Which Knife to Buy:
Tips and Advice on What to Consider When Buying a Knife

Forged blades are knives which are made from a single piece of metal so there’s a seamless transition from blade to handle with a built-up section, called a bolster. Stamped knives are cut out from a sheet of steel and the handle of the knife is attached separately. Both stamped and forged knives have their own unique advantages, so it’s very much a matter of personal preference.

The forged blade of a Victorinox knife contains more carbon, which makes the steel harder and helps it stay sharper longer. Since it is forged from a single piece, it’s more difficult for your hand to slip from the handle onto the blade. In addition, forged knives tend to be heavier, giving a great weight and balance in the hand. And beautiful styling expresses its excellent quality. A good forged chef’s knife is prestigious, inspirational. It reflects the joy felt by people who love to cook with just the right tools.

Forged blades may stay sharper longer, but they are also more difficult to sharpen and must be sharpened with a diamond or ceramic honing tool. This is because the tool has to be harder than the blade it’s honing.

Our innovative stamped blade is lighter than a forged one. Which makes these kinds of knives easier to work with over long periods of time. They are easy on wrists and hands, so it’s no surprise that professional chefs really like them. And because the steel has a slightly lower level of hardness, they are simple to resharpen. When you consider years of daily work in a kitchen, these blades offer the best value for money.

En Victorinox, ofrecemos una gama de mangos en nuestros utensilios y cuchillos de cocina. En general, la opción básica se reduce a sintético o de madera. Entonces, ¿cuáles son las ventajas o desventajas de cada opción?

Los cuchillos con mangos sintéticos son aptos para lavavajillas, lo cual los hace fáciles de limpiar. También suelen ser más ligeros, entonces son más fáciles de usar por períodos de tiempo más largos. Ofrecemos una variedad de mangos sintéticos: desde los colores alegres de la colección Swiss Modern hechos con copolímero de polipropileno (CPP), hasta la colección Swiss Classic con sus mangos altamente duraderos hechos con elastómeros termoplástico (TPE). La colección Grand Maître ahora viene con mangos de polioximetileno (POM) que se sienten muy suaves.

Los cuchillos con mango de madera nunca deben colocarse en el lavavajillas: el calor y los productos químicos hacen que la madera se caliente demasiado, se seque y hasta se parta. Sin embargo, un mango de madera tiene un agarre cálido y natural que se siente bien en tu mano; entonces, vale la pena lavar el cuchillo a mano y utilizar un aceite de cocina convencional como el aceite de linaza para mantenerlo fresco y como nuevo. Para los fanáticos de los cuchillos forjados, ofrecemos los cuchillos Grand Maître supremos con mangos de madera de arce modificada. La Colección Wood también tiene mangos en madera de arce modificada para cuchillos estampados. La colección Swiss Modern lo ofrece todo: mangos de madera de nogal con mango ergonómico y un llamativo diseño moderno.

Una advertencia: como expertos en cuchillos, no recomendamos poner los cuchillos en el lavavajillas; al menos no los más grandes. Consulta nuestros consejos sobre cómo limpiar tu cuchillo para obtener más información sobre este tema.

Al final, tu opción de material del mango se reduce a qué se siente mejor en tu mano.

En pocas palabras, no hay respuesta correcta o incorrecta aquí. De nuevo, dependerá de lo que sea más cómodo de sostener para ti. Así que, ya sea la refinada sensación de los cuchillos Grand Maître, la comodidad duradera de la colección Swiss Classic o el aspecto de diseño ergonómico de Swiss Modern, te recomendamos que vayas a la tienda de Victorinox más cercana y pruebes cada cuchillo antes de tomar una decisión. Siempre probamos una variedad de curvas y contornos que se adaptan a diferentes tipos de manos. Así que grande o chico, fino o fuerte, hay uno para cada persona.

Confused as to why we offer two types of steak knives? The answer is simple: the straight edge is designed to cut smoothly and cleanly through the meat, without tearing or ripping. This is the blade preferred by meat connoisseurs and is ideal for perfectly tender meat. The wavy edge blades are ideal if you need to cut through meat that might be tougher. This particular edge also makes the knife a great all-rounder – it’s ideal for cutting pizza, pies or pastries, too.

You might also ask yourself the same question for our Santoku knives. Why offer the same knife with both a fluted edge and a straight edge? We prefer the fluted edge because the flutes let air between food and blade, making what you’re cutting less likely to stick to the blade. Which makes chopping smoother, faster and more efficient. And then there are some cooks who love the straighter Japanese shape of the Santoku blade, but find the flutes don’t make a difference for their own particular style of chopping or slicing.

If you are a heavy user of your knives and need to sharpen them a lot, the straight edge would be a better choice. If you sharpen so much that you get down to the flutes of the fluted edge blade, it will eventually interfere with your slicing edge. But this will probably only happen to professional chefs using the blade over a number of years.

Overall, we tend to recommend the fluted edge. We also have carving knives with a fluted edge because it makes the meat less likely to stick to the blade.

We often offer the same blade in different lengths – so which should you choose? Our filleting knife comes in both 16 and 20cm versions. The rule of thumb is that the blade should be approximately 5cm bigger than the fish you are filleting. It’s a bit more complex for our carving knives, because we provide anything from 15 to 25cm blade-length. Smaller blades will give you versatility and agility, but if you’re going to be slicing larger items like watermelon or pumpkins, then the bigger the blade the better. Having the necessary length ensures less risk of slipping or getting stuck, and less risk of injury.

Our carving knives also come in two widths – normal or extra-wide. The extra-wide is ideal if you are carving large joints of meat like roast beef or turkey, because it lends the blade more precision and power for smoother slices.

Our pro tip: you should also match the blade length to that of your cutting board. If you use one that’s too small, it’s harder to cut through large fruit, vegetables, meat or even bread in one slice. That’s not only more work: you may also risk injuring yourself.