Everybody knows that a Knife is the heart and soul of any kitchen. It is one of the most essential pieces of equipment that is present in every kitchen. It is also called a chef’s basic tool without which I’m sure that he wouldn’t perform any good.
A chef’s knife should always be of high quality that could be able to do perfect slicing, chopping, cutting, and much more. A dull and drab knife consumes extra effort and of course your precious time. So, it’s better to replace it as soon as possible.
With the development in the culinary field, so many Chef Knives from different brands are selling in the market. But the question is which is the best chef knife?
In this article, we will review one of the best knives; Mercer Cutlery Renaissance, 8-Inch Chef’s Knife. The specialty of this knife is that it is a triple-riveted knife having an ergonomic grip. It makes it very easy to grasp while working. The knife has a good balance and you won’t feel uncomfortable or uneven while chopping and it’s all thanks to a full tang.
The Mercer knife’s quality is great. It is made of high-carbon, stain-resistant German steel and is sturdy and sharp enough to cut through the toughest meats and vegetables. Mercer Chef Knife is used to dice, chop, carve, mince, and more, and when you’re done, hand wash it with soap and water instead of putting it in the dishwasher.
Table of Contents
Is Mercer Culinary a good brand?
Mercer is a highly reputed company that produces decent knives on a very low and reasonable budget. While I don’t believe that sets like Mercer Culinary Renaissance are superior to sets of some other expensive manufacturers like Dalstrong or Zwilling. But I do believe that the Mercer Culinary knives are more competitive and, in certain cases, offer greater value for money.
What is an 8-inch chef knife used for?
8-inch Knife is used by professional chefs because a big volume of stuff can be sliced easily. Skilled chefs who slice a lot of watermelons or vegetables will appreciate this. It’s also great for chopping butternut squash into cubes.
Knives with a blade length of eight inches are often heavier. This makes them ideal for activities such as slicing, cutting, and chopping huge pieces of meat into even chunks.
Mercer 8-inch chef knife blades are slightly difficult to handle. If you are a professional chef, you can control the blade easily and with high precision but a home cook may find it difficult to efficiently wield these knives.
Although some home chefs may find the size frightening, an 8-inch chef’s knife works well in both home and commercial kitchens.
Mercer 8-inch knife can be used in a variety of ways. It has more weight so has a great cutting capacity, making it suitable for both heavy-duty and routine prep work.
Why should I Buy The mercer 8-inch chef knife?
The first reason behind it is that it is made of steel. Heat-treated X50 Cr Mo V15 steel is used to create these Mercer knives. It’s one of the best stainless steel grades available, and it’s the same metal that’s used in numerous far more expensive knives. Other competing chef’s knives made of this steel can cost more than any other Mercer knife set of this quality.
This German steel isn’t simply in high demand but it also performs admirably in all of the relevant categories. It’s tough enough to hold a reasonably sharp edge while remaining flexible enough to avoid breaking. Despite this, it’s delicate enough to avoid chipping or breaking when it comes into contact with hard surfaces and it’s surprisingly simple to sharpen and maintain.
Most significantly for home chefs, these knives are exceptionally stain-resistant, so you won’t have to worry about your knives rusting.
Mercer Cutlery Renaissance 8-Inch Chef’s Knife – Best Budget Knife
Mercer Cutlery Renaissance 8-inch Chef’s Knife is a low-cost knife made of carbon steel. It has an NSF-approved synthetic handle with built-in finger protection but it isn’t as nice as the hardwood handles on some other high-end chef’s knives.
However, it’s great for getting things done. Although the stamped blade isn’t as sharp as a completely forged, full-tang Shun, it’s still sharp enough to cut tomatoes. The X30Cr13 steel may be at some points too hard or too soft on the HRC scale for your perfect edge, but it’s still rather simple to maintain at home and can take and maintain a regular grind with no problems.
The appearance is not so much extraordinary, but you’ll be able to overlook that once you learn gripping you will get comfortable with its handle.
The only genuine complaint you might have about this knife is that it’s slightly inferior to your favorite chef’s knife from another brand. In most head-to-head matches, this will fall short of an Elephant Sabatier. It is, however, quite inexpensive, to the point where you could buy one for each member of your family and save money over buying a single expensive Shun. If price is your primary consideration in the kitchen, this is the knife to choose from.
Specification
| Brand | Mercer Cutlery |
| Blade Material | High Carbon Steel |
| Color | Black |
| Handle Material | Delrin |
| Blade Edge | Plain |
| Dimensions | 17.5 x 0.63 x 4.13 inches |
| Weight | 8.8 ounces |
Material of Blade
Mercer company uses a total of three types of material in their knife blade manufacturing and every blade of the set represents the specific material they are made of. Let’s know about these 3 types of materials;
- High-carbon German steel
- High-carbon Japanese steel
- High-carbon stainless steel with a VG10 stainless core
are all used to make mercer knife blades.
German steel (X50CrMoV15) is made up of mixing carbon, chromium, molybdenum, vanadium, and other components together. Wearing out, staining, and corrosion are all combated by combining these elements.
They also help maintain the sharpness of the blade. It is all because it contains less carbon, vanadium, and molybdenum, Japanese steel (X30CR13) is relatively softer than German steel.
Japanese steel (X30CR13) contains less carbon, vanadium, and molybdenum in its mixture. It is softer than German steel. It needs to be sharpened more often than stiff steel, but it is less likely to chip.
