I've never had any issue with either so I can't say for sure. I'd guess the Mercer would be better because it has a similar amount of chromium while having roughly half the carbon. I've left both wet for several hours or sitting with orange juice and no issues so I'm guessing most wouldn't have a problem unless they dishwashed them.
I work in a professional kitchen and we can only use nsf certified products including our knives if we bring our own which I do bc they don’t sharpen their knives often enough and idiots always use them wrong or drop them and just chip the tip or they will just bang it against a honing steel at like a 40 degree angle lmfao 😂 but yeah this knife really is a good knife and is prolly the best nsf certified knife out their especially for the price mine was ab $60 which is super cheap for what it is
Those house knives can be so ruff! I do think this represents some of the best value out there unless you can pick up one of the Grand Maitres for cheap at a kitchen supply store. Even then the Mercer wins a few categories!
Good video! I just bought that one with the Delrin handle after the rubberized one got a little loose over a year (and I accidentally chipped the blade). It is very rounded and the blade shape did strike me as different as well. Looking forward to using it, they're great knives!
I've done a bit of research to find my first knife before coming to videos, and I ended up here because I already settled on the Mercer, but I wanted some videos reviews on it to solidify my choice. Thank you for doing that!!
Bought one in February 2020 and it cost me 42 pounds GBP. I think it's unbeatable for the price. Wusthof classic is probably 3x the price like £120 pounds
I agree! I also love my Victorinox kitchen knives but the mercers are almost the same price here so it's a little tough to justify! The Vics have slightly better cutting geometry and are sold locally is the really the reasons I have so many over mercers.
Thanks for the review. Had a gift card burning a hole in my pocket and was looking at that very knife. Went ahead and pulled the trigger on Amazon. It's replacing a 30 year old $20 Henckels from Target I've been too stubborn to replace.
I bought the 6” version, I wanted a smaller knife(already have plenty of bigger knives). I have to say I'm highly impressed. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Mercer knife I wish I had known about them sooner! My only criticism is the handle feels a bit thin. I would like more thicker handle but it's really not an issue nor affects me in any way. It's not something so bad I would say avoid or stay away, it's just different. 9.5/10 from me, it is almost a perfect knife with excellent quality, very respectful, and at a good price.
Thanks for the review. I was about to buy one of the Mercer's and then I saw the Zwilling Pro 7" slim chef's knife for $67 and thought I would try that first to see if it will work for me, even though it's a little smaller than is traditional. I decided that at $67 for a quality German knife, I could always keep it for my wife to use since she has very small hands anyway. I'll probably end up buying Mercer as well, but my biggest goals were to upgrade knives without breaking the bank and without buying ANYTHING made in China. I'm 100% OK with Taiwan and in fact, I like to support that country's economy, and I have my eye on two or three different Mercer Renaissance sets since it seems a much better deal to get a set as far as value. I've taken over most of the cooking duties in our home since I love it and my wife doesn't love cooking in the same way, and I'm slowly upgrading all cookware and knives (and have a great time doing it).
Appreciate the comment! I have very much the same story with me taking over a lot of the cooking duties for the enjoyment of it. I very nearly purchased the Zwilling slim but had handled a standard 7" Zwilling pro and knew that a short chefs isn't really my jam. It is a great knife though, just a personal preference thing. Love the santoku shape in that size though. The mercer sets are a sweet deal and Knife Merchant is a great retailer for them, linked below. I'd say I exploded into the buying nicer knives, lol. But I've been doing the slow and steady process for cookware. Trying to learn what my needs and preferences are when cooking. Just got a 6qt rondeau for Christmas and did a beef braise in it yesterday. Very much up my alley for braises, sautéing and reductions with all that surface area. Totally on board with avoiding anything made in China, especially cutlery. High quality cutlery comes from the details and that's just not what the Chinese care about much less the myriad of other reasons to stay away. Taiwan is totally good to go as you've said and I think it's annoying maybe even disrespectful when people conflate it and China. They physically hate each other and have completely different mentalities. www.knifemerchant.com/products.asp?productLine=802
@@EngineersPerspective701 I actually started with cookware, I went with the MadeIn stainless, as far as value/quality, they fit the bill, and I made a very good decision; secondly, I wanted a good quality dutch oven and after trying both Staub & Le Creuset, I ended up with a 4 qt & 7 qt Staub. I prefer the dark interior of the Staub and they have much better sale pricing - I picked both of them up a couple of weeks ago, but cooking last week with the sorry, yet expensive Cutco knives we've had forever, was the last straw, and that's when I ordered the 7" Zwilling, believe me, it will be a vast improvement over the Cutco, which scrapes my fingers raw trying to use a pinch grip - I literally hate those knives.
