Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program This is a nice paring knife. The co-polymer handle doesn't slip even when wet and feels really well balanced in the hand. It's not just a piece of plastic; there is a bolster and some weight to it.
The blade did not pass the paper cutting test straight out of the box but most knives need honing or sharpening before the first cut. I peeled carrots and potatoes before honing and it cut well. Did less well on a tomato but did manage to core it without mashing it. After I honed the blade on my knife steel (this is not sharpening), the peeling was even easier and created thin strips. After I gave the knife a few passes through my electric knife sharpener, it passed the paper cutting test easily and could make very thin peels. It sliced through a tomato easily. I'm impressed!
My everyday paring knife is a Victorinox with a hard polymer handle. It is also a sharp knife but I think this Pinzon will be my new favorite because of the handle. It's very comfortable and doesn't slip, leading to less fatigue.
I use this knife sharpener (see link below). It's pretty much foolproof and puts a good edge on my knives. I still take my knives to a professional sharpener at least once a year; this keeps my blades sharp in the meantime.
Chef's Choice 120 Diamond Hone 3-Stage Professional Knife Sharpener, Platinum
Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program We use our 3-1/2" paring knife far more than any other knife (though that may be our cooking style). The short blade makes easy and quick work of light chopping and slicing.
This Pinzon 3-1/2" paring knife is a reasonable option if you're looking for an inexpensive knife, and appreciate the convenience of shopping with Amazon. But there are a lot of knives to choose from, and if it's something you use often, you may want to look at some alternatives to find the best match for your needs.
BLADE: The blade arrived sharp and cut easily. Care has clearly been taken in making the blade it tapers both to the sharp edge and to the tip. It's hard to tell if it has a tang (that is, if the steel of the knife blade extends into the handle). Knives with tangs are stronger and last a lot longer. The rivet hole detail at the base of the handle suggests it does, and you'd expect a knife from KAI would have a tang.
HANDLE: The handle feels secure, with the slip-resistant finish and design. The sides are somewhat flat, so if you're looking for a fully rounded design consider something else. By the way, the handle has some brown color accents, see the photos for a better look at the design.
BALANCE: The knife feels reasonably balanced, though it's a light knife so there isn't the same sort of balance and weight in your hand that a heavier knife would have.
TIP: One tip (pun sort of intended) about knives like this never use the tip of a knife like this for anything but the lightest work, if that. Steel that's best at holding a sharp edge isn't flexible, and it's easy to break the tip.
OTHER KNIVES TO CONSIDER: There are a lot of options for knives, to suit various budgets, preferences for handles, and so on:
For an inexpensive knife, the Wüsthof Gourmet 3-Inch Paring Knife is from their budget line.
The Oxo line of products emphasize the handles and grips, if that's a top priority for you; one example is the Oxo Good Grips Professional 4-Inch Paring Knife.
The Calphalon Contemporary knives are a little more expensive, but to me they feel better made and have more comfortable handles.
And if you enjoy a quality knife, consider the Wüsthof Classic 3-1/2-Inch Paring Knife. The flat-sided handles don't work well for everyone, but many enjoy using them. From time to time you can find knife sets with special pricing.
Many people would say that it isn't necessary to get a high quality forged knife for the small sizes like a paring knife. And there's some advantage to having a knife that isn't so precious that you have to worry about it. So the less expensive knives will be fine for lots of people.
But you may still enjoy the quality and feel of a knife. So think about what suits your tastes and budget, you'll be using this knife a lot!
Buy Tom Douglas by Pinzon Kai 3-1/2-Inch Stainless-Steel Paring Knife Now
Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program This 3 1/2 inch stainless-steel paring knife is just what you need for everyday kitchen work. It is utilitarian, well balanced, and the handle seems to have been designed with ergonomics in mind. Further, I did not find it slipped when my hands were wet. The blade is quite sturdy; I found it a bit thicker than I personally like. However, it was not so thick as to cause me to dislike using the knife.
Right out of the package, I found the knife did an adequate job slicing mushrooms, chopping potatoes, cucumbers, and carrots. However, the knife was not sharp enough to slice through a cherry tomato skin without applying more pressure than I do with my Rada knives. As a result, the tomato was a bit squashed when I was done slicing.
Since I don't expect to have to sharpen a knife on the first use, I didn't. That was a mistake as it affected my evaluation of this product. However, I do like that the blade can be sharpened and will give it a few passes through my sharpener. Based on other's comments, this should take care of the sharpness issue. February 11, 2010 follow-up sharpening greatly improved the functionality of this knife. Once sharpened, using my little Rada sharpener, the knife easily sliced through tomato skin without my having to use undue pressure.
My favorite thing about this knife is that it is dishwasher safe. Had the blade done a good job on tomato skin right out of the package, I probably would have rated it as a five star product because it can be put in the dishwasher. If you are looking for a nice, reasonably priced knife for everyday kitchen work, then you should consider purchasing this product. I recommend sharpening it before use you will then have a five star knife for a price that won't break the bank.
Read Best Reviews of Tom Douglas by Pinzon Kai 3-1/2-Inch Stainless-Steel Paring Knife Here
Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Positives:
The knife sliced through tomatoes. Which is a feat for an all purpose paring knife.
The rubber handle works great, in terms of gripping while wet.
Its light (disconcertingly so, to some extent.)
It comes out of the box very sharp.
Its a great price from a great company (KAI=Kershaw.)
Negatives:
Its very thin; to the point there is a touch of bend to the blade.
The handle is rubber, and the blade clearly does not have a full tang, making it very blade heavy.
Unknowns:
The slight serrations in the blade that allowed it to so deftly cut through tomatoes means that as the knife dulls and gets re-sharpened it will most likely lose this impressive ability, but because of its thinness will probably still be a great little slicer. Its also easy to sharpen, which probably means it will dull quickly if you dont know how to properly care for a such a fine edge (glass cutting board, scraping, dishwashing, etc.)
Overall:
This is a lot of knife for this price. Perfect for someone who wants something better than you can find at most Discount stores but doesn't want to break the bank. It doesn't look nearly as nice as my Ken Onion designs and doesn't balance as well, but I'd wager its better than 90% of kitchen knives you'd find in most peoples kitchens and nearly all you'd find at this price point. (A note aside to steel junkies: Nowhere on the blade does it say anything other than High Carbon Steel, but I'd wager these are AUS6A, based on the Kershaw Site.)
Want Tom Douglas by Pinzon Kai 3-1/2-Inch Stainless-Steel Paring Knife Discount?
I was so pleased with my Pinzon Santoku Knife that I bought one of these as a companion. It has the same wonderful sharp Kai blade, and comfortable Pinzon grippy handle.
While the knife is my first choice out of the knife rack for cutting fruits and prepping vegetables, however, I quickly learned I couldn't use it for meat prep. The handle lets you maintain your grip when the knife is wet, but not when it's greasy. When parting out a chicken or trimming a roast the handle gets slippery, and, since the guard is quite shallow, my hand has a tendency to slip forward toward the blade (not a good thing at all).
I still think the knife is a great deal for its quality (especially since it has the KAI lifetime re-sharpening guarantee). It's worth buying just for cutting apples and celery and tofu. But don't get it for meat.
I LOVE this item. It makes perfect, uniform cheese slices something I have never been able to accomplish with a knife, cheese plane, or wire cutter attached to a board. I bought one at my local Kitchen Outlet over a decade ago and fell in love. The only downside is that it's a little flimsy with a life expectancy of about one year. It's so inexpensive that I didn't mind buying a new one once a year. But then my local kitchen outlet stopped carrying it.
