Reddit mentions of Mercer Culinary M22608 Millennia 8-Inch Chef's Knife, Black

Okay here's the score from someone who does a lot of knife work for a living and have used a lot of different knives over the years.

It's how you care for your knife. Not the knife itself, generally.

Not trying to shit on OP at all here, because he likes cool knives and ain't nothing wrong with that, but 99.9% of home cooks will never need a knife like the ones he's got there.

Get a well-reviewed, cheap, high carbon stainless steel chef's knife on Amazon, I'll drop some links here at the end. Carbon steel is strong and tensile and sharpens easily. The only issue, if you could call it that, is that it won't hold an edge as long as higher end knives. But the tradeoff is you get a knife that won't chip or break as easily.

What often happens with amateur cooks is, they buy a solid carbon steel blade, it loses it's edge after a few uses, and the buyer assumes it was another cheap dud.

Learn that honing a blade and sharpening a blade are different. A quick honing takes that "dull" knife back to razer sharp in moments when you know how to do it. Basically honing "resets" the edges, while sharpening grinds down a new edge entirely. Sharpening won't really need to happen more than once a year for home cooks. But I hone my knife before and after every job, if I can.

Here's Gordon Ramsay on how to hone your knife
https://youtu.be/SBn1i9YqN1k

Always dry your knives off and never put them in the dishwasher or sink to get dinged up. I see people just chuck their knives about or toss them in drawers or ugh knife blocks. Splurge on the blade guard for your particular knife, or make a makeshift one out of duct tape and cardboard (my favorite as it doesn't scratch the knife as some knife holders do).

Here are some links

my personal knife, a whopping $14
https://www.amazon.com/Mercer-Culinary-Millennia-8-Inch-Chefs/dp/B000PS2XI4/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?keywords=mercer+knives&qid=1562486505&s=gateway&sprefix=mercer&sr=8-9

a little pricier at $45, but a lifetime piece if cared for well
https://www.amazon.com/J-HENCKELS-INTERNATIONAL-31161-201-Classic/dp/B00004RFMT/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=j.a.+henckels+chef+knife&qid=1562486690&s=gateway&sprefix=j.a.+henckles+chef&sr=8-3


honing steel
https://www.amazon.com/Utopia-Kitchen-Steel-Knife-Sharpening/dp/B071FC4GYN/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=honing+steel&qid=1562486000&s=gateway&sprefix=honing&sr=8-3

Similar in quality to a bunch of other knives of similar price, such as Wusthof Pro and Henckels International, so I'd say they're about as good as their price tag indicates. Average steel, average heat treatment, average price. People who upgrade to knives like these after using knives with worse steels and/or worse heat treatment can find them wonderful in performance - so expect rave reviews.

They're not that cheap. Cheap and still OK would be something like https://www.amazon.com/Mercer-Culinary-Millennia-8-Inch-Chefs/dp/B000PS2XI4/ at under $15. Between that cheap Mercer and the Vnox/Wusthof/Henckels are knives like the cheap F Dick Pro-Dynamic: https://www.amazon.com/F-Dick-ProDynamic-Chef-Knife/dp/B078X1R223/

Victorinox Fibrox Pro Chef's Knife (8 inch)

The Fibrox series is the classic chef knife series. Known for good quality and able to keep a good edge for a while. Can't go wrong here. Like other comments have said they also have paring knives and bread knives, all at reasonable prices.

Mercer Culinary M22608 Millennia 8-Inch Chef's Knife

The Mercer Millennia series is great if you're really on a budget. I own one of these but I will say that after about a good 6 months of use it is losing its edge quite a bit (also possibly due to roommates chopping stuff on the hard metal table. I'm a little bitter about it.) Came sharp and will stay sharp with some care.

Mercer Culinary Genesis Forged Short Bolster Forged Chef's Knife, 8 Inch

Same company, forged blade. Little nicer, will most likely keep an edge a little longer.

