Mercer CulinaryPraxis Chef Knife with Rosewood Handle, 8 Inch, Wood

extremely sharp and easy to resharpen and the price is nice

This is now my favorite paring knife and may order another. Very sharp, perfect size , well made. I only hand wash mine as I do with all my knives. Highly recommend.

Mercer's biggest competitor is Victorinox. Probably both about the same quality.BUTVictorinox does not make a 14" slicer, they make only an 11". The extra few inches helps for brisket.The rosewood handle looks nice. Reminds me of steak knives at Outback. Victorinox makes a rosewood handle version too.Messermeister makes a good 14" sheath that fits this. Or make your own out of leather or Kydex (looks cool if this is your BBQ slicer)BRAND OVERALL:Mercer has several products lines.Millennia -is the lowest end line, which is the best bang for buck and what the culinary schools recommend for newbies. If you heard someone recommend Mercer, they are probably referring to this product line. These have a good quality plasticy handle.Praxis -this is the Milennia but with good looking rosewood handle.Genesis, and other product lines -these are nicer blades and better looking, but other brands make them better. Maybe still a good value? but not what Mercer is known for. This is like buying a fully loaded Hyundai sonata.

I was hesitant to buy this since I’ve always used Sabatier, Henckel or Wustoff. I had to retire my old Sabatier. It was 26 years old. Although this knife was bigger than my “old trusty” I really like it. We shall see how it holds up over time.

I would give this knife five stars if it were not for the fact that it is difficult to tell the sharp side from the dull side of the knife because of the shape. Otherwise the knife works well but it needs to be shaped more distinctive so that you can easily see the shape of the sharp side of the knife.

These knives are a great size for a variety of uses from paring to trimming meat. They fit well in the hand and have a good quality blade that holds an edge well. I definitely recommend - a good knife at a good price.

After MANY years, I decided it was time to upgrade my kitchen knives, mainly because they were made in China (which really bothered me) and their quality wasn't the greatest even though it was one of the big reputable companies (I had a block set).I researched knife companies like crazy until I was about to keel over...it was incredibly difficult to find knives that were (1) Not made in China, (2) Not insanely expensive, and (3) made with good quality steel. I eventually realized I couldn't find a block set that met my criteria, so I switched gears and started looking for individual knives, which is how I luckily found this Mercer knife.The steel is acceptable quality (not AMAZING, but not junk). The wood handle looks and feels good, and overall is a really good bang for your buck. I've been using it now for close to a year, and I'm extremely happy with the way the edge holds the sharpness. I was so pleased with this knife that I ordered one for my mother in law as part of a gift to upgrade her knives, as well. If you have any questions, let me know. And if you found this helpful, I'd appreciate feedback!

fixed value !