Kitchen & Dining · Gadgets
Compare blade shape, stiffness, grip and cleaning across seven cheese tools, from Parmesan splitters to perforated slicers and a plane.
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A perforated, forked-tip knife that covers everyday slicing from soft Brie to firm cheddar in one tool.
Ideal for: Home cooks who slice sandwich cheese, cheddar blocks and board cheeses with one knife and want a dishwasher-safe, light tool.
We think the Zyliss Cheese Knife is the easiest recommendation for a household that cuts a bit of everything. The wavy stainless steel blade is perforated so slices release instead of clinging, and the forked tip lets you lift a slice straight onto a board or plate. The handle is made with wheat straw material, which keeps the knife light, and the maker backs it with a 5-year guarantee.
Owners report that it cuts cleanly, that slices fall away from the perforations, and that it manages very thin slices of block cheese. It also goes in the dishwasher, which matters for a tool you reach for daily. On the other side, a common complaint is that the blade can feel thin and a little flimsy, and cleaning around the holes takes some effort. For dense aged wedges we'd lean toward a stiffer, shorter blade, but for slicing and serving this is the all-rounder of the group.
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A short, stiff all-steel blade that splits dense aged wedges with control.
Ideal for: Cooks who buy Parmesan and other aged cheese in wedges and want a stiff blade for splitting and breaking them.
The Swissmar Barcelona Parmesan Cheese Knife is the opposite of the Zyliss Cheese Knife in spirit: instead of a long blade that glides, it offers a short, stiff one meant for slicing into and breaking apart firm aged cheeses like Parmesan and Cheshire. The stainless steel blade joins a sand-blasted handle that gives a steady, modern look and a comfortable grip.
Owners report that it feels solid, holds an edge well and shrugs off pressure, and that medium and firm cheeses part easily under it. Reviews also note it does not cut soft cheese well, so it belongs in a hard-cheese role, not on a mixed board. Reviews raise two cosmetic points: the join between blade and handle is visible, and the finish picks up wear marks quickly. Neither affects the cutting, but they are worth knowing if appearance matters to you.
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A forged German steel knife with a riveted handle for cooks who prefer classic cutlery.
Ideal for: Cooks who like forged, full-tang cutlery, cut cheddar or provolone, and are happy to hand wash and dry their knives.
The Mercer Culinary Renaissance Hard Cheese Knife 4.75 Inch is the traditional kitchen-cutlery option. The blade is precision forged from high-carbon German steel with a taper-ground edge and full tang, and the triple-riveted handle has a rounded spine for a comfortable hold. A forked tip helps you move slices once they are cut, which the Swissmar Barcelona Parmesan Cheese Knife does not offer.
It is aimed at cheddar, asiago and provolone, so think of it as a slicer for firm everyday cheese more than a wedge splitter. The care instructions are strict: wash it by hand, dry it fully and keep it out of the dishwasher. If you already look after your chef's knives that way, this fits in naturally.
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A small, sturdy pointed blade made for cracking open Parmesan wheels.
Ideal for: People who split Parmesan or similar aged cheese from the wheel or wedge and want a small, purpose-built tool.
The BOSKA Parmesan Knife 110mm is a specialist tool with one purpose: splitting tough, aged cheese. The pointed stainless steel blade is designed to open up Parmesan wheels, and the ergonomic handle is built for the downward pressure that job needs. It carries a design award and a 10-year warranty, and it is the heaviest knife on our list at 0.52 pounds.
Compared with the Cutluxe Cheese Knife, which slices and serves, this one is for breaking and chipping, so the two do different work at the board. It is also the smallest of the picks, so it will not replace a slicer for everyday sandwich cheese. The maker advises washing by hand, even though it is dishwasher safe, to keep the edge sharp.
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A weighty serrated, pronged knife that slices, lifts and serves across soft and firm cheese.
Ideal for: Entertainers who want a solid, good-looking knife for cheddar, soft cheese, and the occasional tomato or loaf.
The Cutluxe Cheese Knife is the heftier, more handsome alternative to the Zyliss Cheese Knife for people who like a knife with presence. Its high-carbon German steel blade is serrated and hollowed to limit contact with the cheese, the pronged tip picks up slices, and the pakkawood handle is triple riveted. A lifetime warranty against material or workmanship defects sits behind it.
Buyers praise how easily it cuts block cheese, that slices release from the blade, and that the weight and balance feel reassuring. Owners also report it handles tomatoes and bread, which makes it handy beyond the cheese board. Where it falls short is dense Parmesan: a common complaint is that the blade is slim enough to flex when cutting very hard cheese, and wafer-thin hard-cheese slices take practice. We'd reach for it with cheddar, gouda and serving duty, and keep a stiffer blade around for Parmesan.
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A one-piece stainless steel plane that shaves even, thin slices off a block.
