TAN REN Japanese Chef Knife, 8 Inch Kiritsuke Knife, Forged Japanese Sushi Knife, Carbon Steel Bunka Knife, Full Tang Chef Knives Professional, Christmas Gifts for Men Woman

I have smaller hands than hubby so wanted my own Japanese chef knife.I know about knives and have had expensive kiritsuke before, my favorite shape. (Basically an elevated version of the santoku.)This is a somewhat simpler kiritsuke but very nice for the price.It still is a carbon steel that holds a very sharp edge! It came nicely presharpened.Do yourself a favor and DO NOT BUY A STAINLESS STEEL KNIFE. This one is fine.Yes, you will have to wash and dry the knife after use to prevent rust, but that is quick.The handle is not completely round in Japanese style, but it's a nicely rounded square Western one that will fit most hands.Knife was shipped in a cardboard box, not a wooden one to use for storage. Also no sheath. You can't demand that for this kind of money ($30).I keep the knives in a small drawer laying on top of a lightly oiled paper towel. The occasional wipe with the oiled paper towel preserves the knives very well!In a nutshell: Very decent knife at a good price. Excellent for beginners wih Japanese style knives.

Super sharp, well-made, looks like it will really last.

This is a really good knife for the price, but it does have some flaws.First, just a few things to clarify. This is a stainless steel knife that's made to look like a traditional carbon steel blade. That's not a good or bad thing, just know what you're getting as I ordered this expecting traditional carbon steel. Second, this is NOT a meat cleaver. It probably can cut through bone out of the box but that's not it's intended purpose and I suspect the blade will chip if you do. Chinese cleavers are used more for vegetables and chopping, not for hacking through bones. If you need to hack through bones, get a western/german style cleaver. Now a few thoughts:The good: The blade came very sharp, as sharp as my Shun and Global knives that I sharpen regularly with whetstones. That's a huge win for a knife this cheap. The blade shape is actually very nice. It's a little more curved than I expected but it's a very functional knife that works well for chopping ingredients and then using it to transfer them to your wok (or whatever). The blade is very thin and slices effortlessly though most everything I've tried so far.The bad: The bolster of the blade is a bad design. Rather than tapering out from the blade, it's a very wide bolster that is uncomfortable if you tend to use a pinch grip. It is metal, so it can't be easily adjusted. I may actually try to grind this down. The blade is very thin, which is a positive for certain things, but I worry about it's durability. I suspect this blade will be prone to chipping. So far, the edge has held well for a week, but I also suspect it's going to need to be sharpened a lot more frequently than my nicer knives and bringing it back to the very sharp edge will likely require some sharpening skill (which I don't mind, but if you have never sharpened your own knife, be aware).Overall: this is a very good knife for the price. I've been through a lot of knives including some pretty nice ones. For less than $30 this is a really solid knife.

This is the perfect knife for all knife things - cutting, chopping, slicing, making those fun knife sounds on the griddle....this is the total package knife. It arrives sharper than sharp and ready to slice and dice! I gifted this knife to several foodie friends, and they also love the design, balance, weight, and sharpness. Get it! Keep one on hand for gifting. Thank me later...

Been working in the kitchen for 15 years and I gota admit this knife cuts it even slice my finger ounce like butter lol balanced perfectly edge is the amazing preary heavy but perfect for chopping look is awesome

This is a good knife for the kitchen, it works well and cuts up meat very nicely.So, I bought another as a gift, Great knife, cut through meat with ease and fits nice in your hand.

An almost perfect kitchen knife. I bought one for my mom and liked it so much I bought another for myself.

Great gift effective I bought it for a friend.