MERCER CULINARY GENESIS UTILITY KNIFE 5 INCH M20405

Customer questions and answers

• How long do these stay sharp for?
  Most importantly you must only ever use knives like this on a wooden or soft plastic (not glass !!) chopping board ,or you will ruin them very quickly. This is not a fault of the knife as this applies to all good quality knives . This knife is made of very good quality steel so will last a decent time before it needs… see more Most importantly you must only ever use knives like this on a wooden or soft plastic (not glass !!) chopping board ,or you will ruin them very quickly. This is not a fault of the knife as this applies to all good quality knives . This knife is made of very good quality steel so will last a decent time before it needs sharpening, but this is obviously totally dependent on how often you use it - it could be one day or one year. The important point is not how long it will stay sharp , but to realize that good quality knives like this are meant to be sharpened as and when necessary . A ceramic stone of some description is probably the best option for the inexperienced , and a couple of light strokes will restore a razor like edge unless it has become extremely blunted,which you shouldn't really allow to happen in the first place . According to Mercier you should sharpen this knife at a 16 degree angle on each side. If you intend to use good quality chefs knives of any make , you must learn to sharpen them , as they are simply not designed to stay sharp for ever, but rather they are designed to be regularly sharpened. Those knives that are advertised to stay sharp forever are simply a gimmick , and you won't find one being used by any decent chef on planet Earth. Sharpening a knife is a basic skill for any chef , and a good quality life is a lifelong investment. As usual there are about a zillion YouTube videos on the subject. Hope this helps you ps I don't want to sound condescending, but if you have never used a really sharp knife like this before , please be careful , as it could cause serious mutilation . You should never need to push a good chef's knife with much force - if you do it needs sharpening. This is where the saying a sharp knife is a safe knife comes from - you should only ever be using it with a light touch,never forcing it, meaning it shouldn't suddenly fly off and remove your finger . see less

• What is the angle of the blade?
  Don't know about this particular knife,but I have a Mercer Genesis chef's knife which has a 16 degree sharpening angle. I found this out by emailing the company, so I am sure they will be able to tell you the sharpening angle for your particular knife.

• Country of manufacture
  Borneo

• Is this suitable for honing global knives?
  Yes, works with every knife