Zelite Infinity Knife Review: Are They Any Good?
By Bobby B. | May 17, 2020 | Knife Brands
There’s been a shift in the kitchen knife industry over the past 5-10 years. For years, literally hundreds of years, there were the big name brands like Wusthof, J.A. Henckels, Shun, and others that dominated the premium knife market. On the other hand, you’ll find cheap, junk knives that cost much less, but don’t do a good job or last. However, Zelite Infinity along with a few others like Dalstrong, have dove head-first into producing kitchen knives with premium materials, but making them in China and selling the mostly direct-to-consumer on sites like Amazon at wholesale-level prices.
This shift has brought with it a huge debate among purists in the industry. Without giving it much thought, most of them write off the new brands and just say there’s no way they can be as good since they’re made in China rather than Germany or Japan. While we don’t think that stance is fair in-and-of-itself, they’re definitely going to have to prove themselves to stand the test of time. Like all kitchen knife brands, to do this Zelite Infinity will need to continue producing good knives made with premium materials.
So far, it appears they’re doing just that. They fit well in this sweet spot consumers that want good, quality knives, but can’t afford to, or just choose not to, spend big bucks on fancy, name-brand knives. It’s this great value the provide that helps them earn new customers quickly!
This page will educate you on everything about Zelite’s knife collections, their knife block sets, the materials and processes used in manufacturing the knives, the company’s brief history, and so much more.
Zelite Infinity Knife Reviews and Series Guide
Zelite Executive-Plus Review
Blade Material
AUS-10 Japanese Damascus Steel
Handle Material
Full-Tang G10 Handle
Edge Angle
9 – 12 degrees
Hardness Rating
HRC 61 +/- 1
A knife collection fit for almost any home chef, the Executive-Plus series is Zelite Infinity’s top-of-the-line kitchen knife collection. The knives in this collection include premium materials such as AUS-10 Japanese Super Steel with 45-layers of Damascus steel and a G10 Fiber-Resin handle that will stand up to even the toughest kitchen environments.
The Zelite Infinity Executive-Plus series knives are uniquely designed with a hump-back handle and ultra-deep blades with top chefs in mind. Each knife comes beautifully packaged and includes a free custom-fit sheath (nice touch!). Like all kitchen knives from Zelite Infinity, the Excecutive-Plus collection is part of the 100% satisfaction or money back guarantee!
This collection has come out more recently than some of the others, and we think Zelite did a great job! These knives look great and are priced right. This is our new favorite Zelite series of kitchen knives!
Zelite Alpha-Royal Japanese Review
Blade Material
Japanese AUS-10 Damascus Steel
Handle Material
Full-Tang G10 Resin Handle
Edge Angle
12 – 15 degrees
Hardness Rating
HRC 61 +/- 1
The Zelite Inifinity Alpha Royal collection comes in both Japanese-type knives and “German style” knives. Both are unique in their own right and use different materials and styling, only really sharing the nomenclature. This particular section about the Japanese version of the Alpha-Royal series of knives.
Like many high-end Japanese knives, the Alpha-Royal by Zelite uses AUS-10 Super Steel and has 67-layers of folded Damascus steel and an ultra-hard blade. Its 61 hardness rating really helps this thin Japanese-style blade keep it’s retain its sharp edge.
Perhaps Zelite’s most popular collection, the Alpha-Royal series knives are both beautiful and functional. For the materials used, they really do provide a superior value proposition for consumers. You won’t find many other knives that use these premium materials at such a relatively low price-point.
Zelite Razor-Edge Review
Blade Material
Japanese AUS-8 Steel
Handle Material
Black Pakkawood Handle
Edge Angle
12 – 15 degrees
Hardness Rating
HRC 59 +/- 1
The Razor-Edge knives are perhaps the “best value” out of all the Zelite Infinity collects. It’s probably the best cross between build quality and cost to the consumer. While they’re not particularly high-end knives, they are more than adequate for most homes, and at a very affordable price
Zelite’s Razor-Edge series knives use a slightly less-expensive AUS-8 Japanese stainless steel that still has a high-carbon content and good hardness rating for edge retention. They’re also full tang and include a tapered bolster for comfort and good balance.
Even with the great price-point, Zelite includes a quality, custom-fit sheath with each Razor-Edge knife and we think the pakkawood handle is a nice touch! Usually only expensive Japanese-style knives use pakkawood for their handle material.
You can’t go wrong with the Zelite Razor-Edge knives. Keep in mind, they’re also part of Zelite’s 100% satisfaction or your money back guarantee!
Zelite Alpha-Royal Review (German)
Blade Material
X50CrMoV15 German Steel
Handle Material
Black Pakkawood Handle
Edge Angle
15 -18 degrees
Hardness Rating
HRC 56 +/- 2
Based on the name, it should be no surprise that this version of the Alpha-Royal collection is a German, or Western-style knife. It uses German steel, a well-balanced bolster, and a heavier/thicker, yet shorter blade. Western-style knives are more for brute force over the finesse used in the Japanese-style knives like shown above. To each their own!
