The 10 Best Paring Knives for Precise Slicing and Dicing

Best Overall

Made In Paring Knife

$69 at Amazon $69 at Walmart View on Madeincookware.com

The Made In Paring Knife is crafted by a 5th-generation bladesmith in France and hardened with nitrogen gas, resulting in a piece that is long-lasting, resistant to corrosion, and more balanced than other knives. The blade measures just under 4 inches in length, and its full tang, fully forged design combines elements of both German and Japanese knife craftsmanship. A thoughtful gift for anyone who enjoys cooking, the paring knives come in bright red, black, or gorgeous olive wood handles.

In testing, this knife sliced, chopped, diced, and cored produce smoothly and easily. We had no trouble cutting through the flesh of an orange and getting clean segments without imperfections, thanks to its lightweight and precise blade. Even better, the knife remained just as sharp after testing as it had been right out of the box. The handle isn't the most comfortable we've used, but this isn't a deal-breaker. It was also easy to clean by hand—though be sure to dry it immediately after to keep it in good condition.

Blade Material: X50CrMoV15 Stainless Steel | Handle Material: Metal or Olive wood | Blade Style: Spear point | Tang: Full | Blade Length: 3.8 inches | Total Length: 8 inches | Weight: 3.3 ounces

Best Budget

Zyliss Paring Knife with Sheath Cover

$10 at Amazon $21 at Walmart

This budget-conscious paring knife comes with its own sheath, so it’s perfect for tossing into a picnic basket, tucking into a tackle box with fishing gear, or taking to work with your lunch. And even though you won’t spend as much on this knife as you would others, it still has features you’ll appreciate. The 3.5-inch carbon steel blade retains its edge well and is easy to re-sharpen with a personal knife sharpener when needed.

The handle has soft rubber inserts, so it’s easy to hang onto even if you’re peeling under running water. It provides a comfortable grip as well. The sheath protects the knife from bumps and nicks, no matter where you store it, and it protects your hands from accidental jabs when you reach into the drawer. While this knife is dishwasher safe, hand washing is recommended.

Even though it is lightweight with a combination of stainless steel blade and rubber handle, the knife still felt sturdy during testing. It sliced cleanly through everything from a sheet of paper to an orange peel and only fell short with a particularly squishy tomato. It also remained sharp throughout the entire testing process, despite the lower price tag. The one thing we don't love about this knife is the color.

Blade Material: High-carbon stainless steel | Handle Material: Rubber | Blade Style: Spear point | Tang: Undetermined | Blade Length: 3.5 inches | Total Length: 11.25 inches | Weight: 1.9 ounces

Best Splurge

Wusthof Classic Ikon Paring Knife

$115 at Amazon $115 at Wayfair $115 at Williams-Sonoma

Made in Germany, this knife is built for cutting performance, no matter what grip you’re using. You’ll feel confident with it in your hand, whether you’re peeling an apple for a snack or slicing a lemon for a garnish. The handle is a synthetic material that’s designed for kitchen use and is easy to hold even when your hands are wet.

Three rivets and a full tang give the knife great balance, while the sharp 3.5-inch blade slices easily through fruits and vegetables. The bolster is designed to allow you to sharpen the full length of the blade when necessary. Like all fine knives, this should be washed by hand.

We found this knife to be very sharp from start to finish, gliding through tomatoes, shallots, and oranges with ease. It didn't get caught in the produce skins or compromise the quality of the products in any way. The handle also provided a strong, solid grip thanks to its weight and full-tang design. One disadvantage to this knife is its small size, which may make it more difficult to cut through larger items from end to end. Another is that it doesn't come with a blade cover for storage and protection. Although this knife is a pricey investment, it's backed by the sterling reputation of the Wusthof brand.

Blade Material: High-carbon stainless steel | Handle Material: Polyoxymethylene | Blade Style: Spear point | Tang: Full | Blade Length: 3.5 inches | Total Length: 6 inches | Weight: 2.6 ounces

Best Petty Knife

Oishya Sakai Kyuba KYU Petty Paring Knife

View on Oishya.com

A petty knife is shaped somewhat like a small chef’s knife, but is considered a paring knife or utility blade. This one is larger than a typical paring knife with a blade of just under 6 inches, but it’s still petite compared to our slicers and carvers. In our kitchen, it’s one of the most-used knives—we treat it like a utility knife. It’s useful for all but the smallest paring tasks, but the extra length makes it great for slicing vegetables, cutting salad ingredients, and so much more.

