DALSTRONG Hybrid Cleaver & 8" Chef Knife - Shogun Series ELITE - The 'Crixus' - Japanese AUS-10V Super Steel Kitchen Knife - Black Handle - Razor Sharp Knife - Meat Cleaver Heavy Duty - w/Sheath Cover

This is a beautiful knife. It's well made, is exquisitely packed, and comes sharp as a razer straight out of the box. The balance point is at the writing on the blade, so it is point heavy. If you are used to using light weight knives, this knife will come as a shock to you; it's a little on the heavy side. And If you are used to using smaller knives, this knife will take some getting used to; it's big, it looks and feels like it’s made for serious business. You will also need an appropriate size cutting board and work surface. If you don’t have any of this, it's time to upgrade before your new knife arrives. Now for the good news. If you bought this knife knowing that it would fit the environment your using it in, and it fits you, your style and skill level; you will love this knife. From looking at the pictures, my wife was concerned that the handle was small. I have huge hands, hers are medium. When it arrived, I was glad to see that it fit both her and my hands just fine. For both of us, it was comfortable to use; but we are both accustom to using large knives.

First of all, this knife looks bad ass! The damascus is real unlike laser etching that other people use. On top of looking like something that you should hang on your wall, its very sharp. I have used it quite a bit and goes through everything like butter. The weight of the blade is fine in my opinion. It helps the cutting. I have been hand washing and hand drying the blade per recommendation so I don't risk ruining the beautiful damascus. Yes it is expensive, but I would highly recommend it!!

So I can't say enough good things about the actual company. I had a shipment whare I didn't get the knife but I received everything else. I sent an email to the company directly and within a couple hours I had a response. Sent a pic and they apologized and shipped a new one no questions. I honestly have never had a problem solved so simple as this. Talk about a company standing behind a product and customer service oriented!!! The quality of the knife I did receive is exceptional. Comfort. Durability and super sharp out of the box. I will and would recommend to anyone looking to buy new knives not to even think twice. These are superb quality and with customer service as driven as they are I can't forsee any issues. I can't thank you all enough for the speedy and kind response.

Blade, packaging, fit and finish are excellent. It is a zombie apocalypse knife. It is sharp enough to use on tomatoes to rib roast but the weight is significant. If you are using a traditional chef's knife this will feel like a cleaver. The belly is better suited to slicing and rock cutting than downward chopping. The knife to me is cool but better suited to meats and tough veggies and squash. If you want to do more fine work the gyuto from the same series would be a better all around option . That said, it is fun to use

I haven’t had the opportunity to really run this shiny new blade through its paces yet, but just on presentation alone I was impressed! They’ve included a lot more information on this knife, how to properly use it and care for it, more than most cheaper knives you buy. Their craftsmanship shows, and so far in the small applications I’ve used it the knife has held its edge well. It’s well balanced, and clean (no machine oil residue like other knives I’ve bought) and I’m just at a lack for words really. I’ve sort of put this one up out of reach from my other knives and declared no one is allowed to touch it 😂

Let's talk aesthetics... - It's a bada** sexy looking knife. - Dalstrong packages their knifes beautifully. You feel like you're buying a new car. It comes in a gorgeous box, nice protector sleeve, a Dalstrong pin and various pamphlets for use and care. Quality... - Great weight. This is not a lightweight knife, nor did I want a lightweight knife. - You can tell a lot of care went in to crafting this knife. - The handle is comfortable - I sliced a big ribeye last night and it glided through it like nothing. Why did I take off one star? Now, I'm not a professional chef or work in a kitchen. I'm a home chef, but definitely above the amateur level. That said, I know my knife skills can be improved upon since poor techniques can wreak havoc on your knives, but I definitely don't have poor techniques. This knife lost its fresh out-of-the-box sharpness with little use. I did the paper test immediately out of the box and it was effortless. I could keep shaving off thin strips of paper with ease. I also did the tomato test. It went through with little resistance the first time. After just a few uses on some veggies? Couldn't do it anymore. When I say a few I literally mean a few. Cutting through paper saw the paper tearing at points and trying the tomato test faced more resistance; it was like playing chase the tomato on the cutting board, but when it caught the tomato I could cut through so-so. I sharpened it back to original form, but it shouldn't have needed sharpening that soon. In my opinion any knife over $100 shouldn't need sharpening after two or three uses.

And I've had sets of Wusthof, Cutco, Henkel, and a few pieces of other known brands which I eventually sold.....I've had Dalstrong knives for over a year now and have been more than happy & impressed.....that being said, this particular model/style is my main go to knife.....this and the 4 inch paring knife is just about everything I need for general kitchen chores.....sure, I use specialty knives when warranted (fish, large cuts of meat - even those I can do if I were too lazy to dig out the specialty knives) but I can do almost everything with the Crixus…..it slices, chops, rolls, and saws with comfort which makes it extremely versatile.....it holds it's razor sharp edge for very long periods of time, well balanced and feels great in the hand......this knife takes the place of several other knives that I have and will probably sell......it has taken the place of a vegetable knife, an 8" chef knife, a small cleaver, a Kiritsuke, and long utility knife......as I live in two places, I'm about to buy a second one....

I’m a professional Chef and have or do own about any brand of knife out there including a couple custom knives... I seem to be partial to hybrid knives I.e. the Wustohof Wunder knife, Yaxell Dragon, etc. etc. so I ventured into the world of Chinese made knives with America BD1N steel as a result the great experience I had with Yaxell’s use of this steel before they parted with Dragon(which is a wonderfully crafted knife) but now is my understanding that they’re being produced in China. I’m a knife nerd I guess and expect nothing less than perfection when buying a knife over $100 or $200-$300...or even less because I have used a >$40 victorinox with great success. However, at least with myself I’ve a tendency to try and try to find what best fits in my roll on any given day. This Chinese made $120 knife rivals any knife I’ve ever owned in form, fit, finish, and outta the box sharpness. I hand sharpen my knives and the knives for my staff and several other kitchens in my area. Out of the box sharpness 11/10 Fit and finish follow suit. It rivals any knife I have ever owned so far in my career in every category. Time will tell the real story, but if it’s used properly and taken care of property I expect the lifetime warranty will never be applicable.