You’ll see below that the Comfort-Pro series also uses German-styling, but this is our favorite design between the two, and there’s actually very little difference. Yep, you guessed it… great price, cool sheath included, and 100% satisfaction or your money back guarantee. You can’t go wrong here, give them a shot!
Zelite Comfort-Pro Series Review
Blade Material
X50CrMoV15 German Steel
Handle Material
Black ABS Plastic Handle
Edge Angle
15 -18 degrees
Hardness Rating
HRC 56 +/- 2
The Zelite Comfort-Pro series is the “OG”, their original knife. It’s the most basic and least expensive, but includes the most knives in the collection due to the length of time it’s been around.
The blades themselves are similar to those in the German Alpha-Royal knives shown above. They’re the same German steel with “Western” styling, but they utilize a black ABS plastic material for the handles and have a pronounced “ZELITE” written in bold, white letters.
While the Comfort-Pro knives are not our favorite series of knives in collection, they are a good value and provide a good, basic knife made with high-quality German steel. Again, with the 100% satisfaction or your money back guarantee that Zelite Infinity offers with all their knives, how can you go wrong? If you’re a fan of the design, check out all the knives available in the link below.
Zelite Infinity Steak Knives
So how do Zelite’s steak knives stack up? Well, we’re actually reall surprised they don’t offer more steak knives, at least one set for each series in their collection. The best Zelite steak knifet set is shown below. It’s the Alpha-Royal German series. And, as far as steak knives go, these are pretty good quality. They use the German steel and come razor sharp from the factory. If you’re not used to seeing straight-edge steak knives, you’re in for a treat. They do a great job of cutting your steak without ripping it!
One of our favorite parts of this awesome steak knife set? It makes a PERFECT GIFT. The packaging is second to none, making a great presentation to anyone receiving it. The only option at the time of this writing is a 4-piece set of 5″ long, straight-edge steak knives.
Zelite Infinity Alpha-Royal Steak Knife Set
Best Zelite Infinity Knife Block Set
Zelite isn’t known for producing “knife sets”, but rather knife series’ so you can buy whatever knives you need and not those that you don’t need. It’s one way to go about it, but having a set like the one shown below is nice too. Not only do you get all the knives you need in a matching set, but it comes with a cool-looking magnetic knife block that puts your new knives on display!
This is the same premium Japanese-style Alpha Royal knives discussed above in a 6 piece set that includes a chef knife, bread knife, santoku, boning knife, utility knife, and a smaller paring knife. If there’s a different mix that fits your needs better, you can also buy the magnetic knife block separately and build your own set.
Zelite Infinity 6-pc Alpha-Royal Knife Block Set
Zelite Infinity Knife Review Summary
Well, we’re coming to the end of our review on Zelite knives. We’ve covered everything from their collections, including the materials, designs, and price-points, to the best Zelite steak knives and knife block sets available. It should be clear by now that their knives offer a great value to those consumers that want higher-end materials and performance without the higher prices of big name-brand knives. If that’s you, Zelite, or a similar brand called Dalstrong, are your best options.
Although often not thought of or considered at the time of purchase, a company’s guarantee policy or warrant process is important. Luckily, Zelite is one of these companies that stands strongly behind their product. While they are not hand-made by skilled Japanese artisans like some of the more expensive knives, they are made to better quality standards than most cheap knives. And, more importantly, they stand behind them 100%, offering your money back if you’re not happy with your purchase! They also have a lifetime warranty if something were to happen years down the road.
Zelite Knife FAQs
Where Are Zelite Infinity Knives Made?
Zelite knives are made in Yangjiang, China. With over 1500 knife factories in the area, it’s a mecca of knife makers with many highly automated state-of-the-art facilities. While the knives themselves are produced in China, the materials are sourced from all the standard places you’d expect (i.e. blade steels from both Germany and Japan).
Are Zelite Infinity Knives Dishwasher Safe?
It is not recommended to wash any good, quality kitchen knives in the dishwasher, and that includes Zelite knives. The same high-carbon steels that make great knife blades are the ones that can corrode if left wet for any amount of time. To keep your blades sharp, it’s always recommended to hand-wash your knives and dry them immediately, especially those with wooden handles.
Are Zelite Infinity Knives Any Good?
While many hard-core kitchen knife enthusiasts point to the fact that they are manufactured in China and say there’s no way they are of the same quality of other, higher priced brands. That may be true, but not every home chef wants to spend $200-$300 per knife for their kitchen either. We hope that after reading our comprehensive review above that you’re able to see that there is a niche for Zelite knives, and they do a pretty good job filling that void and also standing behind their product.
