8" Japanese Chef Knife Gyuto - 66-Layer Damascus AUS-10V | Hand-sharpened 8-12° Edge - Full-tang G-10 Handle - For Meal Prep - Sushi - Home Butchering - Customer Support Included

So to start this off, this is my day 1 review. I'm gonna update this after about a month of constant use. I'll see what edge retention is like, how the handle holds up, and if the blade continues to be as beautiful as it is after being repeatedly washed. I was NOT given a discount or free product to write a review, I just did my research and decided to give Dalstrong a shot based off reviews and my knowledge of knives and steel forging. Out of the box, this thing is sharper than any other kitchen knife I've ever bought. It's insanely sharp. I could cut paper thin slices out of a tomato that was just sitting on a cutting board without having to hold the tomato. It glides through most everything. I did have 2 small complaints out of the box, which I've reached out to Dalstrong about to see if there's a way I can fix them, which are a 1-2" scuff on the handle that feels somewhat abrasive, and a very small rust spot on the front of the knife in one of the Damascus layers (these two issues are why I gave it 4 stars, for a cheap knife I wouldn't care, but for something over $100 I feel it has slightly more weight). I'll update once they get back to me as well. As for feel, the opinions differ here based on hand size and what people are used to. I like a quality forged blade, and I have very large hands. I think the knife feels absolutely perfect in the hand. Weight, grip, rivets, handle material, all of it. To me it couldn't have a better handle. My wife on the other hand, has tiny hands. She thinks that the handle is too large. Not too large to use, just not comfortable. She is fond of Cutco handles, which are thermal resin and very high quality... though their blades are just cheap stamped steel that has no heft to it. I own both and strongly prefer forged blades with weight behind them. Also I don't like the cutco handles. They feel narrow and uncomfortable to me. The general appearance of the knife is beautiful. It has a beautiful center rivet made from 3 copper rings and a bunch of brass rings. The Damascus is far less pronounced than the photos lead me to believe, which is sad, but not something worth knocking a star off for. The hammered look is fantastic. I love the lion head logo stamped in the blade, though I am concerned that a health department employee may be less than fond of it because I could imagine meat particles getting trapped in it. I bought this because I'm starting a food truck and I want to find the knives I'll be using in my food truck, this will just be one of many as I do BBQ and I'm particular about the blades I use for various cuts of meat. Lastly I'll mention the packaging since people seem to care about such things. In a word, it's excellent. More accurately it's over the top. It keeps the blade very stable and provides a very satisfying unboxing experience. Overall I'd say excellent. If I can fix the little scuff and the rust spot I'm gonna change it to 5 star. In the price range, unbeatable. Shuns and real Wusthoff forged blades are the only ones I've used that I would say can match the quality, and frankly the Wusthoffs actually fall below, especially on workmanship. UPDATE 1-6-2018 I talked to their customer service the day after I received the knife because of the tiny scuff/spot on the blade and they sent me a new knife and told me to keep the first. Unbelievable service. I just wanted to know if there was a treatment or product to use that would get it out. Both have continued to perform flawlessly over the last several months, even without sharpening (I was letting them go to see when I'd notice a decline in performance). Still about 98% of what they were out of the box. I'm gonna be buying a full set both for my truck and my home in the next few months. I've used just about all the knife brands they make, I'd put my Dalstrong Shogun against any $500 knife you can find, happily. I'm even planning to purchase their $400 gladiator set for my mom when she graduates with her doctorate. If I had one complaint, it would be that they don't seem to offer a full set of their Shogun series blades. I'd love one with a nice modern, high quality block. Not that I particularly mind ordering each one individually. Would just make it easier.

This chef knife is solid! Super sharp out the box! Has a nice weight to it, I was skeptical about the handle but it feels good in my hand. And is extremely sharp. Expensive, yes, but worth it. It’s my first Dalstrong knife. It has an elegance about it. Even with the hammered Damascus which isn’t laser etched so each knife in this series is different. It cuts and slices like a dream. This isn’t for cutting bone, even tho I’m sure it can, a cleaver would be better suited for that. Plus I like it has a full tang. Unlike some of their other knives that have a partial tang. If you are going to pay a decent amount of money for a knife it should have a full tang. IMO. And be sharp out the box. Honestly it needs to be seen in person to appreciate the craftsmanship.

