Chicago Cutlery Centurion 8-Inch Chef's Knife

Wow, I bought this knife back when I worked in a local Italian restaurant in college. I cut and prepped all the veggies and fruit. One of my other duties was sharpening all the knives in the kitchen. After being frustrated with all of the low cost Sysco knives since they were never sharp and could never be sharpened, I noticed that the boss always had his own knife at first a Henkel and then a Global. I decided to invest in my own knife for restaurant work. This chef's knife was what I found on sale and I can't tell you how please I was (and still am) with this knife. Out of the box it was so sharp I was scared of it, but I eventually realized what the phrase "a sharp knife is a safe knife" really means, because prep work with this thing was a dream. I bought a plastic holster for the blade so I could use it myself. But every other cook in the kitchen wanted to use it. It feels GREAT in your hand while you are cutting which is due to the shape, balance, shape and material of the handle and the full tang blade. I would also like to comment that it has an attractive classic look to it. I still have the same chef's knife 7 years later and occassionally take it to a professional knife shop for sharpening. What else can I say? I love this knife and will probably buy a full set if I can find one that has everything I want. Oh, I forgot about how great the price is I have used Henkels, Globals and a few others and I can tell you if you keep this knife sharp you will be just as happy so you don't need to spend all of that $$ on the so-called higher quality brands. Chicago Cutlery has outdone themselves with this knife!

This is my candidate for the world's best low-cost big knife. I have several others, Japanese stainless and old-stock hand-forged French carbon steel, and they all cost lots more than this one, which is made in China. Yet this is the one I keep reaching for. This is a very fine knife, regardless of where it came from or what it cost. I've been using it for several years. I hone it on a steel or a Fiskars RollSharp every time I use it, just like I do with expensive knives. This knife cost me $16 a few years ago at Wally World. I love it.

A couple reviews here suggest that some people believe a) that a good knife should be dishwasher-safe and b) that you should believe the advertising and expect a knife to stay sharp forever. There may be a few dishwasher-safe knives out there, but for sure there are no knives that stay sharp, whether they cost 20-something or 200-something dollars. The closest thing to an ever-sharp knife is a high-grade serrated-blade knife, but those are suitable only for specialized tasks such as slicing dead-ripe tomatoes and bread. If you know how to keep a knife sharp, you can do both chores just fine with a conventional knife. If you don't know how to keep a knife sharp, ask among your friends until you find one who can show you. If all that talk about honing at the correct angle scares you, buy a Fiskars RollSharp. It guarantees you hone at the correct angle.

I've always preferred 10-inch blades on big knives. Not any more.

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The knife is solidly constructed and feels great in my hand. I use it to prepare breakfast and dinner every single day and it is always a joy.

This knife was not very sharp from the factory, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It forced me to learn how to sharpen it on a knife hone, and since it was dull and cheap to begin with I wasn't worried about ruining the blade. Now it is exactly as sharp as I want it to be and holds its edge well (be sure to buy a steel). If you're reading this thinking that you should pay more for an already-sharp knife, keep in mind that all knives need to be sharpened periodically.

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I've been using a $30 Calpahlon Knife: http://www.amazon.com/Calphalon-Contemporary-8-Inch-Chefs-Knife/dp/B000V6ROPC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1335351047&sr=8-4

This knife may be sharper than my calpahlon, but the metal in this knife feels flexy for a forged/full tang knife. The tip feels very thin. Perhaps that's the reason why many reviewers says that the knife is good when it is sharp bcz softer metals (such as high carbon) leads to a duller edge faster. Here's my pros and cons:

Pros:

Extremely sharp

balances very nicely

Very light for it's size (it's preference). Yes, I didn't like the knife that was recommended by America's Test Kitchen.

Cons:

Needs to be hon'ed more

tip is very flexy, thus it can break easier.

Can't really use the back of the knife for heavy chopping through small bones bcz of the lighter weight and softer metal.

Since the handle is not fully encased, there were some unevenness between the tang and the handle grip. First it may not be comfortable. But more importantly, food can be stuck in between the tange and grip thus it'll be harder to clean and it can get dirty.

But it's a good $10 knife perhaps I am expecting more.

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Aesthetics

The first thing I noticed about this knife was the mirror polish on the blade, and the nice heft. It also has a pleasant "ting" to the blade a tribute to the high carbon content and forging process.

In Use

The knife performs well, as it arrives sharp and fits well in the hand. It balances near the bolster, which allows for good control of the knife. The blade is quite thick and is tapered all the way down to the edge. That should provide a decent amount of material for sharpening, while keeping the overall weight down.

Overall I was pleased with the performance the one star removal is in regards to the shape. I'm accustomed to a more pronounced radius on the front of the knife. The abrupt shape of this knife made following through on high cuts (the slicing motion) more difficult. It seems to be shaped well for rocking and dicing small to medium sized ingredients. I plan to use it for while to see if I grow to like the shape.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this knife, for $20 it's a great tool for any kitchen.