JapanBargain 1551, Non-Stick Yanagiba Sashimi Knife Japanese High Carbon Stainless Steel Sushi Chef Knife Made in Japan, 200mm

This is an excellent Chinese chef's knife. It is very light and can be sharpened to a razor edge. The steel is not as hard as some Japanese knives, but not quite as soft as the typical western chef's knife. This is a good balance - it stays very sharp under heavy use but you can still easily maintain the edge at home. Harder steels are harder to sharpen and this does not suffer from that issue. It arrives with the typical Japanese "factory" edge so will need to have a proper "Western" edge put on by a knowledgeable knife sharpener. Be aware that it is a Japanese knife making tradition to not presume to know the kind of edge that you, the customer, want. Once that edge is on, you can maintain it to razor sharpness using a ceramic honing rod. Do not use a steel honing rod - if you have one, please throw it away as they are not really recommended anymore for maintaining an edge. It is not made of the same kind of stainless steel that many European knives are made from and it will rust if you leave it soaking or with water/food on it for prolonged periods. Also, be aware that it is not a cleaver - those are made of thicker, softer steel, have much more weight, are sharpened to an axe edge, and are intended for cutting hard items like bones and coconuts. All in all, this is an excellent chef's knife for the price. I use it daily and love it. My knife-shop sharpener who used to be a chef also loves it and thinks it's a great deal. More tips: When you have it sharpened, have the spine rounded so that it does not cause a callus to form on your knife hand. Un-rounded spines are common among all knives except for very high end (expensive) ones. I also find it is well-suited to use with a pinch-grip.

Clean, sharp and great form factor. Easy maintenance, just standard hand washing. Rust resistance and retains is edge well. Soft handle wood makes it easy to handle and is easy on the hands. Nothing flashy but a great work horse knife. Use it daily for proteins and soft vegetables in smaller portions meals.

Firstly, I should say that I'm a bit of a knife snob, have an enormous stable ranging from top-dollar Japanese knives to free things I've gotten at the supermarket. While this isn't a knife I would begin to compare with high end boutique knives, I think it does have a great deal of merit, especially for a stainless steel knife, which I've come to hate over the years. Anyway, this being my first foray into this style of Chinese vegetable cleavers, I wanted to try something relatively well-reviewed that would answer the question of whether or not it was something I should invest in more seriously. Out of the box, this knife was sharp. I wasn't about to try it for shaving, but within reasonable limits. People have stated in previous reviews that the tang bolt is uncomfortable in the hand, and while I understand that if you were planning to take apart a pig with it using brute force, that's not the intended use for this knife. Holding the blade with your thumb and forefinger, as one should with this style of knife, predominantly using the handle for balance, the stud doesn't even touch my large hands. Another item to address is the pattern on the blade. As with other knives from the lower end of my collection, there are often finishes intended to be decorative, but which detract from the performance of the knives. Again, consistent with this crowd, I have found that the simple process of cleaning the knife removes the sticky finish in short order, exposing the steel beneath, and resolving this issue. Of note, I clean the flats of my knives with a plastic scouring pad, which not only removes discoloration on high carbon steel blades, but also makes short work of these "decorative" finishes. Once I had the edge tuned up and the finish largely removed, this knife began to show its colors. It's actually a very sturdy knife. I greatly enjoy the large flat of the blade for sweeping and carrying large amounts of food to the pan, etc. I also wouldn't hesitate to use it for moderate butchering through raw bone, as it does have a bit of weight to it in addition to solidity. As I used it more, I began to be bothered by a point on the spine where it meets the handle. There it projected slightly, and definitely began to chew up my hand a bit. That said, I took the knife out to the garage, rounded the corner with my rotary tool, and since then this knife has been a workhorse; comfortable in the hand, effective and non-sticky, quick to take an edge and slow to lose it. When gripped properly, it also has a wonderful balance which the price wouldn't suggest. All in all, this is an incredible knife for the price, and I absolutely without hesitation use it over virtually any of my German knives. Despite my bias against stainless, this knife has found a place in my kitchen when stainless is the preferred material. I think for it to be a more true representation of a vegetable chopper, it might benefit from being slightly lighter and faster in the hand, but it is a wonderful performer all the same, which eats up any work in the kitchen. If you are considering expanding your knife collection, and are daunted by the prices some of these fair to middling German knives command, I would definitely recommend this as an eye-opening experience bound to redefine what you pay for in a blade. As for someone just building their kitchen and looking for something better than you can find at a department store, this is it. Bon appetit!

