Yoshihiro VG10 16 Layer Hammered Damascus Gyuto Japanese Chefs Knife (8.25'' (210mm))

This knife has been great to work with. I am not a professional chef, but I do a lot of cooking at home. I prep all of my meals and cook pretty much everyday--so this knife gets a good amount of use. I have prepared everything with this knife from sushi, to meats, to vegetables. It handles everything. I do not have to worry about the knife rusting during a 4-5 hour prep session. I simply dry it off really well before putting it away and I have never had a problem. I have also not had a problem with food building up on the handle like some other reviewers have reported. My knife had a quite flush finish where the handle meets the tang. The knife came to me quite sharp. I was able to wash the knife and use it right away with great results. I have a LINK KING STONE that I will be using to sharpen it soon. I'm sure I will get good results. If I get anything but good results I will update this part of the review. One thing that kind of surprised me though is that my knife was single bevelled on the right(luckily for a righty like me). I had read a question on here asking about the knife being double bevelled. So I have to wonder if this knife is designed to be double bevelled or single bevelled? Either way, sharpening will be easier and I have seen other sushi knives that are single bevelled. It is possible that this is a purposeful design. The handle is great and is real mahogany. As a woodworker, I love to see mahogany finished the way it has been on this knife. The knife is full tang exactly as shown and has a very solid feel when handled. This knife does not come with a saya(scabbard) so I definitely recommend picking one up. It will help protect the knife for decades to come. I personally got the 8.25inch version of this knife and so I picked up a Yoshihiro Lacquered Magnolia Wooden Blade Protector Saya Cover for Gyuto Chef Knife (210mm) to properly cover it while it is being stored. Dimensions of the knife can be seen in the photos I have attached. The box the knife comes in is very nice and decorative. This would make a great gift box. Pros: *Excellent metal composition *Takes a great edge *Great feel in the handle *Very solid construction Cons: *None Additional Considerations: You can spend many hundreds of dollars on a great Gyuto. This knife definitely hangs with the pros for a superior price. It is still a bit steep compared to the average knife sets you see in North American kitchens, but I wouldn't look anywhere else unless you have a very specific requirement of the knife (like being able to cut bone or something like that). This knife will do most everything you need--even if you are a professional chef. Overall: 5/5 stars (>=.5 rounds up, <.5 rounds down) => 5 stars If you have any further questions regarding the product in my review please leave a comment below and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Firstly, I don't usually write reviews, but I just had to for this item. Very high quality blade that is sharper than any other knife I own. Right out of the box it was very, very sharp. Did the paper test and it cuts better than my current kitchen knives. Slicing a tomato is effortless. Easier than a hot knife through butter! Use the best sharpening stones you can afford to ensure the blade remains sharp. "King" stones are good quality for the money from Japan. Do not use a steel sharpening rod, it is too harsh on this blade. Get a ceramic rod and or a strop (with or without polishing compound) to finish the sharpening of the knife. Knife is smaller than a usually 8-9.5" western Chef Knife. However, it is a great size for all tasks with a good weight and nice hand to it. I did not notice any real difference while performing my normal tasks compared to my western Chef's knife. The hammer damascus is gorgeous and much better than in the pictures. The handle is made of nice quality wood. I will likely be oiling the handle once a month to maintain it's luster. Lastly, the seller- Yoshihiro Cutlery - is a wonderful seller with prompt shipping service and high quality customer service! Please don't hesitate to buy from them! I would recommend and buy this knife again. Currently I am looking to purchase the Paring knife and the Santoku knife in the same style in the near future.

