An Affordable Chef's Knife That Punches Above Its Weight Class

Some time ago, I got a knife in the mail. This, in itself, is nothing unusual. People send me new products to test all the time. Most of them go into the giveaway box that I empty out to friends and neighbors every once in a while. Some of them go into the "I'd rather not inflict this upon my friends even for the reasonable price of completely free" box. This time, the knife is going into my drawer to stay—when it's not in my hand or on my cutting board, that is.

At first glance, there's nothing particularly innovative about this knife, nothing that particularly sets it apart from any other high-end, well-designed Japanese-Western hybrid chef's knife. But here's the difference: while every other truly fantastic knife I own costs well over $100, this knife from Misen is less.

Why It's Great

Misen 8-Inch Chef’s Knife

$94 $71 at Amazon $94 at Sur La Table $85 at Misen.com

Ladies and gentlemen, I am going to call it: This is the holy grail of inexpensive chef's knives. Incredible quality and design, high-end materials, perfect balance, and a razor-sharp edge.

That's saying a lot for a knife that can go head to head with my $180 Misono UX-10 or my $120 Wüsthof and come out the other end barely breaking a sweat.

When most knife manufacturers try to innovate, they go in one of three directions: innovations in design or materials that provide very marginal improvements for a big markup (for instance, Shun's line of knives), or a shift to less expensive materials and production processes to deliver an inferior knife at a lower cost (the internet darling Forschners). What the folks at Misen realized is that when it comes to chef's knives, we don't need innovation in design, nor do we need to compromise on production and materials. What we needed was innovation in distribution.

The folks behind Misen (restaurant chefs who use knives all the time) saw an opening in this market when they started designing the blade about two years ago, scouring the internet for resources on knife design, blade geometry, alloys, weights and balance points, eventually bringing on an industrial designer and a metal specialist to help with the process. The final design they arrived at is fantastic, but the way they sell it is what's really important here.

By manufacturing knives themselves and using a direct-to-consumer internet model, they can deliver high-quality knives with none of the absurd markups common in the industry. They're the Warby-Parker of knives. More of every dollar you spend with them goes to the knife rather than overhead.

Of course, all that is moot if the knife itself isn't good. Fortunately, this one delivers. Had this been around when we wrote our guide to the best chef's knife, it would have clearly swept the budget categories and had a solid run at the best-at-any-price ticket, as well.

The Design

The Misen knife is a hybrid-style knife, meaning that it has the traditional Western-style curved blade, but the thin profile and light weight of a thinner, Japanese-style one. The curvature of the blade falls somewhere in between that of a heavily curved German knife and a more gently sloped French knife. This is right where I like it. Great for rock-chopping herbs, straight and nimble enough that you can use it for precision tasks like deboning a chicken or slicing an onion, and sturdy enough for bigger tasks like splitting squash or potatoes.

In the three days that I've had this knife, I've used it in my daily recipe testing as well as to do the prep work for two different book parties—that's cooking for more than 100 people total—and it's excelled at everything I've thrown at it.

As you move down the blade towards the handle, you'll notice that the knife has a forged bolster—that's the enlarged section where the knife blade meets the handle. This not only gives the knife superior balance and control, but also makes the blade more comfortable to grip. With its smooth steel lines and a backward slope, the bolster invites you to use the "pinch" grip, where the blade is held between your forefinger and your thumb. This grip is what professional chefs use and offers more precise control than the handle grip encouraged by the designs of many cheaper knives.

Because of its curves, it's also more comfortable. Some metal-bolstered knives, like my Global G-2, are too thin, eventually digging into your hand and, in my case, giving you an uncomfortable callus. The Misen feels like it was made to fit as a natural extension of my arm, as a good knife should be. You can slice well with plenty of clearance for your hands so you don't rap your knuckles against the board.

