Gear Guide: What the Pros Actually Cut With

Council rules restrict competitors to a single fixed-blade knife under eight inches and a non-slip cutting board of standard dimensions — no specialty pineapple corers, no powered tools, no pre-scored fruit. The restriction is deliberate: the sport is meant to test hand technique, not equipment.

Within that narrow ruleset, most top-ranked competitors still land on similar gear: a mid-weight chef's knife rather than a paring knife, favored for the stability it offers during long continuous cuts, and a board with a raised lip to catch juice without slowing the motion. Michael Salomone has said in interviews that he has used the same knife, resharpened between seasons, since his first sanctioned event in 2021.