Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

...I've always liked knives but usually focused more on the hunting and pocket variety. I'm also old enough to remember when Chicago Cutlery made a good solid stamped blade (Unlike the ones they have now with the steel half as thick as the older ones). Prior to this knife I hadn't dealt with the likes of Wusthof or Schenkels. I am familiar, though, with Calphalon and some of the deeply discounted cookware Amazon handles. Based on that I decided to take a look at their knives.

Since an eight inch chef's knife is the workhorse of any kitchen I ordered one of these first. This thing made my old Chicago Cutlery feel like a toy knife made out of aluminum foil. I used it last night to cut up some chicken legs and the way it sliced through them was incredible. The contemporary handle styling felt great in my average sized man's hands but at the same time felt good to my signifigant other's size six fingers.

Fit and finish of this knife seems very good. The blade is flat, the bolster is evenly ground, the metal has a healthy ring to it when tapped and the edge right out of the box is good...

Is it as good as a Wusthof? I can't say but dollar for dollar I'd have to say five of these is a better deal than one Wusthof. That'd work out to three for gifts and two for me...

There will be a six inch Calphalon chef's knife on my next order. And maybe a paring knife or two....

As one who relies on knives more than my food processor, I highly recommend this knife; For less than 20 bucks you can purchase a versatile, world class Chef's knife that chops, slices and dices as good as any available. It is a workhorse.
When I opened the box it appeared to be a tad large for average kitchen chores, but, the accompanying weight works in your favor when chopping carrots or slicing other tough vegetables, cuts of meat or even crusty breads. It is well balanced and "rocks" well when chopping or mincing a pile of soup ingredients.
The contoured handle is extremely comfortable for my average 'manly' hand, but, at the price of a rating star I must caution that the handle is too slick for a flawless grip with a wet hand. The heft, sharpness and ergonomics help compensate for the smooth synthetic grip. Also, the grip will not delaminate or fail as predictably as wood or laminates.
The blade keeps an edge and sharpens no worse than other modern stainless steels. Did I mention that I love this knife? In comparison to others I have used over the years; It is a keeper and a whole lot cheaper. I love it so well I am purchasing the Calphalon 6" Chef's knife (at an increased price) and the 3-1/2" Paring knife- All are a bargain. I have already begun disposing of many of my other brand name knives in my cutlery drawer and knife stand to make room for this efficient trio. Bon Appetite!

Recently I decided to upgrade my knife collection at my home and cabin, which meant buying two knives. My mainstay, a Japanese sushi knife, has incredibly hard steel but was too delicate for day to day use. After doing the research I bought the Tramontina Professional Series 8" Cook's Knife and also the Calphalon collector's editon knife, figuring to keep the best one at my house and exile the loser to my cabin. I ordered the Tramontina and bought the Calphalon. If money is the primary thing I would buy the Calphalon. But if I had it do over again I would buy two Tramontina knives. The steel of both of these tools is very,very, good; unless you toss your knives in a drawer you won't have to sharpen these very often. The difference is in the balance, feel, look, and workmanship. The Calphalon blade has a wave or slight curve to it and when you run your hand along the side of the blade you can feel hollow places and irregularities in the forging. The Tramontina is just dead on. The handle is a bigger disappointment for the Calphalon, because it is almost square in cross section with a sharp transition from top to side and side to bottom. It just doesn't feel very good. The Tramontina, on the other hand, has a more rounded and complex shape that feels just right. The least important is the look. Seen from the top, the Tramontina's tang meets the bolster by curving outward in both directions, with the handle pieces having a matching curve, so the knife is rounded in two dimensions at the bolster. It's hard to describe but it just looks like a quality product. The Calphalon's tang keep's it's flat bar shape right into the bolster, with the handle pieces cut off square to fit, so it is square in both dimensions. Again, this is a minor point. I have since bought the Tramontina 6" utility knife and I'm just as happy with it. I highly recommend this product and for me, it was worth the extra [mpney]. If you decide to get the Tramontina make sure to get the Professional Series as they make other, cheaper knives.

I like this knife. I bought several at Amazon's discounted prices for presents to relatives still using stamped knives. I will probably keep one around just to fill up a slot in my blocks.