Ideal for: Sandwich makers and board builders who want uniform thin slices from a block without any knife technique.
The Boska Stainless Steel Cheese Slicer is the odd one out here: it is a plane, not a knife, and it shaves uniform slices off a block rather than cutting wedges. Where the BOSKA Parmesan Knife 110mm breaks cheese apart, this one thins it out, and the hollow one-piece handle keeps it very light. It is fully dishwasher safe, and the maker offers a lifetime warranty.
What comes up in reviews is even, thin slices on semi-hard and hard cheese, easy handling compared with a knife, and trouble-free cleaning. They also mention it works on vegetables like cucumber and carrot. The weak spot is the very hardest cheese, where slices can crumble or break. If even planks are the goal, our best cheese slicer for hard cheese page compares more plane-style tools before you commit to a blade.
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A sharp, serrated Japanese-steel knife that moves between cheese, tomatoes and fruit.
Ideal for: Cooks who want one sharp serrated knife for cheese, tomatoes and fruit, and may give it as a gift.
The Hoshanho Cheese Knife 5 In sits closer to a utility knife than a dedicated cheese tool, and it is listed in the tomato knife category. The serrated, hollow blade is forged from high-carbon stainless steel from Japan, honed on both sides, with a fork-shaped tip and a handle shaped to fit the hand. It arrives in a gift box.
Feedback centres on it staying sharp, handles cheese such as Gouda, cheddar and camembert, and slices tomatoes without crushing them. By comparison with the Mercer Culinary Renaissance Hard Cheese Knife 4.75 Inch, it is the one to choose if one knife has to cover produce too. A common complaint is that the serrated edge is hard to resharpen at home and that it can feel less sharp than expected out of the box, including on tomatoes. For dedicated hard-cheese work, a stiffer blade is the better fit.
| Pick | Item weight | Item dimensions |
|---|---|---|
| #1 Best for Everyday Slicing Zyliss | 0.13 pounds | 0.47 × 1.54 × 10.12 inches |
| #2 Best for Breaking Parmesan Swissmar | 0.33 pounds | 7.24 × 1.38 × 0.31 inches |
| #4 Compact Parmesan Specialist Boska | 0.52 pounds | — |
| #6 Best Plane-Style Slicer Boska | 0.13 pounds | 11.42 × 3.15 × 0.79 inches |
| #7 Multipurpose Pick Hoshanho | 0.4 pounds | 5 × 2 × 2 inches |
Blade shape decides whether a knife slices, splits or serves, so match it to the job before comparing anything else.
For breaking aged wedges, a short rigid blade gives the leverage; the Swissmar Barcelona Parmesan Cheese Knife and the BOSKA Parmesan Knife 110mm are the two that fit that role. For slicing blocks and serving the slices, a longer serrated or perforated blade is gentler on the cheese.
Yes, because a blade that flexes tends to crack hard cheese instead of cutting it. Thin, long blades are comfortable for slicing cheddar but can bend when pushed into very dense Parmesan, as owners of the Cutluxe Cheese Knife point out. If aged wedges are your main cheese, choose a short, thick blade; if you mostly slice, a slimmer one such as the Zyliss Cheese Knife is fine.
Weight helps too, since a heavier knife lets you lean into the cut with less effort.
A grip you can push down on is worth more than a decorative one, especially when your hands are damp. Look at the care instructions as well: the Zyliss Cheese Knife and the Boska Stainless Steel Cheese Slicer go in the dishwasher, while forged high-carbon blades like the Mercer Culinary Renaissance Hard Cheese Knife 4.75 Inch need hand washing and drying.
Daily sandwich slicing is where the handheld cheese slicer earns its place, since it shaves uniform sheets with no knife technique at all.
The Swissmar Barcelona Parmesan Cheese Knife, because its short blade is stiff and holds an edge well. The Cutluxe Cheese Knife slices firm cheese nicely but is slim enough to flex on very dense Parmesan.
It depends on the job. Serrated blades grip the surface and slice neatly, which is why we like the Cutluxe Cheese Knife for cheddar and firm slicing. For splitting a dense wedge, a short, stiff blade like the Swissmar Barcelona Parmesan Cheese Knife gives better control than any slicing edge.
Some can. The Zyliss Cheese Knife and the Boska Stainless Steel Cheese Slicer are dishwasher safe, while the Mercer Culinary Renaissance Hard Cheese Knife 4.75 Inch should be washed by hand and dried straight away. The maker of the BOSKA Parmesan Knife 110mm also advises hand washing to protect the edge.
Perforated and serrated knives usually manage both. The Zyliss Cheese Knife is made for soft through firm cheese, whereas the Swissmar Barcelona Parmesan Cheese Knife is a poor choice for soft varieties, so keep that one for aged cheese.
