Tamahagane San Kyoto SNK-1105-8 inch, 210mm Chef's Knife

I had heard a lot about Tamahagane knives and had always wanted one to go with my collection of Sakai Takayuki, Iseya, Zwilling JA Henckels, Wusthof, and the few (remaining) Shun. This Kyoto knife did not disappoint and after several months of usage, I can safely conclude that it is arguably my best knife, on par with my Sakai Takayuki Grand Chef of the same size. I won’t use it to break shells and cut down a chicken or a roast (I use the German Henckels for those jobs) but for precision slicing for my meals, there is nothing better! It’s so much better than the 8 inch Shun that I sold. Edge retention seems to be excellent too.

This knife is easy to hone to a very sharp degree. It stays sharp for a long time, given regular use of a steel. It sits well in hand with a nice balance when held with the right grip. Beautiful finish, which looks nice when it hangs on the wall. One caveat: If you have very big hands, the blade might not be high enough. But in sum: it is the most used knife in my home.

Buyer beware the knife that shipped was not the same as the knife pictured. It was not Damascus steel like the picture. I bought this as a gift to my brother but the knife that arrived did not have the folded steel pattern