Let me just say, I could not be more pleased with the Dalstrong Shogun Series X Gyuto. The attention to detail that Dalstrong puts into their products is evident from the moment you take the knife box out of the shipping box. The Dalstrong packaging is absolutely beautiful, it's not something you'll want to throw away, and it is a good indicator of the absolute work of art inside. The custom plastic sheath included really comes in handy when the knife is in use. Whenever I need to put the knife down on the counter to clear my cutting board and bring out the next veggie, I wipe the knife and slide it back into the sheath for safety. Safety is paramount as this knife is insanely sharp right out of the box! Though not at 100% (IMO, but I'm more picky on such things than most) it's pretty darn close! It definitely does NOT require sharpening out of the box, just some light stropping and you're good to go. Use a strop, not a honing rod! Honing rods are awesome and a necessary investment for Western knives, but in my experience they don't work as well on Japanese knives or Gyutos and can actually dull them, the bevel is just too sharp. It's definitely usable straight out of the box, though, and most people would never know the difference. When it comes to sharpening a knife with such a high HRC you'll want to invest in some quality stones as well. I use Naniwa Chosera whetstones which can handle just about any HRC so I'm unconcerned, but for those with low quality stones you may find this knife more time consuming to sharpen. That being said, it has INCREDIBLE edge retention so you won't have to worry about sharpening very often, even with heavy use. As for the knife itself: The height of the heel is extremely useful for someone with larger hands. You won't have to worry about your knuckles scraping the board at all. For someone with smaller hands where knuckle clearance never seems to be much of an issue, the height of the knife is still very useful. The tall heel is perfect for scooping diced veggies off the board, eliminating the need for additional knives like a santoku or a nakiri. (Who wants to deal with so many knives to make one meal anyways? The chef knife is supposed to be all-purpose and this one is!) The smooth constant radius of the profile makes chopping, slicing and rocking very easy to do. I can be rather erratic with my cutting styles so a knife that can perform equally well no matter how you're cutting is extremely important to me. The spine is exceptionally well polished, you won't have to worry about sanding down the sides as you have to do with even some of the best Japanese knives. The bend in the neck is also exceptionally well polished which is incredibly important since your finger will be resting against it whenever you're using or sharpening the knife. The way it angles in from the handle to the blade really encourages a proper pinch grip and the smooth finish makes that grip extremely comfortable. The handle does have some serious girth to it. It's definitely not a small handle, but it's not uncomfortably large either. I have very small hands (about 6 1/2 inches from the base of my palm to the tip of my middle finger) and the handle feels great in my hands. The knife is definitely handle heavy, but I actually prefer that since I tend to over-grip my knives and a heavier handle gives me more control (or at least I think so). At the very least, it feels better to me to have a heavier handle as opposed to evenly balanced or even (gasp) blade heavy. The handle is smooth so you can't feel the rivets or the transition to the bolster which is really nice. The hammered finish, engraved logos on the blade and butt of the knife and the copper design on the center rivet of the handle are purely cosmetic, but hey, if I'm going to spend +$100 on ONE knife it darn well better LOOK like a +$100 knife! Most importantly, it better perform like one and the Dalstrong Shogun Series X Gyuto definitely performs far beyond it's price tag. Though it will probably never be tested against butternut squash in my house (I don't like butternut squash) it HAS been tested against a huge watermelon. I'm pretty sure I heard the Dalstrong laughing as it sliced through the melon with ease. When I told a relative how much I'd spent on the knife, the look of shock on her face was incredible. I handed her the knife and told her to cut herself a slice of watermelon. She was absolutely amazed by it's cutting performance! If you're accustomed to cheap block knife sets, you'll never go back after using this knife. If you're accustomed to far more expensive knives, you'll be left wondering why you wasted so much money on them. This has by far been the best investment I've made for my kitchen. I actually look forward to cooking now that meal prep work is so much easier. Time to try out some new recipes!

