7 Best Butcher Knives, According to Cooking Pros

We love how strong and sturdy Wüsthof knives feel in our hand. That's why the brand has consistently scored high marks in our tests on kitchen knives and serrated knives. Though expensive, the Classic Artisan Butcher Knife is forged from a single piece of high-carbon stainless steel. This method of knife making combined with this strong material, helps ensure that this knife will stay sharp for a long time.

The granton edge, aka the divots on the blade, help prevent food from adhering, while the fact that it's full tang (the blade runs through the full length of the handle) helps it feel very balanced in the hand and provide more control. The eight-inch blade length is perfect for cutting through chops and steaks, and trimming medium pieces of meat. Plus, the contoured finger guard helps us feel confident about really getting in there.

The textured polymer grip on Jero's seven-inch butcher and skinning knife helps keep the handle from slipping, even when your hand becomes wet from handling meat. Its German high-carbon stainless steel blade was extra sharp (even though German knives in general are more durable and not as sharp) and able to get through the bone and meat well. For such a budget-friendly price, it's surprisingly versatile, making it good spare knife.

We also really liked the Jero TR Traction Grip seven-inch butcher knife that was similar to a boning knife. It cut meat with zero resistance, and we weren't afraid to get between the bone and the meat. Merker particularly liked the feel of the handle. Both knives had a thick blade and less flexibility than all the butcher knives we tested.

This samurai sword-like butcher's knife was the sharpest of the bunch. It sliced through meat effortlessly and removed fat in one long slice without tearing. It would also be great for fish. Forged from a single piece of Japanese super steel with 67 layers of folded steel, it's very durable and stain resistant. The granton edge, noted by the row of dimples on the blade, helps to keep food from sticking to its surface. Though expensive, you'll also get a plastic safety guard, a cleaning cloth, a care and maintenance guide, as well as a lifetime warranty against defect.

With a textured handle and a design that encourages a secure hold that rests nicely in the center of your hand, the wallet-friendly Dexter-Russell butcher knife proved to be comfortable to hold as well as sharp and sturdy. Though the shorter blade may not be ideal for slicing large cuts of meat.

The blade is made from the brand's proprietary blend, DexSteel, that they say is designed for professional use. The brand claims that the knife is Sani-safe with an "impervious" blade-to-handle seal, which means you can put it in the high-heat commercial dishwashers you'd see in professional kitchens. We typically don't recommend putting knives in dishwashers since they can damage the blade, but restaurants are often all about speed and efficiency, so sometimes it's the best option in that type of setting.

Mercer's textured handles make them comfortable to hold and maneuver around bones. Like several of the knives on our list, it features a granton edge, which means it has hollowed-out dimples along both sides of the blade to create air pockets that help sticky foods release from the blade.

While the 12-inch blade length seems long, it's the length Merker reaches for in her own kitchen when handling large cuts of meat. This one in particular is lightweight with tons of slicing power — able to remove hard pork butt skin in one easy move.

The high-carbon stainless steel is easy to clean and maintain, so it's good for beginners who might not have the experience maintaining a more fussy blade. Note that because the blade is longer, it's more suited for slicing through large pieces of meat like pork butt or a full brisket instead of getting down into joints and separating meat from bone.

Global's knives are forged from a single piece of the brand's proprietary stainless steel and they have a textured handle that offers a slip-resistant grip. Even though it's on the pricey side, this heavyweight butcher's knife felt durable, sturdy, and balanced in our hands, thanks to Global's unique sand-filled handle. The handle is also a little thin compared to others that we tested but the center protrudes a little and rested comfortably in our hand when we used it. The blade measures in at seven inches, a manageable size that's also the perfect length for carving up a rib roast. It's ice-tempered and hardened to retain an ultra-sharp edge with long-lasting edge retention as well.

This heavy-duty knife from Victorinox Cutlery is good for removing the hard skin on large pieces of meat and trimming the fat. While it's more of a slicing knife for large cuts instead of separating parts from the bone, the sturdiness of this knife makes it great for big jobs, such as large briskets, which is one of Merker's favorite uses for a butcher's knife with a less curved shape like this one.

The Victorinox blade is made of high-carbon stainless steel that can be easily sharpened, though it may feel bulky to some people. The end of the blade is wide, which can give you more leverage to pry meat apart, while the pointy tip can poke into different parts of the meat easily. The compact size makes it a good choice for hunting or camping. Overall, it's a solid knife with a stable, comfortable grip, especially for its price point.