@@jertexjertex7880 The rondeau is a MadeIn and was a stopgap measure until I thought we as a family were "ready" for a dutch oven. Mostly not chipping the enamel and the general expense. What do prefer about the dark? I always thought I'd prefer the creme color just to see fond development easier and the likes. My sister just got a 4qt Staub and she loves it.
@@EngineersPerspective701 I thought I wanted a Le Creuset for the same reason, but I was at a cooking/kitchen store here locally and they had the 4 qt Staub on sale for $99 and the price was just too good to pass up. Now, this particular version came with the thick, glass lid, but for that price, I didn't care. I used it to bake my first ever loaf of bread and it was great and decided that the dark interior, while maybe a little harder to gauge fond development, was preferable. I have a well-lit stove top and I don't think it will matter enough to impact my cooking, and the light color of the Le Creuset tends to stain with use and that just bugs me. Then, another local home store had the red, 7qt Staub for $269, so I pulled the trigger. Maybe over time, I'll be wrong about the light interior, but so far, I love the Staub and you can just find better deals on Staub. This is another item that, of course, I could have purchased a much less expensive Chinese-made copy, but I'm just not going to do it, I'd rather pay more.
Both great brands of course! And it took everything in me to not pull the trigger on those glass lid 4qts this shopping season. Will get them one day! So far I'm honestly super impressed with the rondeau. Very decent browning power and seems to heat evenly. Braise turned out great and the juices didn't evaporate like crazy which was a concern.
That is hugely subjective. For me I’d choose the ikon based off the rocking profile alone. Add on a preferred handle and slightly better steel performance it’s an upgrade I personally feel good about. For the average person it would probably be a slightly noticeable improvement
@EngineersPerspective701 how would you compare the blade profile of the messermeister 8 inch stealth to the wusthof ikon? I know you said the stealth was your "go to workhorse", but to me it seems the ikon has a more dynamic blade profile. I would think the extra belly toward the front of the blade of the wusthof would make it better at rock chopping and slicing with the front of the blade whereas the messermeister might only be better at push cutting.
@@user-rc9cd6fn4y it’s actually reversed. The messermesiter is more rounded throughout with a softer heel so it’s much easier to accordion cut something doing push cuts. The Ikon has a much more defined heel and slightly lower tip. Overall I prefer its blade profile over the messermesiter across the board except for blade height.
I just ordered the 9 inch version since they were out of the eight in the 10 it really doesn’t matter 9 inches is good for the kitchen. I hope it’s a gift for my sister who likes to cook quite a bit in a beautiful kitchen. She had some Crofton lives in now this will be her first good night I think and I hope
Thanks for this review! I have one of these on the way to me. I had originally gotten a MAC Chef Series knife to be my first nice knife, but I am not crazy about the handle and find myself liking the german style of knives better.
You're welcome! For the way my kitchen operates with my wife not being the most diligent user, I've also found myself preferring the German style better. Which seems so crazy considering I'm a total steel, heat treatment, geometry, sharpening nerd but the fact of the matter is that German style works really well for me right now and my Japanese blades sit in the cabinet.
Mercer Culinary Review will help you to find out the knife you’re looking for. You also will be able to learn things you need before you buy this knife. www.kitchenknifelover.com/mercer-culinary-review-best-mercer-knife-set/
