Chef Knife 8 Inch Japanese VG10 67 Damascus Stainless Steel layers 62 HRC Blade Ergonomic Wooden Handle

KBK Chef's Knives Professional Chef Knife 8 Inch Japanese VG10 67 Damascus Stainless Steel layers 62 HRC Blade Ergonomic with Sharp Cut Edge Best For Kitchen (Hammer Finish G10 Red Handle) This is an excellent Japanese/Asian chef's knife. I was looking for an 8" Asian chef's knife with VG-10 material, Damascus steel, a G10 handle and a blade with a Rockwell rating of around 62 at a reasonable price. This knife fit the bill perfectly. The fit and finish is excellent. The entire knife is polished smooth so you don't feel any sharp edges or gaps between materials. The blade has a full tang with a metal protective butt. There are no high spots between the tang, rivets and handle.... very smooth. The handle is round and comfortable with a belly in the middle so there is no twisting of the blade and the blade automatically goes to the proper angle when you pick up the knife. The knife is well balanced but at 275 grams it is considerably heavier than most 8" knives. Most 8" knives I have are under 250 grams,this is not a problem for me. The spine is a tad over 2mm and well rounded making it easy and comfortable for those who like to use a pinch grip. The choil at the back of the blade(near the heel) is also well rounded and instead of dropping straight down at a 90 degree angle, it slants forward, toward the tip of the blade which gives your forefinger extra room and comfort when using the knife for long periods or using a high pinch grip. The blade is mostly flat in the belly and then curves up so, it's not a great rocker for mincing herbs but I tend to crunch herbs and then cut with the flat spot. I prefer a flat spot over a rocker in that when I cut food I don't have to give the blade a little extra rock to finish the cut. It cuts clean and through on the first stroke which makes preparation faster and more satisfying. This blade is made in China which is probably why you get so much quality material and labor for your money. I've been a metal smith for 40 years and have even hand forged my own knife with Japanese steel so I can see the quality in this knife. If you are new to these kind of knives, it's best to water stone to sharpen the blade. If you can, avoid cutting into bones. Also, they are very sharp. PS. You can learn how to sharpen these knives with a water stone on YouTube.

The sharpness is awesome, but the tip came bent,

First of all, it is made of very hard steel. Can be sharpened to really sharp. I like the overall shape of the knife. Not a huge fan of the hammered texture though. I wish there's one with the same shape but flat surface.

When the knife arrived, I checked out the knife by slicing carrot, to my surprise, I could cut a very thin slice of carrot that is almost transparent. I then sliced a piece of paper and again, it cut through the paper so smoothly as if I was cutting through the air.

Very likely to get rusty and most of the layers are painted-like lines tu emulate a damascus appearance

Well balanced with 50/50 weight between the handle and blade. Very sharp and easy to maintain. Great Chef's Knife to have.

Its been my favorite knife since buying it. I will be buying more from this brand.

Excellent