It has a beautiful handle, available in blue, brown, or olive green, with a hammered finish on the blade that’s both attractive and functional. Like the Granton edge on larger knives, the divots and bumps of the hammered finish help keep foods from suctioning themselves onto the blade when slicing. The handle is comfortable to hold, and the knife itself is lightweight for its size, making it agile to use. 

This knife arrived super-sharp, as you’d expect from a quality knife, and it held its edge well, despite the amount of use in the kitchen. Sharpening is a breeze—when needed. This knife has been great for halving avocados, slicing tomatoes, and prepping all kinds of vegetables, fruits, and salads. We’ve also been known to use it for slicing or dicing raw or cooked meats. Of course, we hand wash it, but it’s easy to do, and then it goes back into the block where it lives with the rest of the favorites.

Because these knives are handmade, each handle is unique, making them a true one-of-a-kind. For gifting, the knife comes in an attractive box.

Blade Material: 46 Layer, Damascus, VG10: High-Carbon Stainless Steel | Handle Material: Stabilized Maple Burl | Blade Style: Double bevel | Blade Length: 15 centimeters | Total Length: 28 centimeters | Weight: 97 grams

Best Utilitarian

Henckels Classic Precision 4 Inch Paring Knife

$45 at Amazon Orig. $75 $45 at Walmart View on Zwilling.com

When it comes to everyday use in the kitchen for tasks like slicing, coring, and peeling, a good paring knife doesn't necessarily need to be flashy. A classic black, triple-rivet handle and a satin-finish blade offer precision cutting with this Henckels paring knife, while a fully forged design provides durability. It's also conveniently dishwasher safe and boasts an ergonomic handle for tireless cutting.

This knife performed extremely well during testing but particularly excelled with smaller items like shallots, green onions, limes, and kiwis. It was also well suited for chopping cherry tomatoes and mincing garlic. The thin, long blade and skinny tip made jobs like coring larger tomatoes simple, and the hilt at the end of the knife made it easy to hold and control throughout the entire process.

Although this one can dull quickly (especially with every-day use and cleaning in the dishwasher), with regular sharpening it can stay as sharp as new.

Blade Material: German stainless steel | Handle Material: Polyoxymethylene | Blade Style: Spear point | Tang: Full | Blade Length: 3.94 inches | Total Length: 8.27 inches | Weight: 3.98 ounces

Best Full Tang

Global Classic Paring Knife

$65 at Amazon $52 at Wayfair $65 at Williams-Sonoma

Made of a proprietary Cromova 18 high-carbon stainless steel and ice tempered to resist rust and corrosion, this 3.5-inch paring knife is as functional as it is beautiful. It has a curved, ergonomic handle, and its short blade makes it easier to maneuver safely while making the precise types of cuts that paring knives are designed for. Because it has a thinner blade, it maintains a sharp edge even after prolonged use, though it is also easy to sharpen when the time comes.

We appreciate the even cuts this knife made with no tearing or ripping through the skins of harder vegetables like shallots, and it didn't "squeeze" out much juice when cutting segments from an orange. Likewise, the pointy, thin tip of the blade cut a beautiful cone-shaped wedge from the top with clean lines and edges of our tomato and diced without crushing out all the seeds (we even used this knife to clean up the cuts of another knife). It remained incredibly sharp, didn't drag through any cuts, and performed effortlessly all around. It is a shorter blade, but that clearly didn't stop us from adequately performing the tests we used it for. Although the heft is above average at 3.2 ounces, the combination of the weight and textured handle made it easier and safer to grip.

Blade Material: Cromova 18 high-carbon stainless steel | Handle Material: Stainless steel | Blade Style: Spear point | Tang: Full | Blade Length: 3.5 inches | Total Length: 7.25 inches | Weight: 3.2 ounces

Best Gift

Shun Premier Paring Knife

Orig. $169 $90 at Amazon $90 at Williams-Sonoma

Shun is known for premium knives—and this 4-inch paring knife is no exception. It has a layered Damascus steel blade with a hand-hammered finish that reduces drag when you're cutting and helps prevent food from sticking to the blade. The handle is made from PakkaWood and is shaped to provide a comfortable grip for us, but it is straight which could be harder for some people to use.

