---
product_id: 21979445
title: "Enso Chef's Knife - Made in Japan - HD Series - VG10 Hammered Damascus Stainless Steel Gyuto - 8\""
brand: "enso"
price: "¥47304"
currency: JPY
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 8
category: "Enso"
url: https://www.desertcart.jp/products/21979445-enso-chefs-knife-made-in-japan-hd-series-vg10-hammered
store_origin: JP
region: Japan
---

# 8" VG10 Damascus blade 61 Rockwell Hardness for edge retention Hand-ground 12° double bevel edge Enso Chef's Knife - Made in Japan - HD Series - VG10 Hammered Damascus Stainless Steel Gyuto - 8"

**Brand:** enso
**Price:** ¥47304
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Summary

> 🔪 Slice Like a Pro, Own the Kitchen Showdown!

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Enso Chef's Knife - Made in Japan - HD Series - VG10 Hammered Damascus Stainless Steel Gyuto - 8" by enso
- **How much does it cost?** ¥47304 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.jp](https://www.desertcart.jp/products/21979445-enso-chefs-knife-made-in-japan-hd-series-vg10-hammered)

## Best For

- enso enthusiasts

## Why This Product

- Trusted enso brand quality
- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Key Features

- • **Balanced & Lightweight Design:** At just 7.9 oz with a perfect pinch-grip balance point, it offers effortless control during extended prep sessions.
- • **Ambidextrous Double-Bevel Edge:** Hand-ground 12° edge sharp on both sides, ideal for right and left-handed chefs seeking versatility.
- • **Timeless Japanese Craftsmanship:** Handmade in Seki City, Japan, with a lifetime warranty—own a piece of culinary heritage.
- • **Precision-Crafted VG10 Damascus Steel:** 37-layer hammered blade delivers unmatched sharpness and durability for professional-grade slicing.
- • **Elegant Micarta Handle with Triple Rivets:** Sleek black canvas micarta ensures a secure, comfortable grip that complements any modern kitchen aesthetic.

## Overview

The Enso Chef's Knife HD Series features an 8-inch VG10 37-layer hammered Damascus stainless steel blade with a Rockwell Hardness of 61°, hand-ground to a precise 12° double-bevel edge. Crafted in Seki City, Japan, this lightweight 7.9 oz gyuto knife balances exceptional sharpness, durability, and ergonomic design with a black canvas micarta handle secured by triple rivets. Perfect for millennial professionals who demand both style and performance, it comes backed by a lifetime warranty.

## Description

Online shopping for Kitchen Knives & Accessories from a great selection of Cutlery Sets, Specialty Knives, Sharpeners, Cutting Boards, & more at everyday low prices.

