Why America’s Test Kitchen Calls the Bob Kramer 8″ Chef’s Knife the Best Carbon-Steel Knife
Buy Kramer 8″ Chef’s Knife:
Many chefs and knife enthusiasts prefer carbon steel (a higher-maintenance alloy) to stainless steel for a harder and stronger blade that’s able to take on—and retain—a keener edge. This is true of the Bob Kramer 8″ Carbon Steel Chef’s Knife by Zwilling J.A. Henckels, the showstopper in our tests. Its razor-sharp blade, sloping ergonomic handle, and good looks make it both visually stunning and a pleasure to use.
*** Our editors proudly maintain an unassailable reputation as an unbiased and advertising-free cooking authority, and our objective reviews are strictly uninfluenced by product manufacturers, distributors, or retailers. ***
How did we put carbon steel knives to the test?
Seven test kitchen staffers subjected eight chef’s knives (with blades as close as possible to 8 inches in length), priced from $72.99 to $299.95, to a battery of kitchen tasks to assess sharpness, comfort, and overall performance. Manufacturers supplied Rockwell ratings (a measurement of the metal’s hardness in a unit called HRC) and blade angles. Scores from each test were averaged to get the overall rating.
Read the full review:
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Just bought one from you guys on the 26th, no shipping info for days. I need this in my life.
This type of knife will outlast us
My Ginsu 2000 would put that to shame. Can it cut through a tennis shoe, a tin can and still slice a tomato? Cause my Ginsu certainly can!!! Accept only the Original vintage Ginsu as seen in TV!
I have one. The best knife I ever bought. I keep bidding at auction to try and get a Hand made Kramer but they alway go for more than 25k. So I had to settle for this one.
I've hot the Victorinox best budget knive after the recommendation by ATK for a few years now as a chef. Best knive i've used so far. I've used many expensive knives from chefs in multiple restaurants. Never beat my cheapo knive.
You can get much better Japanese style knives for same money. And, the one in your video, drying the knive and laying to the others, had been very careless, the blades touched eachother, to near beside laying. No expert.
Kramer’s stainless version is terrific. I love it. It’s made of Sandvik 13c26/AEB-L steel and it’s wonderful. (I also have a carbon steel Wusthof that take’s a certain care). Both are great. I can recommend the Kramer stainless. (“Euroline”)
I use a tramontina carbon knife. Its good. Just good. For a lonely cook.
Some of the Kramer carbon knives look like it has a walnut color handle and some look back. What is the wood on the handle?
Yea, Not for the home cook to cut crust off of peanut butter sandwiches
Because they don't know a thing about knife may be?
I considered this knife because of America's Test Kitchen — I debated getting it for over 6 months. I bought this knife this week, and it is definitely not worth the $300 I spent for it. I have a $120 knife that is much more durable and much sharper than this knife.
I was so utterly excited to receive the Bob Kramer 8" Chef's Knife, and thoroughly disappointed when it did not slice through a sheet of paper. I bought my $120 knife 6 months ago, and it can still slice through that sheet of paper — never sharpened.
America's Test Kitchen and Zwilling have lost a number of points in my book because of this experience. Very disappointed.
I would say in modern time with modern powder steel, im surprise why peoples prefer carbon steel over stainless, some stainless perform better than carbon steel in edge retain, why would anyone prefer it except for blacksmith, i love forging knive and stainless is nightmare as i dont have modern equipment but i usually buy stainless for uses
Yeah, this thing is fucking sharp.
Why not use the 10"
I just got a yaxell mon facts second from cutterly and more for $60. And although it’s not the most expensive knife by far it is incredibly well made and exceptionally sharp. Very happy with it
Japanese knife or nothing
Victorinox Stainless steel knife stood up because that steel has 0.6% to 1.0% carbon content. Making it equivalent to a High Carbon steel knife.
