Sakai Takayuki 33-Layer Damascus Chinese Chef's Knife, 195mm / 7.7"

If you're looking to try the traditional Chinese chef knife shape but want something that looks amazing and performs great without the hassle of carbon steel, look no further! These knives are high quality, made in Japan, and are very sharp, with excellent construction quality and they just look spectacular with the layered steel, hammered finish and gorgeous wood-grain handle. The handle is made of Spanish mahogany pakkawood, which has that nice wooden feel and look, but it is impregnated with resin/epoxy so it's very strong and is very water resistant to avoid absorbing water or warping or cracking -- an excellent material with a great feel in the hand!

The blade is made of a super sharp and long-lasting VG-10 steel cutting core (this is a reasonably hard and high quality knife steel, with a Rockwell hardness of approximately 60), with a 33-layer hammered stainless steel surface and a beautifully finished handle. 

Remember though, this knife is to be used like a normal chef knife, it is NOT a meat cleaver for hitting bones or hard materials, which WILL likely crack, chip or break the edge (just as would happen with any high quality knife).

We recommend the Idahone fine ceramic hone 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: 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.