Any suggestions on decent cooking knives?

[Brian Elfert]

I really need some decent cooking knives for home. I current have some cheap Fabreware ones that are crap. I'm looking for ideas on a set that might be $100 or so. Any suggestions?

I know if I asked on a cooking forum they would probably recommend something really high end I don't need or want.

[Van Huskey]

The first mistake many people make IMO is buying a big set of cheaper knives. There is very little one can not do with a good large chefs knife, unless you are going to be breaking down a lot of whole poultry or beef subprimals etc. Personally I would spend either the biggest part of $100 on an 8" chefs knife or split it and get a smaller Santoku also, which I like for veggies. Watch a cooking show and see how often they use smaller knives, it happens but you will see a chefs knife (or a Japanese variation of such if that is what they prefer) in their hands most often.

A good chefs knife, a good steel and a good way to sharpen it will be much better than 7 or 8 low end knives. Look at what one good chisel costs...

I like Wusthof, Lamson, Global and Henkels in this price range BUT there are a LOT of choices but if you spend the money from one of these on a chefs knife you will not regret it. If you or your SO using a paring knife often Global makes a good two piece set with a 8" chefs and a paring knife for right at $100 if you shop.

[Eric DeSilva]

I agree with Van on this one--I'd much rather have two good knives than a mediocre set. Knives are like chisels--you have people happy with HD chisels, because they don't use them often, don't care how they cut for what they do, and also use them for opening paint cans. Then there are artisan chisels that cost a fortune that are usually justified because, at some level, cheaper tools limit your technique or, in many cases, for heavy users the edge holding characteristics or comfort-in-the-hand factor become more important.

Personally, as much as I love my high end Japanese steel, I'd go with a relatively inexpensive Kuhn Rikon paring knife and a good 8" Chef's knife. The Kuhn Rikon paring knives (sold at Sur la Table, among other places) cost about $10, are deadly sharp, and are super thin, which I find enhances their utility. I'll reach for my little Kuhn before my Shun paring knife every time. For a Chef's knife (you could also go with a Santoku; I used to use them exclusively, but now find myself armed with a pseudo Chef's knife more often than not), Van had good suggestions, but I'd also add Zwilling or Henckels to the list. Sabatier also has a line of pure carbon steel knives that I'd take a serious look at, as long as shiny stainless isn't a requirement. I've tried to like ceramic knives, but can't. I'm too much of a klutz and I'm too worried about chipping (my ceramic peeler, on the other hand, I consider essential). I'd say go to a store and pick them up and see how they feel in your hand.

[Larry Edgerton]

I have a set of Henkel stain resistant [Not stainless] that are easy to take care of and take a good edge. They cost about what you are looking to spend, maybe just a touch more.

Larry

[Ben West]

Cooks Illustrated is a very reliable source of info about everything cooking. Their equipment reviews are thorough and fair. And, when they test knives, Victorinix Fibrox knives routinely come out in the top group. And, best of all, they are one of the cheaper lines. I have a chef's knife, and is is fantastic. I have other knives, some very expensive and fancier, but the Victorinox is the one I most often reach for.

[Joel Goodman]

+1 on no sets: You need a a Chef's knife, a carving knife, and a paring knife. A bread knife (serrated) can be a cheapie. A boning knife is optional. Here's a few good choices:

For stainless:

Wustof Classic (German) - forged - not cheap but excellent -- worth it especially for Chef's knife. All the knives in this line are 1st rate.

Henkels International (from Spain) - forged - softer steel, slightly cruder -- takes a good edge but doesn't hold it as well - 1/2 the price. Good for Chef's knife as a cheaper alt to the above, for paring use the below if you don't want to spend $ for the above.

Wustof Gourmet (German) - stamped -- thinner blade -- inexpensive. Excellent paring knife. Larger sizes not as useful.

For Carbon Steel:

R Murphy (USA) get the Stay Sharp II -- stamped but thicker blade than the "Gourmet" takes a great edge but rusts - very reasonable price. They also have stainless but I haven't tried it so I don't know how it is. Wooden handles. Cruder than the Wustof Classic.