Yes, CS is superior to SS always
I have one single 30 year old 9'' Chinese butcher knife and one 12'' steel used daily still razor-sharp slices wet napkins, full tang, solid brass bolsters with inlaid steel handles, barely worn down. I could never afford a Kramer but Christmas is coming hint hint
Except the 10 inch is the way to go
i love my kramer knives they are the best investment you can make aside from alclad pots and pans. Life is short so use the very best equipment.
Versus a $30 victorinox… no thanks. Maybe someday.
I bought an 8" Kramer about 3 months ago. I've been a chef for 21 years now and I can say without a doubt that it's the best knife I've ever used. Well worth the $300 I spent on it.
At 400 dollars the food should be cutting itself…
And I just got this knife for $165 usd at an outlet store! What's deal!!
Sooooo…. no comment about the rusting ? What a cliffhanger
She calls it the best carbon-steel knife because she and her cronies are paid to advertise. God she's so ugly she makes an onion cry.
Ummm before every one runs to Williams Sonoma or grabs 3 dead presidents ($100 bills) keep in mind just because the knife is a Zwilling/Kramer" they aren't bullet proof as far as fit/finish is concerned. As there is a YouTuber who bought a SS version…cheapest of the 3 types (the 2nd being the Carbon, 3rd the Damacus/Carbon/SG2). His copy had a gap where the blade met the bolster. And the 2 handle "pieces" on either side of the blade weren't aligned. YES! ON a Kramer!!
Why Zwilling didn't weld the blade to the bolster I don't know. Odd way to make a western style knife…essentially JP style.
"Best Carbon Knife" LOL!! This means ATK ignored all the JP knives out there. 🙂
If any one still has their heart set on a Kramer I'd buy one in-person so you can inspect the knife for fit/finish BEFORE plunking down your S$$.
And, if you're into "Signature (blade smith, chef affliated) knives…there is also the Cangshan Thomas Keller chef's knives. Better fit/finish IMHO. Sold exclusively at Williams Somoma…must buy "in-shop"…unless you're buying the 1 knife set.
For those who don't know victorinox are the guys who make the classic red Swiss army knife.
I have wanted a Kramer knife for a long time. The style and shape of them with the high clearance and large belly are what I like, but thi is just stamped carbon and way too expensive for that. IMHO I'd rather spend the $100 more for the sg2 Damascus blade.
His knives are great for stabbing as well. I stabbed a guy the other day but the knife didn’t chip.
His combat knives are great for cutting man.
No plug there…
First off, all stainless has carbon. That's how you make steel from iron, you add carbon. Secondly, he is a master knife maker but he worked with Henkel to have these "hand made" knives made to his specification.
Puh Leez!
At the end of the day, when Cook's Illustrated (America's Test Kitchen's sister enterprise from the Culinary Institute) sent out blank knives for a blind test using chefs, the forged version of that Victorinox won hands down. But keep your little love affair with Henkel. The worst knife I've ever used in my 33 year career. I had a calous like my thumbnail in a week that took a year to get rid of. My Victorinox? Haven't had a calous since. And I find it extremely unethical for a college to plug a brand so shamelessly. Why not do the blind study like you did before? Affraid Henkel will score as low as they did before?
Dropping that knife on all the other knives made my skin crawl.
Went to Macy's once to buy a cutlery set they had on sale as a wedding present for my favorite cousin. The clerk their said that they were "sold out" and to get me to buy a Hinkle's set. Knowing my cousin was not as good of a cook as me or her sister I said no and went to Sears found a set for the same price as the set that Macy's had plus it had twice as many pieces. This was well over twenty years ago and she's still married and I'm thought about in their house just about daily. My sister and I are the only ones they did not get duplicate gifts from.
How does the Essential stainless Kramer compare?
When did your test a real Kramer? Where's that Video?
advertising alert
I wish I could send back a few shuns and other brands for one of these
I use Old Hickory carbon knives.. Cheap as shit and sharp as hell. 75$ a full set.
This is a "Kramer by Zwilling" NOT a "Bob Kramer" it's licensed by Kramer but made entirely by Zwilling overseas.