Sakai Takayuki 33-Layer Damascus Chef's Knife, 240mm / 9.5", Walnut Wood Handle

A beautiful and high performance chef's knife at a great price! This size is perfect for home users who already have a smaller knife and know they want something bigger, or for pros who are used to handling a longer knife.

These knives really are very sharp, with excellent construction quality and they just look spectacular with the layered steel, hammered finish and beautiful traditional Japanese-style dark walnut wood handle (octagonal, so fine for right or left-hand use).

If you like the damascus layered steel look, this is a truly excellent choice. You get a super sharp and long-lasting VG-10 steel cutting core (this is a very hard steel and high quality knife steel, with a Rockwell hardness of approximately 60), with a 33-layer hammered stainless steel surface and a cool traditional Japanese-style wooden handle. This makes an excellent choice as an all-around knife.

I'd recommend the fine ceramic hone (see below) for regular/daily maintenance of the edge. As with any knife, use the hone regularly and you'll keep the edge in good shape for a LONG time before you need to think about doing any serious "re-sharpening" or real grinding and refinishing of the edge.

NOTE: Handle colour/finish may vary from the version pictured here. It is natural wood, and so some are lighter or darker than others, and small imperfections are to be expected and are not considered defects. The wood is not sealed and so extra care must be taken to keep it dry and clean... do NOT leave it sitting in a sink or in water!! As with all quality knives, wash, rinse, hand-dry and store immediately after use.

NOTE: This knife is sharpened 50/50 (equally on the right and left side), so it's easy to maintain and fine for right or left hand use. If you look carefully at the edge, you'll see a slight right-side bias, this is just because the final edge is so tiny and because of the way they finish the edge; it has NO bearing on right- or left-hand use, sharpening or maintenance and can be ignored, so you should treat the edge just like any standard 50/50 edge.