Speaking of extensions, the blade of the knife extends all the way to the butt of the handle (this section is called the "tang"). A full tang is important not only for balance (this knife will sit evenly on your hand like a see-saw if you place one finger underneath the bolster), but also for longevity. A full tang and dual rivets attaching the handle mean that this knife is going to last far longer than inexpensive knives with their partially embedded tangs. Have you ever seen a knife at an antiques show that didn't have a full tang? There's a reason for that: they just don't last.

The Materials

The first thing you'll probably notice is the odd appearance of the handle. It's made of a dense plastic composite that comes in a variety of colors. It's dense, heavy, and nice and grippy. No complaints there.

Knife steel is always a contentious issue. How hard do you want it? What's an appropriate carbon level? How do you best balance longevity and ease of sharpening, not to mention balance both of those things with cost? The Misen knife is made of AUS-10 stainless steel, which is a Japanese alloy with a .75% carbon content and vanadium to improve its robustness. Like a Japanese knife, this blade is sharpened at 15 degrees, a very steep angle that gives you a wicked sharp edge.

The main advantage of AUS-10, aside from its stainless qualities, is that it's extremely easy to sharpen and hone into a razor edge. Out of the box, this thing was slicing onions so thin they were translucent and splitting tomatoes with ease. With a bit more sharpening, it was sharp enough to split a tomato in half just by dropping it on the blade and letting gravity do the work.

The downside is that, as a softer steel, it's going to wear out slightly faster than a knife made of a harder alloy. In other words, your knife will require care and attention—this is not a knife you want to throw in the dishwasher or into a drawer without a cover—and at the very least you'll want to hone it with each use and have it sharpened professionally as its sharpness wears off a couple times a year.

The Price

Yes, there are cheaper knives out there, but hold a cheapo knife side by side with the Misen and it'll make another knife feel like a baby's toy. I've held a lot of knives in my time across all ranges of the price spectrum and I've never held a knife that had the type of value this one is offering.

To the folks that say, "Well I'll get that $35 knife—it's so cheap that we can replace it if it breaks," I'd say, for less than twice that amount, you can get a knife that will not break, will feel better in your hand, will cut better, is easier to sharpen, has superior control, and will teach you better cooking habits (like the pinch grip) in the process.

That's some pretty easy math, no matter how you slice it.

The Conclusion

It's hard to argue with results this definitive—the build quality, design, materials, and price all line up to make the Misen chef's knife a true rockstar in the kitchen. It's a truly great option for home cooks looking to upgrade their knives without needing to spend a lot of money, and it offers excellent performance without the finicky upkeep of an expensive Japanese chef's knife. Plus, with it's easy to sharpen AUS-10 steel, this knife can last you many years in the kitchen.

Key Specs

• Handle material: Composite plastic
• Blade material: AUS-10 alloy steel
• Handle length: 5.5 inches
• Blade length: 8 inches
• Lengths available: 8 inches
• Weight: 9.1 ounces

FAQs

How do the Misen and Made In chef’s knives compare to one another? 

Both knives have a full tang, similar curvature, and blades made of stainless steel. In our tests, however, although the Made In knife looked great, the blade was quick to dull. The Misen chef’s knife, on the other hand, remained sharp despite being put through its paces. When it comes to pricing, the $75 Misen further edges out the $99 Made In.

Are Misen’s other knives worth it? 

We tested the Misen bread knife and, while it has a noticeable heft that delivers a great grip on thick crusts, its bulk takes the nuance out of slicing; delicate loaves and tomatoes aren’t likely to stand up to this knife. We've also tested the Misen utility knife as part of our petty/utility knife testing and found it was more like a miniature chef's knife than a true petty knife, since it was bulky and heavy.

Does Misen offer knife sharpening?

Yes, Misen can professionally sharpen your knife, with prices starting at $10 per blade. Details can be found here.

What's a good alternative to the Misen chef's knife?

If you're looking for another affordable chef's knife that's similar to the Misen, we highly recommend the Mercer Culinary Genesis 8-inch chef's knife; it's currently only around $40, and it's sharp and sturdy.