Misono Molybdenum Western Deba Knife, 6.5-inch (165mm) - #550

VERY heavy-duty deba knife, in a "western" shape. Thick blade for super strength and heft, and weighs 340 grams! Nice because you get the traditional deba thinking, but in a more durable and usable Western-style shape and handle. Can be used to cut through fish bones (deba knives are usually used for fish in Japan), and through half-frozen food, and for meat cutting (porc, beef, etc.), but the edge is still very sharp so it is NOT a cleaver and so this is not to be used for hacking bones or frozen food (which would damage the edge). Note: as with all Misono knives, this is sharpened mostly on the right hand side and so is only suitable for right hand use.

Please note that Misono knives have a very polished edge. It's very sharp out of the box, but not in the way that many people are used to with European and many other Japanese knives: they have very little "bite" as the edge is polished and so not at all "toothy". So if you take the knife out of the box and try to cut a tomato or bell pepper it might glide over the surface and appear to not cut well... this is why "tomato knives" have serrated edges (the ultimate "toothy" edge!). So while they ARE sharp, you need to adjust your cutting style (think slicing more than chopping) and expectations, and of course you can easily adjust the edge as part of a full re-sharpening (do NOT use a gadget!) or as part of your daily routine... I use a Misono UX10 150mm petty knife at home pretty much daily and I love it, but I have indeed over time removed the polish from the edge for the most part so it's a bit more useful as an all-purpose knife and doesn't have the same tendency to slide over veggie skins.