Purple Dragon Japanese Butcher Knife - 8 Inch Ultra Sharp Carving Knife for Meat and Vegetable Cutting with Finger Hole - Hand Forged High Carbon Steel Cleaver

Since I'd been cooking more and more often lately and most of the knives I had were perpetually dull, I figured I'd get myself my own signature chef's knife (please note I'm at best an amateur home chef and I mainly got this over a standard stainless steel knife because it was cool looking.)This knife is freaking awesome, but it does have a few slight flaws; first is less a flaw and more a caveat of this particular kind of knife. It's a high carbon steel knife, and for those unknowing of what this means (much like me AFTER I bought this) it means it stays sharper for longer and has a nice finish to it, but it is high maintenance in that you mush hand wash it immediately after using it and dry it just as soon as well as oil it every so often, just to keep it from rusting. Personally I can deal with the cleaning and oiling (got food grade mineral oil shortly after), but I also noticed that the handle is slightly loose. Again, not that big of a deal and it could just be the one that I got but it may bug some. The leather sheathe is a nice addition and so far have had no problems with it.And finally the infamous bottle opener on it; if you read any other reviews here then let me just confirm also yes it doesn't work, it's too big to fit under a typical bottle cap for a beer or whatever would require a bottle opener. Can't speak on it's other supposed uses outside of the kitchen but regardless of all of this, as a knife, this thing is terrifyingly sharp! when I scored some meat with it I barely used any pressure and the knife left deep gashes after gliding across it! It's so sharp if I'm not careful taking it out of the holder it will start cutting the strap that holds it in and considering how clumsy I can be, the sharpness is disconcerting but appreciated!So given the price I'd say this was well worth the purchase; Get a bit of mineral oil (I think cooking oil works too in a pinch) and keep it clean and don't rely on it for opening your beer and I'd say you have a pretty solid knife for your uses.

Beautiful and elegant knife! We love the details on the blade, and the product feels very premium.I am not sure if this should be used for cutting and cooking, but great for collection.The knife cover is super thick and protects the blade very well. Careful with the edges and don’t let them hurt you!

Amazing quality. Very sharp.

I like this knife it's sharp cuts nice and easy to control and love the bottle opener on the spine

This blade has some nice weight to it. It's a beautiful knife. Works great haven't needed to sharpen it much yet. Worth getting.

I have had this knife for 3 years now, and it's my favorite knife in the kitchen. I have large hands, so the size and thickness of the knife's body is great for me. I also love the weight, as it works so well with the form factor of the handle and blade, that you can drive this blade through anything. It's also very easy to sharpen and doesn't require anything fancy; I'm often lazy and just use a hand sharpener, and it perks the edge right up.There's no rust, no loosening of any components in the blade, the sheath still looks like it did the day it arrived, and I'd buy another one of these in a heartbeat. Serious endorsement!

Super sharp & amazing!!!

Pretty thick, worth it. Needs to be sharpened though but almost too beautiful to use.