Mercer is one of the top brands out there for home cooks and culinary students starting their kitchen adventures.
These knives are available on a budget, which is why they make a good choice for home cooks and students.
Despite their price, Mercer blades offer great functionality in the kitchen.
The blades are sharp, the handles are comfortable, and the knives are built to last for years to come.
But if you’ve looked through Mercer’s extensive catalog, there’s a high chance you had a hard time choosing between all the different options.
Don’t worry, you’re not alone.
To help you find your way through the Mercer catalog and pick the right blade for your kitchen, we’ve compiled the best Mercer chef
We’ve only chosen the best of the best models and done the research to ensure that we’re providing you with an honest and accurate review.
So, read on to learn more.
Best Mercer Culinary Knives & Knife Sets For the Money
A Brief History
Mercer Culinary has been around for over 30 years.
And throughout that time, they’ve established themselves as a top brand for cookware, kitchen knives, and just about any other tool you need in the kitchen.
The brand has an extensive collection that even includes baking supplies, which is why they’re such a popular choice amongst chefs.
Mercer knives are known for being functional, sharp, durable, and affordable.
While they are slightly more expensive than a department store kitchen
Mercer is driven by innovation, which you can clearly see in their chef’s knives.
We give these knives a quick twirl and review, and then we pass them on to a few lucky home chefs!
Are Mercer Knives Worth It?
Yes, Mercer knives are worth every single penny.
While they are more expensive than an average home kitchen
Professional chefs, home cooks, and culinary students alike choose Mercer blades because of their quality for the price.
They have a fairly wide range of kitchen knives, which gives you a lot of options, and each
If you’ve been looking to upgrade your kitchen tool kit but don’t want to bust the bank, Mercer is a great choice.
Reviews of the Best Products
1. Millenia 8-Piece Set
Kicking things off, we have the best set available for culinary students.
The main reason we chose to feature this set on the list is the
But if you’re a culinary student who needs to bring your knives to school, then you need a
This set comes with six knives and honing steel along with the transparent
This set is everything you need to start class at culinary school, save for a tasting spoon.
The knives are made of Japanese high-carbon steel, which offers great edge retention without being too hard that the blade becomes brittle.
Another advantage of the steel is that it’s very easy to sharpen, which you’re going to be doing regularly at culinary school.
Pros:
- Comes with a convenient
knife roll - Very sharp blades
- Great edge retention
- Easy to sharpen
- Contains all the essentials
Cons:
- Not the best pick for home cooks
2. Genesis 6-Piece Block Set
This next pick is a creative twist on the standard
Instead of a wooden
The block is made of tempered glass, which means it’s strong and offers a unique aesthetic.
Since this comes from the Genesis line, you can expect forged blades that are very durable and offer great balance.
The set comes with 5 different knives, each of which is kitchen essentials.
It would have been great if it came with steak knives, but the minimalist set helps you keep things organized and efficient in the kitchen.
The handles are made of Santoprene, which is durable and molded to fit comfortably in your hand.
So, if you’re looking for a quality set of forged knives on a budget, this could be just the right pick for you.
Pros:
- Comes with a beautiful
knife block - Forged knives
- Full-tang
- Contains all the essentials
- Comfortable and ergonomic handle
Cons:
- Doesn’t have the best corrosion resistance
3. Zum 6-Piece Set
This next set is one of the more premium collections from Mercer.
The Zum 6-piece set contains 5 knives that are forged out of high-carbon and no-stain German steel.
This means that the blade is very hard and can hold its edge for a long time while being resistant to rust and corrosion.
However, improper care can still lead to corrosion, so make sure to take care of each of the knives.
Each blade is sharpened to a very precise edge so that it comes out of the box very sharp.
And if the
The handle is made out of Delrin that was molded to just the right shape to comfortably fit the hand.
All in all, this is a very ergonomic and efficient set to have in the kitchen.
And on top of that, it even comes with a transparent
Pros:
- Very comfortable feel
- Full-tang
- Forged construction
- Decent edge retention
- Comes with a transparent
knife block
Cons:
- Doesn’t come with steak knives
4. Renaissance 6-Piece Set
The next we have on our list is another one that comes with a transparent tempered glass
It also comes with five different knives, this time from the Renaissance collection.
The Renaissance knives are forged out of German high-carbon stainless steel.
This premium material holds its edge for a very long time and can be honed to a very sharp and thin edge.
So, right out of the box these knives will cut through just about any ingredient you can imagine.
The handles are made of Delrin and feature three rivets, which offer a unique aesthetic and adds stability.
The rivets are especially important because they are full tang knives that feel very comfortable in the hand.
On top of that, these knives come with a limited lifetime warranty to protect against any manufacturing or factory defects in the product.
Pros:
- Very sharp right out of the box
- Limited lifetime warranty
- Comfortable Delrin handles
- Forged knives
- Full-tang construction
Cons:
- Not dishwasher friendly
5. Rennaisance 8” Chef Knife
Next up is a single
Many chefs say that you only need three knives in the kitchen: a chef’s
However, if you’re a budding culinary student or an average home cook, if you’re only going to get one
This chef
You can use this
Since a chef
This chef
This blade was forged out of a single piece of steel, which makes the
After the blade is shaped, it is then sharpened to a very precise angle to ensure its sharpness right out of the box.
