According to Amazon Shoppers, This $27 Chef Knife Lasts for Over Three Decades

After enough time in New York City, you become a little numb to questionable situations. For example, the other night after I took the trash out and checked my mailbox, I heard a slow, creepy knocking that continued as I climbed the stairs. Not today, ghost! And when I moved into my apartment four years ago, the only thing I found in the kitchen drawers was a huge knife. Evidence of a butcher who once lived in the apartment? Maybe. However, this knife is so spectacular, if anyone ever comes for it I'll probably lie to their face.

The Ginsu Gourmet Chikara Series Stainless Steel Santoku Knife, which I have now adopted as my own, was my first introduction to seven-inch blades. While I was initially intimidated by its size (and how it ended up in my apartment), I quickly grew to love the ease and speed with which it slices any type of food. Precision onion-chopping techniques suddenly became doable, I could chop cherry tomatoes without the guts bursting out, and it's even able to slip through tough winter squashes without a lengthy softening-up process.

The Santoku chef's knife is lightweight and durable, and the Japanese stainless steel is so resilient, I haven't needed to sharpen it yet, despite using it near-daily for years. Amazon shoppers are likewise impressed: One person writes of it slicing fruit "like butter" with little pressure, and I can confirm—as someone with hands on the small side and not much arm strength, the handle fits comfortably in my palm and lets me chop even the firmest root veggies without getting tired or cramped hands.

To buy: $27 at amazon.com

"I find this knife extremely comfortable, sharp and balanced, and possibly more versatile than a traditional chef's knife," another person writes, and others call it the best value you can get for under $30. Speaking to the brand's quality, one shopper says their first Ginsu chef knife lasted 15 years before the handle gave out. Another seconds that they've owned their Ginsu knives for 35 years, and they're still as good as the day the wrapping came off.

That might be why shoppers compare it to knives five times the price, and since the knife comes with a lifetime limited warranty, if something does happen, you're taken care of. But given the quality, that seems unlikely. "I use them regularly and have NEVER, yes NEVER had to sharpen them," the long-time owner above continues. "Best blade purchase I've ever made!"