I've been using this as my "daily driver" in the kitchen for a couple months now and I must say it is excellent. It is very sharp out of the box (not beard shaving razor sharp but more than sharp enough for the average kitchen chef like me). It is as sharp out of the box as the previous knife that I've sharpened with a whetstone by hand, which is impressive. It can chop any regular meats, vegetables, and fruits with ease and passes my "magazine paper" test with flying colors. 10/10 appearance - Don't have to elaborate on this too much, the appearance is great. It comes with a cool looking box and a sheath which is great for displaying, but that's not too important to me. 10/10 durability - After frequent use (average 10 minutes of chopping, etc. per day for a couple months) of meats, vegetables, fruits, and fish (through bone and everything), there has not been any visible damage to the cutting edge. All I do for maintenance is use a honing rod every couple days to keep the fine edge alignment good. With proper honing with a steel rod, I have not noticed any dulling of the blade after couple months of use. I don't plan on actually sharpening this blade for a very long time with a whetstone due to how good it performs and how well it retains its edge. 10/10 functionality - It is sharpened all the way to the base and has a sharp tip and slightly rounded cutting edge. For "push" cutting style (which is how I chop 90% of the time) it feels amazing especially ending the cut in the middle to base of the knife. For "draw" cutting or slicing (meats and tomatoes mostly) it feels great as well both at the tip and towards the base. For the "rocking" chop I don't have too much information on since I don't often chop using that style, but I reason it would work quite well. If price is not an issue, then based upon my experiences I would recommend this product to any home kitchen enthusiast or anyone who cooks at home frequently. It makes chopping food way more enjoyable than with a dull knife that's for sure!

This knife is great. They responded to my question almost immediately, and from what I've been reading everywhere it sounds like they honor the 100% satisfaction guaranteed thing pretty enthusiastically, so the customer service is great too. The Damascus is Clad, not fake/etched by laser (if you sanded it they would still show, lets put that to rest). Hard core, soft outer layers that chip less, sharpen easier, and are higher corrosion resistance.. .and they look cool. Damascus clad is not 100% the same as traditional Damascus no, but it's close enough and it serves a purpose functionally and cool looking. I'm fine with it. I don't know why people are expecting a $800 art piece knife out of a product, that I feel, is meant to strike a nice balance between kitchen or work workhorse, and looking pretty sharp on a knife block too. The blade is welded to the handle, but the visibility of the weld is minimal, especially with all the other patterning going on near it. The handle is comfortable, seems durable. I like this blade for rocking cuts, it has a nice curve but not so much that you cant dice chop either. The weight of the blade feels even and great. I can't complain about anything on this knife, I like it. I also purchased the non serrated steak knives and I have to say they look even better than the Gyuto. I'm very glad I got those second and I like those even more than the Gyuto. Bottom line is this, if you're looking for a crazy expensive custom art piece knife at the price of around $100, of course you're not going to be happy. It's not going to glide through zero resistance like an ultra thin specialty non-stainless all hand-made by one guy Japanese knife with a single bevel that you have to dry and oil to keep from rusting every time you cut with it and sharpen or have sharpened differently. No standard mass produced stainless double bevel knife will do that. If you want a solid kitchen knife that is aggressively priced, about as sharp as you can get this kind of knife to get, stays sharp pretty long, looks cooler than the average persons knife, and still works great for cooking dinner... well it seems like a pretty well rounded knife to me. I have a wide range of professional use German knives, and a couple Japanese artsy knives I'm afraid to use/damage, and many in between, and beater knives too. These are what's on my kitchen knife block and I plan to buy more as I can afford to. I saw a few accusations about what it means to be Damascus and people shouting fake reviews.... I don't know about all that. It's a knife... with some pros and cons... like all products... and I think the pros are pretty solid for the price point. A knife snob might poo-poo it I guess. They aren't right for everyone probably, but all I can say is I'm happy with them! Several years update: Knives still doing fine. No chips, sharpen up nicely. I have some other very high end knives in my collection and yeah they are better but these cost significantly less. I know some people like to talk smack on this brand but they have been good for me. I have several dalstrong knives, I returned a couple I didn't like and kept most of them. in the end all that matters is you like it.

