Dexter knives are an affordable brand used widely in the foodservice industry. Dexter chef's, fillet, and boning knives in particular are quite popular in professional kitchens, and are growing in popularity for home use, too. And most of them are made in the USA!
Dexter offers more than 1,000 styles of knives and other utensils, including several specialty knives and outdoor knives. We take a look at this fascinating American brand and talk about its history, features, quality, pros and cons, highest rated and most popular knives, and more.
Dexter Knives at a Glance
Here are the Dexter knives sold to the home market. There are a few other lines made for the food industry which we aren't reviewing. All of these lines are made in the USA of proprietary DexSteel, which we can't find a lot of detailed information about. We're guessing the hardness rating of DexSteel to be somewhere around 56-58 HRC.
Dexter Line | Features |
|---|---|
 | -Heat-treated high carbon DexSteel blade -Cutting angle of about 15 degrees (30 deg total) -Ergonomic slip-resistant handle -6 colors: black, red, yellow, blue, green, purple -11 knife styles, incl. chef, santoku, paring, boning -NSF certified -Made in USA -About $15-$30. |
 | -Stamped, heat-treated high carbon steel blade (400 series steel) -Cutting angle of about 15 degrees (30 deg total) -Slip resistant polypropylene handle -Black or white handle -Several knives, spatulas, servers, and peelers -NSF certified -Imported -Dexter's most affordable line, about $7-$30 |
 | -Heat-treated high carbon steel or DexSteel -Full tang forged blades -Cutting angle of about 15 degrees (30 deg total) -Slip resistant recycled plastic handle -100% recycled packaging -Chef, santoku, slicer, boning, and carving forks -NSF certified -Made in USA -Dexter's highest end line about $35-$150. |
 | -Stamped, heat-treated high carbon DexSteel -Cutting angle of about 15 degrees (30 deg total) -Designed for increased control and to prevent hand fatigue -Ecogrip 100% recycled plastic slip resistant handle -NSF certified -Made in USA -Paring, utility, chef, and bread knife, about $30-$70. |
 | -Forged high carbon German steel blade (X50CRMOV15) -Full tang, most have full bolster (not santoku) -About 15 degree cutting angle (30 deg total) -Slip resistant POM (synthetic) handle -NSF certified -Chef, santoku, slicer, paring, bread -About $25-$60. |
 | -Stamped, heat-treated high carbon DexSteel blade -Cutting angle of about 15 degrees (30 deg total) -Ecogrip 100% recycled plastic slip resistant handle -NSF certified -Made in USA -Many pieces available in HACCP food safety colors (white, blue, green, yellow, red, tan, purple) -Dozens of buying options, $20-$200 (for a set). |
 | -Stamped, heat-treated high carbon DexSteel blade -Cutting angle of about 15 degrees (30 deg total) -Soft rubber handle to prevent hand fatigue -NSF certified -Made in USA -Dozens of pieces available, lots of specialized paring knives and utility knives, $20-$200 (set). |
 | -Stamped, heat-treated high carbon DexSteel or high carbon steel blade (varies by knife) -Cutting angle of about 15 degrees (30 deg total) -Natural rosewood handle -NSF certified -Made in USA -Hundreds of specialty knives and spatulas, about $20-$200 (for a set) -Dexter's oldest line and most complete line. |
V-Lo |