ZHEN Japanese VG-10 67 Layers Damascus Steel Vegetable Usuba/Nakiri Hollow Ground Knife Cleaver 7-inch

If you do not want to read my long winded review of this knife, please know I love it for the money it costs, it holds a strong sharp edge for a reasonable amount of time, touches up very easy, has a nice sized handle, and is one of the most "usable" knives I own.I own and have used knives in all price ranges and I prefer to spend less than $100 per knife. I prefer Japanese style knives for preparing vegetables, fish, and some white meats, for other meats with the exception of a nice boning knife (zelite infinity boning knife is a nice compliment to this zhen nakiri) I am in love with the victorinox line, their breaker knife is a wonderful value, I also use their bread knife and paring knives...So all of that being said, lets get to this knife. Out of the box I always test the knives with a potato, and this nakiri passed with flying colors, with out much effort in pressure or control I could cut transparent strips of potato consistently. Subpar knives could be hard to control due to either not being sharp and needing too much pressure, not having a good "balance", blade design, etc. If a blade is not sharp enough I can easily hone to a razors edge and I have had knives arrive a bit dull out of the box but after a slight tune up preform amazingly (recent shun knifes suffer from this and my wusthofs also). On the other hand balance and blade design can not be fixed. If I take my flexible global g19 fillet knife which is not made for cutting vegetable and try to slice an onion I'm probably going to lose a digit or two because that is not what the blade is made for, easily sharp enough to cut an onion, its is still not the correct tool, great for taking the skin off a salmon fillet though..The nakiri design is great for vegetable cutting, not a great rocking motion (check our ken onions rain santily for a really nice rocker), but its wide straight blade makes it super stiff and great for scooping your cut product right into the pan.OK, so design, sharpness out of the box, and ergo of this knife are IMO 5 stars...WHATS LEFT? Value, I give this knife 4 stars in value, its under $100 which I love, but for a Damascus look not made in Seki Japan, it is right at its limit. My seto Nakiri was only $100 and has hammered finish made in japan not Taiwan, I will compare this knife to it shortly. SO value loses a star, is it worth its price YES, definitely, but would I like to pay less, lol. ALSO yes.. Compare the zhen line of Damascus knives to the pricing of Bruntmors Tokuso line, they are also great knives and for 30% less cost...Last item I am going to talk about is edge retention. I take great care of my knives, I don't cut on glass, granite, or stone, I only cut on wood boards, I immediately wash them so I have NEVER had stuck on food to scrub off, I also never use straight detergent, I use diluted detergent on a Swissco sponge (they are soft) that I only use for my knives, not a utility sponge and never a scour pad, and when I put them down during use I lay them on a baby face cloth which is also what I use to dry them before storing. I also only store them on a magnetic board, not in a block. So I don't have to touch up my blades often, but this one is at the same level as any of my other high end knives, its easy to sharpen and takes a great edge that it holds for a long time...I compare this knife to the seto hammer forged nakiri, which is just maybe $10-20 more expensive, that units blade "may" be better, I was told its the same metal and similar process, but the reason that knife is in the drawer and this knife is the one I use is ergonomics. This knife feels much better in my hand. The only thing I don't like about Japanese knifes is some of the round dowel style handles they often use, I am not a fan of them. The control an oval shaped handle gives is IMO 100 times better. Dowels are made to roll and I don't want my knife rolling.. It took me having to own a few and over the years of using them to learn my preference, but it is what it is, I like a shaped handle, it effects, safety, speed, and all aspects of cutting...In closing, there are a few similar knives I love, Zelite infinity, Dalstrong SHOGUN, Bruntmor Tokuso, ken onion rain, even the tou damscus line is a great product for the money. But you have to use them to know what you prefer, I have all of the above, and I like them all for different reasons, but the zhen nakir is on my board because it is longer than my shun nakiri and I like the handle more than my seto... Out of all the nakiri style knives I have owned I would say this is my favorite, with the exception of an mcusta I used at a show, it was also very nice, while that was a 6.5" and had a partially rounded handle, it felt nice and its look was second to none, it was also $300+, so I left it at the show, knowing I had my $90 Zhen at home....I own 2 of these knives, you will not be disappointed with your purchase, good luck and cut safe.

I took several Chinese cooking classes where the teacher had a knife similar to this. I have quite a few forged knives, some even have cullens. But, this is my favorite. I reach for it first. I do hone it on a whetstone about every other time I use it...that keeps it very sharp! It works very well in mincing garlic and slices easily through the toughest of vegetables. There are times when I wish it were a tad bit longer so I could more easily slice a melon. For me, it was well worth the expense!

I purchased this knife along with several others to help replace the Cutco set I have used for years.First off, what a true work of art. The handle, the perfect weight, the exquisite metal work were all done to exacting tolerances.Second, the sharpness is as good as my Shun and Enso I just purchased.I am far from professional. I do cater to a person on a diet that requires everything to be finely chopped and spend a good part of every meal prep just on cutting. My job has become so much easier.Some may consider good knives an extravagance, but making the chores of life a joy is Zhen.

I own Wusthoff, Global, Shun and other high end Japanese knives, as well as an assortment of not quite so high end knives. I also own a moderate collection of pocket knives, including Cold Steel, Spydercos, Benchmades, CRK's, Kershaws, and Zero Tolerance. So after a time I've acquired a fair to middling taste and knowledge about knives. The Zhen knives in my opinion offer great quality at a very reasonable price. VG10 steel from my experience is first rate: highly resistant to rust and stains (especially if well cared for), holds an edge long and is fairly easy to sharpen. The knives are surprisingly lightweight (a plus in my opinion) and are aesthetically very pleasing to boot. The vegetable knife is very well balanced, and performs adequately as a nakiri knife (it is NOT usuba, since it is sharpened from both sides). Highly recommended.

I wrote the company about the edge out of the box. Havent heard back. I was pleased with the size and weight but its dull out of the box

I ordered a 7 inch knife. I received a 6.3 inch knife and 7 inch sheath. The bolster had a noticeable ridge as it mated to the handle. Prior experience with Taiwan products displayed superb quality control. Not in this case. Besides, no excuse for mis-measuring the blade length.

The knife is beautifully made and the blade has a fine edge wnich is easily restored by stropping after use. I use this knife for slicing vegetables and chopping herbs and can do a lot of cutting without my hand becoming fatigued because the knife is very well balanced. The dimpled edge works to keep sliced food from sticking to the blade. I reccommend it withou reservation..

I own quite a few high dollar Japanese knives costing hundreds of dollars. This knife can stand side to side with most of them. No it's not a $700 knife, but close enough for a fraction of the price.