8 Inch Damascus Chef Knife, Professional Japanese Damascus Super Steel Kitchen Knife, Ultra Sharp Cooking Knife with Ergonomic G10 Handle

These are excellent knives. They cut through raw chicken like it's butter. I'm very impressed and happy with them. Be careful. They are very sharp.

Like everything about it!

What a joy to own this knife, looks great, feels great and extremely sharp.

The question here is not whether the manufacturer is importing Japanese AUS10 steel to forge this blade vs creating their own knockoff alloy. Word in the industry is that Japan is indeed exporting AUS10 and VG10 steel to China, so I’m going to assume this blade is indeed VG10. The question is whether the experience of owning and using it is delightful, and I can assure you that has been the case. I happily own a different model which I also gave as a gift to my sister, and I gave this model as a gift to my best friend.I was S.K.E.P.T.I.C.A.L. buying my first of these knives. But it quickly became the blade I reach for most often, multiple times a day. So I bought this beautiful traditional Damascus steel chef’s knife as a gift for a friend, plus I gave my sister the model I own. Look, there will be purists/experts who tell us this can’t possibly be what it claims. And maybe they’re right. But for most people, at this price, this knife will walk like a duck and quack like a duck, making that the only relevant distinction they’ll care about. Certainly my friend LOVES it both for its beauty and for being by far the sharpest blade he’s ever owned!

I'll review it again after I've had it awhile. So far, so good. Sharp,nicely made.

Great!!! Super sharp!!! love it

The first thing I noticed when I lifted this eye-catching Damascus steel knife from its encasement inside of the box, was the gorgeous handle and the Damascus Steel feather pattern on the 7 inch blade of this Santoku style chef knife. This is a knife for someone who appreciates a good chef's knife, and not someone who just wants a "beater" to keep around the kitchen for every day use and abuse.This knife has some weight to it (0.52 lb.) and the beautifully designed handle provides a comfortable grip with an ergonomically pleasing feel to it. There is what is called a "pinch detail" between the top of the handle and the blade that most chefs utilize with a standard "pinch grip" to give them good control of the blade of this knife. I learned to cut with a "rock chop" style of cutting on a more standard-shaped, slightly more curved, slightly longer, chef's knife. But I can "rock chop" just fine with this knife. And the slightly shorter blade length makes maneuvering this knife around to be quicker and easier than with an 8-inch chef's knife. And the "deep" blade is good for "scooping" up your veggies after you cut them, and placing them into a bowl or frying pan. The handle of this knife, while gorgeous, will also be slippery when it gets wet. So be especially careful when you're working wet or slippery foods and don't lose control of this extremely sharp knife.Unless you already have expensive kitchen knives, the VG-10 steel in this knife is "harder" than the steel in your knives. It's a bit more difficult to sharpen ... but keeps the edge for a longer time. Since the steel in this knife is so hard, you can definitely sharpen it to a thin, 12-15 degree angle, which is what this knife is sharpened at from the factory. It's extremely sharp. But be careful and don't drop this knife into your stainless steel or porcelain sink ... or onto the floor, or you'll risk breaking or chipping the sharp edge.This knife is best used for CUTTING ... and not for hard CHOPPING ... or otherwise smacking down onto a hard glass or bamboo cutting board, or your kitchen counter. Get a good cutting board made from "hard enough" wood, like acacia or maple or walnut, and not "too hard," like bamboo. Or get one of those boring (but very useful!) white commercial-type polypropylene plastic cutting boards. Yes, the knife IS supposed to cut into the board a bit, which helps to protect the edge from excessive wear or other damage.Also, don't put this knife into the dishwasher. Treat it well and it will treat you well - hand wash it and dry it off, DON'T let it sit in your kitchen sink overnight with food or water on it.The blade of this knife has been hand polished. For those of you that are "knife snobs," you'll be proud to have this HOSHANHO Santoku chef's knife as part of your cutlery collection.The packaging of this Damascus steel knife definitely presents itself well for gift-giving, if you can get yourself to part with this beauty!

Used once, hanged for dry, and rust dots everywhere.