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cult score7.6

January 19, 2023

Hedley & Bennett

Chef's Knife

Maybe the first product from H&B that I didn't feel was way overpriced… Maybe?

8” Brad Leone Signature Series Chinese Santoku Cleaver

Gimmicky? Absolutely. But it's a pretty damn good gimmick (if you have long enough fingers).

Stela

I thought this was the most promising scale when I bought it, but... it just couldn't pull its weight.

Nutro

I'm torn. In a lot of ways this scale is great, but there are enough issues that I can't wholeheartedly recommend it.

KQ908

Despite my lack of love for KitchenAid and their over-reliance on old patents, I'm super impressed with this scale design.

3817

This scale is super inaccurate, feels bad to use, ugly, and you shouldn't buy it.

KD-8000

This was the unit that started this whole review process. The review unit is actually my second — and I loved the first right up until it started failing.

11lb Scale

Sleek, friendly design. A little lacking in accuracy.

Pronto

This device is clearly made to be inexpensive and it's successful at that. Unfortunately, it's also just extremely slow in-use.

1250

Nicer to look at than its brand-mates, but still too inaccurate to recommend.

LB-3000

An excellent secondary scale for super fine measurements. It's really not versatile enough to be your primary scale, but it's very effective at smaller measurements.

Primo

I now understand why so many home cooks love this scale: it really is great for a $20 scale.

5lb Scale

I've had a number of OXO scales over the years and this was the first one that was accurate and reliable.

Enfinigy

Aesthetically pleasing despite some confusing design decisions.

KQ909

I think this model is genius and I wish more manufacturers would take this approach to add versatility without requiring a completely separate unit.

Ultra-Stick

I'd seen this blender around TikTok, so I was excited to give it a shot but immediately on picking it up I knew that it would be disappointing. It's that feeling of when a tool is *too* lightweight — which makes sense for a blender made of super thin aluminum and plastic. But those are notoriously soft materials that I wouldn't expect to survive long in frequent use.

Commercial Quik Stik

I've got a huge commercial blender from Waring for producing big batches of condiments that I love. It's an absolute beast that quickly works through anything I put in front of it. This is its polar opposite. Basically useless.

MultiQuick 5 Vario Hand Blender

I miss the old Braun — the one that made pretty, useful home products.

Variable Speed Corded Hand Blender

In many ways, this is the quintessential hand blender. Despite all the flashy colors it comes in, this is very much a minimalist blender design.

Cordless Hand Blender

A great blender for the price, but there's one thing that keeps me on the fence: the charger design.

ProMix Hand Blender

This is the blender that started this whole search due to a piece of plastic panel coming off the top. It's still in production, but it's been out of stock for over a year — otherwise I probably would've just bought another one.

Control Grip Immersion Blender

I've had a number of Breville kitchen tools over the years and generally I think they feel really cheap and are lacking in the performance department. This is an outlier for me — my second-favorite corded blender. It does a lot with its fairly low wattage and its dome design is one of my favorites. On the other hand, its plastic body doesn't feel very resilient and I expect it to have a shorter lifespan than many of its counterparts.

Immersion Blender

Vitamix upholds their reputation as the best in the blitz biz with their new, stunningly powerful hand blender. Vroom vroom.

Cordless Hand Blender

In a category full of ugly tools, this one is probably the sleekest.

Graphite 8" Chef's Knife (+ 13-pc set)

Don't buy knife sets. Please.

8" Chef's Knife

Honestly, I expected this to be a very expensive gimmick. I was wrong; it kicks ass. An absolute unit that glides through anything in its path.

8" Chef Knife

I hate using this knife. It's unbalanced, heavy, and the blade profile is super awkward. On top of that — in a market full of overconfident hyperbole about what a steel is capable of, they take the cake. Pass.

Classic 6" Chef's Knife

Mediocre generally, but terrible for the price. Bolster is super annoying when sharpening.

180mm Santoku

What an absolute gem: the combination of a short-bladed santoku with shirogami steel makes for an absolutely fantastic starter knife (or backup).

365+ 6" Utility Knife

Despite having the worst grind I've ever seen on a knife out of the box, it's still maybe a good deal for the price? It's not good, but it's better than some more expensive knives.

GU-02 8" Asian Chef's Knife

Chunky version of my longtime favorite: the G-2. Not bad, but not better than the G-2.

8" Chef's Knife

A perfect everyday knife. Heavy, but well-designed and rock solid. Is it my favorite to use? Not even close, but an excellent cost/value ratio.

7.25" Chef Series

The easiest knife I've ever used out of the box. Doesn't hold an edge for very long, but super easy to sharpen.

8" Chef's Knife

Every detail of this knife is gorgeous. With that said, the thick spine is super frustrating for common tasks like cutting onions. A slight geometry change would make this a category killer.

210mm Gyuto

A "chaotic neutral" knife in every way. Hard to get one with good alignment. Probably will require sharpening once you get it home.

8" Chef's Knife

The internet loves this knife for its low price. That is the only good thing about it.

G-56 7" Santoku

I think this knife is fine, but I wouldn't buy it as my main knife. Just not practical enough due to the curved tip and the hollow grind adds no value.

G-2 8" Chef's Knife

Not great, but damn good. My road dog for most of the last 2 decades and the standard by which I judge all other knives.

210mm Ginsan Gyuto

Friends have described this knife to me as both "like a scalpel" and "a fucking lightsaber" after using it. More brittle than I'd like, but still my favorite knife ever.

Koh 8" Gyuto

A great entry-level knife modeled after classic Japanese gyutos. If you're curious, you could do worse. Great edge durability for the price.

Kanso 8" Chef's Knife

I have bought 3 of these: 1 for myself and 1 for each of my siblings. Pretty, comfortable, solid steel, easy to sharpen. Nothing game-changing, but well worth the price.

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