This knife is indisputably beautiful and I have to admit, although we rarely entertain, the aesthetic was tempting relative to a Misono or Kikuichi gyuto knife, which are also highly regarded and functional. Out of the box it is spectacularly sharp. I have done prep work with it about half a dozen times on bamboo and hard plastic cutting boards and it is incredible, laser sharp. I was incredibly excited with how well it cut when I used it once or twice, relative to our Chicago Cutlery set (which is STILL very solid and excellent for the quality, but requires sharpening after each use and is prone to rust spots), but chose not to impart that excitement to my wife. She used it once and thought it was amazing. The Chicago Cutlery knives compared to a cheap no-name set for $20 from Walmart, these are twice as good again. Spectacular. I can't speak to longevity yet but after about half a dozen uses including meat, fish, all sorts of fruits and vegetables, it's still laser sharp. As an amateur cook who sort of knows his way around the kitchen, enjoys good food, good ingredients, almost every cuisine, and cooks good food that make most folks at work say "you're in the wrong profession!" a couple of times a week, these knives are a revelation. I admit there may be better. High-carbon "blue steel" - I'll try those in a couple of years. But compared to any Henckels, Chicago Cutlery, what have you - you can't compare them. These knives are truly spectacular. Beautiful obviously, but incredibly hard, sharp steel. have a whetstone ready but you wont' need it nearly as often as you will with any mediocre set. Other knives may be good; these are excellent, absolutely. You CAN NOT be disappointed with this. So, take that for what it is. Happy cooking! To compare on another more or less scientific basis, after a decent sharpening on a whetstone, this one could shave almost smooth. Nearly properly razor sharp. The Chroma knife we bought could hardly hack a hair off. Different hardness, different sharpness - that proves itself. With shaving cream, I could shave with the Yoshihiro. This is like cutting with a razor, but much, much harder. Proof in the pudding.

This knife is as beautiful as it is deadly to meat, vegetables, and whatever else you choose to dismember in your kitchen! It inspired the following haiku: Small samurai sword Thousands of julienne fries Chopping broccoli The Yoshihiro 9.5" Gyuto is the perfect multi-purpose chefs knife. It holds a razor sharp edge like the best Japanese knives, but the temper and weight of the steel lend it the strength to perform all around kitchen duty, and still maintain that edge, more typically associated the Germans. Beyond practicality, this knife looks damn sexy in your hand... almost too pretty to use! I wasn't entirely sold on the hammered damascus at first, but it has grown on me. One thing I hate is when the manufacturer feels obligated to write all over a blade, it's tacky. This knife is elegantly understated, with just a few Japanese characters etched unobtrusively onto the blade. I have no idea what they say, possibly "poultry slayer" or "death by 1000 cuts". Whatever... it looks cool. The rosewood handle is another well crafted touch. It fits comfortably in the hand for a variety of cutting techniques, and the wood has already started to acquire its own distinctive patina that will make my knife unique from everyone else's. After extensive shopping around, I chose the Yohihiro 9.5 because it was the best knife for the money out there. The only problem I have with this knife is that I now find myself having to think of creative dishes to prepare after having compulsively sliced and diced everything in my fridge!

I bought this knife, along with the Zelite Infinity Chefs Knife 8 inch & Yaxell Super Gou Chef's Knife, 8-Inch to compare. This knife is crazy sharp compared to my current go to knife, a Wusthof Ikon 8 inch chefs knife ($200). I like the feel of this knife, however there are some small things I didn't like. I'm nitpicking, but the logo seems to be on the wrong side so when you hold it, it feels backwards. Also, there is a slight separation where the blade and handle meet. This is definitely a concern for food partials to sneak into and eventually be an unfixable problem. The packaging is kind of cheap as well, and my particular knife looked as though it had been tested and returned at least one other time. Some surface scratches which tells me it scratches easily. One swipe with a rough sponge will ruin the whole look of the knife. Only speculation though. After some basic tests, it's great for the price, but next to the Super Gou, which is in a higher price range, this one is going back... The super gou is just the best of the 3 beyond a doubt. A real Japanese style knife that is like a mini sword.

