JapanBargain, Japanese Deba Knife, Stainless Steel Chef's Knife, Made in Japan (1, 160mm)

This is an amazing knife, a true bargain for the money! First off, to all the connoisseurs and afficinados, PLEASE compare like for like, quit bringing comparisons with a $200-500 knife, wherever it were made. Grow up and review THIS knife, not your expensive toys! That being said, I am glad I took a chance and didn't let the low-star reviews shake my trust in the Sekiryu brand. This is one for the books. I had purchased a filleting knife about two years ago and back then I was fairly new to Japanese cutlery, I knew mostly about swords and steel, much less about kitchen ware. This knife is touted as stain resistant, which it is, but not stainless. Stainless is soft and doesn't keep an edge. This is more in the line of white Japanese steel and it holds an edge very well. Sharpening this knife will not be simple, but with the right Japanese water stones and some elbow grease, you'll be able to keep this blade sharp. Truth be told, most Japanese custom cutlery comes unsharpened or unfinished, so you'd have to complete the sharpening process yourself. There is a bit of heft to this Deba, and the knife feels good in the hand, blade-weighted for those of you in the know, so it isn't balanced. I was planning on purchasing a Santoku but I'm satisfied this Deba can do most jobs in the kitchen. For the money, you can hardly find a better blade. I would expect this to be the type of knife one can use for a lifetime if you know how to care for it. A bit of Japanese knife oil on the blade will keep it from rusting. I read reviews stating that the knife may rust at the handle, so I made it a point to dip the handle and the ferrule in clear epoxy. I further painted some more epoxy around the insert point and will maintain this as needed based on visual inspection. BSI 30-minute epoxy is my recommendation if you'd like to protect your knife. One last thing, spend a few bucks and purchase a PVC sheath for your knife. It may not be an expensive piece of cutlery, but it deserves protection, so you can keep enjoying it. In terms of sharpening stones, I recommend a NATURAL Japanese stone, if you can afford it. If not, at least make sure it is a Japanese-brand water stone. You'll probably need around 1000 grit for starters, then a 4000-6000 grit to finish. Nagura stones could help with the slurry, which is why you should use a natural stone. Stropping is optional, this is not a showpiece, nor will you need to shave with it, so don't go overboard. Everything considered, just the whetstones will set you back ten times the cost of the knife. I don't recommend sharpening this knife on a 'system,' although I haven't tried different ones. The one I've used is hard to keep uniform without wearing (dishing) the stones. You're better off with a cheap angle guide and the whetstones. To sum it up, this is a superior knife and a great starter for anyone who wants a Japanese-quality blade without spending a small fortune. Sekiryu is a reputable manufacturer, check out more about them and rest assured you're getting a fabulous deal! FYI, I owned German-made knives since I was in culinary school, also owned French-made blades, Swedish knives, Finnish knives, and Norwegian blades. I'm not sure what the Rockwell is for this knife. If anyone can test, I'd appreciate it!

It was about $6 when I bought it. It's not really a Deba, to thin and light but for the price I paid it is better than I expected. I would have given it 4 stars but the knife I received was not as pictured. They stuck some scalloped type of tape on both sides of the blade I'm assuming to make it look like it's multi-layer and they have what look like drips of solder on one side of the blade in an attempt to make it look hammered. All in all I would have been more pleased had it just been a plain blade. I purchased this for the sole purpose of finding out if I liked the Deba style before investing $100+ on the real deal then finding out I didn't feel comfortable with the style. I did the same with a $5 dollar Santouku and saved myself big bucks because I don't like the feel of them. This knife came relatively sharp and took a good edge with little work, though I haven't used it a lot it holds it's edge reasonably well for this type of knife. You are not going to touch real Japanese quality for less than $60 but if you wish to do as I did or just want a serviceable knife cheap then this will work. I suspect if used often you should know how to sharpen but it might hold it's edge longer than I think.

I've tried purchasing other inexpensive DEBA kitchen knives to see if I wanted to invest in a more expensive model. Before this knife, I returned those others for various reasons. I will definitely keep this knife and unless the steel or handle doesn't hold-up (I only just received it), I do not see a need to replace this knife with a more expensive model ever. STEEL: This knife is very nice and VERY sharp right out of the box (don't get your fingers too close to the blade, this thing bites, LOL!). It is appropriately beveled only on one side making this a so-called right-handed knife; however, I can't see how it will cut any less left-handed (maybe for sushi but that's not my thing!). The steel is thick, inflexible, and is nicely finished--it looks interesting somehow. It is nominally stainless steel but only time will tell. HANDLE: Although I find the handle comfortable to hold and use, it's size and style are different than on the usual kitchen knife--sort of straight & oval--I can see that it may not suit everyone well. I would have deducted a star for the handle being raw, unfinished wood; however I like that the handle just looks like it belongs with the knife (I used a light rub with mineral oil to protect the wood and it should last that way). At this price point the raw handle is a very minor negative and not enough to deduct or detract from the knife IMO. The handle and knife are sturdily attached on my knife. Since, I do not plan to chop with this knife, I am not too concerned how deep the tang goes into the handle (or how well the plastic collar may hold things together over time).. VALUE: Again, time will tell how "stainless" the steel is, how sturdy the knife and handle are attached, how durable and sharp the edge remains; and how easy (or hard) the steel is to properly sharpen. But right now there is nothing to keep me from recommending this knife at this price here on Amazon for anyone wanting to try a Japanese style, single-bevel kitchen knife--you will not go wrong with this brand's DEBA. SIZE/FIT: On a side-note regarding this fitting into a typical kitchen knife block...this knife is about as wide as a 7" to 8" santoku or chef's knife so you'll need an open slot about that size if you plan to keep this in your block. Good luck!

