Our KOBE Chef's Knife 24 cm tested by DER SPIEGEL
- culilux
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
On Saturday, DER SPIEGEL – one of Germany's leading news magazines – published an in-depth chef's knife comparison in its „Tests“ section, and our KOBE Chef's Knife 24 cm was part of it. The test was run by food journalist Peter Wagner, who had already recommended our KYOTO santoku. This time the KOBE went up against knives from F. Dick, Chroma, WMF and Steffen Henssler. In short: we are rather proud of the result.
How the test was run
Five chef's knives, one practical course. The criteria: factory sharpness, edge retention and how easily the edge can be brought back. On top of that, behaviour across the usual cutting techniques – tap, rock and cross chopping, push and pull cuts. Among the things that ended up on the board: whole roast beef, cauliflower, celeriac and raw potatoes, which show how badly a blade sticks.
The price range was wide: from around 60 euros up to an RRP of 599 euros. The author's conclusion sits right in the standfirst: a good blade does not have to be expensive.
The verdict on the KOBE 24 cm
DER SPIEGEL counts the KOBE 24 cm among the best chef's knives in the comparison – and on the single most important criterion, sharpness, it came out on top. The article calls it „by far the sharpest chef's knife in the test“.
That is not luck, it is material. Our Swedish 14C28N steel is hardened to 61–63 HRC. That hardness lets us grind edge angles of 9 to 11 degrees per side – figures at which a softer steel would lose its edge almost immediately. Despite the steep angle, the test found edge retention that held up over months with nothing more than a honing steel. The hardness is also why the blade can be this thin at 24 cm without giving up stability.
The reviewer also praised the balance point – the knife sits „level as a spirit level“ – and the riveted G10 handle on a full tang, which he expects to last. Combined with a moderate 245 grams, that means hours of work without fatigue. Even carving a still-hot roast beef into paper-thin slices worked.
The conclusion: every test criterion met, at good value for money.
The specs at a glance
Steel: 14C28N, Sweden
Hardness: 61–63 HRC
Edge angle: 9–11° per side
Blade length: 24 cm
Blade height: 5.1 cm
Blade thickness: 2.4 mm
Overall length: 37.5 cm
Weight: 245 g
Handle: G10, riveted on a full tang
Price: €79.99
What we are happiest about
The test field included knives at 449 and 599 euros. That a knife at €79.99 comes out on top for sharpness confirms exactly the approach behind the KOBE series: no damascus decoration, but good steel, a thin geometry, optimal hardening and a clean hand-finished edge from the factory – all of it at a fair price.
Thank you to Peter Wagner for the test and the fair assessment. And thank you to all of you who have given us feedback on every single blade over the years – without the input from this community, the KOBE series would not be what it is.
Currently sold out – and why the 20 cm is the better choice for many
Honestly, demand after the article overwhelmed us: the KOBE 24 cm is sold out. We expect the next batch in mid-November. You can sign up on the product page to be notified as soon as it arrives.
Until then, one note: for most kitchens the right size is not the 24, but the KOBE Chef's Knife 20 cm – and that one is in stock.
Technically the two are identical apart from the length. The difference is in the handling: 190 instead of 245 grams, 33.5 instead of 37.5 centimetres overall. On a standard cutting board that simply works more comfortably, and unless you regularly break down whole roasts or large cabbages, you rarely miss those four centimetres.
For context: what DER SPIEGEL tested was the 24-centimetre model. The material properties the sharpness verdict rests on are the same at both lengths.
The SPIEGEL article is written in German; the quotations above are our own translations.
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