Chef Recommended: Best Chef Knives on a Budget

During my entire career as a Chef, I have used and owned a large number of Chef knives. I own blades made of various metals. Japanese steel, molybdenum, high carbon, German, etc..

I own knives I originally paid over 100$ or more for that have been battle tested and proven, but ended up beaten into a kitchen drawer.

My wife adopted a few of those blades for our own kitchen at home and she didn't want to part with them when I went back to work in my culinary arts career late this year.

I needed my own knives. My budget was less than 100$ and my quest was to get at least a decent 10" Chef Knife and a good Kiritsuke Chef knife. (I fell in love with a Kiritsuke styled knife years ago from the Black Diamond series by Sysco..)

I know the blade materials I need as a Chef. Balance. Weight. Edge Retention. Ease of sharpening. Handle materials. Etc..

I started researching all the knives I could find on Amazon. Quality knives can be really expensive, so it can be difficult to look at all the knives that Amazon offers and think you can outfit a Chef for under 100$ with a decent set of Chef knives.
Let me assure you, there are a ton of cheap Chinese made knives that might suit most amateur cooks but very few that would make a Chef like myself happy.

My demands for a cheap set of knives for work were simple. Great edge retention, solid construction and dependable steel that is balanced and easy to work with.

My end result for meeting my needs and still buying professional quality Chef knives, came down to one brand. Wallop.

• High Carbon German Stainless steel. 

• Full-Tang riveted wooden handle. 

• Balanced and lightweight. 

• Great edge retention. 

• Easy to resharpen. 

• Low prices.

While Wallop might be considered a lower grade of brand, the craftsmanship and materials, plus performance, makes these knives stand out. I use them every day and depend on them to do a variety of tasks. 

My expectations have been met beyond what I originally had hoped for. 

These are great knives and you can easily outfit a Chef with a great set that will last a lifetime for well below the cost of other brands. 

I highly recommend Wallop Chef knives. They work hard and look great. Great overall performance and incredible edge retention. 

These Chef knives are professional grade for much less than others. 

Trust me, I know good quality and what a good set of knives should be able to do and Wallop has it all.

Please use this link to buy Wallop knives.