We love the slight curve to the blade, which made it easier to rock chop than with other Japanese-style knives. Speaking of the blade, it is truly something special. The stunning, hammered finish lends itself to the aesthetic appeal, while the edge itself is extremely sharp from tip to heel. During testing, it moved cleanly through produce and was capable of making thin, precise slices. Hand washing and air-drying are recommended.

Blade Material: Layered stainless steel | Handle Material: Pakkawood | Blade Style: Spear point | Tang: Full | Blade Length: 4 inches | Total Length: 8.25 inches | Weight: 4.5 ounces

Best Japanese

Tojiro DP 3.5-Inch Paring Knife

View on Amazon $65 at Cutleryandmore.com View on Chefknivestogo.com

Japanese knives are famous for their sharpness and precision, and this paring knife is a good example of why. The blade has three layers of metal with stainless steel on the outside to resist rust and corrosion. The angle and shape of the 3.5-inch long blade (called a sheepsfoot-style blade) are not the same as what you’ll find on typical paring knives, but it's still very easy to get used to. This knife comes in a box that can be used for storage.

Regardless of the relatively short blade, this knife's weight and good quality craftmanship make it feel quite sturdy—almost like a small steak knife. According to our tests, the handle is thin and elegant but still comfortable to hold. Coring, dicing, and peeling with this knife was effortless, and it even tackled softer tomatoes with its sharp edge. However, this knife performed best with more delicate work, such as slicing through fruit segments. Hand-washing is recommended, which is easy thanks to its straight lines, stainless steel, and smooth composite handle.

Blade Material: 3-layer clad stainless steel | Handle Material: Composite | Blade Style: Sheep’s foot | Tang: Undetermined | Blade Length: 3.5 inches | Total Length: 14.5 | Weight: 2.2 ounces

Best for New Kitchen

Our Place Precise Paring Knife

View on Fromourplace.com $40 at Nordstrom

The Our Place paring knife enjoys the same stylish color palette and high-quality construction as the brand's popular Always Pan. It's made using premium German steel and a custom grooved handle that's designed to guide your thumb toward comfortable and productive placement. Paired with a mid-range price, full-tang blade, and six different colors to choose from, this knife is the perfect addition to a new or upgraded kitchen.

We love the two indents on the handle near the blade, which make for a good grip and overall improved functionality of the knife. During testing, we also appreciated how balanced the knife felt, noting how it wasn't top or bottom-heavy in hand. Thanks to the super-sharp, pointed blade, even trickier jobs like coring tomatoes and peeling oranges were easy—it sliced cleanly and without much effort at all. Although this knife is hand-wash only, it was simple to clean with soap and water, and even comes with a knife sponge to remove any hard stains and a safety sheath for storage.

Blade Material: German steel | Handle Material: Composite | Blade Style: Spear point | Tang: Full | Blade Length: 4 inches | Total Length: 8.31 inches | Weight: Undetermined

Best Basic

Mercer Culinary M20003 Genesis 3.5 Inch Paring Knife

Orig. $27 $21 at Amazon $30 at Walmart View on Webstaurantstore.com

Don't let the basic design fool you; This 3.5-inch paring knife from Mercer Culinary boasts a high-carbon steel blade and ergonomic, non-slip handle that's both comfortable to hold and surprisingly sturdy (considering the lower price). Lightweight, practical, and backed by Mercer's one-year warranty, it's sure to become an indispensable tool in your kitchen.

We love this knife for its super sharp edge, which makes clean and exact slices. The small blade makes it ideal for more precise or intricate jobs but can work nicely for jobs as simple as peeling fruit and vegetables. The tip of the knife was also impressively accurate, coring and chopping tomatoes with precision. Though it isn't dishwasher safe and the manufacturers suggest hand-wash only to prevent rusting, the soft grip Santoprene handle makes this knife easy to clean. This paring knife is also included in one of our favorite knife sets, along with a utility knife, a boning knife, a bread knife, and a chef's knife.

Blade Material: High-carbon stainless steel | Handle Material: Santoprene | Blade Style: Spear point | Tang: Partial | Blade Length: 3.5 inches | Total Length: 11.63 inches | Weight: 3.17 ounces