Victorinox Fibrox Pro Chef’s Knife, 5-Inch Chef’s

OK – I love knives more than I ought to, and although I prefer the premium brands, I have several small Zyliss and Victorinox knives that I use for general kitchen work. I was looking for a small-ish serrated knife for general kitchen duty, to slice and cut veggies and the occasional meat. I had trouble figuring out WHICH of the described knives were smaller, based on pictures, descriptions, or titles, so I ordered all three:Victorinox Mini Chefs Knife SerratedVictorinox Fibrox Pro Black Chef’s – Serrated 5″ Mini-Blade 1¼” width at handle, 5 inch, MultiVictorinox Fibrox Pro Black Chef’s – Serrated 5″ Mini-Blade 1¼” width at handle, 5 inch, MultiAs it turns out, they are exactly the same knife (Victorinox Model 5.2033.12); I had hopes that the “mini” was actually smaller than the others, but it is the same knife. Maybe it is just the fact that this style is small-ish for a chef’s knife, that the one seller called it out as a MINI Chef’s Knife; it was not noted as “mini” by Victorinox, on the packaging, and it was exactly like the other 2 styles I ordered.As for dimensional data, some of the Sellers listed the packaging size, and NOT the actual knife size, so I thought I would fill you in on some details that *I* was seeking; note that ALL THREE DIFFERENTLY DESCRIBED KNIVES actually have the same dimensions – and are same exact knife:10”overall (9 7/8, actually), tip to butt.5” serrated edge (along its edge).1-3/16” Wide Blade where it meets the handle.Handle is 1-1/8” at its widest, and it measures 0.75” thick (as it lies on the table).The knife slices very well, with a very effective serrated edge; it sliced better than some of my favorite knives. For me, its downfall is that its blade is too wide at the base for me to do any additional type of cutting (like cutting the top off a strawberry or removing the top of a tomato); it is great for slicing, but for any other incidental work – which I typically HAVE to do while I’m slicing – it proves unwieldy. The blade, where it meets the handle, is too wide for me to feel safe using it (and I have big hands); for many women whose hands are more normal-sized, I think this would feel very unsafe and uncontrolled. The handle is good, but the blade is too wide. There is a lack of control that I think is due to the width of the blade. Even though this is labeled and sold as a “Chef’s Knife”, I would not want to use this when cutting meat or prepping chicken – the control and confidence I need in a knife when I am cutting around bones and such is just “not there”.The handle is heavy duty and resin-like, but has a texture on the surface that seems it will not be slippery when wet, and seems safe in that regard. It is thick AND wide, and shaped for comfort, so it was easy to use for general slicing maneuvers. The way the blade fits INTO the handle looks like it may crack after many years of use, but that is just conjecture and I am a little biased toward higher end models. I miss the full tang feel, appearance, and weight in my hand, even in this small-ish knife. It looks like the kind of knife meant for the dishwasher, but I never put my knives in the DW; this one looks like it could handle it, though.The knife is very lightweight. The shape of the handle with rounded edges offers a relatively safe grip, but I was not happy with how the handle met the metal blade: the edge of the blade near the handle end IS present if your finger should slip past the contoured shape (on the underside as you cut), so this handles does not offer the same protection as other models which fully protect your grip. This end of the blade is not sharpened to a point, since this is where the cutting edge “starts”, but it is still thin enough to hurt you if your finger slipped that way; if it slipped even further, your finger would be right in the slicing zone, against the sharp serrated edge.This is a stamped knife, instead of forged, and is not full tang; I can feel the difference in my hand and it seems that if you tried to slice a sturdier object (say a very raw potato) – the blade might curve a bit to the side. This might just be me just me being uppity, since I LOVE good knives, but I felt that even if stamped and under $25, there are some better knives out there at this same price point.Overall – the serrated edge is effective, but just be sure you don’t prefer a narrower blade, so you can also dice or cut tips, and be sure the width of the blade is not a safety or handling issue for you or your hands.I also ordered the non-serrated style (Victorinox Fibrox Pro Chef’s Knife, 5-Inch Chef’s) which is identical to these in size and shape, except that it has a straight edge. Same size, same width, etc.I ended up keeping the one I opened –did not want to return something I had used – and I will likely use it when I am ONLY slicing some easy veggies or fruits, but otherwise I will use my finer tools.

I purchased this knife from Cusine Plaza and it’s just not sharp. Love the product but will need sharpened. Hope it’s not a knock off maybe just used, either way not what was expected. I have a 8” Victorinox chef knife supplied from Amazon which is super sharp! Victorinox makes wonderful, quality, long lasting products but I’ll think twice about the supplier!

Nice and sharp right out of the box. Purchased it to replace a small santuku form our POS knife block, and it’s the perfect size for my wife’s petite hands.

These knives are super high quality and will last a very long time.

It is a pretty good knife for an inexpensive stamped blade. The handle is comfortable to grip. It will need a good honing when you get it. You’ll feel the burr on the edge. I tried chopping a small onion and it did not slice as well as I’d like. It is good for small jobs, just not great.