Review: the handle itself could stand to be slightly more shaped to be truly perfect. Better/sharper and prettier than Shuns - TL:DR version: this is a rebadged Yaxell Zen knife, superbly sharp, edge responds to a ceramic rod well, well-balanced and handles well, well-made, the handle itself could stand to be slightly more shaped to be truly perfect. Better/sharper and prettier than Shuns, blows German knives out of the water, costs less. 4.75 / 5 if I could be that specific. First off, an e-mail to Cutlery and More (the seller of these knives) confirmed that the Enso HD line of knives are manufactured in Japan by Yaxell to be sold under a trademark name belonging to C&M. The other side of the blade (not pictured here) even says Yaxell on it. The hammered + damascus blade style and shapes/sizes available indicates these Enso HD knives are re-handled and re-named Yaxell Zen knives. I've had the knife about a week now and used it plenty. I enjoy great kitchen cutlery but am a price-conscious shopper. Cutting performance: Fantastic. After some head-to-head comparisons on the same food, it is noticeably sharper than my Shun Sora chef's knife. It blows away a Wusthof Classic and Henckels International (that's the cheaper Henckels with the man-with-stick logo, I don't own any of true Henckels with the twins logo) . Can easily do the tomato trick: cut the top off, set the tomato upside down on the board, and the knife can slice the tomato very thin without even having to touch the tomato to hold it in place with your other hand. It also easily shaves arm hair. Edge retention: again a little better than my Shuns so far. I haven't had to really re-sharpen it yet obviously, and a ceramic honing rod works really well at keeping this knife super sharp. I highly recommend ceramic rods/"steels", they work much better than the steel ones. Kyocera offers a ceramic rod at a reasonable price. I wish there was a knife that was this sharp that I didn't have to regularly hone to keep the edge perfect, but to my knowledge no such knife exists - an edge this sharp, if you actually use the knife, will require some maintenance. You should be doing this with all your knives anyway. Handling: the knife is lighter than I thought it might be. The spine is a bit thinner than German knives like Wusthof and Henckels, but the blade doesn't flex or feel flimsy at all. The hammered section is less dramatic/bumpy/ridge-y in person than it looks in the product photos, which I like. The balance point is slightly in front of the very heel, right about where I pinch grip the knife. This assists the blade in cutting. The knife feels comfortable and well-balanced in use, even at the larger 10" size. The handle is also not as fat as I feared -- it's a reasonable handle for which you don't need to have big hands. That said, the profile of the handle is classic rather than asymmetrical or especially ergonomic, and that's really the only realistic room for improvement here -- it's by no means bad, but I've held knives where the handle was a bit more engineered and better for it. Fit and Finish: excellent. handle and rivets and bolster are all flush. Everything is straight and well-ground. There were a few specs of black dust or debris of some sort on the blade that washed off easily out of the box. Also, I want to recommend the 10" size over the more typical 8". The knife is still light and manageable, and more blade means it is easier to cut more stuff more quickly. It's a big sharp piece of equipment that can be intimidating, but I'm definitely a convert after using a 10" knife, and my kitchen is medium-small. I would say only customers in very small kitchens with small cutting boards should favor 8" chef's knives. And maybe those who refuse to pinch-grip a knife by the bolster/balance point and insist on holding the entire handle.
Review: Absolutely beautiful japanese craftsmanship! - So normally this knife sells for $150. When I saw that it was 33% off for under $100, I had to pull the trigger! The packaging was a little basic compared to some other knives I've bought so I just recycled it. I polished the blade right out of the box up to a Shapton 12,000 grit ceramic whetstone. I stropped it on a 1 micro diamond compound leather strop to a mirror shine. It's first test was Christmas dinner prep. The very first slice met Zero resistance! As I kept slicing and chopping, I started getting nervous. It glided through even hard root vegetables like it wasnt even there. It is the sharpest blade I've ever used and I grew up in a restaurant kitchen! I know it was overkill on how much I sharpened it but I catch and cut a lot of fish so I need it sashimi sharp. I have somewhat smaller hands but the handle felt very comfortable even after a couple of hours of use. I was a little concerned about the bolster being too thick for a pinch grip but it wasn't an issue and felt natural. VG10 isn't the best steel but for every day home cooks, it comes at a great price point. I haven't had it long enough to test the edge retention but I'm very confident that I can bring it back to a Crazy level of sharpness easily. I'm now seriously thinking about getting the same nakiri version. I absolutely love this knife and now it's a very shiny jewel on my magnetic knife block.

## Features

- Crafted of premium Japanese VG10 37-layer stainless steel for excellent edge retention; features a stunning hammered (tsuchime) finish
- Rockwell Hardness 61°; blades are hand-ground to approximately 12°
- Double-bevel edge for both right and left-handed use; black canvas micarta handle with three stainless steel rivets and end cap
- Blade Length: 8" (200mm), Blade Height: 1.75", Overall Length: 13.4", Spine Thickness at Heel: 2mm, Weight: 7.9 oz. (225g)
- All Enso knives are handcrafted in Seki City, Japan with a lifetime warranty

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #164,692 in Kitchen & Dining ( See Top 100 in Kitchen & Dining ) #606 in Chef's Knives |
| Blade Edge | Plain |
| Blade Length | 8 Inches |
| Blade Material | VG10 Damascus Stainless Steel |
| Brand | Enso |
| Color | 37-layers VG10 Hammered Damascus Stainless Steel, Triple Rivet Black Micarta Handle, 61 Rockwell Hardness. Made in Seki, Japan. Color 37-layers VG10 Hammered Damascus Stainless Steel, Triple Rivet Black Micarta Handle, 61 Rockwell Hardness. Made in Seki, Japan. See more |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 685 Reviews |
| Handle Material | Micarta |