VG10 is high-end Japanese steel that is widely regarded as the gold standard in the steel industry. It contains vanadium, molybdenum, and cobalt, as well as it is high in carbon and chromium. It resists rust, is long-lasting, and keeps its edge well. In the Mercer MX3 line, VG10 serves as the primary steel. Laminated high-carbon stainless steel is used to cover the core.
Design
Mercer’s knife sets include both German and Japanese knife styles.
The Renaissance collection is one of Mercer’s most comprehensive. All of the knives have a black Santoprene handle, which is a soft material that provides comfort and prevents slipping.
The handle is resistant to both hot and cold temperatures, as well as fatty foods. It’s also a sanitary choice because there are no nooks for food and waste to hide in.
Unlike the Asian Collection, which has a rounded handle, this handle has a flat shape. For a secure grip, there is a noticeable depression at the underside of the knife’s butt.
Material of Handle
A full-tang knife with a classic German-inspired design. It has a rounded spine and a prominent handle grip on the knife butt, similar to the MX3, but with a curved spine and a strong grip on the knife butt. The black Delrin handle is triple-riveted and ergonomically engineered for comfort and control.
Performance
I’ve been using Mercer knives for a while now, and they’re great. The first thing you’ll notice about Mercer knives is their heavyweight. These knives are substantial and well-made. These knives aren’t like the ones you’d find in a discount store.
In the Renaissance knives, blades and grips are thick. In terms of appearance, feel, and cutting capability, Mercer knives are nearly comparable to Zwilling and Messermeister knives. They’re well-balanced, despite being somewhat heavy.
The Delrin handle from the Renaissance line is one of my favorites. It has a gripping texture that keeps your hand from slipping, even if it’s wet or you’re wearing a glove.
Straight out of the box, the forged and stamped blades are razor sharp.
Sharpness
These Mercer knives are very sharp and most importantly they are rust-free. So you don’t have to worry about the dullness of the knife. These are definitely the sharpest knives in this blade industry.
The edge
Mercer 8” Renaissance knife is made of High carbon with a no-stain German steel blade with Granton edge. This type of edge gives you a perfect cut and makes slicing very easy and comfortable for you.
Price
Because Mercer knives are created in Taiwan, they are much less expensive than knives of comparable style and quality. While they aren’t top-tier knives in terms of price, they are capable of competing with high-end brands like WÜSTHOF.
Practicing Chefs and other home chefs looking for a budget-friendly knife set choose these knives. The cost of each knife or set varies depending on whatever collection you select. All Mercer knives, on the other hand, are reasonably priced, costing a fraction of the price of German knife companies like Zwilling.
All of Mercer’s home collections come with a limited lifetime warranty. The guarantee is increased to 25 years for business use.
User Experience
We have assembled these reviews from amazon so that you people have an idea about the user experience with this product;
More than 1400 Amazon customers have rated the chef’s knife five stars, with several comparing it to Wüsthof and remarking that it’s a “high-end knife for a super low price.” “The days of overpaying for superb knives are ended,” one user wrote, referring to the price.
“I’m more of a home cook than a professional chef.” “That said, I cook almost every day,” says one five-star reviewer. “I was torn between this knife and a Wusthof or Henckels… I’ve used both of the other two and they’re fantastic, but the price tags for this one were too high for me to justify, especially when the reviews were so positive. It’s comfortable in my hand and well-balanced. I’ve been using it frequently for about three months, and it’s stayed razor-sharp with regular usage of steel.”
Pros and Cons
Victorinox vs Mercer chef knife
Many things are common between Mercer and Victorinox knives, but which one you prefer relies heavily on your particular preferences and what you’ll be using the knife for in the kitchen.
let’s look at two highly recommended knives that are comparable but highlight the distinctions between the two businesses.
The Victorinox Fibrox Pro Chefs knife has an eight-inch blade and a dishwasher-safe TPE handle, making it suitable for all-around use. This Swiss knife has a non-slip grip and good balance for its length.
A strong extra-wide blade and a razor-sharp edge that requires little sharpening are combined with these qualities.
Mercer Culinary Renaissance 8-inch Chef’s Knife unlike the Victorinox Fibrox is far from subtle with its black and yellow color scheme. This knife is likewise from Taiwan and comes at a reasonable price.
Where are Mercer knives made?
Mercer produces all of its knives in Taiwan. They are, however, made from the same German steel as big brands like Wusthof and Zwilling, and are subjected to the same quality tests as other name brand knives.
How to sharpen Mercer knives?
It’s not so difficult to sharpen the Mercer knife. You can watch here the proper method of sharpening a knife. Just balance the edge in the balanced position and do as described in the tutorial.
Best sharpener for Mercer chef knife
These are the 4 best Sharpener for Mercer Chef Knife:
- GENESIS® TRADITIONAL STEEL10″
- CERAMIC HONING STEEL 10″12″
- DIAMOND SHARPENER 12″10″
- TRADITIONAL STEEL 12″10″
Mercer 8-INCH Chef Knife – FAQs
Conclusion
At a fraction of the cost of its competitors, Mercer sells high-quality German and Japanese-style knives. If you’re searching for a professional-grade knife that won’t break the bank, Mercer is a great option.
For cooks who like the appearance and feel of Wusthof and Zwilling but don’t want to spend more than $100 on a single knife, I heartily recommend Mercer. My favorite collection is Renaissance.
On Amazon, you can discover more about Mercer kitchen knives and read hundreds of reviews.
