Koto Satori, Taiken II special edition, 8 Inch Professional GyutouChefs Knife, Japanese AUS 8 High Carbon Stainless Steel, With Full Tang, Premium Gift Packaging

Bought as a gift. Seems to be a good quality knife.

Sharp. Stays sharp pretty long. Decent out of the box sharpening job, but i can do better with my edge pro clone fixed angle sharpener with decent stones. At first I thought the handle was too heavy, but i am not used to a knife this large and it actually balances the knife well and makes it easy to use. I love this knife. I used to think the pro chef method of chopping onions was a joke but now I realize my old 6" utility knife was a joke. I love the curve of the tip on this knife--its great for nudging into onions and missing the root end knob before slicing the other way. There is no reason to suffer with crappy knives if you are on a budget. The technology boom in good hard inexpensive stainless steel is on and this knife is also pretty well designed.

I was disappointed. It is not as sharp as I thought it would be.

Edit as of 1/4/19: Added two stars for excellent customer service. Regarding the review below, I was contacted by Koto Knives and they replaced the knife for free without me even asking. I will treat it more carefully this time.Sharp as all get out, BUT . . .It snapped at the hilt when I tried to squash a garlic clove.I really liked the shape of the blade and the handle. For a cheap knife, it did everything I needed it to do UNTIL it snapped.Too bad. Use with care and it should last. Not a workhorse.

Great knife, I have a nice set and just wanted to replace the chef's nice and man am I glad I did, this knife is awesome. it's comfortable and balanced in the hand and come super sharp

Great knife for the price you pay. Holds its edge and is well balanced. Great for professionals in the kitchen.

Smooth cutting, feels good in the hand, nice weight, I would purchase again