For many people who have went to a CIA (Cuisine Institute of America) school and those who are looking for quality knives for a lower price, can’t go wrong with Mercer.
Sure, many people would love to own Shun Classic or Premiere, Yoshihiro, Ginsu Chikara or Kershaw Pure Komachi knives but at $125-$400 per knife, unless you have the money, you’re going to look for knives that are affordable but also does the job remarkably well.
And for the affordable side that are also quality knives, the two top names out there are Mercer or Victorinox Forschner.
While Mercer makes different types of knives from their well-known Genesis, their Millenia and their Renaissance, I’m reviewing the Mercer Culinary M19105 Zum 6-Piece Forged Block Set.
Premier high-carbon, no-stain German steel that is resistant to rust, corrosion and discoloration. With a Delrin handle modeled for an ergonomic grip and a rounded spine for comfort.
The set comes with a Beech Wood and Glass block to hold the knives and also allows the knives after washing to drip down and not soak into the wood. Love the look and design. But there is an issue, the glass touching the surface is not fully level and there is a slight wobble.
The set comes with a 3″ pairing knife, 6″ utility-wavy edge knife (serrated), 8″ chef’s chop/dice/mince knife, 8″ bread knife – wavy edge (serrated) and 6″ boning knife.
These knives do cover the basics and I do like how the full tang runs the entire length of the handle.
But before one will say, but there are other German steel knives that are sold on Amazon and they cost much less, but knives are not all created equal and Mercer goes as far to even list the type of metal and carbon on their knives as well.
Now is this set perfect? Aside from the slightly wobbly case (which is not so bad, it’ll stand and hold the knives), I wish Mercer included a Santoku Knife (Mercer Culinary Genesis 7-Inch Forged Santoku Knife) than a utility knife. I know this is subjective but it would be my preference.
And I wish that Mercer included a knife sharpening tool. But you can purchase this if necessary -> Mercer Culinary Genesis 10-Inch Knife Sharpening Steel
And really to be a perfect set, I would have loved for Mercer to have included one of my favorites -> Mercer Culinary 7-Inch Kitchen Cleaver
And that would have made this the ultimate culinary set.
JUDGMENT CALL:
Overall, the Mercer Culinary M19105 Zum 6-Piece Forged Block Set is a fantastic set for its price and quality. Mercer knives do last. Is it perfect? Aside from the slightly wobbly block, if Mercer would replace the utility knife with a Santoku knife, add the Cleaver and the sharpening tool and this would be the ultimate Mercer Culinary set.
