A chef’s knife is the most essential tool in any kitchen. But the prospect of shelling out $200 for something meant to last a lifetime can be daunting — especially for those wary of anything too precious or those stocking their first kitchen. A well-balanced kitchen knife doesn’t have to cost a hefty sum, though. The secret lies in seeking out trusted brands and zeroing in on details like construction methods and materials used. Budget chef knives are often made from softer steels and may require more frequent sharpening, but when properly cared for, they can stand up to years of regular use. The following affordable chef's knives all cost $100 or less as of this writing, and any one of them will make a great addition to your kitchen.
Cheap Knives vs Expensive Knives
There's a wide range of costs out there when it comes to kitchen knives. Construction methods — such as whether the blade is stamped or forged — the types of steel and other materials used to construct the knife all contribute to the cost. If you don't know how to use a chef's knife, then the best knife in the world won't be much better to you than a cheap chef's knife. But regardless of your skill level, you can still find a knife that's durable, holds an edge and is easy to use without spending a fortune — just don't expect it to be quite as nice as knives that cost a couple hundred bucks.
What to Look for in a Budget Chef's Knife
Materials: Just because you're spending less on an affordable chef's knife doesn't mean you should expect subpar materials. You'll want a handle material that's comfortable — most brands go with a synthetic like thermoplastic — and you'll want a good steel for the blade that holds an edge and is easy to care for.
High-carbon steels are sharper and stronger, and can go a long time without needing to be sharpened. However, they are harder to sharpen when the time comes. Stainless steel variants aren't as durable and dull more quickly, but they're much easier to sharpen and maintain overall.
Build Quality: Regardless of whether you're spending $40 or $400 on a chef's knife, you're going to want it to last longer than a week. Ensure that your knife is built for the long haul by purchasing from well-known brands (like the ones we've suggested below) and opting for more durable options like forged construction when affordable.
Balance: A knife's balance will determine how it feels in your hand and, ultimately, how easy it is for you to use. The main thing affecting a knife's balance is its construction and whether or not it has a full-tang handle. This refers to the steel from the blade extending all the way through the base of the handle (as opposed to a partial tang, which extends only part way into the handle). Fully-tanged knives are better balanced and feel more stable in your hand, making them a better choice for your average home chef.
How We Tested
We've tested dozens of kitchen knives over the years, and for this guide, we focused only on those that impressed us while also costing under a hundred bucks. In some cases, the knives selected are the personal knives of members of our staff who have used them daily for years. In other cases, it was a matter of us calling in the internet's favorite knives and spending several months with them to see how they measured up. In all cases, these knives were sliced, diced, carved and sharpened, and proved to be a cut above the rest.
Global G-2 8-Inch Chef's Knife
- Blade Material: Cromova 18 stainless steel
- Blade Length: 8 inches
- Handle Material: Stainless steel
- Weight: 7.8 ounces
Global's oddball-looking knife has long been a favorite among many home cooks and professional chefs alike — including, perhaps most famously, the late Anthony Bourdain — as it just does so many things well, all while looking like nothing else out there. It's like a mix of Japanese and Western styles, with the thin, low-angle and very sharp blade of the former and the weighty handle and perfect balance of the latter. It accomplishes this feat via a unique one-piece design made from a proprietary stainless steel alloy that seems to maintain its sharpness better than traditional stainless steel, at least in our testing.
In prior testing, we compared this knife to more expensive offerings from the likes of Mac and others and found that it more than held its own. One thing to keep in mind though is that the G-2's dimpled steel handle — which helps keep it lightweight — definitely takes a bit of getting used to.
Mercer Culinary Genesis 8-Inch Chef’s Knife
- Blade Material: High-carbon stainless steel
- Blade Length: 8 inches
- Handle Material:Santoprene
- Weight: 4 ounces
For our budget budget option at less than 50 bucks, we've gone with this Amazon favorite — over 10,600 five-star reviews can't be wrong. Our testers definitely concurred with the bulk of Amazon's happy customers, feeling that this knife had the feel and features of a much pricier blade. We especially appreciated the taper-ground edge that made the blade easier to hone — a needed benefit since the steel, while high-carbon, did require frequent sharpening during our testing. Our testers also liked the sloped handle of the knife which made for a comfy pinch grip.
Material The 8-Inch Knife
- Blade Material: Japanese high-carbon steel and stainless steel
- Blade Length: 8 inches
- Handle Material: Composite
- Weight: 9 ounces
The perfect mate to Material's viral sustainable cutting board, the ReBoard (which our tester also owns) is this extremely capable chef's knife. It's one of the heaviest knives we tested, and in hand it just feels like a premium product. It looks the part, too, with a variety of sleek composite handle colors offered (we tested the stunning "Cool Neutral") offered to complement the knife's nicely-curved blade. But Material's knife isn't all style over substance. It's also an admirable performer. That weighty handle made it feel more balanced than any other knife we tested, and like the G-2, it combines this balance with a Japanese-inspired blade. The thin blade is sharpened at a tiny 13-degree angle, making it super-sharp, and its steel is a layered blend of high-carbon and stainless steel, making it easier to sharpen than if it were high-carbon alone.
