A chef’s knife is the most important tool in the kitchen. It’s an all-rounder of kitchen tools. It will slice, dice, chop, descale and smash. You could probably do about 95% of tasks that require a knife in the kitchen with a good chef’s knife.

That’s why of all the knives in your kitchen, I think it’s particularly important to focus on getting a top-quality chef’s knife, one that is right for you, one that is comfortable for you to use and is beautiful to look at.

A quality chef’s knife that is properly maintained can easily last for decades. In fact, if you just take the regular steps of frequent honing and infrequent sharpening to maintain your knife a high-quality chef’s knife could definitely last you your whole lifetime, perhaps even your kids too.

That’s why I’ve written this article. I want to showcase some of the very best chef’s knives you can get, which are still within a reasonable price range. You can go out and find single knives which might cost $300 – $800, ‘handcrafted by a guild of Samurai master in the foothills of Mount Fuji’, but unless you’re an absolute knife buff you probably don’t need to, the funny thing too is that often these knives are much more difficult to maintain than a more western style chef’s knife.

So here’s my list of recommendations for incredible chef’s knives for under $150. A price that’s expensive enough to get really top quality products, but not so expensive that they have been sharpened by blind monks… I’m sure you’ll find something you like.