Mercer Culinary Asian Collection Left Handed Yanagi Sashimi Knife with NSF Handle 8 Inch Chinese Chef's Knife Black M21020

Sharp out of the box

I bought this because I wanted to try this style of knife before splashing out on anything more expensive. As others have pointed out, despite the shape, it's not a a 'cleaver' in the sense of something to bash bones with, it's a general purpose tool for cutting up relatively soft things like meat and veg. It's taken me a few cutting sessions to adapt to the geometry, but it is a very versatile tool when you get the hang of it. The wide blade seems to make cutting thin slices of stuff without wandering easier and being able to 'scoop' things from the cutting board to the pan in one go is a plus. Out of the box I found the 'factory edge' very sharp - good enough to score pork rind cleanly and with control, which needs a good edge. The edge has held up reasonably well for a stainless steel knife. After two cutting sessions it was noticeably dulled, but a few swipes with a ceramic rod restored it. This isn't unexpected for the steel - there is always a trade-off between corrosion resistance and edge quality/retention and the compromise here leans towards corrosion resistance. I've left it out wet on the draining board, and not a spot of rust. It's a very good knife for the price IMO. I'd recommend, but don't expect the edge to hold up like super-hard high end knives. Much easier to sharpen though!

Fantastic value. Extremely sharp out of the packaging, slices through anything with ease. Despite its size it’s quite light and easy to maneuver. A great introduction to Chinese style knives.

Very versatile. The product is well made and extremely sharp. The handle is good, although I would have preferred it to be to be longer. I am happy with my purchase.

Tiene un buen balance, es ideal para un chef profesional o para cualquier amante de la Cocina, ligero y con buen buen filo, el mago pudiera ser de mejor calidad pero te funcionará de una manera cómoda, lo recomiendo ampliamente

Excellent introduction to chinese style chef knives. Handle seems weird at first but since you hold more of the blade than a french or gyuto it works even with big hands. Nice affordable knife that can do a ton of work and you dont have worry about rusting or it getting too beaten up. Factory sharp was very sharp and is holding up still. If you're looking to try out a chinese chef knife or want a cheapish workhorse house knife this is it. Once you really learn how to use it it's hard to go back to western or japanese style knives. My daily driver for kitchen work; will reach for this before my $300 carbon steel nakiri.