As far as chef knives go, these are some budget picks and probably what most people would recommend unless you want something much nicer! :)

Edit: Also if you are looking for something much nicer, jump down the rabbit hole that is /r/chefknives

It's a steep slope lol

Just posted this to another comment.
https://www.amazon.com/Mercer-Culinary-Millennia-8-Inch-Chefs/dp/B000PS2XI4/ref=sr_1_4?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1503530333&sr=1-4&keywords=8-inch+chef+knife

Its about as cheap as they come, but a work horse, and will never let you down.

If you do choose to go a step up, I would recommend knifemerchant.com

Any stainless steel (as opposed to Japanese blue or white steel) will require minimal care. Just make sure you keep the knife clean and dry. Don't put it in the dishwasher, and try to store it with a blade cover. With light home usage, it should keep its edge for a long time. Also get a honer : https://www.knifemerchant.com/product.asp?productID=8884

It will help your knife retain an edge so you wont have to worry about sharpening it very often.

Victorinox or Mercer 8" Chef knife. Which one depends on personal preference/budget. Stamped and light, or forged and heavier with a full bolster? Some options:

https://www.amazon.com/Mercer-Culinary-Millennia-8-Inch-Chefs/dp/B000PS2XI4

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/mercer-m20609-genesis-9-forged-chef-knife-with-full-tang-blade/470M20609.html

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/victorinox-47520-8-chef-knife-with-fibrox-handle/35347520.html

https://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Inch-Rosewood-Chefs-Knife/dp/B0019WZEUE

So for something easily maintainable, you normally want a knife that is hardened around 55-59 hrc (rockwell hardness), learning more to the latter half of that range. Hard enough to hold an edge for a bit, but soft enough to not chip and easily steel/hone back into place.

The Victorinox Fibrox at about 55 hrc used to be suggested all the time when it was $20 and now I think it's riding on inertia now that the knife is $35, sometimes $40-45. I think that's just too much for what is a somewhat cheap knife made from okay steel.

For some other options in this range that are still by reputable companies and have decent finishing. Here are three knives that have different handles/profiles, but should treat you well in your kitchen.

1) Kai 6720C Wasabi Black Chef's Knife, 8-Inch at 57-58 hrc for $35

This is actually made by the same company that makes Shun. The steel used here is still harder than the Victorinox, but a bit softer steel than what's used in the Shun line.

2) The Mercer Culinary Renaissance 8-Inch Forged Chef's Knife at 58 hrc for $36

The 58 Hrc is bit harder than the Victorinox, but still soft enough to be easily maintainable.

3) Mercer Culinary Millennia 8-Inch Chef's Knife at 56 hrc for $14

Mercer also makes a knife similar to the Victorinox in handle and steel, but for much less

So there is an astounding amount of inexpensive knives out there right now that are insane deals compared to what used to be available 5-10 years ago, but for the moment, I wouldn't recommend any to be just bought by beginners looking for low maintenance. Mainly because in order to be so cheap, they pretty much all skip out on labor. So that mostly means that edges aren't ground even/consistent, non-cutting edges are rough, margin between handle/steel parts are not aligned properly, and/or has bad balance. For someone who is able to fix these issues, these can be great bargains, but otherwise I think dealing with these issues isn't really worth it for beginners.

Here’s a link to one I’ve been eyeing. What I like about these as opposed to the more expensive ones is that I’m much less worried about it’s everyday wear and tear so I’m much more keen to use it.

I'm no expert but based on the recommendation of the Burrfection channel on YouTube, I purchased the Mercer M22608 (the chef's knife that is part of the $80 set recommended here). I am very impressed with it. It was one of his choices for best $20 knife.

I am somewhat intimidated at how I will maintain it. Intimidated. Confused. But it's time to step up and figure these bevel angles out.

Mercer is a better deal if you're OK with a partial tang plastic handle like the Fibrox has. It's very popular with people who cook for a living and it's only $14.

I don't know where the one I use is from, I've had it so long the branding has washed away. However, the one linked below has great reviews and looks like it's a great choice.

https://www.amazon.com/Mercer-Culinary-Millennia-8-Inch-Chefs/dp/B000PS2XI4/ref=sr_1_13?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1483386129&sr=1-13&keywords=chefs+knife

Get a large chefs knife for general cutting, you’ll be glad you did.

this one is very affordable on amazon.