Once you start researching kitchen knives you’ll notice that they come in a huge array of different levels of quality and price.
It can all be a little overwhelming really, with so many brands making bold marketing claims about their knives.
Two popular kitchen knife brands that offer quite different products are Mac and Victorinox.
Mac makes Japanese style knives, whilst Victorinox knives are most similar to the western style. There are a lot of differences between the two, but which is right for you?
In this article, I’m going to tell you the differences between these two great brands. I’ll go in-depth into the details of each, talking about where they are made, what materials are used and the difference in price.
This should be all the information you need to select your perfect knife.
Mac knives offer a far superior, sharper cutting edge but they are significantly more expensive than Victorinox knives. Victorinox offers good quality western-style knives for the price, but don’t expect them to be nearly as sharp as a Mac.
| My recommendation | Current price |
| Mac Professional 8-Inch | View on Amazon (opens new tab) |
| Victorinox Rosewood Chef’s Knife 8-Inch | View on Amazon (opens new tab) |
Mac vs Victorinox – Comparison Table
Here is my summary comparison table for each brand. This is mostly based on their main range of knives; the Mac Professional and the Victorinox Fibrox Pro.
For a more in-depth look at each category then check out the rest of the article below.
| Category | Mac | Victorinox |
| Country of Manufacture | Japan | Switzerland |
| Steel type | VG-5 | X50CrMoV15 |
| Rockwell hardness | HRC 59-61 | HRC 56 |
| Factory edge | ~15 degrees (double bevel) | 15 degrees (double bevel) |
| Handle material | Pakkawood (wood/resin composite) | TPE (thermoplastic) |
| Price range | $160 – $180 (Professional) | $50 – $60 (Fibrox Pro) |
| Main benefit | Far sharper | Low price, comfortable design |
| My recommendation | 8-Inch Professional (view on Amazon) | Victorinox Rosewood Chef’s Knife 8-Inch (View on Amazon) |
Mac vs Victorinox – Where are they made
| Brand | Country of manufacture |
| Mac | Japan |
| Victorinox | Switzerland |
All Mac knives are manufactured in the Japanese city of Seki. Seki is known as the knife capital of Japan, with a population of only 90,000 it lies around 150 miles from Toyoko but is the central hub for all of Japan’s major knife manufacturers.
Mac has been making knives since 1964, selling over 25 million of their fantastically designed East-meets-West knives.
Victorinox produces all their knives in Ibach, Switzerland.
Victorinox is a very interesting company as they are the original creators of the Swiss Army Knife, in fact, they produce around 45,000 Swiss Army Knives every single day.
The company was founded in 1884 and since then has expanded into other products such as chef’s knives and watches.
I think the practicality that you’d expect from a Swiss Army Knife is reflected in many of the features of Victorinox’s kitchen knives, which certainly focus more on durability than sharpness, but we’ll come to that next.
Both of these brands have a rich heritage, you can be assured that both these brands offer plenty of knife making experience.
But the focus of each knife is very different, and that’s best shown when we look at the steel used for the blades.
Mac vs Victorinox – What steel do they use
The steel used in knives will often change depending on which range you pick.
Here I’m going to focus on the most popular range for both Mac and Victorinox knives.
For Mac that’s their ‘Professional’ range, sometimes referred to as their ‘Mighty’ range. For Victorinox, it’s their ‘Fibrox Pro’ range.
| Brand | Steel type | Rockwell hardness |
| Mac Professional | VG-5 | HRC 59-61 |
| Victorinox Fibrox Pro | X50CrMoV15 (stamped) | HRC 56 |
The fact that Mac knives are Japanese and Victorinox knives are European is clear to see once we begin to analyze the steel each of them uses.
The Mac Professional range uses the Japanese steel VG-5. All Mac knives are made from some version of the Takefu V-Gold (VG) steel varieties.
It’s a much harder steel than the Victorinox’s X50CrMoV15 but as a result, it’s not quite as durable.
We can see why when we look at VG-5’s levels of Carbon, Vanadium and Chromium.
The Carbon level is much higher at around 0.75%. That makes the blade harder, allowing for a finer edge, but it also makes it more brittle and prone to chipping.
The Vanadium content is a little lower at around 0.15%, again this makes the steel less durable in general than Victorinox’s X50CrMoV15.
The Chromium content is high at around 14%, which’s a little lower than the Victorinox’s X50CrMoV15 but still makes this a quality stainless steel that will be very resistant to rust.
Victorinox knives use a German steel called X50CrMoV15.
It’s popular steel amongst producers of quality western-style knives. That’s because it has a particular focus on durability, whilst retaining enough strength for a sharp edge.
The main elements of interest within X50CrMoV15’s composition are Carbon, Vanadium and Chromium.
The Carbon content is 0.55%. That’s not particularly high when comparing it with other quality knives; however, it’s high enough to provide sufficient strength in the blade for a 15 – 20 degree angle on each side, which is standard for western knives.
