Zyliss is a pretty established kitchen brand, and they make generally solid stuff. I have an awesome Zyliss can opener that I’ve used for going on 20 years now, and these paring knives—while not as awesome as that—are plenty good. The orange-handled knife has a plain edge and is a bit shorter (by maybe 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch) than the gray-handled serrated knife. The images on the product page make both knives look like they’re same length, but that’s an optical illusion. Both handles are the same length, but the blades are different. Both knives come with plastic sheaths so you can store these knives safely in your cutlery drawer. Just be aware that because the blades are different lengths, the sheaths are necessarily different lengths, too; they’re not universal. That’s not a big deal, but you might find yourself reaching for the wrong sheath from time to time. The blades themselves are made from 1.4116 German stainless steel. This is a high-carbon steel commonly used for cutlery and has relatively low Rockwell hardness (54-57 HRC). It’s extremely corrosion-resistant, so you can wash and dry these knives in the dishwasher. The steel is also easy to sharpen (though you’ll need to take special care to sharpen the serrated blade). The fancy knife handles seem stable enough for dishwasher use, too. They’re some kind of textured plastic, apparently made from wheat straw to reduce petrochemical waste or something. That’s cool, as long as they don’t get gross. So far, so good on that front. The handles have a grainy matte feel to them, and their shape is wieldy and usable, even if you have big hands. These are nice paring knives, and the price on them is reasonable, too. I’m not sure I care about the “eco-friendly” handle gimmick, but it’s fair enough, and the colors are muted but still have some pop to them. NOTES: ✏️ These knives were a total pain in the butt to unwrap. They’re encased in some kind of super annoying vacuum-sealed plastic, and the stuff came off in thin, endless strips. It was like peeling a carrot the long way round. (Which, now that I think about it, is kind of fitting for paring knives.) PROS 👍 Excellent brand pedigree (Zyliss) 👍 Nice materials and sturdy construction 👍 Good quality German steel (1.4116); stainless and easy to sharpen 👍 Handles are grippy without being sticky 👍 Good aesthetics and ergonomics; nice colors 👍 Sheaths included 👍 Sharp out of the box 👍 Decent value for money CONS 👎 Difficult to unwrap knives from vacuum sealed plastic VERDICT 😃 I would buy this again. Read more
I have never heard of the Zyliss brand before getting these and I feel like I have really been missing out. These are shockingly good quality knives that arrived very sharp, packaged well (maybe a little TOO well), and they work perfectly as a basic kitchen paring knives. They're comfortable and secure in my hands and after several evenings of use preparing dinner they have maintained their edge quite well. Read more
I’ve had other Zyliss products and find them to generally be of good quality. This 2-piece knife set, one smooth blade and one serrated blade, offers the two styles of paring knives that we use the most in our busy kitchen. The knives have sharp quality blades that come with a protective sheath for each knife. We keep our paring knives in a drawer, so we appreciate the extra protection from accidental cuts. The handles are made out of an eco-friendly product called “wheat straw” which is new to me. I hope the handles hold up to heavy use and go through the dishwasher. The handles are comfortable to hold and use, lightweight, and easy to clean. I appreciate that the handles come in two different colors. It helps to quickly distinguish between the serrated and smooth blade knives. We use our paring knives more than any other type of knife in the kitchen. I have used these paring knives for cutting and peeling apples, cutting cheddar cheese into squares, and other quick prep jobs, such as cutting and trimming veggies. I don’t have any complaints so far. They perform just like my high-end brand paring knife in sharpness, balance, and handle comfort. I just hope the wheat straw handles hold up and don’t split or fall apart. At this point, I can say this 2-piece set is definitely a good value for the quality. Read more
I love my Japanese cutlery for chef's knives and vegetable cleavers, but for paring knives I've learned to keep things simple and inexpensive, which is exactly what these knives are. These knives have the same blade profile as my Victorinox paring knives, but the handles are much more substantial. So the knives are light and deft, and good for intricate cuts, but they give a much better grip. I haven't yet decided if I prefer the larger handles. The blades, marketed as "German Stainless" are also comparable to other inexpensive paring knives. The steel takes a good edge, but is fairly soft, so the blades don't stay sharp very long. That's OK though--just a few strokes on a ceramic rod (or sharpener of choice) and you're slicey again. The blades do come quite sharp out of the box, so you'll be able to use them right away. The straight blade is great for quartering and coring apples, and I've found the serrated knife to excel at slicing tomatoes and kiwis without squashing them. I agree with those who had an issue with packaging. I ended up dulling my current knife blade cutting the twine that holds the knives to the card (the "twine" has a wire core), and I had a devil of a time peeling off the plastic head-to-toe shrinkwrap. I did not see the hole that another reviewer mentioned. I'm curious to see how the wheat straw handles hold up under use. Overall, these are good quality and very usable, for a price a bit lower than other knives in the same class. Read more