I would buy an 8" Chefs and a paring to start, and perhaps different knives for each. Sharpening equipment is more important than anything. At minimum DMT duo sharp 600 and 1200 combo (very fast) or water stones. I would rather have a lesser knife that's sharp than a dull luxury model. Carbon is great if you have the habit of washing and drying it immediately, and if your wife does too. Otherwise it's a source of arguments. Happy cooking!

[Brian Elfert]

Cooks Illustrated is a very reliable source of info about everything cooking. Their equipment reviews are thorough and fair. And, when they test knives, Victorinix Fibrox knives routinely come out in the top group. And, best of all, they are one of the cheaper lines. I have a chef's knife, and is is fantastic. I have other knives, some very expensive and fancier, but the Victorinox is the one I most often reach for.

Intresting. I was just looking at a Victorinox Fibrox on Amazon earlier. I am far from a chef. I just need something better than the cheesy Farbarware knives that are serrated!

[Rick Potter]

How about Cutco? They certainly cost enough.

Rick Potter

[Shawn Pixley]

I think you have been given good advice. The chef's knife is the most used. One thing to validate is the handle. If you are going to use it a lot, getting the handle style that gives you the best comfort and control would be my suggestion. For my tastes, I like the following:

Messermeister Meridian Elite 8" chef's knife
Messermeister Meridian Elite 6" fillet knife
Messermeister Petty paring knife

90% of my kitchen time uses these three knives. I have others but they typically are used for very specialized tasks (boning, chopping, bread slicing, etc...). The steel on messermeister knives is very good and they make bothe German and Japanese stlye knives.

[Mike Henderson]

Get a Japanese version of a western chef's knife. I like the hardness of the center steel, and the narrow blade. I'm not a fan of the Japanese round handles.

Mike

[Paul Saffold]

+1 for Victorinix Fibrox chef's knife and 2 of their paring knives, add a bread and a filet and you should cover most things.

[David G Baker]

We have a bunch of Rada brand knives. I have found them to be the best knives I have ever used. They are not that expensive.

[Mike Harris 2]

I went knife-crazy a few years ago and found that all I really use is a chef's knife and a bread knife. My chef's knife is an F. Dick, it was about $75 online and is by far the best knife I've ever owned - it's great for everything from light butchering to fine chopping. For a bread knife, you could probably pick up a Henckel or something of similar quality for $20 or less at a Marshall's or HomeGoods-type place.

[Kent A Bathurst]

+1 on no sets: You need a a Chef's knife, a carving knife, and a paring knife. A bread knife (serrated) can be a cheapie. A boning knife is optional. Here's a few good choices:

For stainless:

Wustof Classic (German) - forged - not cheap but excellent -- worth it especially for Chef's knife. All the knives in this line are 1st rate.

I would buy an 8" Chefs and a paring to start............. Sharpening equipment is more important than anything.........

Have a set of the Wustof. A set is not necessary.......this was a gift - a big set. Good stuff. Very good stuff.

My wife is a gourmet cook. No matter how hard I try, I will never rise above second-best chef in the house. However, having worked in restaurant kitchens through college, I am very-well-qualified prep cook, as in - "here - chop/slice/dice this stuff up, and when you're done, it's supposed to look like XYZ".

My personal preference is for a big chef's knife - 10" min, 12" pref. I do not at all like the wide-blade knives that are flat on the bottom - don't even know what they are called - the cutting boards are never gonna stay perfectly flat, so the curve on the chef's knife lets me go fast. The paring knife and boning knife tend to be her domain. The slicer/carver gets used by both of us.

As far as sharpening....might sound like heresy....but we are on our second Chef's Choice sharpener. It really, really works well. And fast. I hit it at the start of each assignment - 15 seconds, and I'm good to go. Cannot stand a knife that is not freshly touched up......habit from my restaurant years..........I used to use the steel all the time, but that's rare now.

[Jim Matthews]

I went to the neighborhood restaurant supply.

They display the well-known maker's sets out front. They called them "Chef's golf clubs" - some chefs own more than one set.
The Dexter Russell line (http://www.restaurantsource.com/kitchen-supplies/cutlery/chefs-knives/ProdList.aspx?manufacturer=dexter-russell-knives-and-cutlery) is their recommendation for the nearby culinary arts program. Good steel, machine washable handles at a reasonable price.

Made in the USofA, too.

[Greg Just]

Wustof Classic are my choice. We did not buy a set, rather went with open stock and only got the knives we really needed along with a block. No regrets.

