Masahiro 16218 Japanese Knife Separate Selection Willow Blade 8.3 inches (210 mm)

Before i bought this knife making food for my self was such a terrible chore because of old bad steel in the knifes i had before. But then i got this knife and its so quick and easy that i enjoy cooking again. My problem before was cheap knifes not being able to hold an edge and taxing up keep constantly needing to resharpen bad blades.This knife has none of those problems. Thanks to the amazing edge retention and the japanese style one sided grind its extremely sharp. And sharpening it is a breeze. My only side note is this steel is the kind that lends it self to bluing. If you look up blued steel related to knifes its just a hue change after using for a while but it stays. So if thats something you dont want just use quickly and wash. Dry completely and use a dry towel to remove all water and air dry without letting the faces of the blade lay flat on anything

As other reviewers have pointed out, this knife is nothing fancy. The fit and finish is a bit rough in places and the handle materials are cheap, but the blade seems to be made of good steel and, after a little sharpening, it cuts beautifully and holds an edge well. This is a good knife for people who prefer function over form. If it holds up for a few years, I might replace the handle and polish up a few of the rough spots some day.

Really poorly made.I'll start with the handle: It's a D-shaped handle and doesn't come anywhere close to aligning with the bolster, but does feature epoxy that has oozed out of the seam and been allowed to dry. The wood is unfinished, which would be fine if the manufacturer had sanded it properly; it feels like it could cause a splinter in places. The handle is where we actually bond with a knife; you'd think they'd have given it at least some care and attention.The blade: It's really heavy, making the balance point somewhere near the middle of the blade. I haven't weighed the knife yet, but I'm sure it's twice its stated weight. The tang isn't snugged into the handle properly, either, further moving the weight away from the hand. The blade is really dull OOTB; I know how to sharpen a knife, so it's not the end of the world. And the blade is scuffed above the choil and along the unbeveled side.The first one of my employees that claims to like this knife gets it as a christmas present.

I am not an expert on Japanese knives so what follows are only my observations about this particular knife. Fit and finish is maybe a 7 or 8 out of 10. The outer edge of what would be the tip and choil area were a little rough and required slight polishing with an emery cloth, but the concave urasuki back of the blade is smooth and uniform. I am unsure of what its core/main steel may be, (possibly what is called yellow paper steel) but I don't think it is a clad blade, at least not with multiple lays. The blade did come covered with some kind of sticky substance, perhaps an attempt to reject corrosion during shipping, but this material washed off quite easily to reveal a nicely polished surface. The blade's spine is slightly thicker than some of the more expensive high-carbon Japanese knives of this length, but that may also fit this particular style. For the price it should be a welcome work-horse for the domestic kitchen. The cutting edge feels like a single bevel grind but there appears to be just a slight grind on it's left edge as well. It was nicely sharp OOTB. The ferrule is slightly smaller than the wooden portion of the handle which creates a slight step and the wood appears to be unfinished. However this does not effect the performance of this knife and the D handle feels very secure and comfortable, although its balance point was well into the blade, even for a pinch grip. This is very heavy for what I consider to be a nakiri or usuba style blade at almost 11 oz, and will function quite well as a thin cleaver for larger produce and I would assume some meats as well.

I had my doubts and I never usually write reviews about anything. This knife although it seems to be built in a cheap manner, it gets really sharp and keeps its edge for long.Really happy with my discovery and purchase. Just wished they had more knives styles available

Good knife for the price. Sushi chef quality yanagi. Holds the edge well. Needs to be cared for like any carbon steel knife.

Got the knife and it was great! Used it the same day it arrived. Next day, WHATTTTTTTTT!!! RUST everywhere! I dont know what kind of metal is this one but I expected anything except rust on a $80 dollar knife. Heck my Kmart $20 dollar set has never rusted. I returned for refund.

Very sharp and the edge remain very hard too. The finish is a bite rough.