Everyone Needs a Petty Knife—I Tested 13 to Find the Best Ones

Years ago, I was watching a YouTuber’s cooking channel, and was intrigued by the short, triangular knife he used for all his produce prep. It was a petty knife, and when I first tested them back in 2023, I came to understand why many chefs and home cooks reach for this blade. It measures between 4.5 and six inches, somewhere between a chef’s knife and a paring knife. Petty knives give you the agility of a paring knife with the length and versatility of a chef’s knife—but without the bulk. I fell in love. 

It’s been a while since I first reviewed petty knives, so I was more than happy to test them again to find a great blade to introduce this category of knife to the masses. Because once you start using a petty knife, you can’t go back. 

The Winners, at a Glance 

The slightly curved, triangular-shaped blade on this knife made it easy to slice and dice. Its asymmetric bevel also made it deadly sharp, and it sliced without any resistance; no catching, no seesawing, no nothing. It’s a beautiful little knife. 

While this is called a utility knife, it has a Japanese-style, triangular blade that makes it quite versatile. It wasn’t the sharpest of the lot, but it still minced shallots and diced carrots with precision and ease.  

This is designated as a six-inch chef’s knife, but for my intents and purposes, it’s a petty knife—and a great one at that. The curved blade is beginner-friendly and great for rock-chopping, while the six-inch length makes it adept at slicing produce large and small. This is the only petty knife I tested that I’d use to cut a winter squash. 

With a gorgeous, fishscale-patterned blade and slim birch pakkawood handle, this petty knife sure is a looker. But it also has the chops as an efficient slicer and dicer, with a keen blade and pointed tip that’s great for precision work. 

This knife was a case of love at first sight; it’s just gorgeous, with its dimpled side and sleek, chrome-shiny blade. The blade is more akin to a Western-style utility knife: straight and pointed, which makes it good for slicing and a long, sliding stroke. (It excelled at butterflying chicken breast.) It’s wicked sharp, and its long blade fluidly diced carrots and minced shallots—no stops and starts. 

One of my biggest qualms with Shun knives is their typically round, slippery handles. But this knife solves that problem with a slim, matte handle that was a true pleasure to grip. The straight blade was keen, and its six-inch length made it versatile, and it only took a few swipes to butterfly a chicken breast. 

This petty knife has a blade that resembles a kiritsuke knife, with an extremely angled top edge that slopes down to the tip. Its slim, faceted wooden handle is perfectly proportioned, and the blade easily slipped through hardy carrots and shiny tomatoes alike. 

The Tests

• Sharpness Measurement Test: As I do with all knife tests, I took the average sharpness reading of each knife using the Edge-on-Up Professional Edge Tester before and after testing. 
• Tomato Slicing Test: My favorite knife test of all time! Tomatoes are cute and round and squishy, and this is exactly why they are a helluva tough test for a dull knife (minus the cute bit). Any blade that’s wavering between sharp and slightly dull will seesaw over a tomato’s ripe, bubble shape, and mash into it rather than swiftly slice through. 
• Shallot Test: Mincing a shallot requires a sharp, precise blade, so this test examined just that. 
• Carrot Test: I used each knife to slice carrots into planks, then julienne and mince them. I wanted to see if the knives split the carrots or cleanly sliced through their woody cores. 
• Chicken Breast Test (Winners Only): I used the winning petty knives to butterfly a chicken breast to see how well they tackled a slippery piece of meat. 

What I Learned 

What’s the Difference Between a Petty Knife and a Utility Knife?

There is a pretty big difference between the two, even though many brands label their products interchangeably. According to the book Sharp by Josh Donald, petty knives are Japanese in origin and were created as an equivalent to Western-style utility knives. Both are small, shorter knives, around 4.5 to six inches long—longer than a paring knife but shorter than a chef’s knife. Their blade shapes differ dramatically: Western utility knives have long, straight, pointed blades, while most petty knives have more triangular blades. Utility knives are great for trimming, slicing, coring, and cutting small ingredients, like shallots or strawberries. Because of their pointed, straight blades, they require a slicing motion, or else you might hit your knuckles on the cutting board. Conversely, petty knives often have curved bellies that lend themselves to more of a rocking-chop motion. They don’t have the extreme curve of a Western chef’s knife, but there’s enough of a belly there to fudge it. Because of this, I find triangular petty knives more intuitive to use, though straighter blades have their place. 

While petty and utility knives are distinct, there was a lot of variation in the blades I tested. Some knives were called utility knives but had more of a curved, petty knife-esque shape, like the Shun Hikari Utility Knife. Others, like the Glestain K Series Petty, were more similar in shape to a utility knife. In the end, if you’re looking for one style of knife over the other, I’d look at images rather than rely on what a brand calls a knife. 

What’s a Petty Knife Good For?