[Ryan Mooney]

Consider your use.

If you are a hack and stab cutter: get a softer blade, its less likely to chip. Otoh if you are more controlled, a harder edge is less likely to turn. Pro chefs usually prefer a slightly softer edge because they hone their knives a lot and have them professionally sharpened frequently and the softer edge is easier to hone fast. Home cooks are often happier with a slightly harder edge, because they use it less and thus don't have to hone as often and it doesn't need to be re-sharpened as frequently.

If you don't immediately clean/oil your blades: avoid high carbon, pick either stain resistant (takes a somewhat better edge) or stainless (more forgiving) would be your choice

Most of the metallurgy is good enough nowdays that all of the suggestions above are good. Find a handle that fits your hand, if you can try and take the knife to a cutting board before buying - cutting is different than holding. This is especially true of the chefs knife, the others less so.

I would minimally buy:
- decent chefs knife, this is your main tool and it makes sense to spend a little more here - I don't have any suggestions in your price range not already covered.
- cheap thin blade paring knife, no reason to get crazy here you should be able to find one under $10 (still seeing ones I'd buy for $6 or less) - maybe get two. A few years back the local Ace had some stamped stain resistant carbon ones on sale for $1 ea and I bought 6 :D and use them around the garage, etc.. as well
- A fillet or boning knife, again thin blade and not overly expensive works fine here, this is a low use knife for most people
- a cheap bread knife - but only if you make bread/rolls that need cutting.

[Van Huskey]

machine washable handles .

Why in the world would anyone every need a machine washable handle on even a decent Walmart knife? This isn't directed at you Jim, just wondering why it would be advertised or touted as a feature.

FYI for anyone thinking about it, don't! Handwash your knifes.

[Wil Limanen]

My wife uses the RADA knives and she likes them the best of all she has. They sold a simple 2 wheel sharpener with the set that works like a charm.

Wil

[Jim Becker]

Global is my choice...I absolutely love them. Not inexpensive, but I'm really, really pleased. And I like the fact that they are all metal...no handle to come lose "someday".

[Steve knight]

I have a Japanese hand made Chinese cleaver in stainless. it holds and edge a very long time and it is a nice knife. I bought a 45.00 or so hand made Japanese knife from japan woodworker that gets extremely sharp and holds it but it rusts so needs oiled.
I bought this paring knife and it is so nice it feels great in your hand looks great and is extremely sharp and still has not needed sharpening.
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s266/knighttoolworks/posting/KGrHqQOKpUE5wN6RKnBOc6irtb660_12.jpg

[Ben West]

Just to clarify, the Victorinox knives are not "heirloom" tools. They handle great and keep a sharp edge, but they won't draw oohs and ahhs from your guests. I have a couple global knives if I want to do that.

The global and Chicago knives I have are great, but I've become with knives how I am with shop tools. If I am going to spend top dollar, I want to buy from a craftsman in the US or Canada whose name i know and that is dedicated to the art of making that tool. There are some very talented individuals around making some wonderful handmade kitchen knives. The next expensive knife I buy will come from one of those shops.

[Dan Friedrichs]

+1 for Victorinix Fibrox chef's knife and 2 of their paring knives, add a bread and a filet and you should cover most things.

+2. The Fibrox chef's knife is great. We got one, and now LOML and I fight over who gets to use it (versus the cheap one that came with our other knife set). As cheap as they are, I'm buying another...

[Brian Elfert]

Considering I have dinner guests every few years and they don't care about my knives I'm not buying expensive knives just to show off.

I'll probably just get the Victoronix knives. I have to wait about 6 to 8 weeks until my $1,000 worth of gift cards I got for a deal come in.

[Mark Baldwin III]

The peasant's knife at Lee Valley is my favorite knife. I like it so much I sent one to my cousin as a Christmas gift. The price is hard to beat as well.

[Jim Koepke]

One thing to remember, a good, high quality knife will last beyond a lifetime. Unfortunately, a crappy cheap piece of junk knife will last just about as long.

I think it was at Sur la Table that my wife and I bought each other knives. The sales person there was very helpful and did let us dry run the knives on a cutting board. It was kind of funny when we told our friends that we loved and trusted each other enough to buy knives together.