---UPDDATE to 5 stars--- since purchasing this knife years ago. It was my first Japansese knife and they are different. I gave to my daughter who begged me for it. Since I bought Shun's and some directly from Japan, so I have learned how to use them. I bought Chosera water stones - 600 -1000 - 3000 - 8000 - and now that I learned how to use these with much practice, I re-sharpened this knife. It was scary sharp and so much better than when I bought it. This performs like a beast if you understand how to get the blade sharp, and how what cutting motions work with this style blade. My first Japanese knife and it is a very nice knife. I have used German style knives and it took some getting used to for me. The thing with Japanese knives, this one certainly in that category - is you cannot use too much force. Let the knife do the work, you guide it, don't manhandle the blade through the food or use too much pressure -relax. So my technique has suffered using heavy maybe not sharp enough knives. :) My daughter who is 20, credits this specific knife for her learning to cook and cook well. She just loves this thing and told me she would cook and prep meals just so she could use this knife. I am going to gift if to her soon as I am opting in for a set of Shun's. I sharpen this with a Japanese wet stone - which you soak in water, and well, youtube the 'how to'--- part to hard to explain here. I think this needs sharpening every month at least - I use it almost daily for basically everything including meat. It is not what I would call a meat knife but designed obviously for expert vegetable cutting. Don't misunderstand me when I say it beats the daylights out of any western heavy knife on meats that is bought from Target or a supermarket. I cut steak, chicken, fish and it does very well. The blade can chip some if you don't use fir for purpose cutting boards that have some give to them, and of course, I abused this knife quite badly learning not to use so much pressure. Really nice knife overall.

I gifted this knife to a close friend who is an aspiring chef in NYC. I began working in NYC restaurants when I was 15. I spent the next nearly 2 decades working in fine dining from Los Angeles to Aspen to NYC. I’ve owned literally over 100 chef knives and the Yoshihiro is hands down the sharpest knife I have ever held. By now, I would hope people realize that most reviews written are not by true professionals. Anyone who has written a poor review on this product either received a defective product which happens from time to time as expected or misused the knife. Anyone posting a bad review due to a chipped blade, disregard. I’m sorry, even if you claim you washed the blade and dried immediately, you misused your knife and nothing you can say will convince me otherwise. Yoshihiro sells an incredible blade. The care and skill invested in this knife is head and shoulders above most others. Personally, this knife does not suit my hand as I have always used much heavier steel and my hands are like 2 vices. This knife is incredibly balanced and very light. Had I used this blade ages ago, I may have been able to adapt but it’s too late for that now. Use extreme caution and if you are a new kitchen worker and do not have at least 5 years of developed knife skills do not buy this knife. This is for professionals only. I have 3 James Beard winners on my resume and won best restaurant in Aspen a little over 10 years ago so you can trust this review. I state these things not to brag but so you can make an educated decision as purchasing this knife could very well end your career.

What can I say, this blade is just about perfect. For the price it's unbeatable, it's Damascus lines and razor edge out of the box are greatly appreciated, after a full day cooking with this knife today I have to say, I'm a huge fan. As someone who cooks from scratch meals every night, having a sharp blade not only makes cooking easier and more enjoyable but in fact, makes it safer as well. This blade after a few weeks of heavy use has left me nearly speechless every time with it's flawless characteristics, I have knives that cost double this knife but look half as good and hold an edge just as well. Do yourself a favor and BUY THIS KNIFE. Yoshihiro makes true quality products, they have certainly made a new customer for life out of me! Will post updated review after I put this blade to a whetstone, so far it's edge has held up as well as any top quality knife I have ever used before. UPDATE 1/2020: After a full year of daily use, this knife has held up perfectly. The only care it's received is occasional mineral oil on the handle and sharpening on a 1000 grit whetstone followed by a 3000 grit stone. This knife can cut today just as good as it could over a year ago when I bought it. At its price point, this is a phenomenal knife.

I've owned Wüsthof Dreizack and Sabatier knives. This beats them both hands down. Laser sharp edge. Gorgeous knife. It goes through tomatoes with extreme ease. DO NOT BUY THIS KNIFE IF YOU ARE AN AMATEUR in the kitchen. This is a serious Chef's knife, and just touching the blade to your skin will cut you. It has not yet gone through extremely heavy use, but for what it has done it holds an edge quite well. A few draws across my sharpening steel, and she's good to go again. If I need to dice alot of veggies, this comes out. The balance in my hand is perfect. It's not a heavy knife, and it doesn't need to be. Love this knife.

Got the knife 3 or 4 days after ordering it. It really is beautiful and very sharp. Super happy

Beautiful and functional knife. Extremely sharp out of the box! Care is required to prevent corrosion on the blade. Fit and finish are excellent, very comfortable to use.

Great looking blade and very sharp. Feels well balanced in the hand