Kai Pure Komachi 2 HG Santoku 6.5" w/sheath (Black)

This is not an expensive knife. You wouldn't confuse this with a $100 knife, but this knife surprised me with its quality. It is beautiful, functional, well designed, well made, and it 'feels right.' It is a Kai 'Pure Komachi' knife and Kai knives are reported to be very popular in Japan. Kai knives are usually manufactured in Japan, but this knife was manufactured by Kai, in China. Kai makes both Stamped knives and Forged knives and they also make a whole range of very expensive but very well respected professional knives.A quick test that I perform on my knives, is to see how well they shave the hair on my arms. Some blades are never sharp enough. Some will shave, but only with extra pressure. This shaved extremely easily and smoothly. Very nice. Then, later, in using it, it quickly became clear that this is not only the sharpest knife I own, it is possibly the sharpest knife I have EVER owned. And I own a lot of knives!I normally have not been a big fan of Santoku type knives, but this one has changed my mind. It is now my 'go to' knife that i reach for for most general purpose use. After several months of use mine is still sharp and I can still shave with it, although I do have to admit that I have a nice ceramic honing rod and I spent months learning how to use it to sharpen knives, so I 'hone' it every week or so.Being a Japanese style, the blade is thin and strong and high quality. It is a stamped blade, but that helps it to be thin enough to slide easily through vegetables. The edge is sharpened to a 16 degree angle, which is a traditional Japanese angle, and this might explain the difficulty that some people have when they have tried to sharpen this. Most 'mechanical sharpeners' are set at a 22 or 24 degree angle, which is not right for these. And most instruction videos for using a sharpening steel will also teach you to use a 22 to 23 degree angle, and that is not going to be efficient for this knife. You are going to sharpen them best by learning Japanese sharpening techniques and using a whetstone. Learning how to use a good quality honing rod (sharpening steel) at the proper angle will help keep them sharp, too. If you learn to use a sharpening rod and can train yourself to use it at the 16 degree angle, then, to keep it super sharp, you only need a few passes of the blade on the sharpening steel every week or so. Learning to use a honing rod is something I highly recommend. You can buy them inexpensively, but once you learn to use it correctly, you can keep ALL your knives sharp and it is very easy to use.I have read in 2 or 3 places that the steel in this knife is 420J2, though I am unable to verify this from the manufacturer. 420J2 is very durable and is reported to have excellent hardening characteristics and to sharpen very well. Wikipedia says 420J2 reaches a Rockwell Hardness of approximately 57. In addition, 420J2 is also one of the most corrosion resistant steels, especially in salt water, and it is also commonly used in high end razor blades and in surgical scalpels.You would have difficulty beating this knife at this price, especially if you want a double beveled Japanese knife. If you are interested then don't hesitate to buy it. And keep the information on hand. I think you will be wanting more. They make great gifts for anyone you know who likes to cook.

I received my Komachi 2 knife almost a month ago. It was a revelation. For the past 42 years I have been using a traditional #3 Chinese veggie clever that I brought back from Peru in 1976. I would tell anyone who cared to listen that a Chinese clever is the only knife that you will ever need in the kitchen. I stayed with my clever even though some delicate tasks remained awkward to accomplish. During those years, I learned how to sharpen it using various methods and could usually achieve a flawless edge. Unfortunately, this led to my being unduly proud of my skills with a stone.Anyway, this Komachi #2 knife is just a lot of fun to use. It is extremely lightweight which will be a shock at first if you buy one. One reviewer complained about the lack of "heft" and desired more. I would urge him to be patient with his new knife. For a professional in almost any field, the highest quality equipment is usually extremely lightweight. I am thinking now of pool cues. If you pick up a professional's cue, you will, likewise, be amazed at how "light" it is. He will tell you that using lightweight equipment helps to reduce fatigue during a long match and it also helps him/her develop the very fine muscles that give exquisite control of those delicate shots that usually win matches. By using the Komachi #2 knife, you will quickly adapt your cutting style to this ultra lightweight approach. Suddenly, you will be tempted to try delicate veggie carving like florets and things. This knife will challenge you to relax your grip. The muscles in your arm and back will begin to relax and you will learn a higher level of expertise. It will help if you make a conscious effort to relax and concentrate on the angle of your cut and the pressure required to get a good result.Of course, this approach only works because the cutting edge on these knives is absolutely flawless. Since I am new to this world of Japanese knives, I have no advice to offer on how to maintain such a sharp edge. I will be back on uTube learning if there is a special method for caring for these knives. After 42 years with one knife, I guess it is time to learn about these new knives from the exotic Far East.Tomorrow I will receive six more iterations of this Komachi #2 knife from AMAZON. It will be a perfect Christmas gift for most of my female friends and the ladies will be absolutely thrilled with it. And at this price, I may order 6 more before Christmas and expand my list of deserving women. My manicurist deserves one as does my masseuse and my acupuncture doctor and various receptionists and ....

This was a replacement for an identical knife that finally gave up the ghost after many years of good service. This brand of knife is light weight, holds its edge well, and makes a great all purpose blade. I use this for everything from carving turkeys to cutting fruits and vegetable.