He also showed us how to size a knife for our personal use. The total length of a knife should be equal to the distance from the inside fold of the elbow to the center of the user's palm.

My wife's knife is only 1" shorter than mine, but it feels totally different (awkward) in use. My knife feels like a part of me.

Ours have man made material for handles. This is one of those personal preference areas. If one is in a household that is fastidious about cleaning up, then wooden handles and high carbon steel may be your choice.

So, if you and your spouse are the same size, one knife there may be all you need for the big knife.

I almost bought a paring knife at an estate sale the other day. It was of good quality and only $1. I ended up passing on it since we have about a half dozen paring knives. Most of the time it is one paring knife that gets used in our kitchen. It was a cheap one that is just the right size for me. It is used mostly for peeling fruits and vegetables during preparations.

My preference is for a full, handle length, tang on my knives for balance.

It is also my opinion that finding a knife that fits you and your way of working is more important than who makes it. Quality is important, but if it is uncomfortable in use, then it isn't the best knife for you.

So, my suggestion is go visit a purveyor of fine cutlery and see if they will let you handle their wares. If you are married, take the spouse and make sure you both will enjoy using the knife/knives you buy.

jtk

[Randy Alkins]

Second Dexter Russell knives.

[Heather Thompson]

Two people here have mentioned RADA knives, a few years back a family member mentioned how much they liked this brand of cutlery and that it was available at Weaver's Country Store in Fall Creek, WI (Amish store). My husband and I like to stop there on our way back from Christmas in July so we decided to pick up a few pieces, I have not used my Wusthof Trident set since then, we actually just went back and I picked up a few more to be dedicated to our camping supplies (paid 11.89 for a new chef knife).

[Jim Becker]

One thing to remember, a good, high quality knife will last beyond a lifetime. Unfortunately, a crappy cheap piece of junk knife will last just about as long.

Ooh...a very wise statement!!

[Steve knight]

I really prefer a Chinese cleaver for most of my work. but I wanted a better quality one. years ago I found a Japanese hand made ss Chinese cleaver and it has been my favorite every since. it holds and edge for a long time and gets sharper then most kitchen knives it is not too heavy the blade is thin but not really delicate.
I got this more traditional japanese knife 15 years ago. it is a one bevel knife and it was made by a smaller family so it has more hammer marks and such. but it still holds and edge incredibly long and gets sharper then the Chinese cleaver. it is fantastic for thin raw meat as it cuts so easily it does not mash the meat down.
it about falls through a potato.
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s266/knighttoolworks/posting/86F1F032.jpg
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s266/knighttoolworks/posting/12DCA926.jpg

[Brian Elfert]

An update here. I finally got my Victorinox Fibrox knife set from Amazon. They are a really nice upgrade from the junk knives I was using. I'm disappointed that one of the knives is not super sharp, but that can be fixed easily enough. I will be adding at least a bread knife to my collection.

[Randy Alkins]

I rely entirely on Dexter Russell knives from chunking tuna to cutting frozen boxes of bait to cutting dinner. Just be sure you get the ones made in USA. There are some knockoffs out there.

[Kevin Groenke]

To late for Brian but...

We've got several Wusthof and other "high end" knifes: they're generally great and worth the $ (don't have anything really expensive).

That said, the knife I reach for more than any other is the Ikea Gynnsam 6" chefs knife (http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/categories/series/14565/).
225324
This knife has a great feel/balance, takes and holds a keen edge. It is worth much more than its $17 price tag to me.

There is also an 8" chefs, fillet, paring and bread knife of the same design, the four would set you back $62... or ~2/3 of a Wustof Classic 6" chefs kinfe.

-kg

[Mac McQuinn]

While you certainly don't really need a huge collection of knives to do the job correctly, you do need quality. Considering you'll probably use a set of cooking knives more than any tool in your shop over a lifetime, why not spend a few bucks and get something that will put a grin on your face the second it is in your hand.

My choice of knives; Warther. They're located in Dover, Ohio. Their knives are 100% made in the USA. I have several and they are a real treat to use. If you get a chance, by all means make a trip to their shop and Museum. A trip through the Museum will allow you to go back in time to when a very gifted man existed, Mooney Warther. His skills and imagination were almost inconceivable. It's certainly worth a visit.

