DALSTRONGChef Knife - 7 inch - Gladiator Series Elite - Forged High Carbon German Steel - Razor Sharp Kitchen Knife - Full Tang - Black G10 Handle - Sheath Included - Chef's Knife - NSF Certified

I have been wanting a unified set of kitchen knives for some time. I happened upon the Dalsrtong knives here on Amazon. I started with their 10" chef's knife. It’s a very handsome knife and I found it to be well balanced and a joy to use. Dalstrong pitches their knives as premium knives and in fact the Dalstrong Gladiators, like their German counterparts, are fully bolstered, forged knives with full-tang construction. They are presented in a fancy box with some swag, - including a Dalstrong medallion, and a polishing cloth, and very nice sheath. Also, most people, including myself, find them to be strikingly handsome knives. But, moving past the past the “unboxing” awe that so many reviews bog down in let’s critique them as tools. First, let’s consider the steel. According to Dalstrong they are forged from one piece of “premium high carbon Thyssen-Krupp steel.” It has a Rockwell hardness rating of 55-56 which is a moderately hard steel. Please note, the steel is designated “high carbon”. I mention this because some people have labored under the impression that its a simple high-carbon steel. A simple high-carbon steel will stain up quickly, this steel does not. The steel is obviously a High-carbon alloy with stainless qualities. Like high-carbon steel it takes a nice edge and yet is also fairly stainless. I personally would never put these or any edged tool I cared about in the dishwasher. If you clean and dry these knives before storage, they should remain stain free. Also, the steel on the Gladiators is a bit thinner than on comparable German Knives. This could be good or bad depending on your point of view. A thinner knife slices much nicer, but in some situations may not be up to cleaver-like chopping. The Gladiators IMO hit it just right - they slice like a nice Japanese knife, but have enough spine to withstand any kitchen use I can conceive of. The steel takes an edge willingly, so I suggest investing in a quality honing steel/ceramic for the daily maintenance of these knives. This is a good idea for any knife in this RC hardness range. When it comes time to sharpen on a stone I found with care and practices a 1000/3000 Japanese waterstone combo will give these a brand-new edge very quickly. I doubt I will ever have to send these out for sharpening.As to the handles they are handsome and ergonomic. They are full-tanged with pakkawood scales. Pakkawood is a resin impregnated wood laminate that is durable and has the beauty of wood.So, I have one nice knife and the price was great.

We love eating squash, but cutting them is really hard for me! I have a bumper crop of butternut and acorn squash coming along this year, so my daughter (who is a chef) told me to get a 10" chef knife rather than an 8" because the larger size blade will give me more leverage and stability when trying to cut through large items or hard produce such as squash.I spent some time searching through various choices and decided on this one by Dalstrong because it appears to be similar quality as the Wusthof Classic 10" chef knife, but costs a lot less and they have comparable specs. Both are made of high quality German steel, both are full tang and triple riveted for strength and durability, both are comparably sharp, have a full bolster, and lifetime warranty - except the Wusthof one was about $179 everywhere I looked so I decided to try Dalstrong.It comes beautifully packaged (especially for the reasonable price), and it feels very good to hold. The handle is an excellent fit for my hand and the knife has a good heft without being overly heavy. I bought a squash to try it out on, and the longer blade really did provide the extra oomph I needed to cut through the hard skin with a lot less effort than my 8" chef knife. The blade height was tall enough to protect my knuckles from touching the cutting board, and the handle didn't get slippery from the juices.I can already see how useful this is going to be for cutting things like watermelons, pumpkins, large heads of cabbage, and anything else that I'd like to get through with one stroke. My daughter was a little shocked that I got this instead of a Wusthof, but after she tried it herself she said she was very impressed by it. I'm delighted with the quality and performance of this knife and will be trying others by this brand as well. Highly recommend.

I got this has a christmas present for my husband. He LOVES it! It is way heavier than I thought it would be; extremely sturdy amd well-made. It is extremely sharp, and works way better than I ever thought. It is very clean and sharp looking (pun intended). My husband cut a whole ham in less than 5 minutes with it. Will definitely my more from this brand.

Love this knife, works awesome!

This was a gift for several family members because they loved the one I have (I have the larger Gladiator knife and I use it daily). Used this smaller one a few times. Feels like a high quality knife. Have not seen any signs of rust as of yet. The design I sleek and feels very well balanced. Functionality: Can be used for a variety of things. Whether it’s a quick trim, cutting meats or veggies. Perfect knife if you’re on a budget and don’t want to get dozens of knives.

Nice build quality but this one is a little too thick at the top and a bit too heavy for me personally and I'm no novice cook. I literally do knife work all day at my restaurant

I have bought many knives in the past and I was looking for a cleaver. I purchased a Dalstrong Gladiator cleaver and after using it for a year or so, i was impressed with the way it held an edge. I purchased the 8-piece set and for the price, it's a bargain. All i can say is wow. After using the set for a few months, I purchased the 6-inch Dalstrong Gladiator chef knife. It's a little thinner than the 8-in. chef knife that comes in the set and slices and dices so nice I gave away all my old knives and I'm sold on Dalstrong. These knives will be in the family many, many years. It's an investment i should have made years ago. So if you're reading this and looking for a set of knives, you can't go wrong with Dalstrong. The Gladiator series are great knives, but the Gladiator series is the entry level for Dalstrong but it's the same quality that Dalstrong puts their name on. I'm very happy with my purchase, you will be too!