Victorinox Knives: 3-Piece Chef Knife Set

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+++“

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!

Victorinox Swiss Army Knife: SwissChamp XAVT

Review Date: January 2011
Reviewer: Nicole Bailey
Best Features: Umm, well it has lots of tools……
Best Place to Buy: The best we’ve found is 40% off but it’s still expensive

That’s not a knife. THIS is a knife!!

When it comes to a Swiss Army Knife, I thought I’d seen it all. Then I saw the Victorinox SwissChamp XAVT. In all honestly, my jaw still drops when I see this monster. And not necessarily in a good way….

Weighing in at a hefty 1 pound (nealry 1/2 Kg!!!!), this Frankenstein of a multi tool has 80 functions packed into one tool including a clock, altimeter, barometer, thermometer, wrench, wood saw…..and on and on it goes. At least it still has the handy bottle opener!

In all honesty, I’m struggling to think of exactly who would use such an unwieldy tool. Sure I can see it as being the ultimate addition to any Swiss Army Knife collection and if that’s what you want it for, fantastic, I can’t think of anything that would top it.

But if you’re simply looking for an all round pocket knife or multi tool, there a literally hundreds of choices in the Victorinox range that would suit you far better than the SwissChamp XAVT.

Admittedly, there are already 22 customer reviews over at Amazon that give this a 4.5 star rating but I’m struggling to give it anymore than 3 out of 5. And that’s mainly for the pure WOW factor (I have to admit it’s unique) and for the quality (hey, it is a Victorinox after all)

At a list price of $435 (though you can get it for as little as $235 here), you’d need deep pockets for both this Swiss Army Knife AND your wallet!

Without further ado, here’s all of the features that is packed into this not so little tool:

SwissChamp XAVT Tools

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Where to Get The Best Price Online

As mentioned above, this is a very expensive Swiss Army Knife with a list price nearly $440. As usual, the cheapest price I have seen around is over at Amazon where at time of writing, they were selling for under $240 with free shipping (a good thing since this weighs so much!).

If you do end up buying the SwissChamp XAVT or are a current owner, we’d love to hear your feedback and experiences with this monster…..

Swiss Army Knife Combo: Tinker and Classic SD Together at Last

Review Date: January 2011
Reviewer: Nicole Bailey
Best Features: Two classic Victorinox Pocket Knifes for the price of one!
Best Place to Buy: We’ve found this combo for as low as $15 (that’s 65% off!)

Review

When you think of the original Swiss Army Knife, the Victorinox Classic SD should be the first thing that springs to mind – it IS the original and undoubtedly their most popular pocket knife. And for the first time, the Classic SD has been paired with the original Swiss multi-tool – the “Tinker”

The Classic SD

The Victorinox Classic SD is one of the most compact Swiss Army Knives you will find, measuring in at just 2 1/4 inches (58 mm). It is meant to be used as an everyday tool and is small enough to carry in your pocket or even on a key chain. The classic SD contains the following tools:

• Scissors
• Tweezers
• Small Blade (VERY sharp!)
• Nail File with Small Flathead Screwdiver
• Toothpick

“Tinker” Multi-tool

Considered to be one of the original “multi tools”, the Victorinox Tinker comes with a selection of the most useful tools. To this day, it remains one of the most popular mid size Swiss Army Knife.

Measuring around 3 1/2 inches (91 mm), the Tinker contains:

• Phillips Head Screwdriver
• Bottle Opener With Large Flathead Screwdriver
• Can Opener With Small Flathead Screwdriver
• Large Blade (like the Classic SD, very sharp)
• Small Blade
• Toothpick
• Awl (Also known as a Reamer)
• Tweezers

Some Owner Reviews

Excellent Value and Superb Quality
“The Swiss Army Tinker sacrifices a corkscrew for a phillips screwdriver and is therefore better suited for opening battery operated toys and games around the house than it is for opening a bottle of merlot. The Classic is a small knife that is great for carrying with your keys; the scissors are sharp and useful. This package is an extremely good value through amazon, as prices are much higher for this package in retail stores.”

Great Knives!
“For just a bit more than the cost of the Classic knife itself, you also get the Tinker. The Tinker is a bit large for the pocket, but it’s great for the glovebox or a bicycle bag. The Tinker has all the basic tools needed, and they are all sturdy. The Classic knife goes with me always on my key ring. I can’t imagine being without that knife.”

Classic Knife
“I’m not one who really needs a knife, but I can’t tell you how many times I have used the screwdrivers on this thing. Really handy to have around and you’ll likely be like me and use it more than you think you will. This is a great deal too. I owned one of these about 20 years ago and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t this cheap. This is a real Victorinox, by the way. In other ways, THE Swiss Army knife. High quality and will last you a long time..”

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

Where to Get The Best Price Online

At the time of writting, I couldn’t believe the price I found – $15! Yup, 15 bucks for the whole combo. I’m not sure how long they will stay at this price so click here to check out the latest price and pick yourself up a classic Swiss Army Knife combo at a dirt cheap price.

Knife Set Review: Victorinox 8-Piece With Block

Reviewer: Nicole Bailey
Best Features: Full range of the most popular styles, lifetime warranty
Best Place to Buy: Click here to find the best online price 

A Knife Set With All The Right Tools?

