KATSU Japanese Professional Kitchen Chef Knife，8 Inch Damascus Steel,Handcrafted Octagonal Wood Handle,Walnut Wood Magnetic Sheath with Gifts Box

happy with it so far, i like it alot so far, pretty , pretty knife , the katsu box is a little beaten up , will talk to seller about it

Very sharp to the extent that it intimidates me:) its all about the "respect" and it definitely keeps me on my toes... we love to cook and live in a van therefore have limited space and have made the perfect choice for our life style.Rob and Jan Can Van

I’m sure I will have a lot fun with this beautiful knifes 😍

Excellent product. Received one as a gift 4 years ago and loved it so much I just gifted a new one to someone else.

If this review provides the info you need before buying, please consider marking it "Helpful", as that's very helpful for reviewers!I had never heard of Katsu as a brand, and from what I read in other reviews, I wasn't the only person to be a little hesitant regarding the price due to unknown country of manufacture and such things. I did some deep digging, and from everything I've seen, Katsu is indeed a Japan-based manufacturer of knives, more commonly known for high quality but reasonably priced pocket knives, many of which have a Japanese flavor in their styling, which they share with this very traditionally Japanese Santoku. So, you can thankfully put those types of fears to rest, I did the research for you.It does appear that the blade is made of actual folded or pattern welded steel and not just an etched billet. This explains the price to a large degree, as a blade like this takes a lot of effort to create. The handle also appears to be actual ebony wood, and the bolster does appear to be water buffalo horn. This is a standard style for high quality Japanese knives, and octagonal handles are also common, especially with the water buffalo bolsters. The included saya is beautiful and lightweight, and has an internal magnet to keep it attached to the knife when it is stored inside (so the saya doesn't fall off). The materials used in the construction are of higher quality than most run of the mill knives.I do a lot of cooking, so I do a lot of cutting meats and vegetables. I also spent 10 years working in kitchens earlier in my life, and I know a quality knife when I use one, and this is a quality knife. It came sharp enough to shave with out of the box, and the edge has retained its sharpness so far, though I used it for about 4 hours total since receiving it, and it is still as sharp as when I took it out of the box. It seems to hold its edge extremely well. The octagonal handle works for me, it feels very natural in the hand, though I've never used a knife with a handle like this before.A thing to note: As with most high quality knives, this should be washed with soap and water and dried immediately, not run through a dishwasher, or left to drip dry in a drying rack.This is my new daily driver knife. Now here comes the hard part. Is it worth the price?I've gotten chef's knives here on Amazon that are pretty inexpensive when compared with the knives I often used in professional kitchens (Henckels or Global for example), but are essentially just as good. Could you buy a knife that is just as serviceable as this for less money? Almost certainly. But it depends on what you're looking for. From what I can see, this is actually very well priced for the level of craftsmanship you're getting. It seems that Katsu has a niche they fit in, both for kitchen knives and pocket knives; To compete with the boutique quality high end offerings at a lower price, and in my opinion, they deliver.