A great butcher knife is versatile enough for cutting, slicing, deboning, and numerous other uses in the kitchen. But with so many brands and types of knives available, it is hard to know which one is the best butcher knives for your needs, and which features to look for. You can look at the five best butcher knives reviews consumer reports in the section below and select the perfectly suits you.

Reviews Of 5 Best Butcher Knives Consumer Ratings & Reports

1. Victorinox 6" Flex Boning Knife

Best Butcher Knives Reviews Consumer Reports

This short knife has a flexible blade that is perfect for use with many types of meat, giving you precise cuts and complete control. The blade is high-carbon stainless steel, with a comfortable fibrox handle.

Pros:

  • The fibrox handle is textured to reduce slipping, which will prevent injuries in the kitchen
  • This boning knife is decently priced, which makes it a great option for those on a budget
  • Victorinox has a lifetime warranty against manufacturer defects for this boning knife
  • The flexible blade allows you to cut the meat close to the bone, reducing wasted meat
  • The sharp point combined with the sharp edge makes it easy to skin the meat without damaging it
  • The blade and handle are smooth enough to allow for easy cleaning
  • It can be used to cut through small bones if needed

Cons:

  • May not be sharp right out of the box
  • This knife may not be long enough for use on larger pieces of meats or fish that have tougher skin
  • The blade may dull quickly
  • The handle may be a bit bulky and large for some people
  • There is no sheath or protective cover included with the knife
  • Despite the warranty, you may have to pay shipping charges to return the knife or get it exchanged

2. Mercer Culinary Millennia 6” Curved Boning Knife

Best Butcher Knives Reviews Consumer Reports

The Millenia Boning knife is made from high quality Japanese steel. The handle combines Santoprene and polypropylene to give you both the comfort needed to use the knife for hours at a time and the durability to last for years.

Pros:

  • The handle has textured finger points, giving you excellent grip
  • There is a protective finger guard to reduce slips that could result in severe injuries
  • The blade is one piece of high carbon steel
  • The Japanese steel is quick and easy to sharpen
  • The Millenia is NSF certified
  • Mercer offers a Limited Lifetime Warranty on this knife
  • With a low price of about $20.00, this knife could be good choice for those on a budget or those just starting out in the kitchen
  • With eight different handle colors to choose from, you should be able to find one that matches the style and color scheme of your kitchen

Cons:

  • No sheath or cover is included
  • The blade is too light for any heavy-duty use, such as cutting up a large pieces of meat or a whole chicken
  • The blade may not retain its edge with regular daily use, requiring you to sharpen frequently

3. Dexter-Russell (S112-10PCP) 10” Butcher Knife

Best Butcher Knives Reviews Consumer Reports

This 10 inch knife from Dexter-Russell is a stylish white color and features a hand-sharpened, stainless steel, curved blade that is great for slicing large cuts of meat into even portions. The Grip-Tex plastic handle makes slipping a thing of the past.

Pros:

  • This knife is versatile enough for multiple uses
  • It is thick and long enough to use on larger cuts of meat or bulk use
  • The blade holds its edge, so you don’t have to waste time sharpening it at every use
  • The handle has excellent grip, making it easy to hang onto while reducing the risk of injury
  • The blade is sharp right out of the box
  • The sharp point on the edge makes it easy to pierce any cut of meat
  • The knife has a good weight for the uses it is intended for
  • It also has excellent balance
  • This knife is NSF certified
  • The price is less than $35.00, making it a quality, budget-friendly choice

Cons:

  • The 10” knife is too large for everyday use and may be longer than some cutting boards
  • The blade has a small amount of pull, which could result in sore hands after prolonged use
  • Though made of steel that will last through normal use, the blade has been known to snap in half if dropped onto the floor

4. Rada Cutlery R109 Old Fashioned Butcher Knife

Best Butcher Knives Reviews Consumer Reports

The R109 Old Fashioned knife has a heavy-duty cutting blade made of high carbon, surgical grade stainless steel. The silver-brushed aluminum handle matches the color of the blade perfectly, giving you a flashy knife to impress your friends.

Pros:

  • The stainless steel blade is hand sharpened, giving it a razor-sharp edge
  • It is sharp enough right out of the box to start slicing through a rack of ribs or cutting up a whole chicken
  • It is also hollow ground to ensure a precise concave surface that will retain its edge
  • The old fashioned blade tip makes skinning simple and quick
  • The hefty blade is versatile enough for multiple uses, including dicing, striping, splitting or cutting a variety of meats and vegetables
  • The blade is 7 ¾ inches, a great size for everyday use
  • There is a lifetime guarantee for the R109
  • The low price makes this knife a great option for those watching their pennies
  • The aluminum handle is textured enough to allow for a sturdy grip, even with wet hands
  • The high quality materials of this knife will ensure years of use

Cons:

  • The aluminum handle is not dishwasher safe
  • There is no cover or sheath included with this knife

5. Zelite Infinity 6” Boning Knife

Best Butcher Knives Reviews Consumer Reports

The Japanese steel blade of this knife has an interesting Tsunami Rose Damascus pattern that makes its stylish look as impressive as its slicing abilities. The handle is triple riveted for added strength and is ergonomically rounded for added comfort.

