My Chef Husband Swears By Hedley & Bennett Knives

Picking out a set of Hedley & Bennet knives for my chef husband is a lot like him choosing limited-edition New Balance running shoes for me, a shopping writer, sneaker enthusiast and certified personal trainer. Venturing into his domain of mastery was certainly a risk, but I adhered to one simple strategy: What’s the one thing he is always talking about, but would never buy for himself?

My husband works at one of the most popular restaurants in our city. We’re talking lines out the door. With that kind of volume, he needs his knives to be sharp, efficient and reliable for long shifts on the line. I had heard him waxing poetic about Hedley & Bennett knives throughout the years with a sense of deep longing. They were, and continue to be, huge on social media among both chefs and food content creators alike.

The woman-founded, American-made brand is now a staple among high-end restaurateurs and ambitious home cooks, offering a breadth of utensils, aprons, branded apparel and knives that simplify and amplify the food prep experience. It was time to make my husband’s life that much easier with his own trio of trendy knives (from $200) that deserve a special place in your kitchen too.

Sure, all knives are sharp. But not all knives stay sharp. The model I happened to get my husband only requires sharpening twice a year on a whetstone, which is hard to beat. While sharpening depends on usage, he is working with these things several hours a day, so you’ll likely get away with even longer stretches.

I happened to get him the limited-edition Star Wars theme set made out of 67-layered folded Damascus steel bladesthat harken to beskar, an indestructible and lightsaber-proof steel material found in The Mandalorian’s armor. The Star Wars lore might sound gimmicky, but the way my husband’s knife skills have catapulted to new heights is nothing short of very cool to watch. When I visit his restaurant, I sit at the bar watching in awe as he slices and dices with rhythmic aplomb, like a ballet sequence straight out of “The Nutcracker.”

You don’t have to be the head chef at a top restaurant to benefit from this set. In fact, it’s designed with home cooks in mind. Its catch-all chef’s knife allows you to perform a range of straightforward prep tasks like chopping and dicing vegetables, trimming poultry and thinly slicing gin-and beet-marinated gravlax (a specialty at my husband’s restaurant). Its serrated bread knife allows you to cleanly tear into fresh loaves without that dreaded crumble (try it on juicy tomatoes too). Its utility knife for smaller jobs offers precision and accuracy for fine cuts on everything from citrus to herbs.

The chef’s knife, which he works with the most, features an incredibly lightweight build while being capable of handling tough jobs. The best part is that you can effortlessly apply multiple cutting techniques to it, be it a gentle rocking motion or an overhead rough chop.

The knives themselves aren’t dishwasher safe — it can damage the blade — but that’s A-OK because you won’t want to stash them too far anyway. Simply hand wash with dish soap and wipe dry immediately to preserve their integrity and keep them within arm’s reach for inevitable subsequent cooking tasks. They come in an elegant and compact storage box, so stashing them away safely is a breeze. Additionally, a quick pass on a honing rod can help preserve the knives’ structure.

Hedley & Bennett knows you’ll want to keep your knives out on display or use them to have fun showing off your knife skills. To support that, their knives are as pretty to look at as they are a joy to use. Select between on-trend colorways like shiso green, tortoiseshell, caviar black, enoki white and a charcoal gray Star Wars-themed set with only 3,000 units produced. “When I’m prepping at work and put my box of knives off to the side and someone walks by and sees it, they freak out asking me what it is and saying it’s the coolest thing ever,” says my husband.

Don’t take it from me, nor my chef husband. These knives are real crowd-pleasers, boasting 4.8 stars and a 96% recommendation rating from pleased users on Hedley & Bennett’s website. Keep scrolling to see what some customers had to say.

“These knives make great gifts. I own the utility and chef knife (as well as knives by other makers), but these are the blades I use most often. They feel great in the hand, are well-balanced and hold an edge. I just bought my nephew the utility and chef knives for his birthday and he was thrilled. Customer service is very attentive as well; they have responded to many emails promptly and been very helpful. Highly, highly recommend the company. — David J.

“These knives are absolutely incredible. I have never worked in a professional kitchen before and have never used professional knives like these and I have to say this has truly been eye opening. I used to always wonder why in videos certain knife skills looked so easy but when I tried them it proved more difficult. I soon realized that apparently I was using knives manufactured in the neolithic period and nothing compared to what you guys produce. 10/10 overall.” — Eric E.

“Great knives! I wanted the chef knife when it was first announced but they had sold out. So happy to get the whole set at a discount and in my favorite color too! As a retired chef these are definitely the kind of knives I would use in my old profession. Still happy to support H&B even in my post-restaurant life.” — Matthew