JapanBargain, Japanese Deba Knife, Stainless Steel Chef's Knife, Made in Japan (1, 160mm)

I have read several fair reviews, and they are mostly positive, but owning several of them, I feel compelled to point out a couple of oversights by other reviewers. Firstly, I have read several reviews that describe some of the knives as being "too light" or "less sturdy" than others of the same type. They are indeed substantially lighter than many knives of similar style, BUT this is a positive for those folks who actually know how to use a knife. I'm no professional chef, but I know how to use a knife for cutting. These knives are razor sharp, and hold a good edge for a long time when properly used and cared for. They also sharpen relatively easily. That said, if you are looking to cut through bone, get a saw or a cleaver. These knives are designed for cutting flesh and vegetables, not quartering a steer. If you use these knives for cutting up food, they are wonderful. If you use them to chop down walnut saplings in the back yard, there are other, better knives. Think of them as surgical instruments, not hatchets, and they'll serve you well. Secondly, the handles are raw wood. When you get the knife or knives, buy a small can of polyurethane and simply dip the handles and then hang the knife point up, allowing the excess to run off onto a newspaper. leave the knife hanging for 24 hours to allow the finish on the handle to cure. Steel wool the handle lightly with 0000 steel wool, and repeat the dip-hang-cure-steel wool process to get 3 or 4 good coats of polyurethane into the handle. This brings out the beauty of the wooden handles and toughens them considerably as well. It also prevents oils from hands or foods to build up in the wood's grain. I did this to the first of these knives I bought 4 years ago, and the finish is lasting and makes the knife cleaner as well. Lastly, hand wash and then hand dry these knives. They are not for the dishwasher. the hidden-tang handles hold moisture against the blade's tang and will eventually corrode even stainless steel (which is really stain-resistant, not stainLESS). Oil them occasionally with a drop of mineral oil, and sharpen as necessary. With a little care, these knives will be among the finest you own, and after acclimating to the different weight and balance of them, they will quickly become your favorite knives, lasting you for many years.

Not for everyone, as I'll explain below, but still a great value for a Japanese steel blade. No frills, no fancy, just a nice, hefty, decently balanced and made knife. The Deba is a heftier blade than a santoku or nakiri, meant for chopping. It's not a heavy cleaver, but for every day stuff like poultry, large batches of veggies, and the like, it does an admirable job. You should know that this is a single bevel knife, meaning that, unlike western kitchen knives, only one side is beveled and sharpened. As such, it takes some knowledge, skill, and practice to keep these sharp. They are also high carbon steel, meaning they must be cleaned and dried immediately after use. The grip is unfinished, something you'll want to remedy for long use. I sanded it lightly, and then used Rock Hard as a finish, but you could use thin super glue every bit as effectively.