Petty knives have the agility and precision of a paring knife and some of the length and heft of a chef’s knife. While I wouldn’t use a petty knife to break down a butternut squash, these deft little blades are excellent at a variety of prep tasks, like chopping alliums, coring bell peppers, dicing tomatoes, and even breaking down whole chickens. Their brilliance is in their ability to make precise cuts, and if they have a triangular shape, they also excel at chopping and mincing. 

Knife Length and Shape Mattered 

As I explained, triangular petty knives are easier to use than straighter utility knives. The former can be lifted near the heel and brought down (the rock-chop), while utility knives, like the Wüsthof Classic Utility Knife, require a sliding motion when chopping. But another factor that affected ease of use was blade length: Longer blades were more conducive to consecutive cuts than shorter ones. For example, during my carrot test, the shorter Wüsthof Classic Asian Utility Knife struggled to reach across a bunch of batons in one chop—lengthwise, it felt more like a paring knife than a petty knife. Conversely, the Mac had the length to slice batons into brunoise in one fell swoop. I’m not saying the Wüsthof is bad, but it’s just better suited to smaller cuts and motions, like mincing a shallot, rather than tackling larger produce. 

All the Petty Knives Were Quite Sharp

If you’re wondering why I have so many recommendations for petty knives, it’s because most of them stayed sharp throughout my tests. The only test where any knives really struggled was the tomato one, which is tricky to ace. Tomato skin is taut and rubbery, and even minor dullness shows, with a blade seesawing over the exterior. 

Let’s Talk Knife Bevel! 

Knife nerds gather ‘round! A knife’s bevel is the angle that its edge tapers to on each side. There are symmetrical bevels (the same taper on both sides), asymmetrical bevels (one side has a more extreme taper than the other), and single-bevel (only one side tapers, while the other is flat). There are pros and cons to each of these, but in short, symmetrical bevels are the most user-friendly.

To get them back into sharp shape, you can give the knife a few swipes on a honing rod. Asymmetric and single-bevel blades are often sharper than symmetric bevels, but require a little more control on the part of the user, since they tend to peel to one side when slicing. Single-bevel blades are also single-handed, so if you’re left-handed, you’ll want to make sure the bevel is on the right side, and vice versa if you’re a righty. I have both single and dual-bevel winners, so choose the knife with the bevel you’ll be the most comfortable with. 

The Criteria: What to Look for in a Petty Knife

A good petty knife should be sharp, agile, and have a comfortable, balanced handle. Whether you choose a Western utility-style knife or a Japanese petty is up to you, but I prefer the more versatile, triangular blade of the latter. Symmetrical bevels are the most user-friendly, but if you’re confident in your cutting skills, an asymmetric or single-bevel blade will be sharper (and stay sharper). Finally, look for a longer blade, about five inches long, which can tackle bigger prep projects, like dicing onions, better than shorter blades.  

My Favorite Petty Knives 

What I liked: This deft petty knife has a single-bevel, making for an incredibly keen blade. It sliced through tender tomatoes without mashing them, but still had the oomph to cut through carrots. Dicing shallots was like cutting through butter, and resulted in perfect lavender cubes. The petite handle was well-balanced, and the blades’ slightly curved edge made a rock-chop motion doable. This is a wonderful all-purpose knife! 

What I didn’t like: The very single bevel that makes this knife so sharp means that it requires a more controlled cutting approach. It also means you’ll need to buy a right-handed or left-handed knife. The shorter blade couldn’t reach across a pile of julienned carrots to mince them as easily as longer knives. 

Key Specs

• Weight: 2.3 ounces
• Blade length: 5.25 inches
• Handle length: 3.5 inches
• Bevel: Single-bevel
• Materials: AUS-8 Molybdenum Vanadium stainless steel, pakkawood

What I liked: This no-frills petty knife has the perfect length and blade shape to make it a great all-rounder. The slightly curved, triangular blade easily reached across carrot sticks and carved neatly through shallot layers. It was one of my favorites the first time I tested petty knives, and it held its keen edge for months.

What I didn’t like: The Mac felt duller slicing tomatoes than most of the other knives I tested. 

Key Specs

• Weight: 2.9 ounces
• Blade length: 6 inches
• Handle length: 4 inches
• Bevel: Dual (50/50) 
• Materials: Stainless steel, wood

What I liked: If you’re looking for a user-friendly intro to petty knives, this is it. The Victorinox is almost shaped like a small chef’s knife (hence its name), with a curved belly that makes it easy to cut with a rock-chopping motion. The pointed tip also lets you make neat, precise incisions. Its sharp blade sliced swiftly through all of my tests. The handle might not be flashy, but it's grippy, which gives you lots of control.

What I didn’t like: There really isn’t anything. 

