KOTO Knives 8 Inch Professional Gyutou Chef's Knife - 67 Layers Damascus Blade, True Japanese VG-10 Stainless Steel Chef Knife With Ergonomic Handle, Full Tang, Knife Sheath And Premium Packaging

Quite possibly the best knife I have had the pleasure of using. I purchased this alongside two other very similar, more popular VG10 Damascus-Steel chefs knives and ended up keeping this one out of the three (although one of them was arguably better looking). While opinions will invariably differ, for me it came down to a few critical issues. First and foremost, I found the slightly-sloped, rounded handle to be expertly suited for the classic grip, where one chokes up on the handle, pinching together forefinger and thumb above the bolster, which offers better control for precision cuts. It was equally suited for the more obscure and less favored hammer, or as I call it the handshake golf grip, after the way that your first hand wraps around your favorite driver, which is held further back on the handle, but still close to the bolster, that offers relatively less control but is vastly more comfortable and less stressful on the various nerves and tendons of the hand and forearm. As someone who has used the classic grip for years, it takes considerable conscious effort to change this; but as someone with pronator teres syndrom as well as golfers and tennis elbow, I have noticed a significant reduction in pain after continued use. Second, this blade is sharp. Extremely sharp. Plus it holds it edge relatively well for a "Japanese-style" knife despite the narrower 15 degree edge. It glided through vegetables with ease and cut through a flounder's backbone with one fluid motion. I would still recommend honing it regularly, but after two weeks, still don't feel the need to take it to a whetstone. Lastly, this knife is simply gorgeous. The folded, steel ripples are reminiscent of wood grain and the gleaming ebony handle compliments the overall asthetics beautifully. One thing to note, it that while it is a "Japanese-style" knife in design and in terms of steel composition, it is actually made in China. If you can get past that, however, you will surely fall in love with this exceptional knife at a fair price.

The media could not be loaded.  Five stars!!! This Knife is great, and at a fraction of the price of other high end chefs knives that run over $200. A friend of mine has a knife from Koto knives and I was so impressed with it I bought 4 as Christmas gifts, of course one 1 was a gift to me! I am so impressed with this knife, the packaging is vey artistic and cool looking and the knife itself is beautiful. The Damascus pattern on it is quite similar to those on knives by Shun (and at a fraction of the cost). The pattern does look like silk as it says in the description, it is really very stunning! This knife is razor sharp right out of the box, can shave the hairs right of my arm. The handle makes for a very good grip. The handle has a slight curve to it so it feels really good in the hand. As the pros will tell you the VG-10 steel is the way to go, it will keep its edge for a very long time. When I get something good, I like to share so I gave it to my buddy to try it out in his restaurant and run it through the paces like a pro would. I attach that video here. All and all I would say this is a great knife that I would highly recommend to anyone that wants a real professional knife at an amazingly good price. Frankly I think they should be selling these for a lot more but I’m not complaining!!

Overall it is a decent knife for the money. It holds an edge fairly well, I would venture to say that it is in fact actual vg-10. Nice blade shape and solidly built. It comes in too fancy of a box, no real need in that. also has an edge guard which is a nice bonus. The handle has started rising at the grain do to the limited amount of moisture from rinsingafter wiping the blade, it should've been sealed before it was painted.

On December 12 I ordered the Koto Professional 8” Gyuto Chef’s Knife and it arrived promptly. Upon inspection I noticed a blemish in the wood handle. I contacted the manuufacturer and they replaced the knife right away, no questions asked. Today I received my new Koto chef’s knife. Upon close inspection, all I can say is, Everything is perfect! It came super sharp out of the box. The Koto 8” Chef’s knife is a beautiful work of art! The knife arrived in a beautiful box and included a custom plastic edge guard. The Koto Professional Gyuto 8” Chef’s Knife has features found only in high end, more expensive knives, but for a fraction of the price.-67 Layer Damascus Steel Blade - VG-10 Japanese Super Steel - Super sharp out of the box - Ergonomic designed Pakka Wood handle- Custom blade guard included - Great Customer Service. With propper care my Koto Professional Gyuto 8” Chef’s Knife will last long enough to pass on to my grandson!

Feels good in the hand. If you're doing a bunch of prep work the handle feels great. I am disappointed in the blade. It came razor sharp but doesn't seem to hold an edge as long as it should for Damascus steel. I seem to need to hone it after every 4-5 uses.

Bought this knife for my wife who cooks a lot of Asian style food and she loves it! Came in a beautifully packaged box which made opening it up for the first time quite a thrill. I did a couple of basic tests - first was the hair razor sharp test. Damn, this knife is very sharp - I have this silly looking white patch on my forearm now! Second test (after cleaning), was slicing up some leftover steak from the fridge - not an easy test, but that was effortless. Cutting up veg such as tomato and cucumber was also very easy and smooth. We also love the handle which is a pleasure to hold. I might update this review after say a month if necessary, but so far, we're both very impressed.