DALSTRONGChef Knife - 9.5 inch Blade - Shogun Series ELITE - Damascus - Japanese AUS-10V Super Steel - Black G10 Handle - Razor Sharp Kitchen Knife - Professional Full Tang Chef's Knife - Sheath

Un cuchillo excelente, un filo increíble, un material de muy buena calidad, en general el mejor cuchillo que he comprado hasta ahora y pienso seguir comprando productos de esta marca.

This knife lives on my cutting board. I have the Gladiator 8 knife block set also...great knives. I use this one every day for almost everything. It holds an edge well, it's balanced and not too heavy, and the grip is comfortable for my small hand. It's more pricey now, but well worth the investment. I would buy it again for sure. 👍

I personally read through several reviews of both Zelite and Dalstrong. Decided to buy Dalstrong for two immediate reason:1. Though quality seems very close, Dalstrong seems to have priced more honestly than Zelite2. This is personal choice - but I think Zelite's trademark (Name) to me is an eyesore and new customers may just think its some cheap knock off. Whereas Dalstrong's brandname, lion head etc are balanced and really good to look at.The hammered pattern is emnbossed by machine (not hand). This you will see if you compare the patterns of your knive and the picture on the box. There will be differences in the depth of each pattern based on how and where it was ground/sharpned.The company is headquartered in Canada. (SELLER: "Dalstrong's headquarters are located in Toronto, Canada. Though our factory is located in Yang Jing, China, and we have warehouses throughout the U.S., Canada ant the U.K")I tried to take picture of upper edge (spine) of knife to see if I can see the 67 Damascus layers, but could not see perhaps due to the grinding marks. But if you see the rest of the knife under microscope, the laters are clearly there.Regarding layers and steel used, this is what the seller has to say - (SELLER:"To confirm, our steel used for the cutting core is indeed VG-10 Japanese steel ( 1% Carbon, 15% Chromium, 1% Molybdenum, 0.2% Vanadium, 1.5% Cobalt, and 00.5% Manganese) from Takefu Japan, and is cold rolled and annealed. Interestingly, the ancient damascus method of folding over by hand is actually somewhat of a lost art form, the history of which is murky as of the 16th century. Today's steels however are much stronger for numerous reasons, including their lack of impurities. The outer steel of the blade comprising of 33 layers ("Tasekiso"), is made of variations of stainless steel (to protect the harder, more rust prone high carbon VG10 cutting edge) sandwiched and rolled together under tremendous pressure (cold rolled). This gives the pattern. The pattern is 100% NOT printed or etched or lasered. It is the genuine result of the production process, and each and every single blade pattern is different. If they were printed or etched they would be identical. This layering is done in Japan by our steel partner Takefu, the same supplier of steel to Shun, Miyabi, Tojiro, etc, and the same damascus.")They have same suppliers for the handles as that of Zelite, you will see several similarities. (SELLER - "Zelite's line of knives share many similarities with our Shogun Series, however our blade shapes are different as is the fact that all Dalstrong knives (regardless of series, and we have four at present, Gladiator, Infinity, Shogun, and Phantom and one more in development, Omega) come with protective sheaths and more. Zelite shares the same handle manufacturer and a nearly identical style with the grip (you will notice the mosaic pins are different), but the similarities end there (and only with the Shogun Series").I brought both their 8'' & 6'' knives as I was not sure which one I will be more comfortable using. The attached pictures contains both knives. I think I like both of them as these can be put to different uses. Overall, I am extremely pleased to have brought these finely crafted knives. These, I am pretty sure, are the best ones around at these price. Their customer service - as of Aug 2017 would treat you as royalties, they seems just too good. This may be a small company, still growing but the quality, finish, beauty and value for money of their products will put most the market leaders to shame! If you were looking for the perfect knife - the kind you wanted to pass on to next generation as heirloom, you've reached the end of your search. Go ahead, buy it and don't look back. Good luck!

UPDATE: I have been using this knife for a week now and am very satisfied. The weight and balance make slicing and dicing a breeze. Thin and fine julienne cutting veggies has never been smoother, easier and quicker. A week later and the knife is still slicing through tomato without a snag, as it should. The extra .5" inch length upgrade from my old chefs knife with a lower surface radius doesn't leave me having to roll my cuts nearly as much. Definitely approve of this nice Kiritsuke blade.-------I had been hunting for a new kitchen blade for months to replace my dying chefs knife before settling on this Dalstrong Kiritsuke 8.5". I'm not a professional chef, but I've spent years working in kitchens and make most of my meals at home, so I understand the value of having good knives. For the most part I primarily use one knife daily, and that's my old mid-quality 8" inch chefs knife. After a couple rounds of honing and every other day sharpening I figured it was time to invest in an upgrade.After plenty of comparing and reading up about knives I decided to settle on this one. Love the natural Damascus patterning, regardless of it not meeting the requirements of ancient hand hammering techniques. This knife is certainly razor sharp out of the box with a high gloss polished look. It's a little heavier than my old chefs knife but not by much, plus I gained another 0.5" inches in cutting length, which was one of the main reasons I chose this knife over another chefs. Always seemed like my 8" inch chefs knife was a little short for whatever was on the cutting board. I also like that the cutting length has less overall curve to it so I get more surface contact with every slice and dice. The weight is not too heavy and is nicely balanced with just a slight more toward the front end if you balance it off your most forward gripping index finger. Also like that the handle has some shape and curve to it versus just being straight, fits very comfortably in the hand. Manufacturing on mine was flawless, everything is flush, polished and clean. I do think the packaging is a tad excessive, although very nicely done. Only thing I'll keep is the plastic sheath and maybe the foam lined box (although not likely), certainly don't need the pin or cleaning cloth.Only time will tell how long this knife will keep its edge. I'm hopeful the tighter beveled edge angles and layered high-carbon steel will live up to its name and reputation. Bon Appétit!