Mercer Culinary M20405 Genesis 5-Inch Utility Knife,Black

I have owned the Mercer Renaissance set of knives for a bout 3 years and am thoroughly impressed. I am getting a few knives for my mother because she uses junky, dull grocery store knives and doesn't know anything different. I myself for me did not get the Genesis knives because of the handle- I was worried that it would not wear well and it looked bulky and uncomfortable. I also was not a fan of the full bolster because I sharpen them myself. I just received the 5" Genesis and I was thoroughly wrong! The handle is the most comfortable I have used on a knife. It is grippy and is molded to my hand perfectly. I cannot attest to its durability, but the reviews state that it lasts. I do wish I had purchased the Genesis knives instead. I have not used this knife, but I have the other ones and the steel and blades are identical. Out of the box they are razor sharp, easy to sharpen, and hold an edge pretty well. They also require little maintenance and with a little care will last a lifetime. This knife is $20 and the comparable Wusthof or Zwilling is $50-$65. I find it really hard to justify spending the additional money on the more expensive ones when the fit, finish, and performance are identical. This is a sharp looking knife and my mother is going to be blown away!

Bought several of the Mercer Genesis series as a gift, and am SUPER impressed with them! A chef told me about Mercer knives, and their high quality offerings. I have used Wusthof knives for many years, and really like them, however they are really expensive. Mercer seems to have similar steel characteristics, and I love the feel and grip of their Genesis series handles! As with many companies, Mercer makes various quality knives, and some of their lower end stuff I was not particularly impressed with (cheap handles, and non-German steel). The fantastic German steel of the Mercer "Genesis" series gets my highest rating. Very sharp, holds and edge well. The knives are made in Taiwan, out of high grade German cutlery steel (and tooling techniques), which brings the price WAY down, but maintains an absolutely fantastic knife. The quality is impeccable. They come with a limited lifetime warranty. I highly recommend Mercer "Genesis" series knives. Super high quality German steel, fantastic handles, and look amazing - all at a very reasonable cost.

I have two paring knives (2”-2.5”) and two chef knives (7”-8”), but I longed for something in between. This knife is perfect! It was razor sharp out of the packaging (which is that thick molded plastic, have some sharp scissors handy), it is lightweight, comfortable to hold, and the handle material definitely provides excellent grip when your hands are wet. I’ve been using it daily for about a month and it will still shave off thin slices of copy paper. Never put your knives in the dishwasher. Hand wash them gently, and then thoroughly dry with a towel. The edge guard is a great $3 addition if you don’t have a knife block. **UPDATE** As of 10/04/23 I’ve used this knife daily on fruits and vegetables for seven months. It is still very sharp, but not as sharp as it was out of the box. There are no scratches, chips, dings or corrosion to the blade. The handle is still perfect. I will have it sharpened and continue to highly recommend this knife! **UPDATE** Two years of daily lunch prep for my son and I still haven’t sharpened this knife. It still cuts copy paper very thin without snags. I wash it gently and dry it with a towel and it has no stains, no chips, nothing. The handle has shown no signs of deterioration. It’s pretty much like brand new. Hundreds of fruits and veggies later, I still highly recommend this knife.

My old utility Target purchased knife had gotten to the point where I just could not get it sharp. I decided it was time for something new. I looked at my usual higher quality knife brand, Wusthof Classic. Their utility knife was over $100. Too pricey for what I want to spend this time around. Then I discovered Mercer Culinary. Their knives use the same steel as Wusthof, but are made in Taiwan, and cost considerably less. They are typically not found in retail stores. From what I understand they are marketed mostly to food service businesses and culinary schools. So I went with the Mercer Genesis 5 inch utility knife. I figured while I was at it I would also buy their Genesis 6 inch flexible boning knife. I've never had a boning knife before and with the amount of chicken and fish I cook I figured I might as well try one. Both knives arrived in good shape, clean and very sharp! I love the handles of the knives. They fit my hand perfectly and are very comfortable to hold. So far I've used the utility knife for cutting tomatoes, sandwiches and other small jobs. The boning knife I used on chicken thighs, salmon, and lamb chops. Both performed well, even better than expected. I am very pleased with both knives. Now I'm just looking for excuses to purchase additional Mercer Genesis knives! Their 7 inch Nakiri sure looks like it will be in my hands in the not too distant future...

In my opinion, Mercer brand know how to make fine quality German high carbon steel knives. Most of the reviews for this 5" knife had five stars, for good reasons. One of the reviews even said basically...that you could not get a better quality high carbon steel knife for under $100, that comes razor sharp, sharpens razor sharp and holds an edge. I have had this knife for about three weeks. I've used it almost every day. That review is exactly correct. Does everything the review said. Even though this knife has a relatively low price, don't let the price have you think that it is not good quality. It's definitely a very well made German knife. I know because I've worked in a few fine quality restaurants with chefs that graduated The Culinary Institute of America. I've seen many knives, so I know a high quality knife after I have used them. I also know this knife is relatively a low price because I've looked at other high quality knives to buy and the prices were much more money. I am surprised that they can sell the German made Mercer brand knives at these relatively low prices. The fraise that: the Germans make good things, really applies to this knife. The Germans have a great reputation for making high quality world class knives. Don't be fooled. Not all high carbon steel knives are good quality. What also makes a good quality knife is the forging proses, when they melt and make the blade in the factory. I am so impressed with this 5" paring knife that I am now going to buy the Mercer brand meet cleaver. One review for the Mercer brand meat cleaver said basically...that a meat cleaver is supposed to be heavy. It's hard to find a heavy quality meat cleaver. My experience has been the same. The review also said that the mercer meat cleaver is heavy and good construction. If the meet cleaver is anything like the 5' paring knife, then I will be getting a high quality meet cleaver from Mercer brand that is heavy, comes razor sharp, sharpens razor sharp and holds an edge.

Easily my second favorite knife in my block, only surpassed by my chef's knife but that's a $500 tool. This knife is very comfortable, very sharp and very versatile. I think my only complaint is the blade is a bit long for paring purposes, losing a bit of control because of that. It's still very serviceable, you just have to re-learn how to use it with the slightly thinner and longer blade.

This is, without a doubt my favorite knife. The weight and balance are nice. I have both the 5 inch utility and 6 inch chefs knife, but just find myself using this one most often. That 5 inch slim blade just works well most of the time. It's quite sharp compared, but does require the occasional sharpening. It seems to be pretty rust resistant, in case you cut lemons with it and forget to clean in that night. Very good for the price.

I have used Mercer knives for over 8 years now. They hold their edge well, cut very sharp, and the handles are comfortable. I like that they have a full tang which means they are strong. Will likely buy again as gifts etc.

Exactly what I expected, a quality Budget friendly knife

One of our sabatier knives went missing from the knife block so I chose this as a replacement, having recently bought a Mercer bread knife and been impressed by the sharpness and durability. I was by no means disappointed, this 5” knife goes through squishy fruit like a laser beam - no pressing required. Over time, I will be replacing all our kitchen knives for this brand as the balance is lovely, the grip is comfortable and the blade is excellent quality for the price.

Very handy knife for fair price. Great steel, good ergonomics. Stays sharp long, easy to sharpen.

Great knife. Sharp straight out of the box. Excellent quality. Feels great in the hand

I've owned one of these for 3 years now and I still love the feel of this knife when I use it. The handle is ergonomic, the knife feels properly weighted, and the blade was very sharp from the moment I received it. It has seen light use (used a few times a week), and I've not had to sharpen it yet. I like this knife so much, I bought another one as a gift, and the recipient could not be happier with it.