I came across this value-priced knife searching across Reddit. As redditors discussed what knives they use, the subject changed to budget knives and this knife from Thailand-based manufacturer Kiwi came with a glowing recommendation. The writer recounted a story about a professional chef he knew who used Kiwi knives, and especially liked this one in particular. This chef took his Kiwi knives with him when cooking at special events or other places away from his kitchen. At $12.99 retail he wasn’t worried about the knife getting stolen, and all his Kiwi knives just went in the dishwasher for cleaning. These were things he couldn’t say about his more expensive professional knives, and I personally would feel sick if I took a $150-plus knife somewhere and it got stolen. I don’t even like putting my modestly-priced knives in the dishwasher, even when they are said to be dishwasher safe, so having one that you don’t worry about too much is kind of freeing. I saw it on sale for $9.99 and went ahead and ordered one. (Not that if it was $12.99 instead I wouldn’t have ordered it anyway!)
Not a whole lot to say here other than it is a good, cheap knife. It is pretty well-balanced, it is excellent for chopping anything from potatoes to parsley, it sharpens up nicely and I don’t feel nervous about putting it in the dishwasher. The large blade is different from a typical chef’s knife and will add something new to your cutlery collection. For $12.99, and often $9.99 on sale, the Kiwi Thai Chef’s Knife No. 21 s a good impulse buy if you want to try something new or simply want to engage in some retail therapy.