Cheap Miyabi Kaizen 8-Inch Chef's Knife

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List Price: $185.00
Sale Price: $169.95
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This knife isn't really particularly unique. There are probably a dozen other Japanese knifemakers (most prominently Shun) making a similar knife: VG-10 steel at about 60 Rockwell hardness, sandwiched between many layers of some lesser steel, creating a "damascus" pattern upon grinding. Some of these knives lean closer to Western cutlery, like Miyabi's "Fusion" series. Others are even more like old-school Japanese cutlery, where the blade of the knife is just stuck into a hole in the handle. But all these knives are thinner, harder, and sharper than Western chef's knives.

Aside from the fact that the handles on this knife are symmetrical, this knife is very similar to Shun's Classic chef's knife. Both this knife and the Shun are sharpened to an angle much more acute than a Western chef's knife, but perhaps a little more obtuse than some people hone their Japanese cutlery. I don't know exactly what the angle was straight out of the box, but it was under 15 degrees per side. I put a very fine secondary bevel of 30 degrees (15 per side) right at the edge, because I wanted a little more resistance to rolling the edge from side to side, and it's good to have a known angle right at the edge for maintenance purposes.

The blade stock is probably half as thick as a Western chef's knife, and is closer to the thickness of a utility knife. The spine is gently rounded so that it doesn't bite into the user's fingers.

Certainly, the combination of VG-10 steel (or a very close relative; Henckels actually slaps the proprietary label "CMV60" on the blades, but most observers agree this is the same layered VG-10 core "damascus" steel that so many other makers use), the acute grind and the thin blade stock amount to outstanding cutting performance. Out of the box, I was able to take a cherry tomato and cut it into about ten perfect slices.

This is a very nice knife. If you love the Shun Classic, but want symmetrical handles, this is basically it.

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Unlike the other chefs I work with, I favor a heavier knife, preferably with a very smooth, rounded handle I love the way Wusthof slices, but I find them too light for good control, and oddly shaped in my hands.

This is a fantastic compromise a light, thin blade with a longer and heavier handle, so you get the heft and the grip, but can you still slice a tomato paper-thin. It will take a little getting used to, but it's really a tremendous knife. Plus, props on the design ... it's really a beautiful knife to have in the kitchen.

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I love this knife, it looks great, feels great and gets the job done with eaze. I use it on the job and it has held up great.

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I purchased this knife for my wife along with a 5 1/2" Miyabi santoku and she could not have been more delighted with the aesthetics and utility performance of these knifes. I had previously purchased for her two MAC knifes that she also likes, but I believe that the Miyabi are definitely her favorites. As a former food director and chef she still loves cooking in her kitchen for friends and family, and these new additions to her kitchen were well received.

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I have a good selection of knives. both ceramic and steel. This is my latest purchase, and I am vety pleased with the quality and cost. It is one of the sharpest steel knives I ever seen. I look forward to a long and productive use of this knife. The craftmanship that went in to its' production is evident when you look and feel it. I am very pleased with this purchase and look forward to purchasing their 9 1/2" slicing knife.