There are two different styles of knives labeled “paring knives.” There’s the paring knife that serves as the one-size-fits-all utility knife in the kitchen, and there’s the true paring knife that’s used for certain smaller tasks that a chef’s knife is too big for. The first type has a longer blade and is rarely used for paring because it is too big to comfortably hold in your hand with a choke grip. The second type has a shorter blade and can be easily held with a choke grip or a pinch grip as is required for the cutting task at hand.
Because I use a paring knife as an addition to my large chef’s knife, I prefer to have one with as short a blade as possible. Also, since I’m using a paring knife mostly with a choke grip where I have one or two fingers wrapped around the blade, the handle should be a light as possible and hopefully short. I never grip my paring knife like sword so the actual feel of the handle is not very important to me.
The best paring knives are made from steel that is the same as used in high-quality chef’s knives. This steel can be sharpened to a very keen edge and that edge will last a long time. A sharp paring knife is a safe paring knife.
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