HANZO Chef Knife Professional Knives - 9.5 inch Katana Series 67 ply Japanese VG10 steel - G10 Military Grade Custom Contoured Handle – Outstanding handling and edge retention

I use this knife as my #1. I've come back to purchase another Hanzo knife in a smaller size. Best quality knife I've ever used in decades. and This Hanzo knife stays sharp, over a year of constant usage

My first impression was that this knife is from a company that has pride and confidence in the quality of its products. Before I received the knife, I received an mail from the CEO thanking me for the purchase and providing hints about caring for the knife. This is the first time I have received a thank you note from a company CEO for a purchase. In addition, the email included useful information about the product and promised future emails with additional helpful information.The packaging is a sturdy, foam lined box with a cutout in the foam and a Velcro strap to secure the knife in place. It serves as storage for the knife so it is not just a sharp blade in a drawer that is not safe, and it keeps the blade from being damaged.The handle is unique in that the front if the handle is tapered into the blade providing a place to position your thumb comfortably while holding the knife. The knife is heavier than what I am used to, but it seems to assist in cutting without applying a lot of pressure. The knife is extremely sharp.Esthetically, I like the way the design in the handle has a pattern that is similar to the pattern in the Damascus steel blade.My sister who is a much better cook than I has already suggested that I give the knife to her for Christmas. I think not! I highly recommend this knife.

Hanzo Katana 9.5 inch chef knife is not heavy and feels just right in my hand. I think, it is the Ultracomfort grip that makes the difference, and of course the longer size. The knife comes sharp right out of the box and looks great. I also like that technical details are not hidden in Q & A and are readily available in product description.BUT... Edit Jan 3, 2017I purchased this knife shortly before Xmas 2016 and feel the need to edit my review and add some more details based on my own experience with the product I received.First, at the beginning of January 2017 the product price was higher by more than 20% which effectively destroyed the purchasing value. This is NOT a $200 knife for $100.Second, every online purchase decision relies on product specifications listed and reviews. With product on hand, let’s check how those compare. I used steel tape measure and a caliper to check my 9.5” gyuto dimensions. Declared 240 mm blade length measured in fact less than 235 mm (by international standards) and blade cutting edge was even shorter (see pictures). Declared height at heel 50 mm was just 1mm shorter which may be OK, but declared 2.2 mm blade thickness close to the bolster measured 1.8 mm ONLY!!! It’s almost 20% thinner than specified and will effect knife performance. This big discrepancy suggests that the blade was WAY overground or thinner steel was used. I noticed similar observation from other reviewer, too, thus product quality may differ piece to piece greatly. Also promised 60+ Rockwell steel hardness from specs is different than information printed on the blade 60+-2, which in fact guarantees hardness at 58+ level only. I had no way to verify the truth about this parameter. The same was true for 15° geometry but in this case after checking the cutting edge of the blade with magnifier and actually using the knife, I would trust it.G10 handle had pretty nice shape, was polished, and whole knife felt balanced.Knife was delivered in a nice paper presentation box secured in a foam cut out with velcro strap. The box also contained a product leaflet and a sort of warranty card by Hanzó.

This is a fine knife for the masses......it is sharp, it is firm, and it is beautiful.It is so firm and so sharp.....but it is delicate, do not use on bone, and use plastic or wood cutting boards...but those tools are low cost and most functional.The beauty is its cut, it is so sharp, it is my most favorite knife.This could be the best knife you will ever buy, with it slicing, paring, and dressing will be a work of art.

I hadn't heard of the Hanzo brand before - more of a Wusthof or Henckels guy - but decided to give it a try and I have to say I'm very pleased with my purchase so far. The knife comes in a box with some hard foam and documentation. There's no sheath included so you would either need to use the box or buy one. Would have been great to have one included. The craftsmanship is great - definitely has some heft to it. No doubts about the sharpness. I tested it on typing paper and a thick card stock I held up and it sliced thin pieces off with ease as you would expect it too. Great with veggies and meat too. Celery, carrots, tomatoes, onions, scallions, ginger, beef, shrimp...no problem. Long story short, this a high quality, very sharp knife. I look forward to many years of use with it!

Its not hard knife that i expected, the tip was broken already!

I collect and buy high end knives and have pretty good eye for the real deal vs the Dollar store knock off. Sorry, this is not a high end knife. It's not a $200 dollar knife for $100 I think it's a 20$ china knockoff for $100. The design is actually pretty good but I suspect it's a nice design that was farmed out to a "knock off" china factory. The G10 is rough cut not polished.. Steel I am Not too sure about.. the sides of the blade have a rough texture I can tell will cause a lot of friction..(should have been polished). The g10 sounds like a good idea but it's way too handle heavy.. balance feels WAY off..But the most egregious thing was the Tip.. The tip was WAY overground to literally less then paper thin and I can tell would break the fitst time I hit something solid.. The sharpness WAS however VERY sharp.. They did use a very fine honed edge on the blade.In full disclosure, I did NOT USE this knife- I only held it and examined it.. just too many deal breakers and "knock off" flags that I just packaged it right back up.