Key Specs: Mannkitchen MK9
This week we stumbled on some new kitchen gear from a US -based brand, Männkitchen. While it all sounds very manly, “Männ” is actually old Norse dialect meaning my or mine and hence Männkitchen refers to “my kitchen”. We got to test out their MK9 Chef Knife which is a absolute beast of a blade that I have no doubts will prove to be a powerhouse in the kitchen.
What sets this aside from your average chef’s knife is (1) the size and heft of this thing which is clearly made for big, manly hands, (2) the CTS-BD1N stainless steel blade where the ‘N’ stands for Nitrogen which in laymans terms improves hardness and corrosion resistance and (3) the shape of the knife includes a convex spine and extra wide blade all intended to improve the user experience in a kitchen environment. You can really see the size difference compared to a standard Wusthof Classic chef knife below.
The construction of the MK9 is pretty impressive too. Everything is smooth with no noticeable flaws including the flat ground blade which was nice and even.
Well that all sounds great but how does it perform in the real world? Pretty damn good actually. We found it very comfortable to use (which is always a key factor when it comes to chef’s knives) and tackled everything we threw at it with ease in terms of cutting performance. A very well balanced knife overall.
In addition to the MK9 Chef Knife we also sprung for a set of their MK54S Steak Knives. Oh boy, these things mean business. They utilize the same CTS-BD1N steel as the chef’s knife and are equally well built with good attention the detail.
What’s unique about these steak knives is the tanto blade shape which provides a secondary point on the blade which is intended to be the sole striking point of the cutting surface (plate, chopping board, etc.). That way, the rest of the blade avoids dulling when rubbing against these surfaces and stays sharp for much longer. That’s the theory anyway, and I’ll be interested to see how these hold up over time. All in all I love the feel of these knives and while they are pricey, the materials are top notch and they’re extremely durable.
While I’ve only had them a week or so, I’ve been pretty impressed with the Mannkitchen chef and steak knives. While the market is super saturated for products like this I appreciate newcomers who are willing to push the boundaries of innovation and creative design to take on the big boys. With that, I encourage you to give these a try. Head over to Mannkitchen to see for yourself.
