Good starter knives. Very sharp. Be sure not to put in the dishwasher or leave in water as the handles are not durable. I keep my handle oiled. The blade is thin but cuts beautifully. I have not had to sharpen it yet.
The Kiwi & Kom Kom brand knives from Thailand have become so popular worldwide that they are now being copied in China and are very hard to discern from the original Kiwi brand. This is part of the reason that this Bangkok based knife company has come out with another line of higher quality knives their newer Kom Kom brand. The Kom Kom knives are of higher standard and quality and are not readily available in retail stores outside of Thailand. Temple of Thai, USA imports these knives directly from the Kiwi and Kom Kom Company to America.
There are 2 levels of this particular model of knife, the #21 the Kom Kom brand, which is more expensive and of better quality and also the original Kiwi brand (the one being sold here) which is cheaper and also a good inexpensive, everyday knife. When compared side-by-side the quality of the both the wood and metal used is higher in the Kom Kom brand. The tang runs down about 80% of the handle in the Kom Kom model, compared to half tang with the Kiwi. There are 3 rivets in the Kom Kom handle compared to just 2 in the Kiwi brand #21. The Kom Kom brand is slightly heavier then the Kiwi. And the blade is stamped Kom Kom (as opposed to just simply Kiwi). Compare to 8" Thai Chefs Knife, #21 (Kom Kom).
As per the Kiwi & Kom Kom company these are differences in the 2 brands which they manufacture:
Kiwi
· Cheaper than the Kom-Kom brand knives
· Kiwi passes through fewer production processes compared to the Kom-Kom brand
· For those who like to sharpen their knife frequently, they may prefer the Kiwi brand
Kom Kom
· More expensive then the Kiwi brand knives
· It passes through more processes of production compared to the Kom-Kom brand
· It stays sharp longer if kept in a good condition, so the user does not need to sharpen frequently
In addition, the Kom Kom brand knives are packaged in a retail blister packages.
Buy Kiwi 8" Chef Knife Now
I was introduced to these knives by a roommate in college. They are amazing, and I recommend them to anyone and everyone who likes to cook. Seriously though, don't bother buying them online when you can go to your local Asian market and get them for $3.50 (really). I took a friend to the local market down the street today and he bought three varieties of the larger knives, and three of the smaller (paring) knives all for under $15. I came back and decided to see if they sell them online,... only to be dumbfounded by the price.
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For the price this knife can't be beat. After three months of daily household use it still is holding an edge and has never been sharpened. It's cheaply made, very light and the handle is essentially a block of wood, but it cuts better than most every knife I've had and definitely stays sharper. I wish they made an upgraded version same blade, better handle.
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It's cheap, yet sturdy and SHARP.
This is my "go to" knife when cooking at home. I also own Wusthof blades (& Cold Steel, & Randall, & Al Mar, & Ecos, & Tramontina, & .....), yet I find myself grabbing this knife from our magnetic knife rack when prepping food.
The thinness of the blade helps it ZIP through anything you're slicing, whether it be veggies, meat, or bread. It is NOT intended for crunching through bones. Get a heavy cleaver if that's your intended use.
I like the wide blade's ability to function as a scoop. Chop your stuff, scoop it up on the wide blade, dump it in the cooking pot.
Kiwi blades are made from fairly soft steel, so do not hold their edge for a long time. That being said, get a cheapie Wusthof knife sharpener for 20 bucks or so. A few passes through that sharpener, and your Kiwi knife is as good as new.
This knife has a wood handle with brass rivets. If you (as I) dump your knives in the dishwasher, the rivets will eventually loosen. No big deal....put the handle on a flat, sturdy surface (like a wood board), and WHACK both sides of the rivet with a hammer. No more looseness.
I've used my Kiwi 8" chef knife for years and years. Despite use/abuse (dishwasher cleaning), the handle is still in great shape. Should the wood handle eventually chip/split, the knife is cheap enough where you don't won't feel too bad just pitching it & getting a new one.
No, it doesn't have the Wusthof/Henckels "name prestige". That being said, this knife is excellent in the kitchen, and I highly recommend it. Easy to use, easy to clean, easy to sharpen. All that, and dirt cheap.
Buy it...use it...love it!
It was dislike at first sight when I saw that the packaging is that sharp plastic kind of shell that has to be cut away with scissors and the product has to be pried out. Then I saw the stickers on the front and back. These weren't the simple kind you can just pull off cleanly with one try. No. They're the kind of stickers that pull off, paper first, then there's a gob of adhesive that you have to peel off in pieces until you finally get down to the last smear of adhesive that has to be held under steaming hot water and soaked in detergent -and even then, it was a struggle to get the goo off. It probably doesn't help matters that the good is on a textured surface that holds the goo at varying depth. This removal process took at least twenty minutes and I was not a happy camper. I don't know what kind sadist designs those adhesive systems but I wish s/he would get fired fast.
