KYOKU - Daimyo Series - Japanese 440C Stainless Steel Kitchen Knife with Sheath & Case - Ergonomic Rosewood Handle & Mosaic Pin (7" Vegetable Cleaver)

Review for normal people:It's really front-heavy and heavy in general. It's decently hard and will keep an edge but the downside is if you do not know how to sharpen a knife you could be in a bit of trouble. By "know how to sharpen a knife" I mean if you use one of those "pull through" sharpeners, this is just not going to be the knife for you because those will not be enough to sharpen this knife. It is also very front-heavy and cutting with it gets tiring after a while, it feels like you are wielding an axe. The blade is also very thick meaning it's not exactly great for delicate work either.Despite all these flaws, the construction is great and all I can say is, it's not for me personally.Review for KNIFE ENTHUSIASTS:Don't get this knife. The 440c was not treated well at all. Compared to my Shun AUS-10, the edge microchipped a lot when I sharpened it with a diamond sharpener, however, when I used a Silicon Carbide stone, it hardly cut away at all. That's a sign that it's indeed a hard metal, likely to be up to 60hrc, however, it just was not heat treated well.Their ad stated that the edge was 14-15 degrees however that was not the case. I found the edge to be sharpened at 25 degrees out of the box and reprofiling it took literally 2 weeks of grinding and I even had to go out of my way to buy a 50 grit diamond stone to even be able to make progress, this is a very hard metal (which is a good thing) but it's something you should be aware of: That if you get this expecting a Japanese 14-degree razer sharp edge, you are not getting that.The construction is also a bit rough around the edges where you can see where the CNC machines have been cutting it, which I guess brings me to my next point, it doesn't look forged, it looks like it was stamped.TL:DRConstruction/Quality: 8/10Edge retention: 9/10 (not bad for home use)Comfort: 3/10Easy of sharpening: 1/10 (going to be impossible for most people)

I really like this knife, especially for the money. It is built extensively well. Came out of the box plenty sharp. I sharpened it anyways because I like my knives like razors. It sharpened extremely easy, and has been holding an edge grest. My only complaint is the weight. It's quite heavy, so I don't think I'd be comfortable using it 8-10 hours a day. But for home use it's fine.

It's easy to cut bones.

This comes in a box suitable for gifting. The knife nestles snugly in a black felt, form-fitting cut-out of the type that has become typical. I was surprised that it also comes with a well-fit plastic sheath.Dimensions are as advertised, and symmetry and handle contours are good, as its overall fit and finish.The knife arrives reasonably sharp. It could be used without additional stropping. Its balance point is an inch or so ahead of the bolster, which is appropriate for the pinch grip used by most users of cleaver-style knives. Its blade maintains the same thickness along its entire length. It tapers to its cutting edge beginning about 2 inches from its spine. The blade has a slight belly. The wooden handle is comfortable and its oval cross section facilitates indexing. Some might find it a little heavy, but I feel it is properly weighted for its intended use.I am accustomed to using this type of knife for vegetable, fruit, poultry and certain meat prep, and bought this one hoping for better edge retention than those I already owned. I am satisfied with this model, and would recommend it to others.

Returned item due to poor craftsmanship. Mosaic "Pin" stood proud of wooden handle and was abrasive in the palm. Where the wooden handle met the blade, the wood was too small exposing a razor sharp edge on the bolster.