Victorinox" Fibrox Straight Edge Carving Knife with 22 cm Blade, nylon, Black, 30 x 5 x 5 cm

Another Victorinox Carver was recently purchased but with a serrated blade. This "Victorinox" Fibrox Straight Edge Carving Knife with 22 cm Blade, nylon, Black, 30 x 5 x 5 cm" is its partner/alternative.Our existing straight edge carver seems more often to fail to carve a joint neatly than it once did despite being sharpened and honed before almost every use; it was an inexpensive purchase and probably due for replacement after about 15 years. Expert opinion seems to suggest that a smooth-edge blade is better in some situation while a serrated one works well for others; as they complement each other it explains the need for both.Victorinox is a brand best known for its Swiss Army knives. Its range of kitchen knives are reputedly replacing the former professionally-favoured French brand in many commercial kitchens. Most have a moulded 'fibrox' polypropylene handle that is well-textured for a positive grip regardless of the hand being wet or dry. If required, there are versions with riveted wooden handles but about 35% more expensive.This blade length is a good compromise for meats likely to be cooked at home from a chicken to a large beef joint or turkey crown etc. It lies between a shorter 8-inch blade that may suit salamis and small joints such as a pork tenderloin and the longer 12- or 14-inch blades used mostly for hams and larger poultry such as a goose or turkey. Longer blades can also be difficult for the inexperienced to use safely. A 6- or 8-inch straight edge carver is ideal for slicing hard and semi-hard cheeses.Unfortunately, Victorinox do not include a blade sheath and few knife blocks will accept a blade this long; a sheath will protect the cutting edge but is also needed for personal safety. They also fail to provide care advice for either of the two knives which would be useful to have; it is invariably included with almost all cookware but rarely with kitchen knives and no less imperative.The knife is well-priced, extremely sharp, lighter than most would expect and quite easy to control.

I've used this several times since I received it on both vegetables and meat (both raw and cooked) and it is still very sharp. I've tried the test of slicing a sheet of A4 paper and it cuts easily without tearing it. I'm the only one that uses it and I clean and dry it by hand after each use and store it carefully in its plastic wallet. I find it quite nice to hold and its not too heavy which I prefer. The blade is very smooth without any grinding marks like many other knives have.We also have had a smaller version of this knife for a couple of years which is used by everyone, cleaned in a dishwasher and is just kept in a draw with other knives and it is still quite sharp despite it never being sharpened.I was considering buying a much more expensive knife which with regular sharpening on a whetstone may have the edge (pardon the pun) but this Victorinox is more than adequate for food preparation with low maintenance and a reasonable price. The only thing I would have liked is a plastic protector for the blade but this does not detract from the 5 star rating.Highly recommended.Edit 20-3-2018: I'm still very pleased with my Victorinox knife and have also bought smaller ones. I do occasionally shapen it (about every couple of months) just to ensure the edge is as sharp as possible but it would still have cut okay anyway.I did say in my original review that I would have liked it to have come with a plastic protector for the blade and have since bought this one from Amazon that I would also recommend: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mercer-Culinary-2-Inch-Plastic-Knife/dp/B005P0OSA8/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

I have now used the knife for about 5 months and it is certainly the best knife I have ever had and I have had some pretty expensive ones in the past which did not live up to their price!When it arrived I was amazed at how sharp it was and without a doubt it was like a surgeons knife!Needless to say I managed to cut myself despite warnings from others!It was some time before I needed to sharpen it and I must admit I could never get it as sharp as it was when it arrived but all the same it was sharper than I have ever achieved with any other knife.I use it for everything in the kitchen including carving and is far superior to my rather expensive Sabatier carving knife. If I am allowed to say that!My wife has yet to use it as I think she is a bit frightened of it and regards it as mine, I will not argue with that!!!!I was planning on getting a smaller one as well but I find it can be used for anything at all and even though it is a big knife I find that as it is so sharp it can be used for quite fiddly tasks.One drawback is that it does not fit into my knife block so it has to stay in its plastic shealth it came in.All in all---fantastic knife and wish I had one years ago!!!

Top quality as expected from Victorinox. Super sharp.This is nice n light compared to the chefs knife and I'd recommend it for the average user as the Chef knife can feel a bit heavy and unwieldy, personally.

I use this to carve meat and roasts. It's very light and sharp. It does need to be sharpened quite often though.

Top quality knife, retains its edge and is easy to keep sharp. Very good steel is used to craft this knife, equivalent to any crazy high priced Japanese/ vg10 or weird trendy Damascus marketing hyped nonsense that is priced at £100+ stuff. Don't be fooled by the price, this is an insanely good knife but just has a very simple design and manufacturing process to keeps costs low

A great knife

I like this brand. Sharp and well balanced