Victorinox 40520 Fibrox 8-Inch Chef's Knife

by Swiss Army Brands

• 8-inch multipurpose chef's knife designed for chopping, mincing, slicing, and dicing
• High-carbon stainless steel blade provides maximum sharpness and edge retention
• Blade is conical ground lengthwise and crosswise for minimal resistance while cutting, laser tested to ensure optimum cutting power.Swiss item #5.2063.20 printed on the Blade.
• Patented 2-inch Fibrox handle is textured, slip resistant, and ergonomically designed
• Hand washing recommended, lifetime warranty, expertly made in switzerland

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 18.8 x 2 x 2.5 inches ; 8 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B008M5U1C2
• Item model number: 45520
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1,142 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #94 in Kitchen & Dining (See Top 100 in Kitchen & Dining)

Product Description

Product Packaging: Amazon Frustration-Free

The Victorinox Swiss Army Chef's Knife features an 8-inch blade that is 2-inch wide at the handle. High carbon, stainless steel blade is hand finished at Victorinox in Switzerland by skilled craftsmen. A special tempering process is used to produce an edge that can be resharpened over and over again, so the knife can keep its original sharpness throughout the life of the blade.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

469 of 478 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Fine standard chef at very reasonable price March 15, 2006

By SV Rob

Product Packaging:Retail

The Forschner 40520 was rated as "best overall" in Cooks magazine in Fall 2004. Pretty good report card from "the" chefs magazine. It took top honors over several high end ($80 -$100+) Wusthofs and Henckel models. While they didn't claim that the Forschner was better at any one specific task or that the craftsmanship can stand up to the others (its blade is cut from a blank ribbon of steel, instead of a hand-forged one piece) they did say that its lighter weight was preferred by some of their testers and that it handled the basics just as well as more expensive models. I just took delivery of mine last week and I am putting it to the test. I can say that it arrives razor sharp...nice... and that it's fairly well balanced. The handle is made of a grippy composite that allows you to securely hold firm if wet or in akward positions. The handle is a little longer than others I've owned, maybe too long for small hands, but it is contoured so you can move up towards the blade for better control. The blade does have a nice rocked contour, which makes chopping & dicing easier. I've grown to prefer ligher weight blades and you don't sacrifice much when it's this sharp. Overall I would say that for the price, this is a great chef knife..time will tell if any problems develop. Definitely doesn't have the same craftsmenship or allure of one of the high end Germans, but if your looking for a highly functional, lightweight, standard chef, it's hard to go wrong here.

194 of 197 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Knife and NOT high-priced! August 18, 2005

By T. Denman

Product Packaging:Retail

This knife is such a value. I have always had a hard time accepting the high-prices on Wuesthoff or Henckel knives because I never felt the VALUE was worth it. Boy am I glad I held out for the Victorinox knife! This knife, also known as Forschner, is consistently sharp. Just a few swipes of the sharpening steel and its good as new again. I use this knife and a 6" every day. The handles are comfortable and do not get slippery when wet. They are practically the only knives I use. I wash and wipe dry after each use (NEVER put in the dishwasher). I think you'll be as pleased as I if you try this knife.

559 of 587 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, but the tip broke off November 27, 2008

By maiden voyager

Product Packaging:Retail

I liked the knife at first but after only a few months of light use, about 1/4" of the tip seems to have broken off. This doesn't surprise me, as the blade is thin compared to the better knives.

Update on this review: I was beyond the Amazon 30-day return period, but Victorinox was more than happy to replace it, emphasizing that all their products have a lifetime guarantee.

88 of 89 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Product! April 13, 2007

By RonHos

Product Packaging:Retail|Amazon Verified Purchase

I to bought this knife because of the rating in Cook's Illustrated. I have Henckels and was interested in something to use in more utilitarian situations. I didn't want to baby it; I wanted to use it and then put it in the dishwasher and forget about it. After using this knife I realized that I made a mistake in ever buying the Henckels. They now seem heavy and clumsy in my hand. Every time I reach for a knife I grab this one. I only bought one knife because I wanted to see if it would hold an edge and to see how hard it would be to re-sharpen. Well after a year of constant use I still don't know how hard it will be to re-sharpen because I haven't had to do that yet. It was yesterday while slicing tomatoes that I realized just how fantastic this knife was. Here I had a knife that hadn't been sharpened in a year and I was slicing tomatoes like I was using a seriated utility knife! The only reason I don't have more than one is because my magnet is full of Henckels that I don't like to use. Anybody want to buy a set of totally babied Henckels? I need more knives I like to use.

69 of 71 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Cooks Ilustrated is right -- again! October 4, 2005

By D. Walker

Product Packaging:Retail

This is the chef's knife I've been looking for. The blade is the right balance between stiff and flexible. The perfectly curved shape automatically starts that rocking motion that makes chopping a breeze. I've been skeptical about ever developing the ability to chop like the chefs on cooking shows. No longer. And to think -- it was my bad knives to blame all this time! I'm buying several of these to give as Christmas gifts this year.

79 of 83 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Home Chefs Knife March 26, 2007

By mining engineer

Product Packaging:Retail

The knife length is determined by the size of the cutting board, and it is rare to see anything larger than 18 X 24 inch boards in a home kitchen, which is perfect for an 8 inch knife.

In commercial kitchens, we tend to use 24 X 36 inch laminated maple cutting boards 2 inches thick, and these work well with a 10 inch knife.

A professional entre-metier can chop about a ton of vegetables per hour with a 10 inch knife, but home cooks are more likely looking at a about a pound per minute, thus the 8 inch knife.

I have tried almost every knife ever invented for over 30 years now, and I have never found anything even close to Victorinox for balance, edge, and value, even in knives that cost 10 times as much, that are often good only for squashing tomatoes.

Plus, knives are always kept razor sharp (always buy a coarse/fine carborundum oil stone and sharpening steel), and attempting to wield a 10 inch or larger knife can be extremely dangerous for those that have not been professionally trained (they are also dangerous to those that have been professionally trained, and I have a few scars to prove that). Best Regards.