Our tester did find the Material knife to come up short in a couple of aspects, though. The included sheath — a thin sheet of plastic with a hard inner plastic tip that moves about freely — is essentially useless and feels like an afterthought. And that pretty handle — which Material claims is stain-resistant — managed to obtain some stubborn stains after its third use.
Shun Sora Hollow Ground 7-Inch Santoku Knife
- Blade Material: VG10 steel
- Blade Length: 7 inches
- Handle Material: Thermoplastic rubber
- Weight: 6.2 ounces
Our tester has been using this knife for the last three years as a daily-use blade and says it hasn't let him down once. At just over six ounces and sporting a 7-inch blade rather than the standard 8-inch, the knife is definitely smaller than the other chef's knives we tested. But that small size turns out to be an advantage, as the knife is very easy to handle while also holding an edge well, is easy to clean and maintain and looks pretty damn cool.
On the downside, our tester did admit that the knife's lightweight can also make it feel a little flimsy, and he wouldn't mind a nicer handle material as the current makeup feels on the cheap side. The knife also has a habit of getting food stuck to its blade, despite the indents engraved into its sides. Still, our tester believes it will be another several years with the Shun before he'll need to think about shopping for a replacement.
Henckels Forged Synergy 8-inch Chef’s Knife
- Blade Material: German stainless steel
- Blade Length: 7.87 inches
- Handle Material: ABS
- Weight: 9.9 ounces
Another years-long GP favorite, this no-frills knife from Henckels, the more affordable sister brand of premium German knifemaker Zwilling, has been the daily kitchen knife of our tester for three years. Our tester loves the weight of the knife — it's the heaviest we tested for this guide — and appreciates that he doesn't need to be precious when using the blade. Describing the knife as a workhorse, our tester loves the durability, performance and balance offered by the knife, along with its easy maintenance. The knife is even dishwasher-safe, though our tester opts to handwash it.
Our tester's only real complaints about this knife are that its rugged and beefy design means it's not the best choice for more delicate slicing tasks, and its stainless steel blade needs to be sharpened quite often — about every two weeks when using the knife daily.
Our Place Everyday Chef’s Knife
- Blade Material: German stainless steel
- Blade Length: 8 inches
- Handle Material: Thermoplastic elastomer
- Weight: 7 ounces
Our Place is known for its beginner-friendly cookware, like its 8-in-1 Always Pan and Perfect Pot, so it makes sense that its chef knife would also be tailored to cooking novices. The brand's Everyday Chef's Knife is decidedly well-made, with German stainless steel in a full-tang construction, and it's plenty sharp out of the box. Our tester appreciated the innovative handle, which aims to aid beginners with a grooved handle that essentially forces you (nicely) to use a proper pinch grip, along with the knife's overall aesthetic.
Despite the nice grip, our tester did find the blade had trouble with more finesse slices — which is probably owed to the 26-degree angle. Most kitchen knives fall around 20, or lower for more precise blades. The higher angle aids in stability, and again, this knife is aimed at beginners, but it sometimes left our tester feeling the knife wasn't as capable as he would've liked. Our tester also took issue with the included sheath, which is open on three sides and led to some accidental cuts while handling.
Misen Chef’s Knife
- Blade Material: AUS-10 Japanese Steel
- Blade Length: 8 inches
- Handle Material: Thermoplastic elastomer
- Weight: 8 ounces
Arguably the internet's favorite affordable chef's knife, Misen's knife doesn't just look to compete against other budget kitchen knives — it claims to be as good as blades that cost twice as much from the likes of Wusthof and others. And it nearly succeeds. The Misen uses a very high-carbon Japanese steel called AUS-10, which is extremely hard and holds an edge for a long, long time. It combines this top-shelf thin blade — it's sharpened at a 15-degree angle — with a sloped handle that allows for a comfortable and easy pinch grip on the blade.
Our testers found that the Misen stayed sharp for a full three months of daily use before it needed a tune-up, making this one of the lower-maintenance knives we tested (when it's time to clean, though, keep it out of the dishwasher). And while our testers loved the knife's Japanese-inspired thinness when it came to precise cuts, they did note that the knife was a bit too slight for harder foods and chunkier chops.
Victorinox Fibrox Pro 8-inch Chef’s Knife
- Blade Material: Stainless steel
- Blade Length: 7.9 inches
- Handle Material: "Fibrox Pro" thermoplastic elastomer
- Weight: 6.1 ounces
You probably know Victorinox best from its ubiquitous Swiss Army Knives, and the Swiss brand applies the same no-nonsense, ready-for-anything ethos to its outstanding line of kitchen knives. Its 8-inch chef's knife is built for the long haul. Despite its stamped rather than forged construction, the Victorinox is a brute, holding up to years of abuse and shaking off trips to the dishwasher like they were nothing, thanks to its easy-peasy stainless steel blade. And the knife's proprietary "Fibrex Pro" grip is non-slip, making it extra stable in hand.
While it is a lightweight knife at just over six ounces, the Victorinox is still on the bulky side, and its brutalist design means it isn't the greatest for executing finer cuts. It's also a bit of an ugly duckling, and out of all the knives in this guide, is probably the one you'd most want to hide away in a drawer when not in use.