See updated review below the initial one: Ok, overall I must say that it seems of high quality and came out of the box extremely sharp. The single complaint I will share may seem petty but it matters to me and I offer it primarily as feedback for the company. I am typically concerned about purchasing Chinese products, not only because of my intense determination to support US made products but also because of the reputation they have for producing “cheap” products with less focus on quality and more on mass, cheap production. Despite that concern, I bought it after reading a bunch of stellar reviews ( no doubt this company has a fantastic marketing team and strategy also). I bought it with the hope the quality ( considering the lower price) would be well beyond the $130 price tag. I can not say that the quality is lacking as I just received. I will follow up with later review after I have used it for a while. What prompted the early review? I read another review about the quantum1 series sheath being cheap and glued rather than laced as it appeared and it reminded me of my immediate feeling when I opened the pin that was included with my shogun series knife. The pin is very poorly/cheaply made and from cheap materials. The clasp or pin is something so flimsy and cheap, that is something you would typically expect to see with a “made in China” sticker on the back. This may seem trivial ( and perhaps it is) but my first thought was “if they are obviously combatting the “inferior quality” reputation of other Chinese companies, and they talk so much of details, quality materials and meticulous packaging, why would they potentially undermine it all with a gum ball machine pin? They would have been better off not including a pin at all ( which no one expects anyway and they only included as a way of “wowing” the customer.” I can assure you that it did not wow me. That comment about the poorly glued sheath seemed consistent with that to me. Packaging is so very important with emotionally impressing the customer. Having said that, poor and short-cut packaging could be worse than sending the knife in a shrink wrapped cover with a simple thank you letter for purchasing. I promise to follow up with a meaningful review on performance. As I said, so far, it is a beautiful looking knife ( the Damascus design seems to have been done for decorative purposes after forge process but still attractive. It just further tickles that suspicion in me I guess.). Out of the box, it was the sharpest knife I have ever seen. It cut through paper without slicing at all. I just pushed it through the paper like I have never seen ( not even with a scalpel as they are too light)—very impressive. The next day I went to make a video for my son showing how razor sharp it was after using it once on broccoli prep for dinner. I deleted the video because it did not press through the same. Half of the strokes bent the paper. I still like the knife but wanted to offer my honest opinion so far. I bought this rather than a Wusthof or Shun because of the price. I will keep you posted. I was NOT paid by the company or given discounted product for leaving this review ( duhhhh—lol) Updated review: I have had this knife ( and now have bought others in the line) for well over a year now and have also bought other high end ( very well reputed brand—Wustof, for one) knives, expecting the reputation and much higher price tag, would translate into superior product. I can honestly say that the big name brands have NOT come close to topping my Dahlstrong chefs knife. I found myself at a crossroads where I needed to decide whether I would go all in for one brand or the other in order to collect full collection. Logically, it would seem that I would choose the Wustof ( especially considering I plan to leave the set as heirloom), but I honestly find myself reaching for the Dahlstrong about 95% of the time because I simply like it better from an aesthetic, balance. sharpness and edge retention standpoint ( just more enjoyable). Accordingly, I have chosen Dahlstrong. They are beautiful, sharp, very comfortable and just plain enjoyable to use