Pros:

  • The blade is made from VG10 Super Steel with a 67-layer high carbon stainless steel
  • It is also Liquid Nitrogen tempered for scalpel-like sharpness and high edge retention
  • The full-tang 3-rivet design adds strength and durability to this knife
  • The knife has a wide variety of uses, including the delicate work of slicing tomatoes to heavy duty fish filleting or bone removal from all types of meat
  • The ergonomically rounded handle is heat, moisture, stain, corrosion, and impact resistant
  • The handle is also comfortable in the hand
  • The stunning craftsmanship and design of this knife is great for impressing your friends
  • The packaging is very professional looking, making it an excellent gift option

Cons:

  • The price is high, at almost $80.00
  • This knife may need to be sharpened right out of the box
  • There is no proper finger guard, but only a metal point near the handle that may not prevent injuries
  • This knife is not dishwasher safe

Features of the Best Butcher Knives

There only a few features you need to look for when buying your butcher knife, to ensure it has the quality and durability you need for years of use.

Versatility – Having a knife that can be used for a variety of tasks is better than a drawer full of knives you never use. Having one to cut thicker pieces of meat and one for more flexible work will make things easier on you.

Blade Thickness – The thinner the blade, the more precise and faster your cuts will be. This is also important for deboning and skinning.

Blade Size – Standard blades are short, usually around 5 or 6 inches. The shorter the blade is, the more flexibility it has. Of course, when cutting a larger roast, you may want a longer blade to slice through the full length, so having a few different sizes may be best for your kitchen.

Blade Size – Standard blades are short, usually around 5 or 6 inches. The shorter the blade is, the more flexibility it has. Of course, when cutting a larger roast, you may want a longer blade to slice through the full length, so having a few different sizes may be best for your kitchen.

Tang – This refers to the steel connecting the handle to the blade. Longer tangs extend through the length of the handle, making the knife stronger and less likely to break under pressure.

Handle – When you have to use your knife for long periods of time, you don’t want to be gripping something that is uncomfortable. A handle that isn’t too bulky for your hand is best. A textured grip is also ideal, to make sure your hand doesn’t slip on a damp or greasy knife.

How to Choose a Butcher Knife

With so many different types of butcher knives available, it may be difficult to know which one is best for your needs. The best way to decide is to first figure out what you’ll be doing with it, and then choose your knife.

For trimming and slicing, a traditional butcher knife or a cimeter knife would be the better options. These two can also be used to break down the cuts of meat, but if that’s all you plan to do with your knife, the breaking knife is designed for this specific purpose.

When it comes time to skin the animal, the skinning knife lives up to its name. There are two types of skinning knives. The longer bladed skinning knife is best for larger cuts, such as beef. For smaller animals, the smaller skinning knife has a less curved blade, and even a blunt tip for gutting.

If you prefer your meat off the bone, get yourself a good boning knife. These can be curved or straight, with a flexible or a stiff blade. It can also be used for skinning, slicing and breaking, if needed.

When you need to cut through dense cartilage and bones, the cleaver is the butcher knife that will work best. Its tough edge and thinner blade can withstand the repeated blows necessary to cut through thicker pieces of meat.

If you would like more information on the differences between these butcher knives, check out what this butcher has to say on the matter.

Caring for Your Butcher Knife

Proper cleaning and maintenance can help to extend the life of your knife. That’s why it is important to care for it properly.

For instance, you should never put your knife in the dishwasher. Instead, rinse it off repeatedly during use to keep the blade clean for further cutting. When you’re finished with it, wash it in hot water with a mild soap.

How you use your knives can also help to keep the blade intact and sharp enough to slice through a soft tomato. This includes using a wooden or plastic cutting board, as a harder type of material could increase the risk of blade damage.

I know in my kitchen, I have a tendency to use the blade to transfer meat and veggies from the cutting board to a plate or frying pan, but this is the wrong way to do it. Flip the knife over and use the dull side for this instead.

It also helps to keep your knife sharp when it is placed in a sheath or some other type of cover. Having them stored open among other knives and utensils could dull or damage the blade.

You shouldn’t need to sharpen your knife more than a couple times a year, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore the blade. Honing it with a sharpening steel before each use will keep you slicing through your dinner preparations with ease.

Our Choice

Though all five of these knives are of high quality, the clear winner is the Rada Cutlery R109 Old Fashioned Butcher Knife. Its size and versatility make it a great knife for both home and professional use, for beginners in their own kitchens to expert butchers. The scalpel like edge makes slicing and skinning a breeze, retaining its edge more than some of the other brands available. The R109 is also stylish and flashy, but does not sacrifice it abilities for good looks. Though issues with this knife are rare, Rada Cutlery’s lifetime guarantee removes any worries you may have about this knife’s integrity and durability.