Paring Knives Reviews

OXO, as acompany, has always interested me. They style their tools to be comfortable, and design them with simplicity and a certain amount of elegance targeted for the middle-class consumer. Someone who pays attention to the look and feel of a product should back it up with quality, and this is where I feel OXO fails.

The knife works great, don't get me wrong. It is sharp, handles nicely, and for the longest time had been the most sought-after knife in the drawer. A little over a year ago I purchased a number of Good Grips knives and one by one, they are all breaking. The problem exists in the way the knife's metal collar is welded to the blade.

The knife is TIG welded to the collar, and I think that at the factory, the knives are cooled too quickly (a process called quenching) to keep production steady. The metal used in making these knives is of a Molybdenum Vanadium alloy, a type of super hard tool steel.

Depending on varying carbon quotients in steel, you can have either a hard, brittle steel or a soft, bendy steel. While hard steels are good for knives, I dont think that welding hard steel is a good idea unless you cool it correctly. Cooling metal too fast, as in this case, crystalized the carbon structure, making a brittle steel, even more brittle. Cooling it too slowly allows the heat to transfer to the rest of the metal, making it softer and less likely to stay sharp. While the metal proved to be the best part of this knife, it's construction counteracted it's good qualities.

If you're interested in a really good knife that will last longer than a year or two, spend the extra money and get one that has been mechanically riveted together. And look for one made of a Molybdenum Vanadium alloy, as OXO proves, is a great metal for knives, however, after losing three knives to poor construction quality, I'm hesitant in purchasing anything made of metal from them now.

When this knife arrived, I was a little disappointed as the blade was longer than the one I had been using. However, the minute I picked it up to cut something, I was delighted. It feels good and it cuts like a dream, better than any paring knife I have yet found. I am so happy that I ignored that unfair negative review.

Love the weight of this knife. It fits my hand perfectly and is perfectly balanced. I use this knife every day. But if you are not accustomed to using a SHARP knife...BE careful! This is a sharp knife. My finger found that out real soon!