Mercer Culinary M18000 Millennia Black Handle, 8-Inch Wide Hollow Ground, Chef's Knife

I am currently a line cook in a relatively high-end kitchen. However, I needed an efficient, everyday knife for around the house while my antique knife is slowly being restored. I opted for the 8in wide-blade, hollow-ground Mercer over the normal Mercer chef knife because 1) my job provides us with wide, heavy blades and I've gotten a little spoiled and 2) Since this Mercer wide-blade so similar in feel and weight, I felt like it would help me keep up my technique at home.I've had it a little over a month now and it has been absolutely fabulous in every way. It comes razor-sharp and stays sharp for a while (get a ceramic rod for honing; they're cheap), has a nice, balanced weight and cleans extremely easily. The rubber grip, although not super fancy, is very utilitarian and does its job well, even when wet.If I had any complaints, it would be that the Mercer knife guard add-on item is absolutely hideous. It does its job by keeping the edge hidden (barely) for travel, but man... what an eyesore. I just threw it in the drawer just in case. Also, some reviewers claimed to have problems "pinching the blade" due to the shape of the handle, but I personally haven't experienced any. I mean, I have fairly normal-sized hands. I dunno, maybe they're holding the knife backwards or something...If you want an inexpensive, no-frills, all-purpose knife to beat on and want something a bit heavier than the Victorinox, give this knife a try. I'm happy, the knife's happy, the chicken I'm stabbing is happy... Go for it!

Is is very sharp when you get it. It feels good in the hand ( I have large hands). I have been using this knife for close to a year and I just tuned up the edge a few days ago. Honestly, I don’t know what I could say to persuade someone to buy this knife- how about this- for the money this is the best chef’s knife I’ve ever owned.

I typically wear large and extra gloves, this blade is about 3” thick. My wife has a small medium hands and she does not like using this knife. Works great for me. As soon as I received it, I sharpened on 3000/6000 stone and honed with steel and this thing is shaving sharp. Very impressed for the cost. Keep this blade dry after washing. It will rust if you don’t dry right away. After using , dry it , home with your steel a couple times and put it back where you keep it. Great beginner blade to help someone new to cooking / stone sharpening and wants quality for cheap, great buy for large handed cooks.

