin accurate cuts; it has been a true pleasure in the kitchen.
Coming from a 6 inch chef knife I like the 8 inch as well. I can not, however, imagine EVER liking a 10 inch behemoth. 8 inch is more than big enough. The only thing I can see a 10 inch having a place for would be to take the place of a meat cleaver. But for the versatility that is why we buy a chef knife to begin with a 10-inch would just be too big and unwieldy.
This knife compares very favorably with the higher end Henckles I have used. However if you feel you want a heavy chef knife do not look here. But after some adjustment I really like this knife. A cook's best friend in the kitchen. Great for yourself or as a gift. BTW anyone coming from 'lower-end' knifes were an entire set can cost $30; trust me this is money well spent.
Customer Review: Still my Go-To, Even After I Got More Expensive Knives
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this knife three years ago, on the recommendation of Cook's Illustrated magazine. I was initially very skeptical that a stamped blade with a plastic-like handle (fibrox is not plastic, of course) could out-perform a nice, heavy, forged blade with a full tang. It turns out that the hype is true.
Out of the box, this knife is very sharp. The sharpness and the light weight of the knife allowed me to speed up my chopping and slicing quite a bit. The blade held its sharpness for longer than other inexpensive knives I had purchased, too, which was a plus. (It was about a year of daily use before I first had to sharpen it).
After a two years with this knife, I received a set of very nice (and more expensive) Henkels chef's knife, which is fully forged and heavier than the Victorinox. The Henkels knife is excellent, and I've used it frequently throughout the past year, but I still reach for the far cheaper Victorinox knife more often. Just like the Cook's Illustrated reviewers, I prefer its light weight, and love the sharp edge.
All knives, stamped or forged, inexpensive or expensive, require sharpening after a while. Every few months I sharpen this knife, and all my knives with the very economical manual sharpener, the AccuSharp Knife Sharpener With Replacement Blades. I hope to upgrade to a highly-rated electric sharpener soon.
It's safe to believe the hype around this knife.
Customer Review: Long time dark horse
Summary: 5 Stars
My first exposure to Forschner/Victorinox was in the restaurant business. I was using as serrated bread knife to cut limes and I couldn't believe how well it cut and how comfortable it felt in my hand. I'd always loved good cutlery but couldn't afford Henckels or Wusthoffs so I decided to check out the Forschners. I found them to be unbelievably affordable and that they were the preferred brand of butchers/meat cutters; they had a reputation as a "working mans' knife." This was enough for me. I started buying and soon had a full set including a meat cleaver and a Chinese cleaver (which I had to order). The chef knives DO NOT have the 'heel' at the base of the blade as the upper end brands do. The absence of this heel allows a rolling/rocking motion while cutting, which I prefer. Being popular among meat-cutters Forschner offers some uncommon shapes in blades such as the "lamb skinner," so variety is there if you want it. I have no qualms about leaving one of these knives over-night in dishwater; it has no effect on the Fibrox handles. The steel is very difficult to stain or discolor because of its high Chromium content; Chromium is what makes stainless steel stainless and has an inherently negative effect on edge-holding ability, which all knife makers using stainless steel have to deal with. Despite this these knives hold a decent edge; I have no complaints. I've had my set for nearly 20 years now with no glitches or regrets. If you're into function without fashion and price IS an object, You should have a look at these.Customer Review: Liked it so much, I bought the paring knife set
Summary: 5 Stars
A friend on a cooking forum recommended this knife to me. I could not be more glad she did! I highly recommend this knife...
The knife arrived razor sharp. In fact, it cut a very large sweet onion like it was gliding through butter. Tomato? No problem. It's been six months and so far I havent noticed much difference in the sharpness.
The blade is big, perfect arc for "rocking". It's lightweight, so my hands don't get so tired when doing a large chop job. I've been so used to the carbon steel knives that I was a little taken aback when I took it out of it's package and saw the mirror like finish. But I can't argue that it works amazingly well and the finish is still as shiny as the first day.
I wasn't sure if I should get the rosewood or the composite handle. I chose the composite. Another happy choice. I quite often chop large quantities of items and have to wash the knife in between. My hands do NOT slip on this handle when wet. I feel just as steady, wet or dry. That's an accomplishment in my book. If you value form over function, get a wood handle. If you really want it to work, get the composite!
The only drawback (and not one I feel merits the removal of a star) is the packaging. It's in one of those plastic packs that you really need the knife in the package to open. I ended up using my kitchen shears and it was still very difficult.