How We Test Knives and Whetstones

Nothing goes into a buying guide until it has been through every step below. Knives we haven't finished testing are labelled "not tested yet" and carry no buy button.

1. We buy it

We pay retail for every knife and stone, from ordinary retailers. We don't accept free review samples, so no brand chooses what we test.

2. We measure it

Every knife gets the same measurements, published in a "Measured" box on its pages:

• Weight, on a scale reading to 0.1 g
• Edge length and blade height at the heel
• Spine thickness at the heel, the middle and 1 cm from the tip, with digital calipers
• Factory edge angle per side, with the marker method and a digital angle gauge
• Balance point, measured from the heel

Steel and hardness come from the maker's published specs and are labelled as such.

3. We cut the same food with it

The same set of cuts for every knife, on the same board, photographed the same way: dicing an onion, slicing a ripe tomato, cutting carrot coins (to see wedging), chiffonading basil and slicing a chicken breast. Then a month of normal home cooking.

4. We check the edge over time

We note how the factory edge holds up over the month, then sharpen each knife on the same stones and check how easily it takes an edge.

Whetstones

Stones are judged on how fast they raise a burr on the same knife, how much they dish after use, whether they need soaking, how much mud they make and how the edge feels afterwards.

5. We keep guides current

Buying guides show an update date and a short changelog. We recheck availability and price bands every quarter and remove products that are discontinued or have changed for the worse.