This is a full-tang
A full-tang construction makes the
This
However, one con of this
So, that means you have to wash and dry the blade by hand after every use to keep it rust and damage-free.
If you’re on the lookout for an all-around kitchen
Pros:
- Very sharp blade
- Full-tang
- Comfortable and durable handle
- Made out of German stainless steel
- A great all-around kitchen
knife
Cons:
- You have to hand wash it after every use
6. Genesis 8” Chef Knife
This model is another single chef
The first feature we’d like to highlight is the handle.
It’s made of Santoprene and contoured to fit the hand very comfortably.
When you’re slicing with this
On top of that, this is a full-tang
The advantage of full-tang knives is that they feel much more balanced and stable in the hand.
For efficient prep work in the kitchen, chefs highly recommend getting a full-tang
The edge of this
If you need a kitchen
However, like all high-quality kitchen knives, you can’t throw this in the dishwasher.
This puts the sharp blade at risk of chipping or getting damaged, so it’s best to wash and dry the
Pros:
- Very sharp right out of the box
- Designed to handle a wide range of kitchen tasks
- Ergonomic and comfortable handle
- Forged blade
- Full-tang
Cons:
- Can’t be put in the dishwasher
7. Millenia 8” Chef Knife
Our last pick on the list is one of the best budget options from the brand.
It comes from the Millenia line, which is known for its seamless fusion of quality and affordability.
This is a very ergonomic and simple chef
If you’re a student learning the ropes of the kitchen, this
A key feature of this
For starters, it’s a Santoprene handle, which means it’s very durable and ergonomic.
On top of that, there are finger points on the handle, which add more slip resistance and stability to your grip.
The blade itself is made out of Japanese stainless steel.
The exact steel recipe used was left unstated, but Japanese steel has a reputation for being very durable.
This is primarily because of the high carbon content of the material, which makes it very hard.
Hard steel provides great edge retention, but if the
This
Again, like with most high-quality knives, you have to hand wash them after every use as the dishwasher can cause some damage to your precious blades.
Pros:
- Ergonomic design
- Sharp blade
- Decent edge retention
- Comfortable and slip-resistant handle
- Designed for a wide variety of kitchen tasks
Cons:
- Not the strongest or sharpest
knife in Mercer’s catalog
What People Like About the Brand
One of the biggest advantages of Mercer knives is their quality for the price.
It’s hard to find a brand that is one Mercer’s level in the same price range.
A common comment that most customers have about Mercer is how it can hold its own against many of the more expensive brands out there on the market.
Since this brand was primarily marketed to culinary students, they had to balance ergonomics, sharpness, quality, and price.
This seamless combination of all these characteristics is what makes Mercer such a strong and reliable brand today.
Another great feature of Mercer is its Lifetime Limited Warranty.
The warranty protects customers against any factory or manufacturing defects they may encounter.
That way, if ever you find something wrong with your
This is a testament to Mercer’s consistency and trust in its products, which is why it’s a consistent favorite in the culinary world.
Mercer knives are inspired by innovation, and the company ensures to embody the love of innovation in all its products.
This can be in slight details such as the finger points on the Mercer Genesis chef
When you invest in a Mercer
Another huge advantage of Mercer is its variety of products.
Currently, the brand has four different
The Millenia line is their only stamped collection, which is the reason it is one of the more affordable picks.
All their other collections, however, are forged from a single piece of steel that adds more durability and stability.
Mercer knives are also full-tang, which is why it’s very easy to use them in the kitchen.
What People Don’t Like About the Brand
The biggest con of Mercer knives is that they won’t be up to par with top models in the game.
Knives from Wusthof, Shun, and Miyabi can easily edge out Mercer knives, which is why Mercer is considered a mid-tier brand.
With that said, there’s nothing wrong with shopping from a mid-tier brand, in fact, there are still some significant advantages.
When you get a Mercer
However, since the brand is known to use softer steel in their manufacturing, your knives won’t stay sharp as long as some chefs might prefer.
Notable Mercer Collections
Mercer’s premier collections are the Genesis or Rennaisance lines.
These collections feature fully forged blades that come from a single piece of quality steel.
On top of that, they both have Delrin handles that are comfortable, durable, and ideal picks for any chef out there.
These knives are arguably the most high-quality pieces in the Mercer collection and would fit well in any kitchen or
Conclusion
And with that, our list of the best Mercer knives comes to an end.
We are committed to providing you with honest and accurate reviews, which is why we make sure to always do the research when it comes to the best knives.
Through our research, we were able to compile a comprehensive list of Mercer chef
And if one of these knives interests you, then all that’s left to do is head out and get your hands on one yourself!
Ryan Leavitt
Hi my name is Ryan Leavitt a Marine Corps Veteran and currently an over the road trucker (Long Haul). I am no expert chef but am enjoying preparing my own meals on the road and testing all the different knives.
We give these knives a quick twirl and review, and then we pass them on to a few lucky home chefs!
