Best of the Best Steak Knives

All steak lovers know it’s not enough that a steak is cooked just right (medium-rare for me—not too well-done, but not too raw either, and with a little juice flowing!). It’s also important have a nice surroundings and an equally nice group of people to share a great meal and wind down after a tiring week.

Perhaps it’s needless to say that using your ordinary dinner knife for steak is not advisable (to say the least), but many would even go as far as calling it blasphemy. But that’s not why you want to buy the best steak knives—instead, the reason you need them is that they will keep you from ruining a perfectly good piece of steak by pulling and sawing at it.

To save you from such a horrific possibility, we’ve compiled a list of great steak knives at various price points, though we’ve made sure they are all within the reasonable price range. 

Whether you’re buying a car, a piece of electronics, or an automatic watch, you can’t go wrong with German engineering and manufacturing. While it may sound like a cliché, it is true and certainly applies to this Dalstrong Gladiator Series of steak knives. Available in sets of 4, virtually everyone who has ever bought this knife set has raved about it. Complaints about the Dalstrong Gladiator are about as rare as a bad film review about Citizen Kane.

These knives measure about 9 inches in total, with their lightly serrated edge measuring 5 inches long. It’s not your everyday full tang knife, as the high carbon steel used for the blade goes all the way down to make up most of the handle. The triple-riveted handle is made from pakka wood, which makes these knives both gorgeous and easy to hold. And they even come with their individual sheath!

The high carbon content of the Thyssenkrupp steel gives these knives optimal hardness and also makes it easy to sharpen. The blades are tapered to offer a great balance of hardness and flexibility, while the tip is rounded to avoid unnecessary piercing and to offer extra safety. Each blade has been hand-polished to a satin finish to really complete the look.

This knife set is a lot more affordable, and that’s especially true if you consider that this set contains 8 steak knives. To cut down on costs, the blade is made of stainless steel and it runs right through the handle. But this can be a good thing from a certain point of view because it also makes these knives much more resistant to corrosion.

Coupled with the use of hard polypropylene plastic handles, what makes this steak knife different from the others is that you can safely clean this one with your dishwasher. On the other hand, like with other great streak knives, this one is also best maintained by hand-washing.

Although the material of the blade means that it’s not the strongest, it doesn’t mean that you’d have trouble cutting through your steak with it. That’s because it features a uniquely effective edge design, with the large serrations having smaller serrations to make micro-cuts on the meat.

The knife is 8.75 inches long from blade tip to handle, with a blade length of about 4,5 inches. The triple-riveted handle has a textured surface to give you a firm grip. 

Are you looking for a set of steak knives for really special occasions? Perhaps you just simply want a gorgeous set of knives, since we all know that having steak for dinner makes for a special evening. If that’s the case, then this Shun DMS400 Classic is a great choice for you.

This knife doesn’t just come with an ordinary blade, as it has been forged with precision in Japan by the famous knife maker brand KAI. Its core is made from aVG-MAX “super steel” that is surrounded by 33 distinct layers of stainless steel to give you a tasteful Damascus steel look that’s also undoubtedly resistant to corrosion.

The handle, featuring a classy pakka wood handle, matches the elegance of the Damascus-style blade. Its D-shape is easy on your hands, and the dark brown,almost-black hue of the handle is certainly easy on the eyes.

Besides its gorgeous design, this knife also has a lot to offer. It has a razor-sharp edge that can cut through the meat with no effort whatsoever. It simply glides through the steak so you cut fewer of the capillaries in the meat, which helps to keep more of the juices,allowing you to enjoy a more succulent and delicious steak.

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This premium set of steak knives is certainly well-named. Available in sets of 4 or 6, these knives have been used for steaks in classy establishments and homes for generations. The same family has been running the company in the famous Solingen region in Germany for the last 200 years. Buy one of these and you’re all set, as it comes with a lifetime guarantee.

