There are many knives that make up the arsenal of a good butcher, including boning and filleting knives, but the knife we are going to focus in this article is the traditional butcher knife, the one invented more than 200 years ago. That design has remained virtually unchanged for so many years and it is still very much in use today because it is an extremely practical knife. So a good butcher knife should be a part of any kitchen and we decided to give you some excellent options that you have on the market today. The first thing to note about a butcher knife is that it is a much heavier knife than most because the blade is very thick and strong. That means you can even use it as a meat cleaver and slash through bones with it. There actually is a thicker part right towards the tip of the knife and that is there for one to balance the knife, but also, and more importantly, to provide strength to the part of the knife that you would use when chopping through really strong stuff like bone or cartilage. Of course, there are several other features that go into the making of a butcher knife, but those are what you would call details and we are going to go into them into the review section of the article. So make sure to scroll past the following list of the best butcher knives on the market, and check out why one knife may be more expensive than another, so you can decide if you really need that feature or not.
1. Old Hickory 10 in. Butcher Knife
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One of our favorite knives on the market today is the Old Hickory 10 in. Butcher Knife. It is made in Canada, following the traditional model that has worked for trappers and hunters for centuries. The handle is made of wood so it feel natural and organic to the hand, and it is guaranteed to last for decades as long as you take proper care with it. The blade is carbon steel so it can be sharpened to the point where you can actually shave with it, although we do not recommend it. The other advantage of rich carbon steel is that it tends to maintain that level of sharpness for a very long time. Of course, carbon steel tends to also be very brittle and that is why we were very happy to note that the blade is thick, bulky and heavy so it can take a lot of pressure even if it gets trapped between 2 bones or pieces of cartilage. The tip is just thick enough to provide the maximum level of strength as you bare down on the knife when trying to cut through thicker pieces of meat. The other thing to note is the fact that the body of the blade actually extends all the way into the handle, and the wood is riveted in place, so even if something happens to the handle, you can very easily replace it and carry on using the knife.
2. Victorinox Cutlery 12-Inch Straight Butcher Knife
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There is an even better butcher knife on the market today, following the traditional specs but improving upon them with modern technologies, but the price tag may be a bit too high for a knife. We are not saying that the Victorinox Cutlery 12-Inch Straight Butcher Knife, which is what we were talking about, is not worth the money, because it definitely is, but that some of our readers may not have a need for all the features it brings to the table. The handle for one is made from Fibrox, which is a modern material that is much stronger than the wood or plastic handles that are usually used. The blade is cold stamped high carbon stainless steel, so both the shaping process and the fabric of the knife ensure a long lasting sharp edge. It is also well worth mentioning that one of those new technologies we mentioned here has to do with the tempering of the blade that was cooled in ice rather than through heat, so the result is an even stronger blade that it was possible to create even just a hundred years ago.
3. Update International KP-10 High Carbon Stainless Steel Cimeter Knife
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The next technological breakthrough for butchers came when the traditional butcher knife evolved into the cimiter. The knife lost the bulge on the tip, became thinner and received a much steeper angle on the curve of the blade. The designed was actually inspired by the swords used by the Turkish empire in the 1700s. A blade of this shape, like the one on the Update International KP-10 High Carbon Stainless Steel Cimeter Knife, is excellent of going through meat and cartilage and can even be used when boning meat. The high carbon content steel provides the perfect edge and it was enriched with molybdenum vanadium, an iron composite that allows the blade to be strong while also being flexible.
4. Dexter-Russell 10″ Butcher Knife
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You can also have a modern looking knife, that retains the traditional shape of a butcher knife, and you do not have to pay as much for it as you would with the Victorinax. The Dexter-Russell 10″ Butcher Knife uses a simple plastic handle, but it is sealed around the blade so cleaning it is a breeze. The blade is quite sharp although not as impressive as on our top 2 choices, but, unlike those models, the Dexter-Russell 10″ Butcher Knife can be machine washed and does not need any special care.
5. Victorinox Fibrox 8-Inch Chef’s Knife
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Our final choice in our search for the best butcher knives is the French improved model, the Victorinox Fibrox 8-Inch Chef’s Knife. Before you stub your nose at a French innovation remember that they still have some of the best restaurants in the world and one of their secrets is in the curvature that they put in the edge of the butcher knife. That angle is perfect both for chopping vegetable extremely fast and for cutting through meat and cartilage with ease. It is also well worth noting that the Victorinox Fibrox 8-Inch Chef’s Knife has a fibrox handle which is much more durable than anything else on the market today, and a rich carbon stainless steel blade that will retain a high degree sharpness for a very long time.
