MITSUMOTO SAKARI 5.5 inch Japanese Hand Forged Paring Knife, High Carbon Steel Fruit and Vegetable Knife, Professional Kitchen Small Knife (Rosewood Handle & Sandalwood Box)

The Nakiri knife is an excellent, capable knife at this price point. I use it mainly for cutting vegetables, so I use it as more of a specialist knife, and in this area it excels. With it's "flat-ish" (almost straight) belly, forward slice chopping through ingredients are a breeze and mincing garlic can be done quickly with ease. I LOVE its aesthetics, although I've heard that the Tsuchime finish doesn't always prevent food from sticking to it, I still think it works better than knives without the finish. It also looks great if displaying it on a magnetic knife holder. I appreciate the stainless content of the blade which makes maintenance a lot easier. Although the 9cr mov steel is not as high-end as other knife steels, it really is the heat treatment and blade and edge geometry that count for me. It will shred magazine paper all day, but maybe not hold an edge for as long as the higher-end steels. I always hone with a ceramic stone and leather strop often anyway, and I'm not a professional chef who has to prepare ingredients for hundreds of meals on a daily basis. On an emotional note, I think its a functional work of art that also makes food preparation easier and fun and gets me excited every time I use it.

Very sharp, I recommend a knife magnet to store it on the wall. You do have to hand wash it right after each use, but if you can do that then this is a top-tier knife for the price. It looks very traditional with the wooden handle and forged appearance on the blade, and it's quite functional and easy to use. It's technically a meat knife, but I use it in vegetables all the time as a general purpose chef's knife and it works great!

I bought this knife and another from their more expensive line at the same time to see which was better. The more expensive one was awful! It was sharp, but lacked balance. This knife is perfectly balanced and super sharp. The handle is attached solidly, with no wiggle at all. It has been able to cut everything I have tried it on, from tomatoes to thick slabs of meat.

I love this knife! I have a lot of knives and I absolutely love this one! I can’t get over the quality and value for the money. It cuts thru vegetables perfectly. The craftsmanship is impressive! The packaging is really great and I plan on buying some as gifts. Do not hesitate to buy!

Arrived in a nice wood box, cute gold and black envelope and included bottle of knife oil, which is curious. I'm not sure why there is oil because this is a stainless steel knife not a high carbon.The blade is sharp, the clad pattern is nice and wavy. Hammer marks are nice and not overly deep.Slight issue with the handle. Theres a fingernail width gap on one side and the two pieces could be more flush.The whole knife is on the larger end for a petty knife.Overall its pretty decent for the money.

My husband loves this knives. We bought it for his birthday. This knife cuts through a prime rib like butter. So smooth & very sharp. It also made cutting pork skin off very easily as well.We would definitely recommend this to anybody.

Why did you pick this product vs others?:My son picked this knife for his dad and they both love it!

This is an attractive, sharp and sturdily knife. However, it should not be described as having a stainless-steel blade. At best, the blade is stain resistant. It is more like a true carbon steel blade. In my experience, the blade will rust if exposed to moisture without being cleaned and dried. It should never be placed in a dish washer. The manufacturer evidently concedes that it's not stainless-steel by including a small container of oil for coating the blade between uses. This is not a criticism. Stainless-steel blades do not get as sharp as carbon steel blades, because the stainless blades are softer and more flexible. Because this knife is carbon steel, it will give a sharper edge that holds up well. The downside is that it will require a bit of extra care. Simply wipe it off immediately after use and coat the blade with a bit of oil from time to time - any cooking oil will do.