KikuichiElite Carbon Steel Gyuto Chefs Knife, 8 Inch

This is a beautiful gyuto (Japanese take on a Western chef’s knife). It is light and extremely nimble yet does not feel weak or fragile at all. It is 2mm thick at the spine above the heel, and has a slight distal taper to the tip, contributing to its lightness. It is 45mm high, so enough knuckle clearance. The handle is somewhat small - not problematically small, but on the small side. If you pinch grip you won’t care. Fit and finish is 100% between the handle, tang and bolster, and the knife is straight as an arrow. My go-to gyuto has been the outstanding Mac Pro; this knife is considerably lighter and more dextrous while retaining the utilitarian do-it-all feel of the Mac.This is my second Kikuichi and I have a couple of other carbon steel knives. The steel used in this knife seems to be a Japanese equivalent of 1080 carbon steel, a moderately reactive steel. It’s not going to rust before your eyes, but you need to wash and dry it immediately after use and a very light wipe of mineral oil helps before storage. Using a carbon steel knife requires a bit of extra care, but you get a blade that sharpens easier, takes a better edge, can go longer between sharpenings, and is less brittle than an equal hardness stainless steel.Once you try a Japanese gyuto, you will relegate your European style chef knives to beater jobs like splitting squash. Once you try a carbon steel knife, you will see the extra care is worth it.This review is mostly out-of-the-box impression plus first use. I will try to update after longer term use and sharpening.

I have seen a lot of build up for these knives, and having never owned one, purchased it for a friend for his birthday. He specifically asked for this brand. They are thin, light and feel wonderful. However it came dull. I understand that some smiths will put a very basic edge of their knives so the end user can customize it to their liking but this hammer was DULL. Other than that, perfection.

Never placed in dishwasher, this so-called rustproof blade is a mess

Mine came with a 70/30 edge, which was no problem since it was something I removed and altered to a 50/50 at around 15 degrees which is what I do with most of my knifes anyway. I am very happy with how the knife takes an edge, I started with a brown king 800, moved to a green choisera 2000, then my orange king 6000 and finally my naniwa original snow white 8000. Next was my kangaroo leather strop with green compound and finally my .25 micron spray on my nano cloth strop. I believe it ended up somewhere around 50000-70000 grit. The knife was push cutting tomatoes and phonebook paper quite easily. Glad the knifes tight grain structure was as good as I had hoped.

Learned about the knife maker while living in Japan but never could get to his store to get one while there. Kamakura parking is a challenge! The knife arrived fast, packaged nicely and does what one would expect- cuts like a boss. Kikuichi knives are the best! They ares strong, super sharp and are beautiful too!

I have never used a knife as sharp or as light as this knife. It is a delight to slice and dice. I will never again purchase another knife from any other company after using this one. I haven't even had to steel it and I use it every day. Also so far it has no stains and is very easy to keep clean and shiny. Great product !!

Great knife and easy to sharpen on a wetstone. Keep in mind this knife can not be left wet for long periods of time or it'll rust.It'll build a patina over time which I love.

Returned it. Had to sharpen after 2 weeks. For a knife this price, that is awful.