Yaxell Mon 8" Chef's Knife - Made in Japan - VG10 Stainless Steel Gyuto with Micarta Handle

First I must admit this is my best (by kind of a lot) and most expensive (by a bit) knife so far, so I can't directly compare to more expensive options. But I also can't imagine how a more precious tool which would almost certainly be harder, more brittle, and more difficult to sharpen would be better. I do have a fair number of American, Chinese, German, and Pakistani knives. And I can say that this knife has the rest so outclassed it's not even funny. And yes, I do keep them all sharp and ready. It's superiority is most apparent in design, handle, lightness, and of course edge retention. Anyway, this knife is also handcrafted in a first world country at Yaxell, in a shop that looks like it must have been a samurai sword shop at one point not too long ago. Don't know how they can sell this knife for this price. Check out Ricky of Burrfection on Ytube for a tour of the factory. So, point being, not made all by machine in perhaps a more capitalized factory, and when us outdated meat sacks can still make a clearly superior product by hand, that is a win for us and should be strongly supported.

For less than a lot of Chinese made Japanese knife wannabes you get a real made in Japan Japanese knife in real VG10. Wether one layer or a hundred there is a VG10 core clad with softer stainless steel. Cuts like a dream and has great edge retention. It feels light in the hand with good balance. If you cut occasionally making meals at home or you cut all day in a restaurant give this knife a try. You could spend 2-3 times this amount and not get a better cutting knife. My favorite out of many and I’ve owned or used dozens. Sharpens easy enough on water stones or diamond and attains amazing sharpness. So for less than $100 give it a try. Note: the main difference in the Mon vs Super Gou is VG10 and SG2. The SG2 is a powdered metal that has much smaller carbon granules dispersed in the steel. This is done to allow a finer edge when sharpened. Theoretically anyway. 98 out of 100 people would not notice the difference. Cosmetically the Super Gou is stunning, but the carrots could care less. The Mon is beautifully made while being all business. Makes a great gift to the cooks or chefs in your life. Update: one year later it’s held up supurbly and is easy to sharpen. I’ve given 4 as gifts and they have been very pleased as well.

The knife is perfect

This is a beautiful well made knife. Only have had it for a week but it has been used everyday chopping veggies, breaking down chickens, and everything in between. The steel is fantastic so far! Just stays razor sharp as I have only been touching up the edge with a steel so far. I mean razor sharpness. I know no edge will last for ever but I also have a nice whetstone that I am decent at getting great edges with. My point is that the vg10 used as the bit in this knife holds an edge wonderfully. Handle is also beautiful and very comfortable. This is my first actual “nice” knife and as long as you can accept the fact that all knives need sharpening at some point and you get a decent whetstone which you become proficient with, this knife can keep a razor edge for a very long time. Just my opinion. I love the knife!

This is my first Japanese-made knife after a lifetime of spending my money on German knives. Out of the box, there's no comparison. The Yaxell is beautiful just to look at, but more than that, it has incredible ergonomics and the sharpest blade I have used in years. I had heard of how sharp these Japanese-made blades were, but I wasn't quite ready for such level of sharpness. I used it solely for vegetables, and a single slide (no back-and-forth cutting) is sufficient for an efficient cut. Also, the use of a soft, high-quality wooden board is a requirement with these Japanese knives (to maintain their somewhat delicate, ultra-sharp edges). Simply impressive. Haven't gotten to the point where it needs new sharpening, so I can't speak to how easy, or difficult, that will be. When cleaning I just do a delicate rinse and scrubbing using a mild soap, and immediately dry it and set it aside. For the price, this is a must buy for anyone who loves quality knives.

