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PAUDIN Chef Knife

PAUDIN Chef Knife

By PAUDIN · Kitchen Knives · Kitchen & Cooking

  • 5Cr15MoV high-carbon stainless steel blade
  • Hardness 52-56 HRC
  • Pakkawood handle
  • 8 in. (200 mm) blade length
  • Net weight 196 g

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Problems, parts and running costs

Summary

A budget 8-inch chef knife in 5Cr15MoV stainless with a full tang, a black Pakkawood-style handle and a gift box, aimed at home cooks who want a sharp first “real” knife without spending much. Check the hardness and handle claims before you buy: the steel grade is a budget alloy, and the “Pakkawood” and “German steel” labels are marketing terms the sources cannot confirm.

Strengths

  • Sharp out of the box; testers cut tomatoes cleanly without tearing.
  • Comfortable handle that held up over 20-30 minute prep sessions.
  • One 13-month owner report says the blade stayed sharp, durable and comfortable.
  • Looks and gift-box presentation that reviewers repeatedly call premium for the price.

Weaknesses

  • The edge dulls quickly: one owner’s knife stopped cutting tomato skin without dragging, and PAUDIN’s own copy warns of frequent honing and sharpening.
  • The blade can flex; one owner could twist it back into shape by hand.
  • Hardness is unverified and claimed as 52-56 HRC, 56-plus and 58 HRC across sources.
  • The handle may be synthetic woodgrain rather than real Pakkawood, and the “German steel” claim is not documented to a mill.
  • No sheath or guard ships with it, so plan on a block or magnetic strip.
  • Above about $70 the value gets hard to defend against better-documented budget knives.

Verified specifications

BrandPAUDIN.
Modelclassic 8-inch chef knife, now sold first-party as the “Universal Classic” line.
Blade length8 in (200 mm).
Blade steel5Cr15MoV high-carbon stainless, marketed by PAUDIN as German stainless steel.
HardnessPAUDIN’s own blog claims 58 HRC while the listing spec says 52-56 HRC; no independent test exists.
GeometryPAUDIN’s blog describes a 2 mm blade tapering to 0.25 mm at the cutting side, with a 15° edge; the care guide says 14°.
Patternlaser-etched wave, cosmetic and not Damascus.
Handlesold as Pakkawood; one hands-on reviewer describes a synthetic woodgrain polymer.
Tangfull tang.
Weight196 g listed; about 7.1 oz (201 g) in one test.
Packaginggift box.
Includedknife only; no sharpener, sheath or guard confirmed.
Full research notes and sources

What this knife is

The PAUDIN 8-inch chef knife is a long-running budget design: a 5Cr15MoV stainless blade with a laser-etched wave pattern, a full tang, a three-riveted black handle and a gift box. PAUDIN markets the steel as German high-carbon stainless and the handle as Pakkawood, but neither is verified. Treat “Pakkawood” and “German steel” as marketing terms, not material facts.

Sharpness and edge retention

Out of the box the knife impresses for the price. A multi-day home test found clean tomato slices without tearing, an edge that stayed sharp through days of prep, and comfortable 20-30 minute grip sessions. One cook reports it still sharp after 13 months. The enthusiast community is more divided: owners describe dulling within months and a blade flexible enough to twist back into shape by hand. PAUDIN’s own materials concede the softer steel needs frequent honing and sharpening. Nobody has published a hardness test, so treat the HRC figures as manufacturer claims.

Care, upkeep and cost

Care is standard for the class: hand wash with mild soap and warm water, dry immediately, never dishwasher, hone regularly, and sharpen on a whetstone or with a professional. Use wood or plastic boards, keep it away from bones and frozen food, and store it dry. The only ownership extras are a honing rod and eventually a whetstone or pull-through sharpener. The knife has traded in roughly the $20-60 band for years. PAUDIN’s own US store sells the Universal Classic 8-inch for $59.99 and a gift-box variant for $74.99 (PAUDIN, 2026), and PAUDIN’s German store markets the same knife as a budget pick under €60. Below about $30 it is strong value if you accept a budget steel that needs frequent honing; from $31-50 it is good value; above about $70 the lack of verified hardness and long-term track record makes it a harder sell.

Which model this is

This page covers the classic PAUDIN 8-inch chef knife in the Universal Classic line, sold with a gift box. The Amazon listing is ASIN B07BK4YVB3.

Don’t merge it with PAUDIN’s Pro Kitchen, Cloud Damascus, Plume Luxe, Ultra Dark, Davinci, Vango or Gordes lines, which use different steels and handles.

Sources

Manufacturer:

Independent reviews:

Owner reports:

Buying guides for this category

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