The big benefit of not having a very high Carbon content is that higher Carbon steels are usually more brittle, therefore the 0.55% content keeps the blade durable.
That’s the same with the strong Vanadium of 0.4%, Vanadium improves the resistance to wear of the steel also adding to its durability.
The Chromium content is 15% is what the 15 in X50CrMoV15 represents. Chromium is vital for the durability of steel as it’s what makes stainless steel resistant to rust.
Steel need only be 10.5% to be considered stainless, so a 15% content is high and makes this a quality stainless steel, very unlikely to rust unless extremely mistreated by the owner.
Overall the main difference between the Mac’s VG-5 steel and Victorinox’s X50CrMoV15 steel is that X50CrMoV15 has been made with a very strong focus on durability, whereas VG-5 is focused on hardness, allowing for a finer, and therefore sharper edge.
This is reflected in their comparative Rockwell Hardness (HRC).
The Mac Professional knives have a much higher HRC than Victorinox and thus the steel is a lot harder and able to hold a sharper edge.
Mac vs Victorinox – How sharp are they
Once again I’m going to focus on the most popular knives from each brand for this comparison.
You will experience a far sharper edge using Mac knives than Victorinox knives due to the steel of the Mac knives being much harder.
| Brand | Factory edge | Rockwell hardness |
| Mac Professional | ~15 degrees (double bevel) | HRC 59-61 |
| Victorinox Fibrox Pro | 15 degrees (double bevel) | HRC 56 |
Sharpness is vital when looking for a knife, but in this case, there’s a bit more to it than just looking at which knife has the smallest angle of its edge.
Usually, the smaller the angle the sharper the blade. However, there are other considerations that are particularly important when comparing these two knives.
Harder knives will hold a sharper edge for longer. The Mac uses much harder steel than the Victorinox.
Mac uses Japanese steel and that tends to have a focus on hardness, in order to create a sharper edge.
So, even though Victorinox knives are made with a similar factory edge of 15 degrees, the Mac knife will actually hold its edge for much longer.
Mac also design the edge of their knife in an unusual way.
Whereas Victorinox knives use a standard bevel edge, with each side of the knife slanting at the same 14-degree angle to form a point, Mac knives have an off-center angle to the edge.
That means that one side of the knife has a smaller angle than the other, a technique that results in a sharper blade.
It’s a mix between the Japanese style of a single bevel edge, which are incredibly sharp, and a western double bevel edge.
The combination of this edge design and the hard steel means that you will experience a far sharper edge using Mac knives.
Mac vs Victorinox – What are the handles made from
The material used for handles is a vital and often overlooked feature of any knife.
A quality handle is often the sign of a quality overall knife. Handles need to be made from a durable material that can withstand all the heat and moisture fluctuations knives can experience in the kitchen.
Once again we’ll focus on the two main ranges from each brand, the Victorinox Fibrox Pro and Mac Professional knives.
| Brand | Handle material |
| Mac Professional | Pakkawood (wood/resin composite) |
| Victorinox Fibrox Pro | TPE (thermoplastic) |
Mac use a wood/resin composite called Pakkawood for their knife handles.
Pakkawood is extremely common in knife handles for quality Japanese knives, although many non-Japanese knife manufacturers around the world have begun to use it as well.
Pakkawood is a great material for knife handles, it’s more dense and durable than real timber. That means it’s more resistant to wear and tear and won’t crack over time as timber handles might.
The versatility of design also makes it a popular choice, it can be dyed all sorts of colors and will often give the appearance of a true wood finish.
Pakkawood is very resilient to temperature and moisture changes and makes a terrific material of choice, it also adds to the Japanese influence of the knife with Pakkawood being a popular Japanese knife handle material.
Victorinox Fibrox Pro a thermoplastic material for their knife handles called TPE.
It is worth mentioning that whilst Victorinox’s most popular range uses TPE; they also have a knife that uses a very attractive Rosewood timber, which is actually my personal Victorinox recommendation.
But as the TPE knives are by far Victorinox’s most popular, I’m focusing on that.
Thermoplastic materials like these are ideal for knife handles due to their extreme durability.
Being a thermoplastic means it’s extremely resistant to temperature and moisture changes.
It’s a fantastic material to use for knife handles, that will undergo all sorts of pressures and it makes sense to use this material for your main range, which is usually your more practical range.
TPE has more flex in it than other thermoplastic pics, as a result, the TPE handle Victorinox use isn’t quite as tough as materials like POM, but on the upside, it does offer a good amount of grip due to the texture of the surface.
Both TPE and Pakkawood are good quality knife handle materials. Pakkawood is the higher quality material, but since Victorinox knives do cost significantly less, TPE is still a good choice of material for that price range.
Talking of price, let’s look at that next.
Mac vs Victorinox – How much do they cost
Both these brands have wide ranges of knives all at differing price ranges.
To allow for a fairer comparison I’ve categorized three of their major ranges that represent their highest and lowest cost knives.