Not a pro chef, but I have 3 of them in 8", 6" and the utility Yaxell. This is the best thing you'll have in your kitchen! Oh, and you'll also free up some drawer space after throwing away all those "german steel made in China" knives you have. A couple more things to add: Basically, there are two schools of chef's knives: European (German) and Japanese. European are made of softer steel (~0.5% carbon) and lower hardness levels (~56-58HRC); they dull faster, primarily due to the cutting edge folding (that's why you see those pro chefs and butchers on Youtube constantly honing them on the steel/ceramic rod, straightening up the edge). But they are more forgiving and do not chip, when, say, a bone or some other hard substance is hit. Japanese knives are made of a harder steel. VG10 in this Yaxell particularly contains ~1% of carbon and is hardened to ~61HRC. This makes a superb and much longer lasting edge, however, it may micro-chip. Drag a knife over a piece of paper towel - if you feel the "grab" - this is it. So, while you have longer periods between re-sharpening, you just have to be a bit more careful with your Yaxell. The latter means, no cutting on ceramic plates or granite countertops, no dropping on the tile floor, and always watching where would the blade go if you slip while cutting. Next, the Japanese knives are usually thinner than European, [gyutos] have a less pronounced "bow", which may or may not affect your rocking cutting technique, and finally have no bolster (look it up). The latter means that little corner on the back of the blade will happily cut anything (as it is supposed to), including your fingers, if you forget about it. Sharpening. Yaxells are double-bevel grind, usually ~25 degrees (12.5 per side). You have several options here: - professional sharpening services (occasionally) + a good fine ceramic honing rod in between (a diamond one may be a bit too aggressive and cost twice as much). - something like Chef's Choice 3-stage electric sharpener - classic: w(h)etstones (Suehiro Cerax #1000 + Rika #5000 + leather strop. You're welcome!). This may become your next hobby, not mentioning that this is a very therapeutic activity overall and a good way making new friends on the internet :) - a guided system, like WorkSharp Professional Precision Adjust. On a separate note, please do yourself and the rest of humankind a favor and throw away that "ceramic/carbon steel" pull sharpener you have and never ever use it on any knife, period. No time to explain why, just don't... Storage. A knife block or, if stored in the drawer, get one of those plastic edge protection sleeves. The rule is: knife steel should not ever touch another steel. Good luck and enjoy your new Yaxell!.

Shipping time and Delivery The Yaxell Mon 8" Gyuto was shipped and arrived quickly - unlike most of the other Amazon products that seem to be held back for several days if you don't pay the over inflated price for Amazon Prime, which doubled a few years ago which Amazon raised again the following year. It "might" be a descent deal if you use "All" of Prime's Services - but not for shipping a few packages a year. Shipping Method The packaging wasn't "Bad" but it wasn't great. The boxed knife was shipped in a very large Amazon small-bubbled envelope which could have easily held three of those knife boxes side by side - and it provided very little protection during shipping. When I opened the envelope the bottom of the knife box showed signs of being compressed and the light plastic inner of the box, that molds around the handle, showed signs of the box being tossed around - where the butt of the blade broke through the inner lining of the box. Knife Condition The knife looks in very good condition and arrived sharp - with a "very minor" imperfection in grinding and polishing where the spine of the blade meets the two top sides of the bolster. The grind on the upper right side of the spine missed being equally ground flat between the two sides by @.5 mm at the widest part, easily missed. The honing of the blade was nicely done and was even on both sides of the blade. Test cutting thin paper sliced through quietly and with ease. Test cutting a loosely held paper towel also revealed the knife had a very sharp blade - for being right out of the box. I did a little test cutting on cabbage and was pleased. The knife handled very nicely - even for someone that has Very Big hands. I cleaned the knife and made sure the edge was in even better condition than what I received. I finished it off with a few passes on a leather strop that had 1 Micron Diamond Spray applied and the edge was hair shaving sharp. The people receiving this gift should be very pleased.. Price - (Included free shipping on orders over $25.00.) [Not Pleased] My biggest gripe is that the knife dropped from 79.90/(11/16/19) to 69.95/(11-21-19) in less than 5 days. When I looked at the same knife 7 day after my original purchase - the price was $74.95/(11-23-19).That's good for everyone else that shopped and found the lowest price, but naturally I'm not pleased because I'm like most folks that look for the best deals. Hopefully you folks shopping around and found the best price listed. Reason for purchasing the Yaxell Mon 8" Gyuto It will be a very nice Christmas gift for people who will never notice the minor imperfection. They are also receiving another less expensive knife to use while they are learning to properly use and care for this better quality knife. The Yaxell Mon is a higher quality knife than what I currently have in my kitchen - which will change, although - I do own a high quality EDC that has very nice geometry and holds an unbelievable edge. If you know how to properly use kitchen knives, for what they are meant to be used for, and use slicing and rocking techniques - you shouldn't go wrong buying the Yaxell Mon 8" Gyuto.

Great knife, especially for people trying to take their cooking more seriously but don't want to dive into the deep end. Bought this knife when I started cooking daily, and it helped me sharpen (get it?) my skills and become better at cooking. Holds up decently well when compared to some Zwilling or Wusthof, and I still use it frequently over 4 years later