Final Update: as to the previous update, CS is outstanding. I did receive a replacement knife and I have to say that we will be purchasing more Dalstrong knives in the future. As I stated before I am not a professional chef but this knife has been really nice. The replacement knife was extremely sharp. I have been using it daily the last 1.5 weeks and I have no complaints at all. The edge has kept and it is as sharp as the day I opened the box. It is mainly used to cut veggies and chicken breasts. No complaints. Great addition to our kitchen. Please note that the replacement knife was received some time ago however unexpected life issues prevented me from using and updating the review back then. Thank you Dalstrong! ------------------------------------------ All I can say is WOW, customer service here is top notch. First thing morning I got a response to my review and multiple emails. Arrangements are being made to make the situation right. I have had some good CS in my time but this is just amazing, And as I said before we are not knife aficionado's, but the CS here may have just won them a customer. This was originally bought as a gift and not for us. However the handling of the this has made us want to keep the knife and give it and them a try. Yes CS can do that. We are holding off on returning the knife. I am raising my review from 1 to 3 pending the arrangements made. I am upping the stars because they sound passionate about their product and from what I see in this case the product and company seem one in the same. I however can't up it from 1 to 5 with nothing to actually review. I will update the review accordingly. --------ORIGINAL REVIEW BELOW---------------- Well, this was supposed to be a gift for friend then it wasn't then it was again then it wasn't. The was/wasn't wasn’t was due to shipping issues. -- Concerning the knife, the knife looked cloudy we could not get it to polish up all the way. It was as if it was coated in a cloudy varnish. It was also not as sharp as they say. At a labor day/birthday party it was used to dice up bell pepper, tomato, lettuce, onion, green pepper, jalapeño and cilantro. Well it did cut everything up but you had to be careful chopping. You had to put force and weight into your chopping or the skin would deflect the knife to the side. The knife cut good with a forward saw motion. We ended up giving them a JA Henckel knife set we picked up from Sams Club to her. I am not a kitchen knife aficionado (we have a Paula Deen knife set we use) but I know how a knife is supposed to work. A sharp knife should not squash a tomato or have to be used with a forceful chopping motion to dice bell peppers. The knife appeared to be the sharpest towards the heel. Issues: 1) Knife was cloudy, as if it was varnished or shellacked improperly. I do not believe this cloudiness is from the Damascus pattern as it is inside the hammer marks. While "cloudy" it would still shine at certain angles. I will post pictures once I get the knife back. It reminds me of a bad wax job. 2) Knife, while it cut was not as sharp as indicated in the description. It had issues cutting through tomatoes and bell peppers unless you used a lot of downward force or used it in a forward slicing motion. The tomatoes were squashed unless you took long strokes. The bell pepper had to be literally chopped to get them diced. The lettuce was could have been better to chop however this may be a technique issue. I don't have the knife with me it was left at the party but once I get it I will post pictures of the cloudiness. It will be returned to Amazon later this week. --- Brief explanation on the was/wasn't/was/wasn't --- Knife bought as a gift for a party on 9/2 -- was supposed to be here 9/3 -- was not here, wife got up early 9/4 and got J.A. Henckel knife set from Sam's -- got home package was on door step -- presented and used the Dalstrong at party -- we apologized and then took the J.A. Henckel set that was in the car for return and gave it to her instead. The party was not ruined. We live and we learn, however it was an awkward experience to say the least. It did make for good conversation. Someone even offered to sharpen it but at the price you would expect it to be sharp out of the box. His pocket knife was sharper than the Dalstrong. Dropping a tomato onto his knife sliced it, dropping a tomato onto the Dalstrong did not slice it. A couple times it bounced off and the other times it did cut the tomato but stopped part way through. He had a SOG pocket knife. Maybe this was a one off situation. On the way home I told my wife that we could just get it sharpened and just keep it. But my wife brought up a good point a semi-sharp knife is not what we intended on purchasing and then the milky cloudy thing was the deal killer. Maybe I can talk her into just exchanging it.

PROS: Rose-petal pattern of Damascus steel with a hammered finish: this knife is intricate, shiny and beautiful! Very comfortable fit in the hand and with maneuvering around the cutting board. This knife has made my routine chopping faster, easier and generally a lot more pleasurable. Stepping up your technique and knife care will also let you get a lot more out of this knife. This is a hybrid between the European and Japanese style chef's knife, and the way they navigate this balance in function and aesthetics is very nice. There is also lots of knuckle clearance, and the blade's shape makes the edge almost follow continuously from the curve down the knife, which is wonderful for cutting and sharpening. The price: This knife is cheaper than knives in the same ball-park of quality, though that may be changing as demand continues to grow. It holds its sharpness well: I've been honing it regularly and otherwise taking good care of it, and even after 4 months of regular use with no sharpening, it held its sharpness well enough to cut thin tomato slices (though it did take up to 3 or 4 movements to get through the skin at first). If you are wondering how to get this knife razor sharp again, what I did was watch a lot of Youtube videos (thank you Burrfection!), bought some stones (1000 and 5000 grit), practiced on cheaper knives for a while, and then got my Shogun knife much sharper. With significantly more practice I was able to get the blade to a little sharper than the factory edge, which felt pretty darn good. CONS: One thing to be aware of is this knife will probably not fit into many knife blocks because of how far the heel of the blade goes past the handle, so you will probably need to store this knife in its sheath. I think this trade-off is well worth the knuckle clearance and size for doing things like transferring food. The only other con I would have thought significant was an inconsistency in customer service. When I posted this review the first time, I mentioned that my knife had come with a defective sheath and the response from the representative (not the founder, which was stated in their emails at the time), had a response that was not consistent with those from other reviews: an offer to credit the cost of a generic sheath that probably wouldn't fit this knife. They have since updated their email messages, and the same representative later contacted me and went above and beyond any response I would have expected. So much so, that I thought I had misread their email at first. I should also mention that even with this previous consideration, I had still continued to buy several more of their knives for myself and as gifts. If you are concerned about returns or have a defect of any kind in your knife or sheath: You have 120 days - the number of days in September, April, June and November combined - to return your knife for a full refund. You can also do this if you aren't happy with the knife for any reason. I would highly recommend taking advantage of this if you are on the fence.

