Mercer was originally formed as a cutlery company in New York City, while Victorinox started as an armament company in Ibach, Switzerland before moving into cutlery and other tools.
Both these brands are of great repute and have a considerable following based on their products. Victorinox and Mercer represent a great investment for several reasons. Each one of them has amazing features that make them equally good in certain aspects of functionality. These two brands have been around for a while and each brand has carved out a niche for itself.
If you’re one of those people who is looking to get a solid knife but aren’t sure about which brand you should buy, then this review of Victorinox Vs Mercer would be of great help to you.
Mercer Vs Victorinox Overview:
Mercer and Victorinox are certainly among the most well-known knife brands. Both companies offer extremely good quality knives that many people swear by. In fact, a quick google search for the best chef’s knife will bring up a ton of Mercer and Victorinox options as well as countless customer reviews singing their praises.
While both brands produce high-quality products, there are a few key differences between them. The two knives may look extremely similar to one another at first glance, but take a closer look and you’ll notice that they have different features.
Mercer Facts:
Mercer Knives feature a surgical-grade blade that is made from high-carbon steel for superior sharpness and strength.
A blade’s quality comes down to its edge retention. If it can’t hold an edge well, it won’t be able to slice through material effectively. Mercer blades are sharpened to a razor edge yet designed to hold that edge for an incredibly long time without frequent re-sharpening.
Victorinox Facts:
Victorinox is best known for its Swiss Army Knives. A lot of people swear by these knives because they’re known to be durable and long-lasting. And while that may be true, there are also some downsides to owning one of these fine pieces of engineering. One of them is that they tend to bend quite easily when put under extreme amounts of pressure.
Mercer Pros & Cons:
Mercer knives are more durable than Victorinox knives. Unfortunately, Mercer doesn’t offer its products at a variety of price points. Therefore, if you’re looking for high-quality cutlery but you don’t want to spend too much money on it, you may prefer Victorinox. You can get an excellent knife for less money—and one that comes with useful bells and whistles—if you go with Victorinox.
Victorinox Pros & Cons:
The major advantage of a Victorinox knife is that they are very sharp and can cut through almost anything. This comes from both how well-crafted they are as well as their state-of-the-art steel. They’re also incredibly lightweight for their size, which is ideal for those who want to use them for extended periods of time without tiring out. Their cons lie in one simple fact: they do not stay sharp very long.
Victorinox Vs Mercer Knives, Comparison:
Here we put Mercer vs Victorinox side by side to give you an in-depth analysis of these two famous knife brands.
Origin of Both Knife Brands:
Both of these brands are manufactured outside China. For instance, Mercer is produced in Taiwan using German steel while Victorinox is made in Switzerland.
Blade Steel:
One of the most important features of both brands is their blade steel. Victorinox and Mercer’s stainless steel blades are made from X50CrMoV15. This material offers superior edge retention and corrosion resistance.
Sharpness:
Knives from both brands are sharp and safe to use. Their edges stay sharp for a long time but need a little touch-up once in a while.
Construction:
Mercer knives are always forged while Victorinox knives are usually stamped. A forged knife is stronger than a stamped knife; however, it also costs more. The main advantage of stamped knives is that they are much cheaper than their forged counterparts.
Handle Material:
The handle material of a knife is very important. Both Mercer and Victorinox knives have quality handle materials. The handle materials include polypropylene for their basic models and TPE (Thermoplastic Elastomer), Polyoxymethylene (POM) for their high-end models.
Mercer uses Polyoxymethylene (POM) while its competitor uses TPE (Thermoplastic Elastomer) material in high-end knives. Nevertheless, both brands are good choices due to their top-quality handles.
Price:
Both of these knife brands make a range of useful products when it comes to knives. However, there is a huge difference in price. Mercer knives tend to be significantly more expensive than their Victorinox counterparts.
For instance, Victorinox Fibrox Pro 8 inch Chef’s Knife costs $40. On the other hand, Mercer Culinary Renaissance 8-Inch Chef’s Knife costs $55.
Check out our article on Best Kitchen Knives Under $100
Warranty:
A big advantage of buying an expensive, high-quality knife is that it usually comes with a warranty. Both brands Mercer and Victorinox offer a lifetime warranty that covers defects in workmanship or materials. The warranty will cover repairs or replacement if your knife develops any problems.
Mercer Knife Collections:
- MX3
- Renaissance
- Millennia
- ZÜM
- Genesis
- Praxis
- Ultimate White
- Asian Collection
Victorinox Knife Collections:
- Grand Maître
- Swiss Modern
- Fibrox
- Swiss Classic
Which Brand Is Better?
When comparing Mercer and Victorinox knives, it is difficult to choose one brand over another. After using both of these brands of knives myself on a daily basis for more than six months now. I’ve come to an objective conclusion that Mercer certainly has a superior quality than Victorinox, but the price of Victorinox is obviously cheaper than mercer. So if you’re on a tighter budget Victorinox may be the right choice.