## Product Details

- **Blade Edge:** Plain
- **Blade Material:** VG10 Damascus Stainless Steel
- **Brand:** Enso
- **Handle Material:** Micarta

## Images

![Enso Chef's Knife - Made in Japan - HD Series - VG10 Hammered Damascus Stainless Steel Gyuto - 8" - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81kieLy1YQL.jpg)

## Available Options

This product comes in different **Size** options.

## Questions & Answers

**Q: How are the Enso knives compared to Shun knives?**
A: shun has many different "lines" just as yaxell (the mfgr of enso) has many different "lines".Shun classics is closest to what this knife is like. It has more "layers", but after three it really doesn't matter. The enso has enough to make it functional and pretty, but not so many that it becomes a cost issue. Enso, which is really a Yaxell Zen, has a hammered finish which takes more workmanship and might be more functional to reduce sticking, however it also requires more care because those pits, if not cared for could conceivably allow bacteria to grow under certain conditions. Shun has hammered finishes on their "elite" and premier" lines, but not on their classic line. This knife is a much better value for the dollar than the Shun.They both use a core of VG10. At one time, shun was claiming VGmax on even their classics, but they have now been caught. And VG max is just a marketing name. It's a registered trademark, not another quality steel.The Enso has a much better handle than the shun classic. It is closer to what you'd find on thee better lines of shun, or, of course, onall of Yaxell's lines. It is more comfortable if you're cutting for hours. Shun classics are generally used by home cooks. Yaxells are generally used by professional cooks and chefs so if you're only cutting for short periods, the handle doesn't really matter that much.Enso's are a little heavier because of the handles. They are about the same thickness. The shapes of the blades are roughly similar and cutting angle is similar. BOTH are 50/50 bevel.There are plenty of other great knives at the same price point, but this is a bargain if you don't mind it being branded "enso" instead of yaxell. You should also consider Tojiro, Mcuesta ,yaxell zen and yaxell dragon. I'd take any of those over a shun classic, which I think is over priced, over rated and has a crummy handle.

**Q: Where is this knife made and/or assembled?**
A: Seki, Japan. This knife is made by the famous Yaxell company which makes some supurb professional quality knives. This one is very similar to a Yaxell Zen.

**Q: What is the spine width in mm? Thx.**
A: The Enso HD 8 and 10" Chef's Knives are both 2mm thick at the spine.

**Q: Hi what is the length of the blade and the length of the handle thank you**
A: The blade is 8 in, and handle is 5 in long. Knife is well made and very sharp.

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ the handle itself could stand to be slightly more shaped to be truly perfect. Better/sharper and prettier than Shuns
*by C***S on November 13, 2015*

