Victorinox Swiss Classic 8-Inch Review

The Victorinox Swiss Classic has an 8-inch stamped steel blade made in Switzerland. It comes with a nylon handle and is one of the lightest knives we tested, measuring just 5.7 ounces.

Performance Comparison

Cutting Performance

The Victorinox's blade proved to be sharp, flexible, and able to handle all the key tasks we put it through in our test kitchen.

It sailed through all our slicing, dicing, and mincing tests with ease. Though it lacks some of the precision we found in other knives — particularly some of the pricier blades in our lineup — the Victorinox never failed to adequately slice through the skin of a ripe tomato.

The Victorinox doesn't feel like a particularly delicate instrument and wasn't quite capable of the same level of fine dicing detail that some of the other blades we tested accomplished.

Still, it performed above average when pitted against some stiff (and expensive) competition.

Practicality

We found the Victorinox's thick, textured nylon handle to have above average grip in most situations situations. When making awkward cuts through large, chunky melons and gourds, the beefy handle of the Swiss Classic offered plenty of stability and security in our hands.

Even breaking down a slimy raw chicken was doable with this thick knife. The large bolster-like front end provided a diversity of different grip options that allowed our testing team to push, turn, and maneuver the blade into all the joints to separate a carcass into its component cuts.

With wet hands, the texture of the Victorinox handle helped to keep it more secure in our grip. Though it's not quite as good as some others in our lineup, this knife proved to have above-average performance throughout the full range of practicality cuts, grips, tests, and trials we put it through.

Ergonomics

The handle of the Victorinox is one of the most unique in our lineup. Not only is it made of nylon (most others are made of various unspecified polymers or the wood-resin compound called Pakkawood), but it looks a lot different than most other knives as well. Its appearance is distinctly utilitarian. Although some testers found the looks unappealing, all of them found it to be very comfortable to hold.

The subjectivity of appearances aside, our entire testing team agreed that the Victorinox handle was shaped well and felt comfortable in hand. It doesn't appear particularly balanced, but it feels that way in use, adding to our overall positive impressions of this knife during testing.

The Victorinox is a very light knife, which we weighed at just 5.7 ounces — one of the lightest in our lineup. This means that it lacks some heft and solidity that many expect out of a high-quality chef knife.

The front end of the handle is thickened into a bolster without being as overstated as many other full bolsters. Our testing team appreciated the diversity of holding methods this allowed them to take during different tasks.

Build Quality

The light weight of the Victorinox Swiss Classic makes it feel cheap. That's not to say it isn't a fully capable kitchen implement, but no one will mistake this for a very high-quality knife. Its overall appearance is quite industrial and utilitarian. Some may appreciate this different aesthetic, but for those who love to display their knives, the Victorinox will certainly stand out from most other models.

From the box, the Victorinox performed admirably in our paper slicing test. Though it wasn't as silky smooth, gliding through the paper as some others in our lineup, it did a more than adequate job of cutting without catching any burrs.

Our only real complaint about the build quality of the Victorinox is with the molded nylon handle. The unit we tested had minor seams running down the center of the handle. It wasn't enough to irritate our hands during light use and sanded off with regular sandpaper quite easily. Still, this lack of attention to detail isn't something we're excited to see in this otherwise solidly constructed chef's knife.

Should You Buy the Victorinox Swiss Classic 8-Inch?

The Victorinox is the ultimate no-frills functional blade. If you want to get the absolute best bang for your buck with no fancy extras, the Victorinox is for you.

What Other Chef Knives Should You Consider?