Sakai Takayuki 33-Layer Damascus Damascus Paring Knife, 80mm / 3.15"

An excellent Japanese version of a standard paring knife. Great for lots of little things like fruit, peeling, dicing, mincing... makes a perfect companion to a santoku or chef's knife. These knives really are very sharp, with excellent construction quality and they just look spectacular with the layered steel, hammered finish and gorgeous wood-grain handle (NOT plastic or molded like so many low-cost knives you'll see in stores). 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! 

You get a super sharp and long-lasting VG-10 steel cutting core (this is a hard steel 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. This makes an excellent choice as an all-around knife. Not too fragile or finicky to live with or maintain.

I'd 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.