LeeKnives 8.5 Inch Kiritsuke Chef Knife, Professional VG10 Damascus Steel Knives with Hammered Blade, Ultra Sharp Kitchen Slicing Knife with Ebony Wood Handle & Gift Box

I like to think of myself as a pretty good home cook. I like to use fresh ingredients and meal prep. Cutting vegetables with this knife was a dream. Very sharp out of the box and beautiful as well. For the price this is definitely a knife you should buy and get away from the big brand knife sets. There really is a huge difference.

This knife strikes me as being of excellent quality. I've had and do have quite a few knives, and while most have been very sharp right out of the box, this one just seems to be a notch above the rest, in terms of sharpness out of the box. Which, honestly, surprised me a little, I didn't really think it was possible. Low layer count Damascus blades, (like this one), can have a cool, dramatic look when done right. The trick, though, to making the patterns pop is using metals that will have a more dramatic contrast between them. When people use metals that are the same, or very similar in hue then it can be difficult to see the patterns, which is a terrible shame because Damascus patterns can be so beautiful. The pattern on this "LeeKnives Kiritsuke Knife" is more visible than on some knives I've seen but, if the right choices had been made, they could have popped more. My thinking, and my hope, is that the choices made had much less to do with aesthetics and more to do with the forging together of metals that will produce knives that have hardness without being brittle and are capable of maintaining an edge without constant sharpening. Though, I know that can be achieved with higher contrasting steels too, sooo.. yeah. The edge on this blade is absolutely capable of making the cuts demonstrated in the video, if you're looking for a kitchen knife with those capabilities, this one will do it for you. I tried to get shots that would show some of the patterning of the blade and I'm definitely a sucker for mosaic pins, so I had to get a shot of that too. The dimpling on the blade adds a stylistic looks as well as making the knife a little more light-weight, and it also reduces surface area, (more surface area contacting the cutting medium increases drag), which helps allow the blade to pass more easily through whatever you're cutting. This knife will definitely become a part of my kitchen arsenal, rather than being passed on, as so many knives in my life have been over the years, and will continue to be before the end. I'd recommend giving it a try, I think you'll be impressed with it too.

The blade is super sharp right from the box but nothing is protecting the edge or the point it so it might get damaged (which it did but nothing you can see with our human eyes) should have just left it with the sheath when being shipped/package over all the quality of the blade it's super solid for day to day use

Opening the package, I pulled the flap of the box, and the feel of the magnetic closure was reminiscent of how Apple designs their boxes (very nice). Inside, I found the beautiful knife (with a knife cover that you can see in the bottom right of the box in the full knife photo). The knife feels very good in the hand - stable and well balanced, and the full tang handle shows excellent craftsmanship. This is one of the nicest knives I have ever had the privilege to own. The other photo is under the microscope - the beveled edge is clean and beautiful - and you can see the folds of the Damascus layering. The blade is sharp - beautifully sharp. And although I have very small hands (and this is not a small knife), it is so well balanced that I feel I can control it. It is a pleasure to use. I've never had a dimpled knife before - I'm interested in seeing how well it will keep foods from sticking to the blade. I have several Japanese knives: paring, chef, butakiri, santoku, usuba... I tend to gravitate to the chef's knife and the usuba the most - though I do love the santoku for being able to cut with a rocking motion. But this chef's knife has a curved edge - kind of the best of both worlds (chef's and santoku). I have a feeling that this is going to become my main workhorse knife.

This knife is well balanced and extremely sharp. It is really easy to use and stays sharp throughout the preparation of several meals. The knife holds it's edge well. The knife is extremely well made and food doesn't have anywhere to get debris caught between the handle and the blade, it is one piece. I have small hands and I am able to grip and use the knife without any trouble, I have had issues with some of the larger chef knives' handle sizes. The knife glides through raw and cooked meat as smoothly as it does tomatoes or raw potatoes. I have found that I use it quite a bit. Overall I have discovered that I reach for this knife more often than I do others in my knife block.

I bought this knife for day-to-day use in my kitchen. If you ever visit my place, you'll figure out that my kitchen is always bustling. Whether I'm cooking, my roommate is cooking, or I have friends over cooking, there's always someone in the kitchen. Because of that, I need a very versatile knife that is able to be utilized for various situations. This Japanese steel knife is one of those. Apart from the value proposition, which is the result of the price, everything else about this knife is great. Be careful, it is sharp and I tested this by cutting pieces of paper. Be aware of the maintenance conditions, you cannot put this knife in the dishwasher. It must be hand washed in order to preserve the sharpness and the steel.

This knife feels nice; it is heavy, but has good balance right in front of the guard. The blade and handle finishing is attractive, but does not warrant a $50 price point in my opinion. If you collect kitchen knives, this certainly would look good a a shelf, but as a poor home cook it is not worth paying $50 for a knife.