Yoshihiro VG-10 46 Layers Hammered Damascus Gyuto Japanese Chefs Knife (Octagonal Shitan Rosewood Handle) (8.25'' (210mm))

While I'm an amateurish-at-best chef, I do know a few things about blades- former boy scout, shave with a straight razor that I hone and strop myself, I've forged several knives of my own, etc. I'm, er, a bit fond of bladed objects. So when I tell you that this knife is sharp enough to take me by surprise, I hope you'll take my meaning. It passes the paper test with flying colors, it will very easily shave whatever hair you try it on (and the skin beneath if you're not careful!), but it passed my personal favorite test- the overripe blueberry. Forget slicing a ripe tomato, the paper-thin blueberry skin is a real test of a knife in my experience, and this knife handled it with surgical ease. On top of that, it is an absolute show-stopper aesthetically- the pictures don't begin to do it justice. I should note, however, what it is *not*. Do not labor under the misunderstanding that this is a folded steel blade- it is not. It is an extremely high-quality core of Japanese VG-10 steel with Damascus-style layering and a hammered finish to give it better durability and aesthetics. If you're looking for an actual Japanese folded-steel blade, look at a price point 10-20x what you see here and consider yourself lucky if you find one. If, however, you're looking for an extremely high-quality, beautiful, razor-sharp kitchen knife, I highly recommend this one.

I purchased the Yoshihiro NSW 46 knife as a gift for my son several months ago. While not a professional chef, he is a very accomplished cook with excellent knife skills. He thinks highly of this knife — prizes it really. It’s beautifully crafted; definitely a piece of art. Beautifully packaged, too. The first thing my son did was feel for the balance, and gave it a deep-voiced “oh yeah,” (he’s a real under-stated kind of guy). The knife is very sharp, and has held its edge with no rolling or chipping through a lot of use. When I asked my son how he would review it, he said “top marks!” Top marks also for Yoshihiro’s customer service. I received the knife promptly. Yoshihiro called me some months later to make sure I was happy with my purchase after a time of use, and to see if we needed any sharpening services (first one is free if you need it). They then followed with a personal email which was clearly written by the service rep I spoke to (a very nice and professional woman who wasn’t bothersome at all). I have no doubt that if I’d had a problem with the knife, Yoshihiro would have taken seamless care of any concerns. At the time of purchase, I was wavering between Yoshihiro and another brand. What tipped me to Yoshihiro were reviews of Yoshihiro by professional chefs. I’m so glad I followed their advice, and would like to thank them for taking the time to write here. I am a Yoshihiro repeat customer, as I just purchased their NSW 46 layers veggie knife for my son-in-law’s bday gift. This is a brand I’m going to stick with, as they clearly put a lot of heart into what they create.

After nearly two months of daily kitchen grind, this knife is as sharp and as beautiful as it was the day it came out of the box. From thinly slicing beef to finely dicing tomatoes, it mows through every task with ease. The only time i have had an issue with staining was after mincing a large amount of basil, but after a little scrub, knife oil and TLC it was back to gleaming. I also bought a yoshihiro utility knife in blue steel that, and while being very useful, it has not retained an edge like this Damascus steel. I also prefer the handle style to the western of other knives, it's just more comfortable during a long day, but that is of course personal preference. Combine the comfort of the handle with its light weight and it's stubbornly razor sharp blade and you might have the perfect knife. Buy it! You'll love it!

Thus knife is just plain old gorgeous, from the all wooden handle and bolster to the hammer marks to the kanji to the demascus layering. It is absolutely gorgeous. Functionally it is just as good. The handle provides great purchase, the blade is rigid and light, feels great in hand and easy to work with. It comes sure sharp as all Japanese kinves do, however for some reason they only single side sharpened my knife (see pictures), even though it clearly ment to be double beveled. No big deal, I simply put the second bevel on using a whetstone. Honestly if you're buying a knife of this quality you should know how to use sharpening stones, so this shouldn't be a major detraction, but definatley noteworthy and to be considered before purchase.

This is pretty far beyond what I think I can reasonably use to it's full potential. I'm not a chef and I don't even cook every day. I've used the same ok-to-average-knife for 11 years now. Finally decided to spoil myself and upgrade. This might end up being pass on to my kids. I also recently got some those ceramic knives (pretty in-expensive ones) to try, those are very sharp ... this thing feels far sharper. I really did not expect that. I'm not sure I can describe it without sound like a psycho now, but I like cutting things now. Do not try how sharp it is with your finger, watch your fingers when you chop stuff. The knife is quite light and nimble. Lighter than I would've expected. The blade is pretty thin. A bit blade heavy balance. Handle seems very light. The handle is nice though, comfy. It's not a rocking knife, the profile is too flat, but straight cuts push/pull are amazing and I can't get enough of how smooth it cuts. It's like gliding your hand on silk. Finish is wonderful, it looks, feels and functions like something that you think would be made in Japan. The layered steel looks great. The hammering is very pretty. I had to ogle at it for a while. I'd like to take care of it, I'll end up getting some wet stones, I guess. I read that you kinda need those things when you get to this level of a knife. Wipe it clean/dry and always hand wash (something I hear you must do for this level of a knife), granted I do that to my ceramic and my old basic knife too. Being a noob, will I use this to its full potential? Absolutely not ... do I care? Not really. I like to look at it, I like to hold it and I like to use it. It makes me happy and I will recommend it even if you are a noob in the kitchen. Maybe I'll just cook more often and get better ... Edit: about 6 months later. I still love this knife. It's still amazingly sharp, sharper than the knives I practice sharpening on with my new wetstones. It's a little silly how good the edge retention is. However, I noticed downsides now: the hammered finish does nothing to help the food slide off, it might even get food to stick more, a little annoying. I also wish I got the slightly longer one (I got 8.25" one, probably should have gotten 9.5"). Handle wood is very hard and survives bumps etc pretty well. I already bent the knife point but fixed it as well. I'm still very happy with my knife, though it's quite premium and if you skip the pretty parts you may be able to find even more functional ones (though personally, I doubt I'd notice the difference),