Mac

[ray hampton]

I bought a ceramic knife at H F and am surprise as how sharp it is
from my elbow to my palm is 10 or more inches, only a meat cleaver need to be this big for the knives use in the kitchen

[John Pratt]

I have spent a fortune on good knives over the years (most are brands already mentioned previously). I think for the most part any "good" knife will suffice over a cheap knife. It is like arguing about whether the BMW or Mercedes is a better buy than the Yugo. The hardest part for me was teaching my kids and wife the proper care of them and to STOP PUTTING THEM IN THE DISHWASHER. good knives should be hand washed and dried.

[Mike Cutler]

How about Cutco? They certainly cost enough.

Rick Potter

Cutco flies under the radar. You have to know they exist.
Great knives, lifetime warranty, and sharpening service. Longer handles for better control.
Dish washer safe, but like everyone else here has stated,Why would you ever put a kitchen knife in the dishwasher?:eek:

I must have a different set of Henckels knives. Mine clearly state they were made in Germany, and they weren't cheap by any means 20+ years ago.

[Dan Friedrichs]

Dumb question: Why can't I put knives in the dishwasher?

[ray hampton]

If it your money that bought the knives, will two knives that are the same in every way except one get wash by hand & one get wash in a dish washer STAY the same

[David Weaver]

Dumb question: Why can't I put knives in the dishwasher?

Handles that don't tolerate the temperature, I guess. My knives don't tolerate it, either. Even though they are the cheap ginsu set from amazon, about $75 with steak knives. They were the cheapest forged knives I could find, but they are soft (I knew they would be), otherwise decent knives with a full tang-through handle and easy enough to sharpen that their sharpness still causes problems with everyone who uses the knives (it drives me nuts how everyone who comes here seems to be trained to use extremely dull knives).

But those cheap knives are supplemented by two japanese knives - a tanaka santoku and a deba (i don't remember the name of the maker for the deba). None of them are dishwasher safe, but I was surprised that the ginsu knives weren't given the market segment they're targeted to.

I tried to get my wife accustomed to better knives, but I am the only one who uses the japanese knives (she is afraid of them) and she is too rough with the edges on the other knives to warrant better knives.

Long story short, I'm in favor of the couple of good knives and then a bunch of cheap knives theory. I would still like to get a small petty knife in vg10 or blue #1, but if I did that and my wife had access to it, there'd be as much blood here as there is in a ric flair/ abdullah the butcher match.

[Ben West]

Glad you like the Victorinox set, Brian. They are awfully hard to beat for the price. Heck, they are hard to beat at any price.

[Mike Henderson]

Dumb question: Why can't I put knives in the dishwasher?
One reason I don't like to put sharp knives in the dishwasher is that I'm afraid that the intermittent sprays of water will cause the sharp knives to jiggle against the other utensils and damage the edge. If you can put the knives in a place where they're isolated - and the water won't hurt the handles - I see no reason you couldn't safely put them in the dishwasher. And many good knives have handles that will tolerate long immersion in water.

I hand wash my knives just to make sure they're handled properly so the edge isn't damaged.

Mike

[John Pratt]

The handles are one issue, and as Mike said, the blade is the biggest issue. The dishwasher seems to be a great place to put your knives if you want to dull them. I was told once that there is an issue with the heat of the dishwasher (not sure I put any faith in that), but I think the biggest issue is the knives banging around against other items. Would you throw your Lie Nielson plane blades in a drawer jumbled with wrenches and screwdrivers? Better to just hand wash and put away.

[David Weaver]

I think if the heat were an issue (unless a knife fell down against a heating element), the door would probably fly off the dishwasher from steam pressure. plastic dishes would melt, too, before knife temper would be affected.

I think regardless of manfacturer suggestions, you guys are right about protecting the edge.

[Brian Elfert]

I bought a set of Victorinox Fibrox knives as a set that includes a knife block. For some reason they didn't include a paring knife. The two small knives are both serrated and who uses a serrated paring knife? I have no idea what I would use the two small serrated knives for.

Can anyone recommend a decent paring knife hopefully with a black plastic handle to match my other knives? It really needs to be something I can order through Amazon as I have a gift card balance there. I also need to order a bread knife to add to my collection.

