Calphalon Collector's Edition Contemporary Cutlery 8-Inch Chef's Knife

Don't let the price steer you away from this knife - it's better than it's priced at!


Great knife   July 16, 2003
Definitely worth the price. The design is nice and easy to handle. Used it for almost half a year now, didn't treat it with special care but still, had no stains on the knife. It is still in good condition, as if it is a new knife.


A GREAT Quality Knife...   July 15, 2003
G. Wilder (Vancouver, WA United States)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

I've had a lot of knifes and this is by far one of the BEST. I've been a full-time Mom for 19 years now and have four teenage sons. They also have friends who like to eat over. It's like feeding an army. I do almost all of the cooking, but love it. I don't have time for a dull, cheap, or no good knife. When I use this knife for cutting potatoes, carrots, celery, apples, or whatever, it's like cutting through butter! It makes my job soooo much easier. The handle is very good quality(not wimpy) and feels GREAT in your hand. I love it!

A high quality item at a GREAT price that will last for years.


Good (not great) knife, fair value.   July 4, 2003
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

First off, I am highly critical of cutlery, perhaps because I use knives in lieu of a food processor. I own a small, carefully selected assortment of pre-Fiskars Gerber, Wustof Grand Prix, Henckels Pro S, and Kyocera knives, each of which pulls its weight and then some in my kitchen. I bought the Calphalon Collector's Edition Contemporary 8" Chef's Knife for our camping box because of the glowing reviews and the tremendous bargain price.

This knife is acceptable at the discounted Amazon price, but don't think you're getting a $... chef's knife for under $... here. It's as if Calphalon got everything about the design right, then worked their manufacturing costs down, down, down to the absolute minimum price point.

Examples? Well, mine was dull right out of the package. I don't mean the edge was turned - I mean there was no edge. This thing was a blunt instrument. A few minutes with a ceramic sharpener put a sharp edge on.

In contrast, the top of the blade was quite sharp due to inadequate finishing work. The spine of this knife could - and, in fact did - easily slice through a dish towel. When you use a blade grip, it cuts into your fingers. Again, a few minutes with a ceramic sharpener took the edge off the spine and made it much more-comfortable to handle. Having to do a little finishing work was surprising, but acceptable to me at this price point.

My more-significant complaint is that the blade is thick and clunky, with a flat or nearly convex grind. Imagine slicing carrots with a meat cleaver, and you get a sense, albeit exaggerated, of the blade's cross section. In fact, the spine of this knife is as wide as that on my Henckels Pro S cleaver. That tends to send carrot segments flying unless you undercut slightly, and drags through softer things like tomatoes. The knife performs best with soft but tough foods like meat, where the flatter sides and ample width help separate the cut pieces.

Okay now, lest you think I hate this knife, I don't. It's a good knife. I'm keeping it; if I hated it, I'd have sent it back.

On a positive note, the design aspects of this knife are terrific. The balance is superb, with the balancing point just behind the bolster. The grip is very comfortable for my medium-sized hands, and doesn't slip when wet. The knife itself is heavier than many 8-inchers, but the weight can ease many slicing tasks. The blade shape of my sample is, contrary to the photo, slightly French in profile, with a slightly dropped tip and a gently sweeping curved edge. The triangular shape makes for a narrow, nimble point. The blade both rocks and slices well.

Once sharpened, it holds an edge well and steels up quickly and easily.

At the Amazon discounted price, it's a good buy and a fair (as in fair-and-square) value. For our camp box, I'm well satisfied with it.