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- Verified Buyer
Ok so I'm not a professional chef or anything, but I do enjoy cooking and do it a lot. Although I'm a "lay-cook" I recognize the value of proper high quality tools for the job. I did a lot of research before purchasing this particular knife, and while I wouldn't say its the best for everyone in every cooking situation of course, all things considered (steel, edge retention, length, price, etc.) it represents an outstanding knife by any standard that any cook (even professional ones) would be proud to use.I leave it to the reader to research the nitty gritty details and technical specifications if you're so inclined; I'll just keep this review short, covering only what I consider highlights of the knife.1. Length. When researching kitchen knives, I came across i bought this knife just after buying the bob kramer chefs knife that is also sold on this site, so this knife stayed at home and didn't come to the restaurant for a while. i wasn't impressed by the "feel" of this knife out of the box edge and assumed it was like some other henckel/wusthof knives that won't take an edge on a tri-stone. this knife responds very well to stoning and steeling and rivals my kramer only in my faith of its edge durability. wary of piles of parsley and cases of butternut with the kramer, which stays shaving sharp when needed for chives, green ons. etc. the messermeister is brought out to tackle cutting board rattling projects such as the aforementioned butternuts, cabbage, ten pounds of onions for soubise, ribeyes, mire poix, etc. and the nice thing is after all that i don't have to pull out a different knife to slice tomatoes or whatnot. it all boils down to preference but from experience this takes a beautiful edge on the stone, regains it every time you steel it, and handles beautifully in every setting. btw, my previous knives were wusthof grand prix II's, bought from this site. good luck sharpening those on a tri stone... bought a chefs, santoku, boning and paring and all three are virtually untouched, and i thought i did my homework....This is a classic german chef's knife with excellent german steel. The hardness is a Rockwell of 57-58 which means it's not as fragile as Japanese chef's knives and can be touched up easily with a good honing steel. Put it in your knife block, pull it out and hit the honing steel, and you are good to go. If you hit something hard you may roll the edge a bit but that can be pulled out on some sharpening stones. It's a pleasure to use and I expect to get many years of great service from it.Been using the knife now for a week and it has exceeded all my expectations. Super sharp but has held it's edge excellently. Found this to be as sharp and cut as well as the MAC MDK-90 I replaced for this one as it just didn't feel right with my large hands. Was expecting a slight drop in performance but haven't seen none and actually have experienced better edge retention so far. Highly recommended as the quality is immediately evident.I had this exact knife in school, years ago. The picture makes it seem as if it were scalloped, but it is in fact not. This does not matter because the knife is such high quality I could care less. The only draw back is that it is heavy, this might be more of a problem with other people but I learned how to use this knife and now it seems normal. Stays sharp, comes with a good edge out of the box. Holds its own next to the wustoffs and shuns, just a bit heavy. Good deal for 140.If you want to learn the sword practice with a sword in each hand. Same basic principle applies here. If you want to wield any length of knife, practice with something long. Go for the 12 inch. If you want to wield any weight knife practice with the heaviest firstI have worked with a lot of knives and own several Japanese and western style blades. Out of the box sharpness is phenomenal. The weight (which is not too heavy for it's size) and balance of the knife makes this knife easy to wield for small as well as large jobs. The first day I received this knife I put it through a 15 hour shift of dicing, chopping, and slicing. The edge held up extremely well without any sign of dullness. The slight curvature of the blade makes rocking the knife theough meat and produce so effortless; even with dense root vegetables. This knife is so well rounded and offers the best bang for your buck without breaking your bank account. This will definitely be my go to knife from here on out.So far the knife is fantastic. Great all around in all areas. Arrived sharp enough to shave hairs off my arm no problem.The only issue is that it arrived with the plastic wrapper partially opened on the top of the box and the knife’s laser branding had some corrosion on it which I have yet to clean off (see photo).Great knife. I just wish mine was in better condition for $120.So for such an expensive knife it came on cheap packaging that let the knife shake around in transport and scratched the handle so there was that and it was sharp for a bit but now it’s dull n there special grind isn’t very special it makes everything stick to the knife and cutting cheese with knife is impossible I know it’s not meant for that but cmon it’s cheese n the handle is literally something out of a dollar store so thin n odd not made for human hands overall stay awayI like the balance and weight of this Messermeister San Moritz. It's a replacement for a 12 year old Messermeister that was sharpened to the point it was into the Granton Edge. I opted for a non-granton edge this time.I have been a knife enthusiast since I was a butcher for 7 years where I learned my original knife skills.I have also been a keen cook all my life and probably missed my calling as a chef. I have used many and varied styles ofknives, especially in the kitchen. The Messermeister San Moritz Elite is the nicest chef knife I have ever had the pleasureto use in sharpness, handling and superb construction, you cannot go past German engineering. Worth every cent!!Great knife! After reading about different knives, this one seemed to be among the top choices for that price level. I am not disappointed. Very comfortable, feels highly durable, and very good quality.Just started getting better tools for my kitchen with this knife, a chef knife. And I would recommend it for someone that is trying to do the same!Amazing knife. Works amazing and the finish is quality