[Greg Portland]

I must have a different set of Henckels knives. Mine clearly state they were made in Germany, and they weren't cheap by any means 20+ years ago.
You do have a different set. While some Henckels are still made to that quality level they also sell a bunch of cheaper stuff (stamped, not forged blades, etc.)

[Greg Portland]

Can anyone recommend a decent paring knife hopefully with a black plastic handle to match my other knives? It really needs to be something I can order through Amazon as I have a gift card balance there. I also need to order a bread knife to add to my collection.Why not get the Victorinox paring knife? I don't see a serrated edge...
http://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Cutlery-3-25-Inch-Paring-Polypropylene/dp/B0019WXPQY/ref=sr_1_3?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1330983812&sr=1-3

Wüsthof sells a Grand Prix line that has similar looking handles...

[Brian Elfert]

Why not get the Victorinox paring knife? I don't see a serrated edge...
http://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Cutlery-3-25-Inch-Paring-Polypropylene/dp/B0019WXPQY/ref=sr_1_3?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1330983812&sr=1-3

Wüsthof sells a Grand Prix line that has similar looking handles...

I've seen people complain that the handles on the Victorinox paring knives are too small. I was thinking there might be something better out there.

As it turns out, my block set is supposed to have a paring knife instead of a second serrated knife. I talked to Victorinox and they said I need to deal with Amazon. Amazon would have me return the whole set over a simple paring knife. I was hoping Victorinox would just just send me a paring knife so I don't have to return the whole set.

[David Weaver]

That's just the way amazon goes at it, huh? V-nox missed the boat there following policy to the letter.

When my hybrid TS didn't arrive and I only got the fence, amazon CS offered to print me a return label. :rolleyes:

When I told them I only got a fence and no saw, they said that whatever I got, I should just send back to them. Freight. (the saw showed up separately a couple of days later after some detective work with the freight company).

So I'm not surprised they'd tell you to send the whole thing back for a $5 paring knife.

[Brian Elfert]

I haven't actually talked to Amazon yet. When I look at my order in my account the only option is to return the item. I can't file a claim or otherwise send any communications to Amazon through the website that I can find.

The good news is I found the customer service number for Amazon and the customer service agent refunded me $16 instead of requiring me to return it. $16 will be more than enough to order a paring knife. After looking closer I think Victorinox included a serrated paring knife instead of a straight edge paring knife. All of the pictures of this block set clearly show a straight edge paring knife so I think they included the wrong knife.

[Brian Ashton]

Lee Valley sells cooking knives. And as usual you know what they sell is going to be of a great quality and fairly priced. I'm about to order the poor mans chef's knife...

[Joel Goodman]

R Murphy has good knives made in USA. I have only used the carbon and staysharp (excellent) which rust if not dried -- they also have stainless. Basic but the ones I have take a razor edge. Quite fairly priced -- I think I paid $14 for a paring knife! Otherwise the German Wustoff classic are very fine knives.

[Karl Laustrup]

Global is my choice...I absolutely love them. Not inexpensive, but I'm really, really pleased. And I like the fact that they are all metal...no handle to come lose "someday".

I agree Jim, although I think knives might be like a lot of other things; what is right for one might not be right for another.

With that being said, I have a Wustoff Santoku 7" that I like for veggies, but my favorite is my 8" Global chefs knife. For me it has a perfect balance, strong blade that will cut through onions and other hard veggies without flexing. I put the steel to my blades before using and sometimes in the middle of cutting. I have had my Global for almost 7 years, has never been sharpened other than with a steel by me, and with just a few passes on the steel it will still cut through a tomato with just the weight of the blade enough to make a perfect cut.

[Rick Gibson]

Others have mentioned the Lee Valley chef's knife. My DIL got it for me a couple years ago. My go to knife for just about everything. Takes and holds a sharp edge and good balance. http://www.leevalley.com/en/garden/page.aspx?p=52770&cat=2,40733,40738,52770 The only drawback is the blade does not stay nice and shiny like the stainless steel knives.
For a thin blade knife I purchase a Rapala filleting knife about 30 years ago. After about 30 years it's not holding an edge as well as it used to. Maybe a softer steel inside, I'm going to get another one.
Also have a larger butcher knife ie. 16" blade 2" wide made by F. Dick in Germany, my BIL was a butcher and that's what he was using I've had if for nearly 30 years and it still works great.