This is an amazing knife, a true bargain for the money! First off, to all the connoisseurs and afficinados, PLEASE compare like for like, quit bringing comparisons with a $200-500 knife, wherever it were made. Grow up and review THIS knife, not your expensive toys! That being said, I am glad I took a chance and didn't let the low-star reviews shake my trust in the Sekiryu brand. This is one for the books. I had purchased a filleting knife about two years ago and back then I was fairly new to Japanese cutlery, I knew mostly about swords and steel, much less about kitchen ware. This knife is touted as stain resistant, which it is, but not stainless. Stainless is soft and doesn't keep an edge. This is more in the line of white Japanese steel and it holds an edge very well. Sharpening this knife will not be simple, but with the right Japanese water stones and some elbow grease, you'll be able to keep this blade sharp. Truth be told, most Japanese custom cutlery comes unsharpened or unfinished, so you'd have to complete the sharpening process yourself. There is a bit of heft to this Deba, and the knife feels good in the hand, blade-weighted for those of you in the know, so it isn't balanced. I was planning on purchasing a Santoku but I'm satisfied this Deba can do most jobs in the kitchen. For the money, you can hardly find a better blade. I would expect this to be the type of knife one can use for a lifetime if you know how to care for it. A bit of Japanese knife oil on the blade will keep it from rusting. I read reviews stating that the knife may rust at the handle, so I made it a point to dip the handle and the ferrule in clear epoxy. I further painted some more epoxy around the insert point and will maintain this as needed based on visual inspection. BSI 30-minute epoxy is my recommendation if you'd like to protect your knife. One last thing, spend a few bucks and purchase a PVC sheath for your knife. It may not be an expensive piece of cutlery, but it deserves protection, so you can keep enjoying it. In terms of sharpening stones, I recommend a NATURAL Japanese stone, if you can afford it. If not, at least make sure it is a Japanese-brand water stone. You'll probably need around 1000 grit for starters, then a 4000-6000 grit to finish. Nagura stones could help with the slurry, which is why you should use a natural stone. Stropping is optional, this is not a showpiece, nor will you need to shave with it, so don't go overboard. Everything considered, just the whetstones will set you back ten times the cost of the knife. I don't recommend sharpening this knife on a 'system,' although I haven't tried different ones. The one I've used is hard to keep uniform without wearing (dishing) the stones. You're better off with a cheap angle guide and the whetstones. To sum it up, this is a superior knife and a great starter for anyone who wants a Japanese-quality blade without spending a small fortune. Sekiryu is a reputable manufacturer, check out more about them and rest assured you're getting a fabulous deal! FYI, I owned German-made knives since I was in culinary school, also owned French-made blades, Swedish knives, Finnish knives, and Norwegian blades. I'm not sure what the Rockwell is for this knife. If anyone can test, I'd appreciate it!

I never had a japanese knife until the one before this. That one is scary sharp and made of a very high-grade material called japanese white steel. It cost about $75, which was cheap relative to many others. This one is like a Dollar Store version of that. Or like the Wendy's version of ciabatta. Or like bike snobs call cheap bikes "bicycle shaped objects". It is not particularly sharp out of the box. Some people mentioned it looked like it had a small bevel on the back side. This was probably just to remove a burr from sharpening the regular side. I also bought some 400, 600, 800, and 1200 grit sandpaper. Using these, I was able to improve the edge and remove the tiny bevel from the back. As for how this cuts, it is not what I'm used to, but it is not bad. I've never used a single bevel knife before, so that's on me. It was better than the knives where I was staying.

Purchased this as a why not, and I was surprised with that I got. It is a very heavy knife! I mean heavy! Single bevel, and once sharpened, very sharp! I didn't know what I would use it for until I needed to cut frozen bacon. This knife cut it like it was butter.

Product is good not extremely sharp, however it took long to get delivered.

Love it! Exactly what I expected. The blade is thick and heavy. Note this knife is different: The profile is not symmetrical. the left side of the blade is flat and the right side is machined. If you haven't used a knife like this it may take you a while to get used to, especially when you try to cut something straight down like slicing a potato. The wooden handle tends to get greasy so wash it and keep it dry. After using it the handle discolored a bit but It still feels good in your hand.

Best knife for the money ACTUALLY MADE IN JAPAN (That's a good thing) Very light and thin (slides easily through whatever your cutting)

This is a mixed review, the knife is cheap and the steel isn't terrible but the grind they put on it is. The cutting edge has two problems. First, while a single bevel and has an additional micro bevel on the cutting edge (Shinogi Side) of varying thickness. This edge wasn't put on well and requires a bit of work. Second, the back of the knife is slightly concave which given the price point is a nice touch...however it wasn't ground properly. I spent about 30min on a 400/1000 in order to get the back close to flat across the edges and additional time to re-concave the back grind. When placed flat on a stone, the outside edges should be touching the surface all around, this was not the case. The same issue exists with the Shinogi line, with many low spots. The steel is decently hard, I'd say low to mid 50s HRC, given the amount of cheap whetstone material I sloughed off in that half hour. I have ordered a CERAX 1000 stone in order to finish roughing the job, no point wearing off a years life on cheaper whetstones doing this repair. All in all, I like the purchase and I enjoy working on knives so just be aware of the shortcomings and realize they're already worked into the price. If you don't know how to grind a blade and have no intention of learning, spend an extra $20 and get something in finished condition. The collar/Kakumaki is loose but that's a simple fix, blade thickness about 3mm at spine. I was able to fillet a mackerel post rough grind with no issues.