The blade and handle weren't straight. Blade bent to the right like crazy. Handle wasn't perfect, it had scratches on it. Blade also had a sharp gouge in it near the handle. I expected way more for a $180 knife.

This knife is perfect to use, easy to handle, design and color is perfect. You can work with this knife for 8 hours continuously.

Boîte luxueuse. Couteau au tranchant d'origine capable de tailler dans une feuille de papier extra fine un rond de la taille d'une pièce de 2 euros. Full tang, manche g10 inusable, lame haute, donc un peu plus lourd que d'autre couteau chef de même longueur (de toute façon pour un professionnel je conseille un couteau qu'on aura pas peur d'abimer, moi je suis juste un amateur exigeant) Le tranchant plusieurs fois + longtemps qu'un couteau moyen de gamme à 55 hrc par exemple, et pour un particulier (je donne un ordre d'idée) il suffira de le passer au fusil ou cuir+pâte à polir entre 1 fois par semaine ou 1 par mois (selon l'intensité de votre utilisation) et une fois 6 mois ou 1 ans sur une pierre a aiguiser.

Ich habe das Messer jetzt ca. ein halbes Jahr im Einsatz. Ein sehr schönes großes Küchenmesser, dass auf Grund des gleichförmigen Klingenradius perfekt und ich meine wirklich perfekt für den Wiegeschnitt geeignet ist. Auch der abgerundete Klingenrücken macht das Handling dabei sehr bequem. Es liegt sehr angenehm in der Hand und ist auf grund eines guten Gewichts (nicht zu schwer oder leicht) auch super zum klein hacken geeignet. Allerdings bitte auf nichts Hartem rumhacken, sowas vertragen so harte Schnitthaltige Klingen im Allgemeinen nicht. Die Klinge ist wirklich abartig rasiermesserscharf und geht durch nahezu alle Materialien, wie durch Butter. Also geschmolzene Butter. ;D Auch den Tomatentest hat es hervorragend bestanden. Die Schnitthaltigkeit ist, wie zu erwarten bei ~62HRC, bis dato absolut einwandfrei. Bei dem Hammerschlagdesign würde ich behaupten, dass es eher von optischer Natur ist, also es passiert schon, dass zum Beispiel Gurke beim Schneiden am Messer kleben bleibt. Und der Rücken ist für meinen Geschmack etwas dick, aber das ist denke ich Ansichtssache. Alles in Allem kann man sagen, dass das Messer sehr schön aussieht und auch hervorragend funktioniert. Ich glaube in dem Preissegment wird man kaum etwas besseres finden. Auf jeden Fall macht Kochen seit ich das Messer habe mehr Spaß und damit hat sich dieses zu meinem absoluten Lieblingsmesser entwickelt.

Goof chef knife. too good looking I almost dont want to put it too use, very sharp out for the box, and amazing build quality, one of the best Ive every used. only time will tell how it holds up in the kitchen, I have the Shogun 7in chef knife with the black handle and is much heavier than the blue handle on this one. so note the black version of this probably has a heavier handle than the blue. maybe somone can confirm? But it just makes this easier to handle for longer lengths of time. makes easy work of any task in the kitchen, Great all-rounder knife that looks stunning, overall good purchase in the sale for £86.