The 8 Best Chef Knives Under $100 You Must Buy In 2023

Whenever you prepare a meal, a decent knife is an absolute must. A lot of people will pick a knife they think will do the job at the store without taking into account its make, finish, and purpose. I can understand.Chef knives are mandatory tools in every kitchen, whether it be professional or amateur. No matter what type of food you are preparing, it is a knife you can use in almost any cooking task.

Choosing the best chef knife under $100 can be challenging due to the large number of options available. It is possible to find knives that are heavy and big, as well as lighter and smaller ones. A knife must be chosen according to your needs. Several things need to be considered before you search online for a chef knife.

You need to understand what type of knife you need, whether it’s worth the price, and whether it comes from a quality manufacturer before purchasing one. Before buying a chef knife, some things need to be considered, and it can be a difficult task for people who are just getting into cooking or researching different kinds of knives. So, we’ve rounded up some of the best options currently available on the market for chef knives.

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The main purpose of this post is to help you choose a knife that best suits your needs. We have selected high-quality knives that will endure a lot of use and that are also not overpriced. You should remember, however, that a good knife generally has a higher quality and greater durability the more you spend. In any case, we have selected the best chef knives under $100 in 2023 for your consideration.

1. Victorinox Fibrox Pro Chef’s Knife

Most of the time, the most affordable option isn’t the best. The Victorinox Fibrox, available on Amazon for just over $40, provides high marks for budget-conscious shoppers. Knuckle clearance is adequate with the blade’s heel measuring 5.2cm. Bolster height is 1.6 cm, but the transition between bolster and heel is nonexistent.

In spite of this, when held correctly, the bolster dissipates pressure well. Those with small hands may find it inconvenient because the Handle measures 3cm x 1.8cm, making it very thick. Despite its lack of looks, this knife makes up for that with an attractive price and a sharp edge with a Rockwell hardness of 55-56.

Although it is lightweight (7.8 ounces), it is sturdy enough to handle a chicken easily. Featuring an ergonomic handle that is non-slip and safe for use in food industries, it is comfortable and easy to handle. Although I’ve seen some less than favorable Amazon reviews, I can’t wait to tell anyone about this knife, including professional chefs.

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2. Henckels Classic Chef Knife

The next great German knife is from another brand that is famous for making chef’s knives. Despite expanding internationally, J.A. Henckels produces this high-end knife in Spain from German steel that will never rust.

This knife is a classic European chef’s knife from every aspect. From a distance, there does not appear to be any significant difference between the Henckels and Wusthof. However, you need to look closer.

With the Henckels, the bolster is vertical, whereas the Wusthof slants forward. As a result, the balance of this knife is shifted back to the handle. A whopping 10.4 ounces, this knife is the heaviest we’ve ever tested. This is the perfect workhorse, capable of splitting and chopping through anything it comes across!

With the full-tang and riveted polymer handle, it also doubles as a head knocker with its rounded butt. A sturdy finger guard on the bolster, however, ensures that you will not slip and suffer an injury. Blades leave plenty of space above cutting boards.

This knife kept its edge well, staying very sharp and slicing through whatever was thrown at it. A blade designed for controlled, thin cutting was not intended for so much precise cutting. Global G-2 and this seem to have come from different planets!

3. Victorinox Fibrox Pro Chef’s Knife

It’s a Swiss Army knife, right? There is no corkscrew available. However, this brand has a reputation for making quality, durable, long-lasting tools. Fortunately, this knife is not an exception.

Fibrox features an 8″ blade attached to a 9″ handle of thermoplastic polymer. This knife is cheaper-looking than the one we looked at above, based on its construction.

When wet, this knife’s grip remained absolutely secure. However, the knife is relatively light due to the light handle material and not having a full tang. We tried a few lighter chef’s knives, but this was the lightest we found, and it shows in the handling.

This blade is made of high-quality stainless steel that has been stamped, not forged. Blades are formed as a single piece from steel and machine hammered into shape, strengthening the metal. A forged knife is more rigid and durable than a blade made of other materials. A stamped blade is made by cutting a steel sheet into cookie shapes, then grinding and heat-treating it. As well as being thinner and more flexible, stamped blades are stronger as well.

Swiss Army knives are incredibly light and incredibly flexible, making them perfect for slicing. When it comes to generally slicing fish, meat, and softer vegetables, this could be a great choice. If you want to weight and power to make sure the knife can handle tough cuts, then a forged knife is the best choice.

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4. Wusthof Classic Chef’s Knife

Incredibly, we could get one of these coveted tools for just under $100 from one of these classic German knife-makers. Despite this, we had to let them through with a blade of 6″. Although it’s a bit short for a standard chef’s knife, it would be appropriate for someone with small hands.

What’s the deal with all the fuss? Let’s first take in the classic look. Full-tang (extension of the blade running through the handle) secured by three rivets to the synthetic composite handle demonstrates quality construction. This handle’s classic flat shape and rounded butt are easy to grasp and prevent your hand from sliding backward.