This forged knife is definitely a big advantage over any stamped blade.

However, it's simply not as good as a top of the line Wustof, Henkels or Sabatier.

I really enjoy cooking and I collect nice forged cooking knives so I have plenty of forged Henkels, Wustof and Sabatier knives to compare with this blade.

As one reviewer noted this blade is very heavy. In fact this knife is heavier than any 10" or 12" chef let alone an 8" chef. I am a strong male with decent size hands (with three lighter chef knives nearby) so this does not bother me. But, the extra weight could be troublesome to some people.

Also, the workmanship and detailing is not up to the quality you'd find in a set forged in Germany or even a nice Sabatier set forged in Thiers (sic?) France. Most people won't notice this type of detailing but simply put the German knives, and to a lesser degree the French knives, are simply perfect. There is not a single visible burr or imperfection. You can't feel or see a single thing. This knife has very minor imperfections. But, the quality is so high I can't believe it was made in China not Europe.

The handle on the contemporary line is very nice. I prefer the classic three rivet but these are nicer than the vast majority of contemporary style handles. Having the name of the blade is not my style but overall I like the handles quite a bit. The workmanship is about the same level as the blade (not quite European elite level but very nice).

One the bright side this knife is made from some really nice steel. You can "hear" the quality when you sharpen it. It really holds a nice edge and has excellent balance for such an extremely heavy blade.

If you want to consider another lower end forged set look at Faberware but I prefer Calpylon. If you are buying a whole set and not open stock Amazon sometimes "dumps" Sabatier Grand Chef or Provence knife sets which are really great knives but unless they are really discounted you'll pay twice as much.

In short, I like this line and at the current price this is a great deal. I gave it 4 stars but it could easily be a 5 star depending on how Amazon has it packaged. The MSRP here is about 40% higher than the MSRP I saw on Calpylon's web site. But, Amazon has been packaging the contemporary line cheaply and offering nice bonuses (like a free knive or extra discount over their standard discount off an inflated MSRP).

The only better knives than this set list for 3-4 times more money (but they are definitely much nicer).

Given the price of this Caphalon knife, I upp'ed it's rating from a solid 4 stars to a value based 5. I like the feel of the knife, it keeps a keen edge with a few licks of the steel. I have had no problems with rusting but then again I don't have a dishwasher and given the low humidity where I live things don't usually stay very wet very long.

It is a nicely constructed knife suitable for those 'supermarket chefs' out there. I especially like the value for money aspect of this knife, I could quite justify spending almost twice as much for a low end professional knife, instead I opted for a solid consumer knife.

An all around good buy, recommended for those who want a good everyday chef's knife at a good price.

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.

Great knife for slicing through hams and large cuts of meat. The kung-fu grip handle, heavy weight and slightly curved edge make this knife ideal for chopping. I also own the 7 inch chef knife in the Calphalon Classic Series, forged in Germany. So far I don't see a difference in quality or performance. For the price it's a steal. Happy cooking.

This is a great knife for the price. It's weighted perfectly - it feels quite heavy in your hand and the grip is very nice. I don't know how they sell it so cheap! This is certainly not the finest knife around, but for not much better, you'ld be paying 7-8 times as much. I have this and a very fine knife, and the difference is honestly negligable.

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

I've used the Henkel's chef, and the Wusthof, and this knife is as good if not better. It's weighted and balanced very nicely, the spine and heel are nice and thick, it holds a good edge and the handle's size and contour are excellent. I bought this one on sale, and I should have bought more. I'm very pleased. In my opinion, a great kitchen knife is absolutely crucial and priceless, and this one fits the bill beautifully. Now I want the rest of the set.

I was in the market for a new chefs knife. Being unfamiliar in the knife department, I decided to do some research on some of the well-known brands,(wusthof, Henckels, etc...) and figured out that Calphalon had many of the same characteristics as did the more expensive brands(Full forged, full tange, german steel etc...) The only difference was the price was about half as nuch, and the blade isn't exactly razor sharp out of the box, but with a good sharpener, can be! i am very pleased with the quality of the knife and expect to have it for a long time.