WüsthofClassic IKON 3.5" Paring Knife, Black, Stainless

Wustoff hardly needs another good review, but this is a solid high quality knife. We had one for years and years. I think I accidentally threw it away one night, and we didn’t figure it out until after the trash truck came. The new knife was barely sharper than our old knife, proving that with proper honing maintenance these knives will last a lifetime. We never had the knife professionally sharpened; we didn’t need to as we’re habitual honers. You can’t go wrong with this moderately priced but higher quality knife.

So sharp I cut myself in 3 places taking it out of the box

I love this knife so much and am lucky to have it in my arsenal. One thing you may think is that the blade is only slightly long, but only by 1/2"-3/4" or so. To compensate for this I usually just choke up on the handle a bit, but really only run into this when prepping strawberries or brussels sprouts. This knife is part of my tool kit when deboning a pork shoulder or a chicken or something. It fits perfectly into my hand and is very comfortable to hold for extended periods of time. I've had the Tojiro 3.5" Japanese before, which comes up very highly rated on numerous lists, and even though I liked the blade length more on that one, the versatility and the handling comfort of the Wusthof wins it for me. If you've already settled on a chef's knife and are ready to start spreading your wings and adding more cutlery, this should be tops on your list.Pictured: my little man about to do a big job.

High end knife. Very sharp and small enough to hold nicely in hand. Wound definitely but again.

If you are a serious home cook, you will appreciate this knife. It is comfortable in the hand and super sharp. I expect to have this for the rest of my life as long as I take proper care of it and occasionally take it to a professional for resharpening.

Handy for all kitchen jobs

I love the classic IKON line and it's been my go-to for years. The handles have always been very smooth and hold up to use, so I don't get that awkard callous-inducing friction that can happen around the rivots. I like that the blade extends all the way to the heel and allows for cutting through food without catching. I think it makes for a more comfortable/ergonomic hold, too. I feel like with most high-end German blades, the sharpness holds for quite some time and doesn't require quite as much maintenance to keep the edge in good shape. Honestly, these are a joy to use and I'd recommend them to anyone.

So I went a little crazy and bought a lot of higher end German and Japanese pairing knives. 14 of them with one more incoming. This is my favorite out of all of them. The shape of it makes it very easy to use on potatoes. The handle makes it very controllable and comfortable. If you have big hands, that may not be the case for you.Of course it is crazy sharp and cuts through things without force. I love this thing. Its only flaw is that I somehow manged to put tiny scratches on it with a regular kitchen sponge!I liked this one so much that I bought a second one, so this one can be a beater. Thumbs up!