>> I used the Mercer side by side with my 8" Henckels (JA Twin Siganture) for a week, doing half of each job with one knife, then switching to the other. I've had the Henckels for 6 months, the Mercer for 4 weeks.> The Mercer is ⅓ the price as the Henckels but as a first impression, the Mercer is more ergonomically designed and of comparable quality. Yeh, the Henckels is “prettier”--- if that's a priority for you.> Although both are 8" knives, the Mercer feels much larger (and is bigger in terms of weight and blade height). Using the Mercer for my ordinary home cooking chores, at least as first, I constantly had the feeling that I need to switch to a smaller knife. I now use the Mercer Culinary 7-Inch Granton Edge Santoku Knife when I feel the need for more delicate work (such as slicing large tomatoes).> The handle of the Mercer has much surer grip -- no way it's gonna slip under any circumstances. The handle of the Henckels is very comfortable in my hand, but it could be slick and slippery when wet or greasy -- it could even be dangerous working in a hurry in a crowded commercial kitchen.> The Mercer is much better for slicing vegetables and big blocks of cheese into slices. Because of the hollow-ground design, whatever you are slicing sticks less to the edge of the Mercer. The Henckels simply cannot slice blocks of cheese, because the cheese sticks so badly to the blade – the cheese crumples rather than being sliced. The Henckels is poor for slicing vegetables, because the slices stick to the blade, and (Murphy’s Law applying), many fall under the blade while you are in the middle of the next slice – so you constantly have to clear the blade.> The Mercer (at 9½ oz) is about 20% heavier than the Henckels (at 7½ oz). The difference in inertia is quite noticeable. The Henckels feels more controllable. The Mercer has more momentum (and therefore cutting power) when chopping hard or tough materials.> The wide blade of the Mercer is advantageous for chopping and mincing, because you can actually grab the upper edge of the blade and chop vertically downward (like some specialized chopping and mincing blades).> The wide blade of the Mercer makes it more useful for scooping up diced vegetables (etc.) for transfer --- but you have to be very careful of the sharp blade.> The wide blade of the Mercer has an unexpected advantage --- the wide blade enhances the perception of the cutting angle, allowing controlling the angle more accurately. What that amounts to is that you can cut slices (of cheese, thick sausage, thick vegetables such as large onions, large tomatoes, etc.) more accurately and uniformly.> When received, the Mercer was not as sharp as the Henckels (but it took me only few seconds to sharpen it to as sharp, or nearly as sharp as the Henckels.> The Mercer is better for mincing garlic, etc (with a rocking motion), because the edge is slightly more curved.> For me, the Henckels is the right size and shape for my routine home cooking chores (or would be, if it had hollow ground edge).> The Henckels has kept it’s very sharp edge for 6 months of routine home cooking, with minimal routine maintenance. My impression is that I need to sharpen the Mercer twice as often --- but it's just ten light quick swipes with a ceramic knife sharpener (NEVER a carbide sharpener). Using a metal honer reduces the need to sharpen any knife --- and will extend the life of any knife. The Mercer is cheap enough to replace after 10 years, if it gets to the point that it won't hold an edge well --- so, I rarely go through the honing ritual with it.BOTTOM LINE> The 8" (2 1/2" wide) Mercer is a good choice for chopping hard materials, and slicing large items For finer, more delicate work, I use the Mercer Culinary 7-Inch Granton Edge Santoku Knife. Add a 4" paring knife, and you'd be well equipped for almost any home cooking task.> I can't think of any task for which the Henckels is superior to the above combination --- other than perhaps as a table carving/serving knife when "looking pretty" is important.UPDATE> After about a year, I use the 8" (2 1/2" wide) Mercer for almost kitchen cutting chores. I use the 7" Mercer Santuku for slicing tomatos and other soft vegetables, or mincing herbs. I essentially never use the Henckels --- however, my wife is "scared' of the big Mercer, and prefers the Henckels (which is still a very fine knife --- but just not ergonomically comparable to the 8" x 2 1/2" hollow ground Mercer).

My "old" chef's knife edge is dull. So dull that using it took a lot of joy out of the prep part of cooking. I bought this as a temp until I decide to sharpen my "good" knife. It's such a nice tool that I'm in no rush to switch back. It feels good in the hand, is balanced, and is really sharp. The box could dice and mince Chuck Norris! I'm kidding. But it is very sharp.

Muy buen cuchillo lo recomiendo

Exactly what I wanted! Has a mirror finish and is very sharp right out the package. For the price, I highly recommend!

Overall I am a huge fan of their Mercer collection. For what you pay the really nice and sharp knives

Super awesome

The media could not be loaded. Es un cuchillo con una hoja bastante ancha, lo caracteriza es el peso que es más por el lado de la hoja al momento de cortar ese mismo peso y usando la técnica de guillotina da una sensación que estas cortando a velocidad. Por lo mismo que manejo la pinza de electricista el peso está mas concentrado en la cabeza de la misma le doy cierto paralelismo con el cuchillo, bueno para mi mano está acostumbrada a ese tipo de pesos distribuidos.El mango es ergonómico y de tipo antiderrapante e partido cebollas, jitomates, melones, piñas, zanahorias y no a perdido el filo, además no se me a fatigado la mano para nada con ese cuchillo y ya lo llevo con el casi un mes usándolo. Si comenzara una colección de cuchillos me lo llevaría por esa distintiva hoja ancha que lo hace poco común entre los demás cuchillos que lo hace sobresalir.

Great grip on the knife, which helps if you have painful joints!

Cheap sturdy knife, dull but sharpened nicely. For the price it’s great. Good for lots of heavy duty stuff! If you’re looking for finesse, this knife isn’t for you

This is much bigger than expected, the blade is extremely wide and is overall quite heavy. Blade is sharp on arrival. Haven't used too much due to the size but have found it to be a good knife when I have used it and am tempted to buy others from the same brand