The thing that frustrates me the most when looking for a decent knife set is that more often than not, 1/2 of the items in the set are knives or tools that you would hardly use. You’ll get a great chef knife, a filleting/slicing knife and maybe a bread knife, then an assortment of “paring knives” that look more like your average steak knife! Or like the last knife set I saw that had a sharpening steel so small I wouldn’t dare use it for fear of chopping my fingers off. 

And to me, that’s the thing that really sets Fibrox knife sets apart. You get a really useful set of five knives including: 

• 8 inch chef knife (you can see my individual review of this knife here)
• 6 inch boning knife
• 4 inch paring knife
• 10 inch slicing knife (I love a big slicer!)
• 8 inch bread knife (trust me, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it if you’ve never owned one)

The knife set is rounded out with the final tools you’ll need to make your kitchen complete: 

• 10 inch sharpening steel (FINALLY! A descent sized steel!)
• Kitchen shears
• Hardwood block (don’t ask me why they include this as part of the 8 pieces, everyone does)

I’ve spoken at length in my other reviews about the Fibrox range so I won’t repeat myself here. But to sum up, they feature an ergonomic, textured non-slip handle, high-carbon stainless steel stamped blade (very sharp) and a quite light weight and well balanced. You can check out the full details here-> Victorinox Knife Set 

Oh and like all Victorinox knives, this knife set is covered by a full lifetime warranty. 

Owner Reviews

I think the best way of discovering the real benefits of any product is to ask someone who owns and uses it! The first review is from a 70 year old retired French chef and I think this speaks volumes. These are just the first 2 reviews I came across. You can read all 43 reviews here. 

Chef Ed (retired)
“To a professional chef, no kitchen tool rivals a great set of knives. When learning my trade in Paris, France, I used only the finest Sabatier knives.“ 

“Suddenly, this 70 year old retired chef cut through decades of knife prejudice… the sharpness, balance, thin blade and heft brought joy to my kitchen again… and for a fraction of what I would usually pay!“ 

 
Sharp. Very sharp
“….They don’t have the thick back of most quality forged knives (these are stamped). They don’t have rosewood handles. They’re not made to pimp up your kitchen or match your mixer. They’re made for cutting things, and they do this exceptionally well.“ 

“I’d never understood how chefs managed some of the fast cutting they do: now, I get it. I’ve owned some pretty decent knives before, but these are something else entirely. For the price, if you’re serious about sharp, you can’t do better.“ 

Where to Buy This Knife Set

It’s no suprise to me that the best place I’ve found to buy Victorinox knife sets is at Amazon. The list price is around $275 but last I checked they had them at 49% off. That’s only $140 and in my opinion that’s a steal. You can click here to check out the latest price. 

Below you will find our quick reviews for the latest Victorinox chef knives. We’ve also trawlled the internet to find the best places and cheapest prices when you are ready to buy your new chef knife. Simply click on the links to be taken directly to the relevant page on the net. As you will notice, the cheapest price is usually from Amazon which is a bonus as you normally get free shipping too.

Victorinox Fibrox 8 inch Chef Knives Description: Undoubtedly the most popular chef knife in the Victorinox range and voted Best Overall in Cooks Illustrated magazine for several years, beating out competitors that cost up to 5 times more.  As with all of the knives in the Fibrox range, the ergonomic handle is textured (slip resistant) and well balanced. The overall weight is a little lighter than I prefer, however owners comment that the knife is very well balanced which is essential for both ease of use and comfort.  The high-carbon stainless steel blade reportedly remains very sharp. The lighness and blade retention most likely comes down to the fact that the blades are stamped rather than forged. And as with all in this range, Victorinox knives are protected by a lifetime warranty which gives you great piece of mind. [Editors note] I highly recommend not storing quality knives such as these in your kitchen cupboard! Not only is it dangerous, you run the risk of dulling the knife and potentially even chipping the blade. Even though this is protected by the lifetime warranty, a much better solution is to spend a couple of dollars and get a blade protector. We review the Victorinox BladeSafe here. Professional chef knives such as these can easily run into the $100+ range. So I was pleasnatly surpirsed to see the list price of the Fibrox 8 inch was only $40. Great value indeed, but I found an even better price…… Price: On sale, you can expect to pay only $25 (click for more info)

Expect more reviews for Victorinox Chef Knives soon……..

Nicole

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So anyway, I watched far too many cooking shows (Master Chef is my all time fave) and saw the difference a good knife made. I spent far too many hours researching but in the end, I came to the conclusion that Victorinox knives had by far the best quality for value. I can’t afford to spend $100+ on one knife but I didn’t want the rubbish that you get for $10. Let’s face it, it you’ve been there, you know what I mean. You’re lucky if they last one year!

Anyway, I’m sure you would rather check out this site than listen to me anymore. So let’s just say I LOVE these knives and decided to dedicate a whole website to them and to help you guys & gals find the best deals on these brilliant knives. I really hope you get some value out of this – I wish there was a website like this when I was looking for some help! And if you have any questions, please drop me a line through the contact page.

Nic
xxx

Disclaimer

Many of the products I review are items I purchased for my own use. Some may be given to me specifically for the purpose of reviewing them. I resell or can earn commissions from the sale of some of these items. Links within these pages may be affiliate links that pay me for referring you to them. I also may own stock in companies mentioned here. If you have any question, please do feel free to contact me.

Specific links that take you to pages that allow you to purchase the item I reviewed are very likely to pay me a commission. These gifts and referral fees do not affect my opinions.