Key Specs

• Weight: 2.5 ounces
• Blade length: 6.25 inches
• Handle length: 5.25 inches
• Bevel: Dual (50/50) 
• Materials: Stainless steel, Fibrox

What I liked: This was a winner last time I tested petty knives and was one that I kept in my arsenal. And in my latest round of testing, it shone again for its keen edge, precise pointed tip, and user-friendly blade shape. It easily sliced through anything I pitted it against, proving that beauty can combine with brawn to make an excellent knife. 

What I didn’t like: It’s expensive (hence “splurgeworthy”), and the handle was a little wide and slippery. The blade dulled after testing, but still felt sharp. 

Key Specs

• Weight: 4.2 ounces
• Blade length: 6 inches
• Handle length: 4.5 inches
• Bevel: Dual (50/50)
• Materials: Stainless steel, birch pakkawood

What I liked: This blade was my knife in shining armor (hehe) because it was so beautifully shiny. Dazzling looks aside, I just couldn’t get enough of it: It’s sharp, it has just enough heel space to allow for chopping, and it precisely and promptly punctured tomatoes, sliced shallots, and cut carrots. The indents in the side helped pieces of food fall by the wayside after each swipe. I felt like I was wielding a small but mighty sword and cutting a path through a sea of vegetables. 

What I didn’t like: The straight blade is less intuitive to work with, though it had enough of a heel that you could do an up-down chop. 

Key Specs

• Weight: 3 ounces
• Blade length: 5.75 inches
• Handle length: 4 inches
• Bevel: Dual (50/50)
• Materials: Acuto steel, composite wood

What I liked: This pretty Damascus steel blade was a nice length and had a keen edge that tackled my tests with ease and grace. I liked the compact, matte handle, which let me get a good grip. It swiftly cut through chicken, butterflying it cleanly and with little effort. 

What I didn’t like: Like other Western-style utility knives, the Shun has a straight edge that’s less intuitive to cut with than a rounded belly. 

Key Specs

• Weight: 2.7 ounces
• Blade length: 6 inches
• Handle length: 3.75 inches
• Bevel: Dual (50/50)
• Materials: Stainless steel, pakkawood

What I liked: The steeply angled top edge of the Kawahiro is similar to a kiritsuke knife, creating a pointy, precise tip. This made it easy to slice through shallots and pierce the exterior of a tomato. The pretty wooden faceted handle was pleasant to grip, if a little light. 

What I didn’t like: The blade is a little short, which makes it less versatile. 

Key Specs

• Weight: 2.6 ounces
• Blade length: 5 inches
• Handle length: 4.75 inches
• Bevel: Dual (50/50)
• Materials: VG10 super steel, wooden handle (akagi, ebony, blue turquoise)

The Competition 

Every single petty and utility knife I tested was, at minimum, a solid knife. So when reading about the blades that didn’t make the cut, know that I was nitpicking. Every blade felt quite sharp and would make its owner happy. 

• Tojiro DP Petty/Utility Knife: This is an excellent knife that would have been my winner, but it is constantly out of stock (boo). If it’s available, I think it’s worth buying. 
• Wüsthof Classic Asian Utility Knife: This was a sharp, nimble knife that is great for anyone who is used to a rock-chopping cutting motion. My only qualm is that the blade is a bit short, which makes chopping longer foods, like carrots, feel cramped. 
• Wüsthof Classic Utility Knife: Another sharp Wüsthof offering, this knife is a great option if you feel comfortable using a very slim, straight utility-style blade. The handle is grippy, and the blade excels at long, slicing strokes. I do wonder if most people would find its utility limited, though, because it takes more mastery to use. 
• Chubo Inox Petty 150mm (5.9"): This was a nice knife that was just edged out by the winners in terms of sharpness; it struggled a little to puncture tomato skin. 
• Akira-Saku Blue #2 Petty 150mm (5.9"): This is a beautiful, hammered-style knife that sharply sliced through shallots and carrots. It did face a small amount of resistance against a tomato, but it was negligible. The blade is a bit thick and stiff, which is the only reason it didn’t make it to the podium. But still, if you buy this knife, you’ll likely cherish it. 

FAQs

How do you sharpen a petty knife?

Like with any knife, we recommend using a whetstone to sharpen if you can. If you buy a single-or asymmetrical-bevel knife, it’s essential, since many pull-through sharpeners work both sides of the blade. 

How is a petty knife different from a paring knife?

Petty knives are longer than paring knives and often have a more triangular shape. This makes them more versatile and they can break down larger foods, like onions, better than a small paring knife. 

Why We’re the Experts 

• Grace Kelly is a senior editor at Serious Eats. 
• She’s been testing and reviewing kitchen gear for over three years. 
• She worked in restaurant kitchens as a prep cook, where she diced and chopped tons of produce daily. 
• She first tested petty knives in 2022, and recently re-tested the winners, as well as a bunch of new knives.