Best chef's knives 2024

The best chef's knife can be used for almost every kitchen cutting task. We've tested the most popular chef's knives from well-known brands, including Global, Lakeland, ProCook and Robert Welch, costing from £5 upwards.

After much chopping, slicing and dicing, we can reveal the best kitchen knife at cutting through tough foods, even after regular use has dulled some others, and which are the most comfortable to handle. 

Three of the knives we tested stand out and earn our Best Buy recommendation. If you're looking for the best chef knife on a tighter budget, we've also found one Great Value knife that costs less than £25.

The best chef's knives

Only logged-in Which? members can view the chef's knives test results below. 

Join Which? to get instant access to our test results and Best Buy recommendations.

See what we rate the best electric carving knives and the best knife sets. 

The chef's knives we tested

All the chef's knives we tested are listed alphabetically below.

Only logged-in Which? members can view the best chef's knives from our test. 

Join Which? to get instant access to our test results and Best Buy recommendations. 

Global GS-3 Stainless Steel Cook's Knife

Available from Harts of Stur (£89.95) and Nisbets (£95.99) 

Pros Log in or join Which? to instantly reveal. 

Cons Log in or join Which? to instantly reveal. 

Blade size we tested 13cm – also available in 11cm, 16cm, 18cm

Need to know 114g, not dishwasher safe

John Lewis Classic Cook's Knife

Pros Log in or join Which? to instantly reveal. 

Cons Log in or join Which? to instantly reveal. 

Blade size we tested 20cm – also available in 15cm

Need to know 163g, dishwasher safe

Kitchen Devils Control Large Cook's Knife

Available from Robert Dyas (£11.99) and Amazon (£16.69)

Pros Log in or join Which? to instantly reveal. 

Cons Log in or join Which? to instantly reveal. 

Blade size we tested 20cm – also available in 12cm

Need to know 101g

Lakeland Precision Chef's Knife

Pros Log in or join Which? to instantly reveal. 

Cons Log in or join Which? to instantly reveal. 

Blade size we tested 20cm – no other sizes available

Need to know 285g, not dishwasher safe

Mercer Culinary M22608 Millennia Chef's Knife

Available from Nisbets (£29.99)

Pros Log in or join Which? to instantly reveal. 

Cons Log in or join Which? to instantly reveal. 

Blade size we tested 20cm – also available in 22cm, 25cm and 30cm

Need to know 176g

ProCook Chef's Knife

Available from ProCook (£5)

Pros Log in or join Which? to instantly reveal. 

Cons Log in or join Which? to instantly reveal. 

Blade size we tested 15cm – no other sizes available

Need to know 97g

ProCook Nihon X50 Chef's Knife

Available from ProCook (£49)

Pros Log in or join Which? to instantly reveal. 

Cons Log in or join Which? to instantly reveal. 

Blade size we tested 15cm – also available in 20cm

Need to know 177g, not dishwasher safe

ProCook Professional X50 Chefs Knife

Available from ProCook (£30)

Pros Log in or join Which? to instantly reveal. 

Cons Log in or join Which? to instantly reveal. 

Blade size we tested 20cm – also available in 25cm

Need to know 192g, not dishwasher safe

Robert Welch Signature Cook's Knife

Pros Log in or join Which? to instantly reveal. 

Cons Log in or join Which? to instantly reveal. 

Blade size we tested 16cm – also available in 12cm, 14cm, 18cm, 20cm and 25cm

Need to know 175g, dishwasher safe

Sabatier Ideal Inox Cooks Knife

Available from Knives and Tools (£99.50)

Pros Log in or join Which? to instantly reveal. 

Cons Log in or join Which? to instantly reveal. 

Blade size we tested 20cm – also available in 15cm and 25cm

Need to know 169g

Victorinox Fibrox Chefs Knife

Available from Kitchen Knives (£20.99) and Nisbets (£22.99)

Pros Log in or join Which? to instantly reveal. 

Cons Log in or join Which? to instantly reveal. 

Blade size we tested 15cm – also available in 13cm, 19cm and 20cm

Need to know 81g

Vogue Soft Grip Chefs Knife

Available from Amazon (£15.92) and Nisbets (£20.99)

Pros Log in or join Which? to instantly reveal. 

Cons Log in or join Which? to instantly reveal. 

Blade size we tested 20cm – also available in 25cm

Need to know 223g

Tips for living well – get our free Food & Health newsletter: shop savvy, eat well, stay healthy

How we test chef's knives

We choose the bestselling chef's knives at UK retailers to test. We buy all the knives we test and assess them on the factors below to find the best chef knife.

After testing knives for a few years, we now place slightly more importance on comfort and ease of use than we did when we first started testing. This is because our repeat testing has found that there can be variations in sharpness out of the box and after use. 

We regularly revisit the chef's knives on sale to see if there are any more popular models that need testing, and when we find them, we do.

• Comfort A panel of testers use each of the knives to slice up carrot batons and rate how comfortable the handles on the chef's knives feel when chopping. 
• Ease of use Each knife is used to dice half an onion, mince one garlic clove, julienne half a large carrot and slice through a butternut squash. They are rated on how easy they are to use for each task.
• Sharpness out of the box Before chopping, we measure the sharpness of each knife out of the box using a sharpness tester scale. 
• Durability After the cutting tasks are complete, we measure the sharpness of the knife again using a sharpness tester scale. We calculate the difference between sharpness out the of box and sharpness after use to assess how durable the knife edge is. 

Find out more about how Which? is not influenced by product manufacturers or retailers and how your support helps us to stay editorially independent.

What is a chef's knife used for?

A chef's knife is a large, general-purpose kitchen knife, usually 12cm to 20cm long, with a blade that curves upwards along its length and ends in a narrow point. 

How do you use a chef's knife?

As pictured above, your thumb and index finger should be on opposite sides of the blade, closest to the bolster, while your remaining three fingers should be loosely curled around the handle. 

This grip, mainly through the thumb and index finger, gives you extra control over the blade.

Your other hand (not holding the knife) is called your guiding hand. It has the job of holding food in place to keep it from sliding around on the chopping board. 

Keep your fingers safe by tucking them into a claw grip: fingers curled inwards, gripping the food with your fingernails. The side of the knife blade should rest against the first knuckle of your guiding hand. 

Anatomy of a kitchen knife

1. Blade These come in a variety of shapes and sizes, often named after the specialised tasks they've been designed for. 
2. Spine The top edge of the blade is the spine. Usually the thickest part of the blade, the spine provides strength and weight for the knife. 
3. Bolster This is the balancing point between the blade and the handle. It provides support, balance and protection for your fingers.
4. Cutting edge This is the part of the kitchen knife that does the cutting.
5. Tang This is the portion of the blade enclosed by the handle. A full tang runs the length of the handle and should mean a knife has better balance and durability. 
6. Handle This is the part of the knife you hold. Most handles are designed to be held in either hand. It should be comfortable to grip.

Japanese vs European knives

Japanese knives:

• Have thinner blades
• Often don't have bolsters
• Are made of harder steel
• Have a blade that's usually straighter and therefore more suited to slicing
• Are normally light and well-balanced.

European (also known as German) knives:

• Have thicker blades
• Are considered more robust, especially towards the bolster, which they're more likely to have
• Normally have softer steel than Japanese knives
• Are normally heavier than Japanese knives