I have read several fair reviews, and they are mostly positive, but owning several of them, I feel compelled to point out a couple of oversights by other reviewers. Firstly, I have read several reviews that describe some of the knives as being "too light" or "less sturdy" than others of the same type. They are indeed substantially lighter than many knives of similar style, BUT this is a positive for those folks who actually know how to use a knife. I'm no professional chef, but I know how to use a knife for cutting. These knives are razor sharp, and hold a good edge for a long time when properly used and cared for. They also sharpen relatively easily. That said, if you are looking to cut through bone, get a saw or a cleaver. These knives are designed for cutting flesh and vegetables, not quartering a steer. If you use these knives for cutting up food, they are wonderful. If you use them to chop down walnut saplings in the back yard, there are other, better knives. Think of them as surgical instruments, not hatchets, and they'll serve you well. Secondly, the handles are raw wood. When you get the knife or knives, buy a small can of polyurethane and simply dip the handles and then hang the knife point up, allowing the excess to run off onto a newspaper. leave the knife hanging for 24 hours to allow the finish on the handle to cure. Steel wool the handle lightly with 0000 steel wool, and repeat the dip-hang-cure-steel wool process to get 3 or 4 good coats of polyurethane into the handle. This brings out the beauty of the wooden handles and toughens them considerably as well. It also prevents oils from hands or foods to build up in the wood's grain. I did this to the first of these knives I bought 4 years ago, and the finish is lasting and makes the knife cleaner as well. Lastly, hand wash and then hand dry these knives. They are not for the dishwasher. the hidden-tang handles hold moisture against the blade's tang and will eventually corrode even stainless steel (which is really stain-resistant, not stainLESS). Oil them occasionally with a drop of mineral oil, and sharpen as necessary. With a little care, these knives will be among the finest you own, and after acclimating to the different weight and balance of them, they will quickly become your favorite knives, lasting you for many years.

decent little knife. nice blade shape, very sharp, and i appreciate the sheath at this pricepoint…however, the listing failed to mention or show the handle shape, which is NOT round but a “D shape” contoured for right handed use. had to return the knife because the handle is rather uncomfortable to use left handed.

First I should say that knife making is my hobby. I'm not about to be on Forged in Fire but I know my way around a knife. This is a well made light weight cleaver made for slicing and light chopping. It is not made to chop through bones. I'd make one of these myself, but the cost of materials to make this cleaver is more than the finished cleaver costs. Others have said that it is a single bevel knife but mine definitely was not. It has a round wood handle that is held in place with a single pin. All in all it's a great deal. The cleaver slices well and the cleaver design makes it easy to scoop what ever you are cutting off the cutting board. As received, it had two bevels and was sharp but not scary sharp. I took it out to my shop and it is now a scary sharp, single bevel, right handed cleaver. If you have the ability to change the edge geometry, or a facility that you can take it to, you can definitely improve the cutting ability of the cleaver. Since I have my own shop, I may replace the handle with a higher quality handle that is a little more comfortable and has two pins. If you are looking for a heavier cleaver to chop through small bones this is a nice alternative. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0725FWT1P/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Super sharp, super light weight. Mostly use it for small fruit and utility. Work in a high pace kitchen, lots of bouncing around and overseeing others. With the saya it can go in my pocket, ever at the ready in the kitchen, easier than carrying my utility.

Overall , it's pretty hard to beat this knife for the price. Could it be better? Absolutely ! And it would also be more expensive !! Out of the package , it was reasonably sharp .... Not amazing but not sharp enough to work with. Some time on the whetstones took care of that quickly though. It took an edge easily being fairly soft steel. It's now shaving sharp .... The handle is a rough unfinished wood , and there is no weight to the knife at all, good or bad depending on preferences . The height of the blade is on the short side, so a pinch grip my have your knuckles on the cutting board, but not the end of the world. The blade itself is stamped steel , and is nice and thin with a reasonable amount of flex to it. It works well for precision slicing. Overall , it's a pretty solid buy for beating up. It's actually a good knife to learn whetstone sharpening with , or for trying to see if you like the gyuoto style knife before committing to an expensive buy.