Kyoku Samurai Series 8" Chef Knife

Two Months Later - still love this knife. It's holding up well and the edge, while needing a little more touchup work than the Zwilling knives, remains super sharp. By a little more touchup work, I mean it needs about double the amount of passes on the steel to be where I want it to be before use, so an extra 10 seconds or so. For the price, it just cannot be beat.Most of my knives are Zwilling Four Star, not exactly the most expensive of knives but nice knives for the home chef aficionado. I had been wanting a nakiri knife for a while because my primary method of cutting is a chopping motion straight down, just cannot get used to the knife tip contact with the board rocking motion (but I keep trying/practicing!) and thanks to the relative parallel knife edge, it seems this knife style would fit the bill.Item arrived well packaged and in a box suitable for gifting. It weighs MUCH more than my santoku, which kind of surprised me, and has a very nice heft to it. It feels good in the hand and the balance, while not perfection, is very nice. Nothing is more dangerous than a dull knife in the kitchen so I take great pains to ensure all my cutlery has a very sharp edge. The edge on this blade out of the box is impressive to say the least, passing the old 'arm hair shave' test and paper cut test as though I had just edged the blade myself. It made short work of the veggies and the extra heft helped make the pushing through the produce that much easier. After several carrots, onions, bell pepper and bunch of celery, the edge retained it's sharpness as well as one of my Zwillings. Time will tell if it holds up to the rigors of daily use in terms of corrosion, but if you care for your knives as you should (no dishwasher kids, please) by honing before use and then washing, drying and properly storing, it should not be an issue, even with the cheapest of blades. I have a set of Chicago Cutlery blades with walnut handles that we received as a wedding present longer ago than I care to admit and most still serve us well to this day, but have been replaced one by one by finer steel. Not the Chicago Cutlery is bad but the edge retention isn't as good as a higher quality knife.For the price, I am shocked. This was going to be my 'let me see if I enjoy this style of knife before I drop some serious cash on one' test before I pass it on to one of the kids or return it, but this very well may be the knife I wind up keeping. Not a brand name snob, honestly, just a quality nut. This seems to me, albeit after limited use, to be worth a look if you are looking for this style knife. If my opinion changes, I will revise my review.

Super sharp out of the box! Awesome knife for the price! bought it for my mom and its perfect.

This is a thick heavy knife that arrived not really sharp, which ends up being a good thing. When I received the knife, I used various grits of wet stones to thin out the concave backside, and then refine the cutting edge. After working carefully, with the various grit stones I ended up with a lighter, and wickedly sharp sushi knife. Of course there are sushi knives that come out of the box in perfect, ready to go condition, but you will pay a lot more money for them. If you are willing to spend a bit of time with this knife, you will end up with a sushi knife that rivals knives costing ten times more

I decided to buy an actual sushi knife this year and I was pleased with this purchase. I was a first time purchaser of an actual sushi knife and I was surprised at the difference it made. This knife cut with ease (compared to my normal 8" chef knife). How does it rate with other sushi knives? I couldn't tell you, this was my first purchase. But I am glad I decided to buy this one and would recommend it to others. I cut about 40 rolls and it didn't seem to lose any of it's functionality. Can't wait to use it again!

Alright, gather 'round, ye culinary warriors and kitchen ninjas; I've got the scoop on a blade that'll make you feel like you've just won the lottery, but without the ensuing family drama over who gets the money. I'm talking about the KYOKU Samurai Series - 10.5" Yanagiba Knife. This isn't just a knife; it's like if a lightsaber and a samurai sword had a baby, and that baby decided to become a sushi chef.First off, let's talk about the blade. Made from superior Japanese steel, this thing is sharp enough to cut through the tension at a family reunion. It's cryogenically treated, which, in layman's terms, means it's been through some sort of space-age cold therapy to make it harder, more flexible, and resistant to rust and corrosion. In other words, it's like Superman if Superman were a knife.Now, the Wenge wood handle. It's not just a handle; it's an experience. Holding this knife feels like you've been chosen by a wise old tree to wield its power. The design is ergonomic enough that you won't feel like you're in a hand-wrestling match with a bear after slicing through your 100th piece of sashimi. Plus, it looks so good, you might just display it next to your samurai posters rather than in your kitchen.The length, at 10.5 inches, is perfect for those of us who fancy ourselves as the sushi chefs of our own little galaxy. It's long enough to give you that professional "look at me, I'm making sushi" vibe but not so long that you'll accidentally slice through your countertop because you got too into the moment.But what really has me doing a happy dance is the price. This knife comes with a case, mind you, because this isn't just any knife; it's a knife with its own hotel room. And for the price, you're getting what feels like a high-end, top-shelf, "should I really be allowed to own this" piece of culinary art. It's like finding out your favorite expensive restaurant has a secret affordable menu that's just as good.Performance-wise, this knife slices through fish like it's butter, or if butter were sentient and decided to be fish. The single bevel edge ensures that your sashimi slices are so thin, they could be used as bookmarks in a book about the art of sushi.In conclusion, if you're looking for a knife that'll make your sushi prep feel like a ninja ritual, the KYOKU Samurai Series Yanagiba Knife is your new best friend. It's quality, it's affordable, and it looks like it should be part of a museum exhibit titled "Knives That Could Potentially Cut Through History." Just remember, with great power comes great responsibility, or at least, the responsibility to not accidentally use it as a letter opener.

Solid Japanese sushi knife, very sharp and effective seamless cutting. Nice and heavy for smooth cutting.