VictorinoxCutlery 12-Inch Curved Cimeter Knife, Black Fibrox Handle

Love the lenghth, weight, balance, and ease of sharpening. Easier to sharpen than my Foster bros knife.

Before going any further with quality (which is amazing), you must understand that this knife is massive. It measures in at around twenty inches (give or take a few) with 14 inches of blade with the actual cutting edge being closer to 16 inches due to the upturned tip. If you only cook in an average kitchen, go with a smaller knife (say a ten inch blade).However, you might say something like, "but I need a big knife to do some big jobs." If that is what you are thinking, try using a machete as a tool in the space that you will be using this knife (seriously, I'm not joking: I have machetes that are shorter than this knife). If the size of the machete is no hindrance, than this is a good knife for you. If you find yourself skewering objects that you aren't intending to skewer or being blocked or cramped, then get a shorter knife. This knife will require 2'x3' box of open space to really be able to take advantage of the length of the blade.If, however, you work in a commercial kitchen and regularly break down large hunks of things to a smaller size (not just critters, but vegetation too) than this is an amazing knife.Out of the box, it was sharp enough to shave the hair off of my arm and stayed that way with regular use of a honing steel for well over four months. That was with daily use doing everything from cutting melons, to prepping 10 lb and up roasts, to carving briskets and even many tasks that you would normally use a chef's knife for but I used this simply because I had it handy. The lack of a granton edge on it made for thin slices of ham and the like a bit tricky, but it was still manageable.It's tough enough to take apart winter squash without being dangerous and yet well balanced enough to slice tomatoes for sandwiches. During my job as the sole cook for a retreat center, there were weeks that I didn't even use another knife because this one is so versatile. I could move from slicing oranges to slicing a roast to finely dicing onions, to even dicing shallots with only quick cleanings in between.The only things I really haven't done with this knife are break down beef primals or big saltwater fish, but I can't imagine that this knife would do anything but laugh and ask for a real challenge. This knife will easily cut a whole chicken in half (bones and all), but big beef bones will likely stop it (but you'd use a hatchet or saw on those anyways).All in all, this is a great knife for any job. There may be better knives than this for small, precise tasks, but this knife will still do anything you ask.*One word of caution - this knife's point is about an inch higher than you think it is, so watch that you don't accidentally poke the fleshy part of your off hand while maneuvering food like I did many times before I got used to the point. Also, watch your fingers; this knife will cut through a three inch thick carrot without stopping...

Sometimes you need a little more than 10" to keep from running the handle into the meat using a long stroke, that is what this is for. Most people aren't going to need this knife and many will gush about out of the box edge on this one but especially the 10" and how long it lasted. That's great that they are happy but none of that really matters long term.It's a good knife and a really good buy, it is thick behind the edge like all these Victorinox knives and really won't start to shine until you get a whetstone and thin it down a bit.I'm a right handed push cutter so I like the primary bevel a little flatter on the left side and get going on this with a stone in the 300 - 400 range, you can go down to 120 but you have to be careful not to screw up your new knife.About 30 minutes of slow and careful thinning moving up to 800 - 1000 grit has it where I want it, then to maintain just a few strokes on a 2000 to the secondary cutting bevel every two or three days, then going back to thinning only when needed and you start to get resistance sliding through cuts.Learn how to do this and this and the 10" cim as well as the 8" breaking and a 6" trim knife will be all you ever need, unless you have a favorite little knife which the 6" or 8" can turn into over time.These and Dexter are in my opinion the only knives there are for working people, Dexter has a great shaped 6" curved trim and the handle is gold but I don't really care for their cim options.

Okay this thing is sharp and if you are just now getting into breaking down big chunks of meat be careful. It’s my fault because I didn’t have my finger clear but I just got back from the ER…. Be careful it’s very sharp.

I have been a cutlery freak my entire life! I received my first high quality cutlery was a set of Gerber Excaliber over fifty years ago, which I have saved for wedding presents for my grandchildren. Forty years ago, I found a great deal on a 7 pc set of Chicago Cutlery. I was in heaven because they were the same knives I had used when I worked in a butcher shop. Great knives! A couple of years later I found a set of JA Henkels knives (a basic set) which I gave to my daughter. One year later i found a great 10 pc set of JA Henkels Four Star at Costco. I couldn't resist! Then I started watching America's Test Kitchen. They talked me into a 10" Victorinox Chef's Knife and I haven't looked back. I now own fourteen Victorinox pieces of cutlery including 3 paring knives. I have all three chef's knives, boning knives, bread knife, granton edged sliders and others. Every single knife is supurb! They get a lot of use and this 10" Breaker is my absolute favorite because I use it so much. It is so good that I can take an entire rib eye roast from Costco, put it in the feeezer for a couple of hours till it gets very firn, and slice 10 quarter inch slices for steak sandwiches and have two roasts left over. Not many knives can do that! I love Victorinox! I have great gifts for my grandkids, but they won't get my Victorinox till I'm dead and then they can fight over them!!!

Well made and sharp right out of the box. The price and brand led me to this purchase.

Great knife. Very sharp. Will be buying more.

Great knife. Used to debone a hog. Holds edge well.