The shorter blade did make it tricky to cut wider loaves straight across, though it was an adequate length for most batards and pan loaves.

Zwilling Pro 9″ Bread Knife With Z15 Serration

Zwilling’s double-serrated knife is a good slicer, and its double-serrated edge is similar to the Wüsthof model we recommend. It performed well in testing, yielding thinly sliced tomatoes and perfectly straight slices of bread, but ultimately, this knife’s overall weight kept it from being a winner. A bit heavier than much of the competition, Zwilling’s bread knife was trickier to wield comfortably, and its longer handle made it hard to find a good balance point.

Mercer Culinary ZüM Bread Knife

Mercer

Culinary ZüM Bread Knife

Sharp and with a comfortable handle, the ZüM knife from Mercer Culinary excelled in our testing. It neatly sliced through the tomatoes, piercing the tough skin easily without smashing the delicate flesh. It also perfectly sliced through the sourdough crust and crumb without snagging. The only thing we didn’t like was the 8″ blade length, which was a little short for bigger sourdough loaves, but for around $50, it’s an effective budget option with high-end handle construction and a full bolster. Not quite our favorite budget pick, but a good alternative, and a good option for people who want a very comfortable handle.

Misen Essentials Serrated Knife

Misen’s bread knife was a mid-tier performer in our tests, cleanly cutting through tomatoes and bread without any notable issues. We also thought the handle was comfortable and its overall build quality was high. The blade’s taller heel also meant it performed well slicing through larger sourdough loaves. However, its performance didn’t quite match our top picks, and our two budget models performed better at half the cost. We recommend either spending a little more for a nicer bread knife, or saving a bit of cash instead—unless you can find this knife on sale.

Hedley & Bennett 8.6″ Bread Knife

Senior test kitchen editor (and Bon Appétit’s resident baking expert) Shilpa Uskokovic loves this bread knife from Hedley & Bennett because it’s sleek and light. While it has a smaller 8.5″ blade—the shortest blade on this list—its angled, serrated edge becomes more pointed at the tip, making it easier to maneuver and offering heightened precision for more fragile slicing tasks.