These knives look elegant and efficient, like a knife that you’d expect an old-school samurai to use. Its blade is 4.5 inches long, and it’s made from high carbon stainless steel. The straight, clean edge will effortlessly glide through the meat without shredding or tearing at the meat.

The full tang blade has been forged from a single piece of steel, which runs right through to the edge of the handle. This classic design comes with an innovative and high-tech handle made from synthetic Polyoxymethylene (POM). This material is extremely durable and has a more compact molecular structure, making this handle resistant to staining, discoloration, and fading. 

The first thing you may feel upon receiving this set is confusion—wasn’t there supposed to be 7 pieces in this set? Blame the rather overenthusiastic marketing department from Gunter Wilhelm, who considered the wooden caddy (or knife holder) for the knives as a separate piece in the set. So there are just 6 knives here, just to be we’re clear, but you can attach this caddy to the 12 or 11-piece block set from the same brand.

But what’s also clear, and what will quickly dispel that sense of annoyance, is the obvious excellence of these knives. Take out the knife from the beautiful wooden caddy and you will immediately appreciate the use of 440C German steel alloy that mixes carbon steel and stainless steel. It holds an edge fairly well, and yet it’s also very easy to sharpen. The blade is also wear and stain-resistant.

The handle is made from pakka wood, and it has been shaped to be ergonomic. Another unique feature of this knife is the brand’s patented Triple-Tang handle design, which both looks great and offers exquisite balance.

This one is a great set of steak knives for both kids and adults. If you are familiar with the Victorinox brand and their legendary Swiss knives, then this may be your perfect set of steak knives. Like everything else from Victorinox, this set is both affordable and extremely functional, with the durability to match.

Each knife measures 8⅝ inches long, with the blade coming in at 4½ inches. It has wavy serrated edges for easier cutting, and the tips are rounded so that kids can’t accidentally stab themselves. The blade is made from stamped stainless steel and has undergone a special tempering process so that can better retain its sharp edge.

The handle is made from black hard polypropylene plastic, making these knives quite durable and approved by NSF International (formerly known as the National Sanitation Foundation). The handle has a finger guard specifically designed to reduce the area where bacteria may build up. If you take good care of these knives and wash them by hand.

We’ve already mentioned a set of steak knives from Shun (the DMS400 Classic)that isn’t exactly cheap. But what if you don’t mind spending a lot of money on a truly impressive set of steak knives? If you’re fairly well-off and want a work of art to go with your exquisite tenderloin, the TDMS0400 Premier will surely catch your eye.

To be honest, these Japanese-made steak knives will catch anyone’s eye. This set is somewhat new and so it doesn’t have as many buyers as other steak knives, but that’s probably also because they’re not exactly priced for the common consumer. On the other hand, those who did manage fork out the money for this set are extremely pleased with this model. Noone’s had anything bad to say about it.

Even a single glance will let you know that this is no ordinary set of steak knives. The blade has a patterned and layered surface, and the hand-hammered finish gives that astonishing look of Damascus steel you can’t turn your gaze away from. Then you also get the whirls in the premium pakka wood used for the handle. Altogether, it’s an entrancing piece of work that almost seems overkill to simply use on meat.

But it is designed for dining on steak, and it does a superlative job. It’s made from the outstanding VG-10 steel which is covered with 32 layers of high carbon stainless steel.These knives are truly sharp, and they’re great at retaining an edge, yet they are also easy to sharpen. They are also extremely resistant to corrosion. 

Final Verdict

You have probably noticed that there are two kinds of steak knives here on this list. One type is exemplified by the Shun steak knives—they are beautiful and pricey, and they sure make any occasion memorable. When you take the time to prepare an exquisite meal, then only a set of gorgeous steak knives will do.

But then there are some regular days when you and your family just want to enjoy a casual meal that happens to be a steak. You don’t want to make a fuss, and so you need a set that’s affordable, easy to use, and easy to maintain.

Whatever the occasion, these are the best steak knives you can get for your money. While they all have their pros and cons, you can’t go wrong with them, they’re all excellent choices—and most importantly,any of them will get the job done.