Mercer Culinary Millennia Curved Boning Knife 6 in (M23820): problems, parts and running costs
Checked: 2026-10-19
Summary
The Millennia curved boning knife is a stiff 6-inch stamped blade whose soft steel is the whole story: owners report fast edge loss and a steel that is hard to refine on a stone. Keeping it running costs almost nothing beyond a honing steel or sharpening stones. It is a strong buy at $17 or less, fair through $22, and weak above $25.
Common problems and fixes
- Steel is soft and gummy on stones — a Reddit owner comparing it with the Victorinox Fibrox describes the steel melting away on the stones, soft and gummy and hard to refine, with a rougher spine finish. The fix is a coarser stone or a professional sharpening service; the limited lifetime warranty covers the knife. [12]
- No sheath included — the knife ships in Mercer Pak packaging with no guard, so safe storage needs a block or a separate guard. [1]
- Care limits cause pitting — hand-wash only, and chlorine, bleach, aluminum pans and prolonged stainless-sink soaking can discolor and pit the steel. Damage from those is not covered by the limited lifetime warranty. [1][11]
Parts and consumables
No replaceable parts or consumables reported.
Yearly running cost
There are no consumables and no electricity. The only recurring cost is sharpening, because the soft HRC 53-54 steel needs regular honing and frequent touch-up sharpening; a honing steel or stones used at home are a one-time purchase, and there is no consumable lock-in.
When it is a good buy
At $17 or less the stiff curved profile, NSF certification and limited lifetime warranty make it a strong budget pick, and the edge-retention caveat is acceptable because resharpening is cheap on this steel. Prices from other stores, checked in October 2026: WebstaurantStore $16.49 (with an earlier snapshot at $15.99), Chefs’ Toys $19.99, Wasserstrom $21.90 against a $33.80 list price, and a Walmart search snapshot at $17.00. Above $25 the Victorinox Fibrox flexible boning knife, a $29-31 pick in two independent roundups, has the stronger test record; the Wüsthof Classic 6-inch flexible was Reviewed’s 2018 Best Overall at $120 for cooks who want a stiffer, harder blade.
Sources
- Mercer Culinary — Millennia Curved Boning Knife 6 in product page
- Mercer Culinary — Millennia Colors Curved Boning Knife 6 in Yellow product page
- Reviewed — Best boning knives and fillet knives
- WebstaurantStore — Mercer Culinary Millennia Colors 6 in Curved Stiff Boning Knife with Brown Handle
- Wasserstrom — Mercer Culinary M23820 Millennia 6 in Black Curved Boning Knife
- Chefs’ Toys — Mercer M23820 Millennia Curved Boning Knife 6 in