Shirosuki Anmeldelser 

I kept my old German chef's knife in rotation for a while just to compare the two honestly, since it was expensive when I bought it and I wanted to be fair. This one wins pretty clearly on comfort, my hand doesn't fatigue the same way during longer prep, and it feels more balanced for how I actually cut. The German knife is a bit heavier, which some people prefer, so it's not that one is objectively better in every way. For my grip and the way I cook day to day though, I've stopped reaching for the old one entirely, it mostly sits in the block now as backup.

I almost didn't order this because the product photos made the damascus pattern look kind of flat and generic online, similar to a lot of other knives I'd looked at. In person it's a completely different story, the layers catch the light differently depending on the angle and it looks handmade in a way the pictures didn't capture at all. I've had people ask about it just from seeing it on my counter, which has never happened with a knife before. If the photos are what's holding you back from ordering, they undersell it more than I expected.

I cook for my family most nights and onions are usually where I lose the most time, my old knife would tear through them instead of slicing clean and I'd end up crying more than necessary from all the extra contact. Since switching, a full onion takes maybe half the time it used to and I'm not fighting the blade to get through it. It's a small thing in the grand scheme but when you're cooking dinner every single night, small time savings add up fast. My partner noticed I was done with prep before the rice finished cooking, which never used to happen.

Feels a lot more expensive than what I paid.

Sharp. Happy with my purchase.

Web site says 30 day return window. They keep putting me off, not providing a return address, now tell me I must pay to ship it to China.

Re-named from "Masahira" same goods. Prev reviews say products are not Japanese but drop-shipped Chinese. Eight words got a refund: "American Express", "Federal Trade Commission", "California Consumer Protection".