Victorinox Knives: 3-Piece Chef Knife Set

Rating: 4 out of 5

Review Date: January 2011 (Happy New Year!)
Reviewer: Nicole Bailey
Best Features: Light and narrow, retains sharpness, lifetime warranty
Best Place to Buy: Click here to find the best online price

Review

The knife of the month this month is actually a 3 piece chef knife set. This new set from Victorinox knives comes with the basic combination that would suit most home chefs perfectly:

  • 4 inch paring knife – . used for peeling fruit & vegetables, mincing small items like garlic, ginger & shallots or trimming herbs
  • 8 inch slicer – used for a variety of slicing tasks such as vegetables. Also good as a carving knife (roast meats, poultry etc)
  • 10 inch chef’s knife – can be used similar to the 8 inch slicer but also tackles the large jobs like de-boning.

What I Like

Like most knives made from high-carbon stainless steel, these are very, very sharp! Which is excellent for making light work of almost any task BUT please be extra careful to avoid cuts. Also, don’t store these knives in your cutlery draw, go for a knife block (see the Cons section below) or better yet, you can pick up a BladeSafe cover for between $2 to $5 depending on the size of the blade

This set of Victorinox knives use their patented Fibrox handles which are textured, slip resistant and ergonomically designed. Most owners report them to be extremely comfortable to use, even after a long session of chopping, slicing, cutting and peeling.

Probably the biggest pro for me though is that these chef’s knives come with a lifetime warranty. Oh, and as far as value for money goes, I find it hard to beat with this 3 piece set .

What I Don’t Like

Although there are nearly 70 customer reviews over at Amazon for this set of Victorinox knives, and it scores a 5 star rating there, I’ve decided to give it only four stars. Why? Well maybe I’m too picky but for starters, I would really have like to see this set come with it’s own knife block. Mind you, for the price you pay, maybe I’m being a bit too optimistic.

Secondly, the 10 inch knife may be just a little too large for some people. An 8 inch chef knife is pretty much the standard for most homes. [Editors note: You can see the review I wrote of the 8inch Fibrox here: Chef Knives ] Having said that, I know from experience that you do adapt to the 10 inch fairly quickly and it makes light work of those large jobs that an 8 inch can struggle with, like cutting through bones.

Lastly, these knives are very lightweight. Some may actually call this a pro rather than a con. Personally I like a little extra weight. That said, these knives are very ergonomically designed and owners report they are very comfortable even after long use.

So maybe I am being overly critical. I might think about upgrading this review to a 4.5 star after getting some more feedback from others.

Owner Reviews

“I have been cooking now for about 40 years. (Can’t believe it’s been that long)… In all of these years I have yearned for a decent set of knives, but shuddered when I would see the prices. These knives are awesome! I am so pleased with their super sharp blades. With a little tender care, these knives will give me slicing pleasure (if there is such a thing) for the rest of my life. Do yourself a favor, get some decent knives! If you are on a budget and love to cook, these knives are the answer for you. A+++“

“My biggest critique is the size of the 10″ Chef knife… it’s a little big…..But you get a great and versatile blade in each size. … the 10″ will get a workout the next time I need to butcher a chicken or 7-bone roast.“

“Cooks magazine rated the Victorinox Chef’s knife a “Best Buy” so I purchased a whole set (of three)… The knives are comfortable to use, sharp, and appear very very well made!!!!!”

You can read further reviews from owners of this knife set here

Where to Buy This Set of Victorinox Knives

As usual, looks like the best place to purchase these knives at the moment. At the time of writing, they have them at 30% off retal price. You can click here to check out the latest price.

How To Sharpen And Hone Your New Knife

Not that you will need to sharpen your Victorinox Knives for some time, the fact is that ALL knives eventually need sharpening. In fact, you’ll notice most Chef’s sharpen every time they use a knife (though that’s far too much for my liking!). If you struggle with sharpening and honing knives, check out the video below on exactly how to do it. Trust me, it’s not as hard as it looks!