Mercer Culinary Millennia 8-inch Chef's Knife

The biggest surprise of our testing was the performance of Mercer's $22 Culinary Millennia 8-inch chef's knife. It's not as well made as the Zwilling or Wüsthof blades -- both of which feature a long-lasting full-tang design (meaning the knife's metal travels from the tip of the blade to the butt of the handle in a single piece). The handle design is perfect for teaching beginners how to hold and use a chef's knife, guiding your thumb and index finger to the base of the blade. It's well-balanced and honestly felt the most like an extension of my arm as we prepped various veggies, fruits and meats for our tests.

The light-weight and cheap design mean you don't get a long life or the full versatility you'd get from a workhorse like the Wüsthof, but if you want a starter chef's knife ...