SHAN ZU Damascus Chef Knife 6 inch,67-Layer Japanese Steel 10Cr15CoMoV Kitchen Knife, High Carbon Super Sharp Japanese Chef Knife, All Purpose Professional Kitchen Utility Petty Knives with G10 Handle

This 203mm (8in) Shan Zu chef knife from it’s Gyo Series, which is 67 layers of damascus “super steel” (10Cr15CoMoV) is a highly rated product that seems to be a real contender as a value Damascus chef knife. I recall the ad for this was that it had real layers of folded steel and was not just a pattern etched into the surface like some other faux-Japanese knives (that are made in China) do. What is laser etched is the name of the product, info, and series name. The balance point is right at the bolster, making it slightly back heavy if you are the type to pinch grip your spine when you chop. My first impression of the Damascus pattern is that it was almost too nice to be real Damascus; The pattern looked like an AI computer had designed it and made it look like a fingerprint tessellation with a mirror-finished zig-zag at the cutting edge. I do not see a primary bevel on this knife. It has a slight reverse tanto (or K-tip) angled tip, reminiscent of a Kiritsuke Gyuto. Perhaps added because of the more precise tip work that such a modification allows. The frosted G10 Fiberglass Handle with metal end cap is solid and feels hefty. The modern styling is very similar to the handles in Shun’s Sora line, which is not the most ergonomic grip there is. The singular rivet seems like gold foil plating since some of mine is flaking off on one side. But the important part…. This thing is very sharp and it seems to also back its performance up on the cutting board. Slicing through paper with ease and chopping the veggies I tested it on right out of the box, although, there was some stick-age of food on the side of the blade. Then there is box that it came in: The knife box has a magnetic flap enclosure and a black felt interior. It was dinged up on one side of the exterior due to the insufficient padding it had during shipment, but luckily this packaging had effectively kept the product from sustaining any damage. Overall, I think this Shan Zu Chef Knife is a versatile product that will serve its purpose in the kitchen well. It seems to be retaining a sharp edge so far, and I am prepared to sharpen it on my whetstones in the near future. Thinning it out in the distant future may be a challenge, but I have seen research done on the legitimacy of this product from content creators on YouTube (one literally found it’s extreme breaking point using a vice in a stress test) and am convinced that it will last the test of time. Although, I cannot say the same for the fiberglass grip (not being the most ergonomic and made of a material known to break down over time) and not to mention the flaky gold plated rivet, but I think the basic functionality of the knife has a good chance of survival.

Beautiful knives, NOT "Laser etched" as some may claim - they are San-Mai... the hardened steel is sandwiched between 33 layers of softer stainless steel damascus on each side, for a total of 67 layers total. The larger knives are balanced VERY well, and the fit and finish is almost equal to knives costing many hundreds more. (I'm a custom knife maker, so that is a big deal for me) My only gripe, is that one of the smaller of the set came less sharp than I expected (all the other ones were scalpel sharp), but I have a knife sharpening hobby, so that's a non-issue for me. These are the Chinese version of VG10, and you'd find yourself almost impossible to tell the difference. (It's the same steel formula, but with a VERY slight advantage over the time-tested VG10... given the same heat treatment) My best Kitchen knives are VG10, and these are on pare with them. Beautiful, ultra sharp, relatively easy to sharpen, long lasting edge, and a pleasure to work with in the kitchen. BUT - bear in mind... the edge is SO hard (which is amazing for edge holding abilities), DO NOT cut bone, or anything you wouldn't try to bite with your teeth, and they'll serve you well. Also, NO DISHWASHER- HAND WASH ONLY, and only use an end-grain WOOD cutting board... no metal, ceramic or hard surfaces to cut on. Take this advice and you'll adore these. (BTW - the advice given here applies to ALL knives made with today's modern "super steels")

Great set of knives that come extremely sharp. Aesthetically pleasing and look very expensive while being cost effective. Handle is very comfortable to hold as well. Highly recommend

Fantastic first impression... I've never had a sturdy knife cut through whole carrots like butter, straight out of the box. This knife is really sharp, has a nice weight to it without being bulky. This is great to pair with more delicate Japanese knives for robust vegetables like potatoes, carrots, or other large, tough vegetables. Very comfortable and balanced. Great value for the price. I threw out all my W-Mart specials and Butcher block kit knives now that I finally completed my kit with this Shan Zu 8" Chef knife

It's a great knife. Aesthetically beautiful, very sharp right out of the box, and fits well in my hand. So happy I heard about this knife on YouTube. It's a real bargain for the price and quality.

Very nice knife. Balanced well, and came decently sharp. I touched up the edge and it rivals any knife even at twice the price. Steel seems very good so I’m guessing it will hold a pretty good edge. So far after about 10 uses it is holding up

I choose this because of a guy on youtube who does chef knife reviews. It was the absolute best budget knife. Scoring close to a custom made knife. Thinner then I was expecting. The handle feels a little weird in the hand. I dont know if the damascus is real or printed on. This maker makes knives that actually say laser etched. Knife is to thin to see if it actually is or isnt. But overall for the price, am happy with it. With the meh outta the way, let me just say WOW. This this knife is crazy sharp. I held up a over ripe banana in the air and this knife cut right through it without damaging the banana. I figured the banana would just slump and fall apart. Nope. And I was able to cut 1/4" slices off the banana. With this knife being so sharp, you really need to slow your handling, cutting and washing of it. It will bite you if you treated like one of your dull knives in your drawer.

I saw this on a YouTube podcast review, and decided to purchase based upon his recommendation. Thus far it's living up to expectations--it's extremely sharp (in both looks and cutting ability), and its heft should provide durability and great balance and ease of use.