Fattened bolsters act as finger guards to prevent your fingers from moving forward onto the blade and also provide a good anchor point when pinching. Chrome-molybdenum-vanadium steel is forged from one piece and tempered to 58+ Rockwell. As a result, the blade will stay sharp and free from corrosion.

According to our sharpness tests, the blades stayed sharp for the longest time. A 20-minute test with cutting vegetables, chicken on the bone, and paper through this blade revealed no problems. Sharp!

This knife weighs 6.4 ounces, which makes it one of the lightest we reviewed. Despite this, it is a heavy knife for its size. It’s quite heavy, but it gives a short knife more power, so we consider that a positive.

5. Global Chef’s Knife

Take a look at this. You are not going to find this knife in your grandpa’s pocket (unless your grandpa is Global’s knife designer Komin Yamada)! There’s something different about this knife. The construction is different, the shape is different, and the feel is different.

Chef’s knives of this type are sharpened by the manufacturer to a very acute angle. The knife has a face-ground edge rather than being beveled like all the rest. That means the blade is very thin and has a sharp cutting angle that extends up into it. We found that it stayed sharp for the second-longest amount of time and sliced through thin slices as a samurai sword should.

The first thing to notice is that this is a much straighter blade than the deeper and more curved German-style blades. Originally Japanese, this shape is more designed for cutting precisely through soft materials. It was harder to maintain a straight cut when cutting thick, hard vegetables like carrots.

The handle is made from a hollow, dimpled stainless steel seamlessly attached to the blade. As it approaches the blade, it gets fatter to keep the hand from sliding forward. The good news is that there’s no bolster before that deadly blade! A hollow handle contains a layer of loose sand that moves back and forth through your cuts. It’s weird, but this one felt the most balanced!

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6. Global Chef’s Utility Knife

Despite not being a chef knife per se, the GS-3 by Global is still an excellent piece of cutlery and one of the best chef knives under $100. An all-purpose, japanese-style blade with a 7-inch length that is made of vanadium steel and will make fine cut meals simple to prepare.

Santoku hollow ground knives will become your new best friend in the kitchen whether or not you are a chef. It is well known that Global produces high quality pieces, and the dimpled grip only serves to increase demand.

7. Mac Series Hollow Edge Chef’s Knife

The hollow-edge blade has mostly disappeared, apart from these amazing Mac knives. The fact that they make chef’s knives under $100 would make you assume these knives are cheap for a reason (bad quality steels), but that’s not the case.

There are a number of excellent chef’s knives available on the market made by Mac. The Hollow edge of Mac chef series cutlery might not be the first choice of chef’s and kitchenista’s, but it makes for sharpest steel cutlery available.

8. French Sabatier Forged Chef Knife

Rather than pretending to be a celebrity chef when you’re not one, be a good cook. The Sabatier chef’s knife is also included. You are sadly mistaken if you do not have one of these bad boys if you think you are cutting your best. For many years, Sabatier has produced impeccable steak knives and chef’s knives (often made famous in French cuisine).

It is impossible to find a blade more amazing than this when browsing the vast assortment of chef’s knives under $100. There aren’t any other brands that make knives that are as high quality, sturdy, and top notch as Sabatier, and Olivewood is no exception. That is, unless you count the comfortable grip and sharp edge.

Sabatier makes some of the best chef’s knives under $100. Aside from that, these blades are made in France, which proves the quality and traditional roots of this product. If you want one of many top tips for BBQ perfection from a chef, you need a Sabatier.

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Buying Guide: Best Chef Knives Under $100

Our reviews for individual knives have now been seen. Having compiled the best options for chef knives under 100 dollars, we’ve come up with this list. Nevertheless, several great options are available, so how do you choose?

Grip Comfort

Your knife is going to be used a lot. Because it will be your primary kitchen tool, it had better feel good. The grip of people with larger hands tends to be thicker. Those with small hands may find something too thick unwieldy and uncomfortable.

Heft

How does it feel up and down? How does it feel when you move it forward and backward? Chopping through thick veggies and meat cuts requires a heavy blade. It can also be exhausting to cook for long hours with the weight on your back. Nimbleness can be increased by using a light blade. Alternatively, it may seem too insubstantial. Once again, let your own style guide you.

Look

Chef knives with sexier looks tend to be rarer. A stylish design with smooth lines and graceful curves. You can consider all this when selecting a tool. It should excite you and make you want to pick it up from the kitchen.

Clearance and Balance

Again, Best chef knives with larger hands need deeper blades to keep their knuckles from hitting the cutting board as they chop away. Blade-heavy knives can be balanced by using wooden handles with full tangs so the weight is shifted more to the grip. The right knife balance allows you to control cutting while reducing fatigue.

Safety

Having a bolster at the point where the handle meets the blade will keep your knife hand from slipping onto the sharp blade heel. Non-slip grips reduce the risk of a knife slipping or being dropped.

There is no greater safety risk in the kitchen than a dull knife, which is, of course, the most important safety rule. An accurate knife cuts straight and does not slip, reducing the risk of accidents.

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Price

Can you tell me what your budget is? Are you spending as much money as you can on a professional knife? Cheaper knives tend to dull, rust, and break faster. You may want to choose whether you prefer to spend more time or more money on sharpening.

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