Review on Update International KGE 01 Forged Paring by Michelle Stewart

This series of knives is basically a copy of the "classic" Wüsthoffs or similar Spanish Henckels. They use the same steel, the same handle material (in black) and a very similar design. These are much more expensive knives. Here's what you get for a much lower price: 1) Less steel. The user interfaces are not as thick in the tang or grip of the blade as on a more expensive European knife. While the tang does not break on either knife, the thinner blade changes the balance, making them weaker and slightly less stiff. The steel where the blade meets the handle is stronger than Wüsthof or Henckel, but doesn't really do anything to the functionality of the knife. European blades also tend to taper in thickness over most of the blade length, while UI blades only taper in the last third or so. 2) This paring knife has a slightly short handle. The 4" to 11" knives in this series have about 1 inch longer handles and feel much better in my hand. Short handles are traditional on paring knives, but not necessarily a virtue. 3) Slightly worse finish. The tips of the blades are slightly sharp, but this can be corrected with a few minutes of sharpening. The steel and POM handles are a bit more pitted and less polished than the European ones. The blade is fine out of the box, but gains a minute or two with a fine-grain ceramic sharpener and/or steel. Otherwise it is very similar to European knives, but at a much lower price. I bought mine for less than $4, and at that price I kinda like them. For $10, it's a little harder to generate interest, hence the three stars.