Yoshihiro VG10 16 Layer Hammered Damascus Stainless Steel Santoku Chefs Knife (7'' (180mm))

I've been looking for a really great kitchen knife and I read about this on a list of chefs talking about their favorite knives. I kept seeing this knife and I finally pulled the trigger. So far it's amazing.Looks: it looks really expensive. Far more than the 100ish dollars it cost. The blade is gorgeous and the handle is really nice as well. The wood is nice and smooth, but looks a ton better after putting some oil on it and caring for it.Sharpness: out of the box I'd say it was an 8/10 on the sharpness scale. For reference I'd put something like a boxed Henckles set at 6/10. It still cuts really well though. 99% of people will think it's the sharpest knife they've owned, unless they're coming from a pro knife. With a little honing though this knife gets insanely sharp, insanely fast. Like cut the tip of your finger off without noticing sharp. The good news is that it also appears to hold an edge well for such a thing knife.Durability: so far, I'm really impressed with the durability. You can cut all of your food and wash it, dry it and repeat without any need to straighten the blade. As long as you keep it clean and tube it up once in a while, this knife will be solid for a long time.Overall: I've quickly replaced my Henckles santoku for this knife and the only thing I wonder is why it took so long. This knife is gorgeous, sharp and sized in such a way that it can do nearly anything. If you cook reasonably often this knife is a must purchase.

Nice knife. Wasn't as sharp as many make it out to be, which is just fine by me. I wasn't afraid to use it in many ways necessary to prep and cook food. It does cut through things well though.I just wish it came with a plastic case to store it. The box works, but that's not going to last long.

Attractive Nakiri.(double bevel) I have been using Shun Classic Santokus and utility knives for almost everything so I felt a need to try something "new." This was it. This blade is quite thin and based on the specs it is made of a good quality steel. It isn't at the very top in terms of hardness, but I hope that also means that it will be less brittle and potentially easier to sharpen. For fit and finish it seems very good. I'll have to get used to the "Western" shaped handle, but it is comfortable. At six ounces the weight is easy on the hand and wrist. I haven't found a downside to it yet, but then again I've only had it for a month. Used it to make slaw and it was faster than getting out and cleaning a mandoline or food processor and cabbage was sliced quite well. I didn't use it to attack quartering the cabbage. I used a heavy cleaver for that. This might be up to it but I think that I'll reserve it for more delicate work. Slicing onions, peppers, other vegetables, boneless chicken or flank steak for stir fry is well within the comfort zone. Having the rectangular blade is also and advantage in that it gives your knuckles something to guide when you are trying to slice things thinly. What more can I say, I like shiny objects...Update: If you have two cooks in the kitchen you need two nakiris... For slicing almost anything that doesn't have bones or hardness that might damage a blade, these are now the go-to knives. My wife found a Shun Classic Nakiri on sale and bought it. Now we can do a contrast and compare. The Shun is a little larger and a bit heavier and on sale it cost less... That said I prefer the Yoshihiro. It is well balanced, comfortable in the hand and overall more attractive. Both are quality Japanese knives, but this looks and feels more handmade than the Shun. (That could be because I am so used to the Shun Classic patterns. There are other more expensive Shun lines.) In any event, if you want something that makes you smile when you take it out of the block and use it, I recommend this one.

First of all, if looks count, this knife is like a piece of art. Very nice to look at. And it slices so smoothly and easily through cabbage, meat, whatever. So sharp that you have to use caution; two band-aids later I've learned how to use it properly, because even a slight touch of the edge can result in a small cut.Also, FWIW, like most Japanese products, the packaging is first class as well.

Great little knife starting this one out at 5 stars because I can see the quality of this knife and it deserves 5 stars. Out of the box knife even though sharp enough to shave with didn't have super well polished edge, at least in comparison with any of my Shun knives, this knife actually seemed a little on the dull side in comparison to a Shun factory edge. I few swipes on a 12,000 grit stone and it's in the ball park. Also was led to understand would have a 50/50 edge came with a 70/30 favoring right hand use. Neither of these is anything "big" as both are easy fixes. Now for the good, the balance and weight of knife are near perfection for this size of blade also the belly is deep enough to get a fair rocking action for it's size also the choil is perfect size and distance from bolster to have a great feel reguardless of style of grip. Once I open the edge to my liking and sharpness I believe this will be one of my favorite knives as has all the attributes I was looking for. Also the knife is truly gorgeous. I would highly recommend to people with some skill at polishing a blade to look at this knife as has many very attractive features that are hard to find in this size of a knife.UPDATE:Day one of heavy use knife still didn't have useful edge I was looking for. Spent some serious time on stones with it got edge dialed in where I want it. I want to keep this clear I keep my Shun's at what I call a "stupid" sharp level. This knife exceeds that level after the stone work. I was cutting radishes cleanly thinner than standard paper with ease if you are considering this knife I'd recommend just buying it one of the best knives I've ever used.