Get anything genuine Japanese. They make the best quality knives for the price.

You can tell from the picture and description this isn't a great knife. However, the steal seems fine, takes a razor's edge and it does what I want which is skin fish. Don't use it for something like chopping vegetables, this style knife will cut all kinds of crooked on something like that it is for a very specific purpose and it works for that purpose it's just not pretty. I bet this handle is going to break off pretty soon. Shipping was prompt.

I just used this knife the other day at work. I've currently been a sushi chef for 9 years now and needed a new deba style knife. Deba knives are mainly used to cut through bones because of their thick blade. The thickness on this blade isn't what I thought it was going to be. I guess you get what you pay for, but I didn't want to spend a huge amount on a knife that I was going to use to cut through bones. The blade came incredibly razor sharp and cuts through fish bones somewhat well. It's a bit light which is actually a drawback when using this kind of knife. You want a bit of heft on it to help. Overall I like the knife for the price.

I have read several fair reviews, and they are mostly positive, but owning several of them, I feel compelled to point out a couple of oversights by other reviewers. Firstly, I have read several reviews that describe some of the knives as being "too light" or "less sturdy" than others of the same type. They are indeed substantially lighter than many knives of similar style, BUT this is a positive for those folks who actually know how to use a knife. I'm no professional chef, but I know how to use a knife for cutting. These knives are razor sharp, and hold a good edge for a long time when properly used and cared for. They also sharpen relatively easily. That said, if you are looking to cut through bone, get a saw or a cleaver. These knives are designed for cutting flesh and vegetables, not quartering a steer. If you use these knives for cutting up food, they are wonderful. If you use them to chop down walnut saplings in the back yard, there are other, better knives. Think of them as surgical instruments, not hatchets, and they'll serve you well. Secondly, the handles are raw wood. When you get the knife or knives, buy a small can of polyurethane and simply dip the handles and then hang the knife point up, allowing the excess to run off onto a newspaper. leave the knife hanging for 24 hours to allow the finish on the handle to cure. Steel wool the handle lightly with 0000 steel wool, and repeat the dip-hang-cure-steel wool process to get 3 or 4 good coats of polyurethane into the handle. This brings out the beauty of the wooden handles and toughens them considerably as well. It also prevents oils from hands or foods to build up in the wood's grain. I did this to the first of these knives I bought 4 years ago, and the finish is lasting and makes the knife cleaner as well. Lastly, hand wash and then hand dry these knives. They are not for the dishwasher. the hidden-tang handles hold moisture against the blade's tang and will eventually corrode even stainless steel (which is really stain-resistant, not stainLESS). Oil them occasionally with a drop of mineral oil, and sharpen as necessary. With a little care, these knives will be among the finest you own, and after acclimating to the different weight and balance of them, they will quickly become your favorite knives, lasting you for many years.

I like these knives so much I bought one of each in the various styles, Deba, Santoku, Nagiri, etc. As these knives are manufactured similarly and exhibit the same qualities you'll see the same review for each of these knives. I specifically sought out Amazon vendors that offered the "Sekiryu" brand of knives. ( http://www.sekiryu.co.jp/wabou/e-81.htm ). This can take a bit of research here on Amazon but I found that their quality seems to be is slightly better than knives of the same style made by another manufacturer and they don't muck up the blade with a bunch of markings other than some nice kanji. These knives are no substitute for a high end Japanese forged high carbon blades so get past that now. They are simply decent bargain priced representations of the style. The blades are made from a "higher" carbon content stainless steel stock to resist rusting and staining but I've found the edge grinds to be true, and the blade sharp out of the box. The handles are wood, smooth and "D" shaped in cross section for right hand use. A plastic "cup" is used to secure the handle to the tang. I can see where these caps might come loose but easily fixed if that happened. The handle is a bit small for very large hands (like mine) and I'm debating doing a cord wrap for a bit more secure ergonomic grip. The trade off being sanitation when food gets in between cord wraps. Considering these knives were made with a smaller sized populace in mind that doesn't surprise me. Its not a deal killer. The blades sharpen well but like many less expensive blades do need more attention to maintain that edge than say a $200+ blade of similar style. That should be intuitively obvious so buyers shouldn't come back crying about how one needs to sharpen these blades on a more regular basis. Its the nature of the metal. For entry level examples of various Japanese cutlery styles I can recommend the Sekiryu products unreservedly.

迅速な対応も 良かったし包丁の切れも凄く良いし.大変気に入ってます。 違う包丁が 欲しい場合も 又ここでリピします。

Product is good not extremely sharp, however it took long to get delivered.

Best knife for the money ACTUALLY MADE IN JAPAN (That's a good thing) Very light and thin (slides easily through whatever your cutting)

Love it! Exactly what I expected. The blade is thick and heavy. Note this knife is different: The profile is not symmetrical. the left side of the blade is flat and the right side is machined. If you haven't used a knife like this it may take you a while to get used to, especially when you try to cut something straight down like slicing a potato. The wooden handle tends to get greasy so wash it and keep it dry. After using it the handle discolored a bit but It still feels good in your hand.

Purchased this as a why not, and I was surprised with that I got. It is a very heavy knife! I mean heavy! Single bevel, and once sharpened, very sharp! I didn't know what I would use it for until I needed to cut frozen bacon. This knife cut it like it was butter.