JapanBargain 1551, Sashimi Yanagiba Knife Japanese High Carbon Stainless Steel Sushi Chef Knife, Non Stick, Made in Japan, 8-1/4 inches

Pros:

Durability and Weight
The Sekiryu “Chinese” Chopping Knife is a great overall product. The product is made in Japan, and with that offers great sharpness as well as durability. The knife is very well balanced, whereas the blade is not too heavy and the handle not too light; giving the person chopping very precise control (excellent for chopping very fast, although do be careful due to how sharp this thing is). In fact, the blade itself is very light, lighter than any other Chinese knife I have used (Note, I am Chinese and I have used the so call “cleaver” a lot).

Sharpness
Did I mention the knife was very sharp? You will have no problem slicing any vegetables or meats to thin little slices with this knife. I have been using the knife for a few weeks, almost every night, and the blade still perform great. Although, keep in mind most Chinese knife have cleaver-like blade because it is meant to be warn down and resharpened. I have no doubt a knife like this will last five to ten years if properly cared for.

Cons:

Feels Very Brittle
Yes, I did say the knife was durable and it shows in the craftsmanship. The knife will definitively last if one use it properly. However, the light-weight nature of the blade makes it feel very brittle. I almost fear using the knife on any real hard substance that would damage or chip it in anyway. When I tried cutting some small bones with the knife, it was very ineffective. Using it on bones for too long would definitively result in chipping the blade. My real problem with the knife (also the reason for taking a star off), is that it called itself a Chinese chopping knife when it is just a light weight knife. Even a cleaver does a reasonable job at cutting through bones.

Summary
This knife is by no mean bad in any stretch of the imagination. For meats (with no bones) or vegetables, this knife makes quick work of it. However, I would not call this a Chinese knife or a cleaver because it does a poor job of cutting hard material like bones. The quality of the knife is also better than many other I have bought, so I expect this knife will last a long time when only using it for vegetables and meats.

I like it a lot, it’s a little dull but after some sharpening, it’s one of my favorite cheap knives to use! Feels high quality.

Firstly, I should say that I’m a bit of a knife snob, have an enormous stable ranging from top-dollar Japanese knives to free things I’ve gotten at the supermarket. While this isn’t a knife I would begin to compare with high end boutique knives, I think it does have a great deal of merit, especially for a stainless steel knife, which I’ve come to hate over the years. Anyway, this being my first foray into this style of Chinese vegetable cleavers, I wanted to try something relatively well-reviewed that would answer the question of whether or not it was something I should invest in more seriously. Out of the box, this knife was sharp. I wasn’t about to try it for shaving, but within reasonable limits. People have stated in previous reviews that the tang bolt is uncomfortable in the hand, and while I understand that if you were planning to take apart a pig with it using brute force, that’s not the intended use for this knife. Holding the blade with your thumb and forefinger, as one should with this style of knife, predominantly using the handle for balance, the stud doesn’t even touch my large hands. Another item to address is the pattern on the blade. As with other knives from the lower end of my collection, there are often finishes intended to be decorative, but which detract from the performance of the knives. Again, consistent with this crowd, I have found that the simple process of cleaning the knife removes the sticky finish in short order, exposing the steel beneath, and resolving this issue. Of note, I clean the flats of my knives with a plastic scouring pad, which not only removes discoloration on high carbon steel blades, but also makes short work of these “decorative” finishes. Once I had the edge tuned up and the finish largely removed, this knife began to show its colors. It’s actually a very sturdy knife. I greatly enjoy the large flat of the blade for sweeping and carrying large amounts of food to the pan, etc. I also wouldn’t hesitate to use it for moderate butchering through raw bone, as it does have a bit of weight to it in addition to solidity. As I used it more, I began to be bothered by a point on the spine where it meets the handle. There it projected slightly, and definitely began to chew up my hand a bit. That said, I took the knife out to the garage, rounded the corner with my rotary tool, and since then this knife has been a workhorse; comfortable in the hand, effective and non-sticky, quick to take an edge and slow to lose it. When gripped properly, it also has a wonderful balance which the price wouldn’t suggest. All in all, this is an incredible knife for the price, and I absolutely without hesitation use it over virtually any of my German knives. Despite my bias against stainless, this knife has found a place in my kitchen when stainless is the preferred material. I think for it to be a more true representation of a vegetable chopper, it might benefit from being slightly lighter and faster in the hand, but it is a wonderful performer all the same, which eats up any work in the kitchen. If you are considering expanding your knife collection, and are daunted by the prices some of these fair to middling German knives command, I would definitely recommend this as an eye-opening experience bound to redefine what you pay for in a blade. As for someone just building their kitchen and looking for something better than you can find at a department store, this is it. Bon appetit!

Great cost/quality ratio and has a good weight in the hand. Top knife

I have 2 of these in my kitchen since it’s the 1 knife I use almost exclusively when preparing meals. A back up is always at the ready but haven’t needed it yet. This knife is light, kept sharp & always at the ready. It’s not huge, or dainty but lean & mean & ready to get the job done. I mostly use it to prepare veggies but can slice super thin anything & is so easy to control that I could easily take my eyes off the items being cut to look elsewhere. Cleans up easily & has become my favorite blade for many tasks.