MITSUMOTO SAKARI 8 inch Kiritsuke Knife Kitchen Chef’s Knife, Professional Japanese Kitchen Cooking Knives Damascus Japan Steel (Red Pomegranate Handle)

Nice quality knife. I find this to be a bit blade heavy, and at first it felt strange in my hand, but perhaps that’s because I’m coming from three different shun Kiritsuke knives. This is a very nice blade and it seems to hold an edge. It is very smooth, so for vegetables they tend to trap. But it makes great precision cuts.

A very sharp and impressive knife.

I bought this knife a year ago, and as a sous chef at a super busy restaurant my original knife was used for nearly anything and everything I used it for. I unfortunately dropped the first one, (the pearl colored handle) and only lost just the very tip of it. Was able to hone it back to a decent tip, but used it so much and didn’t give it proper care regularly as I should (I didn’t realize how essential this was at first, for all knives) so my original took a beating. Only complaint is that eventually one of the pins on the handle did fall out. However, I loved the comfort, the weight, the look, and the durability of this knife so much I went ahead and got it again in red with the intentions of treating it right this time now that I know better. Best knife and best price. It’s beautiful. They are both so different and individual and I’m so happy with the new one. I’m not one to order the same knife again but was so satisfied with this one I couldn’t help it.

An okay knife for someone who is looking for a fancy gift item. I originally bought this knife as a gift for my mom. But before actually giving it to her, I decided to use it in my kitchen first, and boy that was a good decision. Now, I am in no manner a Master-chef, but I have been cooking since last 5 years and know a thing or two about it. So for this knife, let’s start with pros cuz there’re only few of them- Pros- 1. This knife has good octagonal handle. I always prefer this over modern oval one that we see in most of the German or French knives. 2. This knife has good balance between blade weight and handle weight (see the image). I really hate grip heavy knives. 3. This knife looks good! Flashy handle and comes with a nice box and a small bottle of knife oil (tbh I’ve never used knife oil in 5 years and had to look it up on google:D) Cons- 1. Knife came as a dull blade. There was no sharpness to the blade out of the box, especially when you compare to the sharpness of Japanese knives. I think this flaw is very serious, because when you take the knife out, your first thought is to try it and not to sharpen it. And dull knife is dangerous than sharp knife. 2. Secondly, the knife is double beveled. Traditional Japanese Kiritsuke is a single beveled blade made for right handed chefs. The fact that it’s double beveled makes me doubt if this blade actually originated in Japan. 3. Third point is the grip. I felt like the knife grip was a little slippery. Now this is different than the handle (second point of pros). Here I mean the material of the handle feels more slippery when compared to other knives that I have. Now this is not a big problem for me, as I am used to handling knives, but this can pose a serious potential for harm for someone not so good at handling knives. 4. Final point, and this one can be controversial. I tried to sharpen the blade on the water whetstone that I have and it has a different feel to it. Now I cannot say if its a good or a bad thing. Now, let’s see if the blade can hold the sharpness and the knife stands the test of time. Otherwise it’s going back! Final note- I don’t think I’ll gift this knife to my mom. She deserves better ;p You’re better off buying Shun knives. At least they don't make claims of being authentic Japanese. There you know exactly what you’re getting. And it costs approximately the same!

Love this knife, I'm a chef and use it all day for everything. After using the knife for about two weeks I went to sharpen it for the first time and notice that the blade leans to the right slightly. Be besides that I am very happy with it.