Joyce Chen 50-0052, Chinese Kitchen Knife, 8-Inch

Bought as gift

I bought this Joyce Chen Chinese Kitchen Knife (clever) after owning one for the past 11 years as a wedding gift. Over the years I have used the one I own for everything from slicing tomatoes to separating rib steaks. I know it is not recommeded for bone cutting/breaking but it has worked well and resharpened well. I am very satisfied with the one I own. The only downside is with the wooden handle, like all wood it takes some extra care. If you let it dry out it will crack but with a little TLC and mineral oil it is okay.

A decent knife, especially for the price.

I bought this knife about 5 years ago and, along with a paring knife, it’s the only knife that I use. It’s not fancy, it’s not expensive, but it gets the job done. I’m almost embarrassed to admit, but I’ve done nothing but hone it until I bought a whetstone a few weeks ago. It seems to hold its blade pretty well. One of these days, I’ll graduate to some fancier fare, but until then, I’m happy to call this my “go to” knife.

A favorite

I have had my knife going on 8 years now, and it continues to be one of my three favorites, and my default knife for vegetables (chopping, mincing, dicing, julienne), beef, and most any “cutting-board” style task. I prefer it to my lovely French style chef’s knife, although that sees a lot of use, too. I have a REALLY nice nakiri, and the poor thing almost never sees the light of day thanks to this knife (although this one is a bit awkward for, say, carving flowers out of fruit.)

It doesn’t require as much sharpening as you’d expect, and the quality will blow knives 3 times the price out of the water. (You don’t see many truly high-dollar/high-quality Chinese cook’s knives in the U.S., so I’m guessing that something like this made of folded steel would be notably superior, but if I had the option, I’d still stick with my Joyce Chen.)

Feels good in the hand, and is a solid little knife. I’ve asked a lot of it, and it’s stepped up VERY nicely. Its larger blade…

Click to Editorial Reviews