I’ve tried to compare similar knives, sticking to 8 Inch Chef’s knives or the closest equivalent they have in the range. E.g. The Mac Ultimate is actually a 9-inch knife.
In brackets next to the general price range you’ll see the name of the range.
These prices are rough estimates. Prices do change over time but this is intended as a rough guide.
| Brand range | Mac | Victorinox |
| Premium | > $200 (Ultimate) | Not Applicable |
| Standard | $160 – $180 (Professional) | $110 – $130 (Professional) |
| Value | $80 – $100 (Chef’s Series) | $50 – $60 (Fibrox Pro) |
What is clear is that these two brands offer their knives at very different price ranges.
Victorinox is a brand that generally lies at the budget end of the price scale. That’s fine if it’s what you’re looking for. Victorinox makes a really quality knife for what you pay.
However; the clear superiority of Mac knives shows in their price. As I’ve discussed above, the steel is much harder, and therefore sharper and the general build quality of Mac knives is on another level to the more budget Victorinox.
Mac vs Victorinox – What is the difference
Now that we have looked at the design, materials, background and price of these brands we can fully understand the difference, and you should be able to make an informed decision on which knife is correct for you.
The main difference between Mac and Victorinox knives is the sharpness and durability, created from the steel used and the design of the edge.
| Brand | Main benefit |
| Mac | Far sharper |
| Victorinox | Low price, comfortable design |
The Mac is by far the sharper blade and that’s mainly what you’re paying the higher price for.
It’s a clever mix between a Japanese single bevel and a Western double bevel makes it sharper out of the factory, and the Japanese steel used, with its 0.75% Carbon content, means it will hold its sharp edge for significantly longer than a Victorinox knife.
However, with its higher Carbon content and lower Vanadium content in comparison with the Victorinox, the Mac will also be more brittle and prone to chipping.
That’s fine if you are able to take care of the knife, it won’t chip very easily.
Whilst the Victorinox’s steel can’t compete with the Mac on sharpness, it is the more durable of the two. It’s more rust resistant and less like to chip along the blade.
That’s important if you don’t want to worry too much about maintaining your knife.
With that understood, it should now be easy to choose between the two knives.
Mac vs Victorinox – Which is better for you
This is down to what you want from your kitchen knives.
For someone looking for an extremely sharp blade, the Mac is the obvious choice. For anyone interested in Japanese influenced knives, who will be able to care for the knife properly, I would recommend the Mac all day long.
Caring for a Mac is not exactly hard, all you need to do is store it individually, such as in a knife block, using a blade sheath, or on a magnetic strip.
Essentially, you want to avoid knocking the blade edge against other hard objects when you’re not using it.
In busy family kitchens, where knives are likely to be thrown into the kitchen sink, cutlery drawer, or dishwasher without a second thought, this can be difficult.
But you’re aware of how to look after the blade, and just ensure it is properly stored after use, then the Mac will provide a superior cutting edge.
For a busy family kitchen, where multiple people might be using the knife or it’s a risk of being damaged or left soaking in water, then I would recommend the Victorinox.
It’s more durable than the Mac and will require less care and attention, and it’s inexpensive, so even if someone did manage to damage the knife, it’s not the end of the world!
The blade is still plenty sharp enough for a western knife and if you just want a reliable knife for really good value then the Victorinox is the knife for you.
My Mac Recommendation
View the 8-Inch Professional Mac on Amazon (opens new tab)
For my Mac recommendation, I’m also going to the mid-range priced Professional Chef’s knife.
With this Japanese knife, you get a hard steel and unique blade design, allowing for a sharper edge.
The side of the knife is also dimpled, which reduces the surface area and thus stops food from sticking to the blade, another clever design touch.
The materials used are all premium quality and, although the Mac’s steel might not be as durable as the Victorinox’s steel, for a Japanese knife with a large Carbon content it is actually very durable and at 14% Chromium is a good quality stainless steel too.
Some high-Carbon Japanese knives contain almost no Chromium at all and can begin to rust overnight if left wet, this Mac is a far cry from those.
It may not be as durable as the super-durable western-style knives, but when it comes to Japanese blades this Mac is a great balance between amazing sharpness and durability.
My Victorinox Recommendation
View the 8-Inch Victorinox Rosewood Chef’s Knife on Amazon (opens new tab)
The Fibrox Pro, with its thermoplastic handle, might be the most popular Victorinox knife, but it’s not my personal recommendation.
For a similar price, you can get the Victorinox Rosewood Chef’s Knife. It uses the exact same steel but has a beautiful Rosewood handle instead of the thermoplastic.
Rosewood is hard, so it’s still plenty durable, and I think the style it gives the knife is really hard to match at this price range. It certainly looks like a knife that would be more expensive than it actually is.
The handle shape is a classic design, along with the curved blade edge it’s ideal for rock chopping and is a lightweight knife overall.
For a knife around the $50 mark, you’ll find it hard to find another knife as stylish and as high in quality as this one.