TL:DR version: this is a rebadged Yaxell Zen knife, superbly sharp, edge responds to a ceramic rod well, well-balanced and handles well, well-made, the handle itself could stand to be slightly more shaped to be truly perfect. Better/sharper and prettier than Shuns, blows German knives out of the water, costs less. 4.75 / 5 if I could be that specific. First off, an e-mail to Cutlery and More (the seller of these knives) confirmed that the Enso HD line of knives are manufactured in Japan by Yaxell to be sold under a trademark name belonging to C&M. The other side of the blade (not pictured here) even says Yaxell on it. The hammered + damascus blade style and shapes/sizes available indicates these Enso HD knives are re-handled and re-named Yaxell Zen knives. I've had the knife about a week now and used it plenty. I enjoy great kitchen cutlery but am a price-conscious shopper. Cutting performance: Fantastic. After some head-to-head comparisons on the same food, it is noticeably sharper than my Shun Sora chef's knife. It blows away a Wusthof Classic and Henckels International (that's the cheaper Henckels with the man-with-stick logo, I don't own any of true Henckels with the twins logo) . Can easily do the tomato trick: cut the top off, set the tomato upside down on the board, and the knife can slice the tomato very thin without even having to touch the tomato to hold it in place with your other hand. It also easily shaves arm hair. Edge retention: again a little better than my Shuns so far. I haven't had to really re-sharpen it yet obviously, and a ceramic honing rod works really well at keeping this knife super sharp. I highly recommend ceramic rods/"steels", they work much better than the steel ones. Kyocera offers a ceramic rod at a reasonable price. I wish there was a knife that was this sharp that I didn't have to regularly hone to keep the edge perfect, but to my knowledge no such knife exists - an edge this sharp, if you actually use the knife, will require some maintenance. You should be doing this with all your knives anyway. Handling: the knife is lighter than I thought it might be. The spine is a bit thinner than German knives like Wusthof and Henckels, but the blade doesn't flex or feel flimsy at all. The hammered section is less dramatic/bumpy/ridge-y in person than it looks in the product photos, which I like. The balance point is slightly in front of the very heel, right about where I pinch grip the knife. This assists the blade in cutting. The knife feels comfortable and well-balanced in use, even at the larger 10" size. The handle is also not as fat as I feared -- it's a reasonable handle for which you don't need to have big hands. That said, the profile of the handle is classic rather than asymmetrical or especially ergonomic, and that's really the only realistic room for improvement here -- it's by no means bad, but I've held knives where the handle was a bit more engineered and better for it. Fit and Finish: excellent. handle and rivets and bolster are all flush. Everything is straight and well-ground. There were a few specs of black dust or debris of some sort on the blade that washed off easily out of the box. Also, I want to recommend the 10" size over the more typical 8". The knife is still light and manageable, and more blade means it is easier to cut more stuff more quickly. It's a big sharp piece of equipment that can be intimidating, but I'm definitely a convert after using a 10" knife, and my kitchen is medium-small. I would say only customers in very small kitchens with small cutting boards should favor 8" chef's knives. And maybe those who refuse to pinch-grip a knife by the bolster/balance point and insist on holding the entire handle.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Absolutely beautiful japanese craftsmanship!
*by W***. on December 27, 2024*

So normally this knife sells for $150. When I saw that it was 33% off for under $100, I had to pull the trigger! The packaging was a little basic compared to some other knives I've bought so I just recycled it. I polished the blade right out of the box up to a Shapton 12,000 grit ceramic whetstone. I stropped it on a 1 micro diamond compound leather strop to a mirror shine. It's first test was Christmas dinner prep. The very first slice met Zero resistance! As I kept slicing and chopping, I started getting nervous. It glided through even hard root vegetables like it wasnt even there. It is the sharpest blade I've ever used and I grew up in a restaurant kitchen! I know it was overkill on how much I sharpened it but I catch and cut a lot of fish so I need it sashimi sharp. I have somewhat smaller hands but the handle felt very comfortable even after a couple of hours of use. I was a little concerned about the bolster being too thick for a pinch grip but it wasn't an issue and felt natural. VG10 isn't the best steel but for every day home cooks, it comes at a great price point. I haven't had it long enough to test the edge retention but I'm very confident that I can bring it back to a Crazy level of sharpness easily. I'm now seriously thinking about getting the same nakiri version. I absolutely love this knife and now it's a very shiny jewel on my magnetic knife block.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Melts everything like butter
*by R***L on February 15, 2025*

This knife is amazing! Hands down, the best knife that I’ve handled in all my years of cooking. I am a simple, at home chef and this is almost too perfect for my prep, and additional everyday use. Beautiful craftsmanship, perfect weight, razor sharp. You can see the hammered top half ( which is extremely impressive as it separates meat/veg from the knife as you cut) and then the bottom half has damascus running through it, it’s just impressive. Cannot go wrong. It is a little costly, at $150.00 per knife, but you get what you pay for. It’s a great, solid knife. I would 100% recommend this to anyone in need of a knife. It makes you even more excited to get in the kitchen. That is how you know it’s a lovely piece. (wish I could get the set, but it’s $1000.. still gorgeous, just not in my budget)

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*Product available on Desertcart Japan*
*Store origin: JP*
*Last updated: 2026-02-01*