Yoshihiro VG10 46 Layers Hammered Damascus Gyuto Japanese Chefs Knife (Octagonal Shitan Rosewood Handle) (9.5" (240mm)

This is my first Japanese gyuto but I've been able to try many different makes owned by my friends and I must say I'm very, very impressed by this Yoshihiro. I wanted to get the Ho wood handle but it was out of stock everywhere so I went with this one and I'm glad I did. It came respectably sharp out of the box. I was able to shave fine hair and cellophane tomatoes single-handedly before and after I went through several pounds of tough ingredients. It holds its edge very well. I am diligent with my cleaning but it seems like this blade is difficult to stain. I've heard others have had some reactivity but so far I've had none.I found the saya a bit rough so I stepped it down to 12000 grit micromesh and it feels great. Just be careful not to sand over the hanko. The ink is very shallow and will readily fade. I only touched it with 12000 and it lightened. There was a little roughness at the transition from the handle to the bolster so I stepped it down to 12K as well and it feels like a million bucks. It feels like a much more expensive knife with that little bit of polish.I'm a fan of the magnolia/horn contrast but the rosewood is really nice. The bolster is listed as 's***an rosewood' and it looks a lot like mottled ebony. The knife handles amazingly well. The 47mm deep blade is a favorite. I love having that extra room below my fingers. The handle grip is solid but the pinch grip is made to be. I've also done some detail work with a pencil grip. It is very light but still has enough heft and forward balance to harness gravity. Chopping and slicing on the entire length of the blade is perfect.If you're not quite ready to invest in something like a $350+ gyuto the lower-tier Yoshihiro knives are hard to beat. Their Suminagashi line is also an amazing bargain, as is the Kurouchi. I was very interested to compare it to my friend's Kikuichi Swedish Warikomi damascus gyuto since they look exactly alike and I was pleased to find the Yoshihiro relinquished nothing to the more expensive Kikuichi. I think Yoshihiro will find me a regular customer.

This is my 6th Yoshihiro purchase. Some reviewers claim having rust on the Yoshihiro high carbon steel knives. "Yes", this is what happens to high carbon steel knives. A light coating of oil is mandatory for knives of that type of steel. My Yoshihiro Deba is one of those knives. This series of knives is VG-10 and DOES NOT easily rust when hand washed and dried. To date, absolutely no rust. I bought the Santoku in this Hammered Damascus 46 Layer line three years ago. I have used it almost every day and can attest to its ability to keep an edge, resist rust or staining, and solid construction. With this knife, the 9.5 inch Gyuto, I have completed the full set. Last night, I used it to prep vegetables and slice ham. It is crazy sharp! The knife is not cheap, per se. But, it punches well above its price range. Most newcomers to Japanese knives will marvel at its light weight in hand. This Gyuto is versatile, handling veggies and meat slicing with no problems. It is not a meat cleaver, though. Buy a cheap cleaver for that sort of task. Highly recommended, AAA+!

This is pretty far beyond what I think I can reasonably use to it's full potential.I'm not a chef and I don't even cook every day.I've used the same ok-to-average-knife for 11 years now. Finally decided to spoil myself and upgrade. This might end up being pass on to my kids.I also recently got some those ceramic knives (pretty in-expensive ones) to try, those are very sharp ... this thing feels far sharper. I really did not expect that. I'm not sure I can describe it without sound like a psycho now, but I like cutting things now.Do not try how sharp it is with your finger, watch your fingers when you chop stuff.The knife is quite light and nimble. Lighter than I would've expected. The blade is pretty thin. A bit blade heavy balance.Handle seems very light. The handle is nice though, comfy.It's not a rocking knife, the profile is too flat, but straight cuts push/pull are amazing and I can't get enough of how smooth it cuts. It's like gliding your hand on silk.Finish is wonderful, it looks, feels and functions like something that you think would be made in Japan. The layered steel looks great. The hammering is very pretty.I had to ogle at it for a while.I'd like to take care of it, I'll end up getting some wet stones, I guess. I read that you kinda need those things when you get to this level of a knife.Wipe it clean/dry and always hand wash (something I hear you must do for this level of a knife), granted I do that to my ceramic and my old basic knife too.Being a noob, will I use this to its full potential? Absolutely not ... do I care? Not really. I like to look at it, I like to hold it and I like to use it.It makes me happy and I will recommend it even if you are a noob in the kitchen. Maybe I'll just cook more often and get better ...Edit: about 6 months later. I still love this knife. It's still amazingly sharp, sharper than the knives I practice sharpening on with my new wetstones. It's a little silly how good the edge retention is. However, I noticed downsides now: the hammered finish does nothing to help the food slide off, it might even get food to stick more, a little annoying. I also wish I got the slightly longer one (I got 8.25" one, probably should have gotten 9.5"). Handle wood is very hard and survives bumps etc pretty well. I already bent the knife point but fixed it as well. I'm still very happy with my knife, though it's quite premium and if you skip the pretty parts you may be able to find even more functional ones (though personally, I doubt I'd notice the difference),