Chef Knife

I recently purchased this and it's bigger brother (the 9" Kiritsuke) and am very impressed with these wonderful blades. I have always wanted a Shun or Yoshihiro VG10 Steel Gyuto style Japanese knife for my kitchen, but my lifestyle had never lent an environment where I felt I could own a multi-hundred dollar kitchen knife and expect it to be all it was meant to be without getting destroyed by misuse, lack of proper care and cleaning, and a potential for it to just go missing one-day. Now, I'm entering a time in my life where I COULD do that, however, I wanted to crawl before I walk before I run. I'm certain this $30 utility knife nor its $57 bigger brother would not hold it's own against one of the previously mentioned knives or anything else offered by those knife makers. That said, I am not a Chef and I do not have to depend on these knives in order to make my living. I do, however, enjoy cooking and when my prep time is reduced by having a sharp blade that can make the work quicker and more enjoyable, it seems the food is better, the mood is better, and everyone is satisfied. I take pride in having sharp knives and my past experiences with even higher-end German cutlery was that of constant maintenance. I had my whetstones out every 6 months, it seems, and was always running the blades across a steele to get that edge to liven up after only a few uses. These blades have not enjoyed as much use as my prior knives because I'm not currently cooking as often as I once did, but I have noticed that they were sharp enough for most people's standards right out of the box. I used them once, enjoyed the experience, but wanted to see how much more I could get out of them. I got out my whetstones and went to work on them. A 300 grit to fine tune the shape and define my edge angle, followed by a 1,000 grit to refine the edge a bit, then a 6,000 grit to remove any stray burs and give a slight polish, then a 12,000 grit to truly polish the edges. These knives are sharp. I've used them quite a bit on a mixture of bamboo and plastic cutting boards for a mixture of fruits, veggies, and meats, and have not had to hone or re-polish the edges since. They're holding an edge perfectly and continue to make me smile while working on prepping for my meals. Did I mention they look cool? The black looks painted on, but it doesn't affect the performance and since I hand wash these, it's not like the high-heat of a dishwasher is testing the durability of the paint (if it is paint). The texture helps with food releasing from the blade, so I like having that too. The octagonal shaped handle is great, not slippery - even with wet hands. Looking for entry level Japanese inspired kitchen knives made of hard steel (not soft German steel)? Look no further. Buy the whole set. That's my next move.

Beautiful knife, ultra sharp, feels good in the hand. Hand wash and dry immediately and it should last forever. Might be tricky to use if you haven't developed knife skills yet. It is a big sharp blade.

First clad steel knife I’ve owned. Apparently if you don’t take care of it, it’ll rust. Similar to a cast iron pan I suppose. It’s nothing for me to clean and dry my knives before hanging them up. The knife is surprisingly light and is balanced correctly. It is very sharp. When I unboxed it, I bumped my knuckle lightly against the blade and was easily cut. I wore a bandage for three days until the bleeding stopped. I think if I were to bump it just a little bit harder it might have cut me to the bone. Be very careful. It’s a stylish knife. The grip feels natural. No obvious defects but I can tell and for the price point, I’m very satisfied with the purchase. I’ve only had it for a week so if it turns out to be a dud, I’ll update the review. On a personal note, I normally use cleavers all the time so I’m used to heavier knives. Because this knife is so light it may take some time to get used to. The packaging notes make it clear not to use anything other than a wood cutting board. If you use stone or plastic, it will defect the cutting edge.

The beautiful kitchen workhorse, every chef i let test it complimented on feel and sharpness but this is not Damascus steel however anything that sticks can be off your knife in 3 shakes tops i work to feed 250-300+ people per day, and it can not rock very well due to the blade angle, however for the cook its an amazing knife and good for learning while the title of chef is being earned, beauty in life is something that should be in everything exactly why you buy the knife that inspires you when you grab it other then this the only con is the handle is as big as the knife so it may not work for the shorter among us but has the benefit of a big handle for lefties . Durability remains to be seen with time.

The knife (7 inch Santoku) looks good out of the box. The artisanal-looking cosmetic elements (like the fake hamon) will appeal to some, while looking a bit cheesy to others. It arrived sharper than I expected. Under a minute of light stropping brought the edge to almost scary sharpness. The Chinese steel variants is similar to some 440C variants, and should work well for kitchen use. If you know how to care for it, the edge should remain super sharp for a long time with minimal effort. I won't, for example, be using his knife to chop against hard bone. I'd expect it to chip. For slicing and lightly chopping meat and veggies this knife has potential. I know how to care for and use many kinds of knives, and I expect this one to perform well for several years. I like the octagonal handle (regardless of what it is really made of). It indexes well, and fits my hand perfectly. It's a little heavy, but that doesn't matter to me because I only prepare meals for myself, so fatigue won't be a factor. The slightly convex blade is not best for super-super thin slicing -- get a real sushi knife for that. At this price point, this knife seems well worth it.

July 19, 2022. My original review was 2.5 years ago, see below. I have used this knife at least twice a day, AT LEAST, since day one. Did I mention how gorgeous it is too? So 2Xdaily for 2.5years would be 1,825 times. I know I use it more than 2 times a day. I still have not had to sharpen it. It slices everything like a laser. I hope they still make this knife, I didn’t check, I just updated the review. Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions. It’s not easy finding excellent products made with precision and care like this. Happy Kitchentime Everyone. xxx patte I slice and chop all kinds of veggies so thinly that they look like they were cut with a machine. I’m also able to beautifully slice meat, raw or cooked, paper thin. I bought this knife not knowing anything about it or the company prior to my purchase, I was just fed up with $400 knives from Williams Sonoma that couldn’t keep a sharp edge more than a couple of uses. This is the coolest knife I have EVER owned and I am planning on buying two more for gifts for my friends who are eating lots more veggie based meals from scratch. Chopping and slicing with this knife makes me feel like I’m staring in my own K Drama Rom/Com. That and wearing my ever so cool chef’s jacket that I bought this past summer at Job Lot for $5. This knife also comes in a beautiful presentation box. Phenom gift for you kitchen genies or a good friend. This is the sharpest thing you will ever have in your kitchen by the way, except maybe you. xxxx

I bought this chef knife for mainly four reasons: 1) Findking advertises the steel they use 2) Looks great (especially the handle) 3) Comes with a leather sheath 4) Quality and materials Unlike other Chinese-made Serbian chef knives, Findking actually advertises a 9cr18mov steel, (others just say "high carbon steel") which is a premium Chinese stainless steel. Basic care like washing and drying and the occasional sharpening is all that's required. Oiling is not necessary. I received this knife, and the quality is excellent from the blade to the handle. It of course came sharp and made quick work of vegetables. The dimpling on the top half of the blade is not just aesthetic but makes it so things don't stick to it when cutting. The wooden handle has a nice finish and is easy to grip. This knife is hefty so keep that in mind. The way to grip this knife is the same you would do with a Chinese cleaver - the index and thumb pinching the steel and the rest of your fingers and palm wrapping around the handle. Also, the leather sheath is thick and is stiff which should break in over time.

These knives are sharp, sturdy, well balanced, and just perform when you need it BUT... I ordered them in November of 2020 and as of last week Feb 2021 the black spots that are part of the design have begging to rust over. These knives have never been in the dishwasher. We’ve only ever hand washed them. So they are beautiful knives but now I have to reach out to customer service to see what they can do about this issue. Will update here when I’ve gotten new info. For now they get mid star review and will raise/drop based on the results.