I used to have some really old Chicago Cutlery knives, a 10" Chef, a #10 cleaver and a 7 inch filet. They held an edge for weeks. They got stolen from the restaurant.Yep, you do have to sharpen them on a regular basis…. And there’s different levels of quality to mercer knives. It’s a good entry level knife, that gets issued in many culinary schools. If you want an excellent knife that will hold an edge for a long time, you gotta spend.