Dalstrong Kiritsuke Chef Knife - 8.5 inch - Gladiator Series Elite - Forged German High Carbon German Steel - Full Tang Kitchen Knife - Black G10 Handle - w/Sheath - Chef's Knife - NSF Certified

This is my second Dalstrong Gladiator series knife, and man do I really love this set. - First, these are just absolutely beautiful knives. - Very nice finish on the knife. Polished High Carbon Steel - Beautiful handle and tang - Very comfortable to handle and use - Craftsmanship is very good, arguably some of the best knives I have ever owned, and the prices weren't nearly as insane as some of the others I have looked at. 12" Slicing Knife - this was my first Dalstrong Gladiator blade. I specifically picked up this slicer for use on Brisket and it works amazingly well for that purposes. However, it was too long for some of my other needs like slicing Tri-tip. 10.5" Yanagiba Knife - this was my second Dalstrong Gladiator blade, and I love it just as much as I did the first one. It's much easier to use on smaller cuts of meat like the Tri-tip. The slices are always smooth and even. There's a lot of heft to this blade so it cuts very easily, and is every bit as beautiful as the 12" slicer. I prefer the nice clean look of the gladiator series over some of the other Dalstrong knives which seem to distract from the craftsmanship with lots of fancy trappings like Damascus. While Damascus looks pretty its much easier to hide imperfections in the Damascus blades. But a flat polished steel blade will show absolutely everything and is one of the reasons I prefer the Gladiator series over some of the others (though admittedly they're all beautiful blades). If you are interested in one of the Dalstrong knives/series I highly recommend them. I generally try to find good quality kinves that are affordable. Previously one of my top picks were Chicago Cutlery, but I find that the Dalstrong knives are just simply better quality and they also generally have a much better selection of knife styles as well. You may be able to find a better quality knife, but I suspect in order to do so you will end up paying 2-3x as much before you find anything that might even be considered better and it will likely only be slightly better even then. Anyways... if you're considering these knives by all means jump right in and pick one up. You absolutely will not be disappointed.

So, I have used this knife for a few weeks now. A few pointers, this is German steel at RH of around 55. It means it will not hold edge as well as Dalstrongs Phantom or Shogun series blades that use harder Japanese steel (RC 58 and 62 respectively) but this is easier to maintain on a rod if you prefer that to wetstone sharpening. a few passes on a rod and its back to like new sharpness for your next escapade in the kitchen. speaking of sharpness, Dalstrong overhypes their out of box sharpness. I wouldn't call it incredibly razor sharp, its sharp enough to pass the paper test, but not quite shave hairs off your arm. A few passes on a wetstone or strop will fix that right up though. Otherwise the fit and finish of this knife is very good, and the steel quality seems right up there with the big boys in german steel. I especially like the shape and size of this blade, I its a very fun knife profile to use. I especially enjoy using this knife on proteins like chicken and steak. Dalstrong cutomer service is also top notch, so you are protected for the life of the blade. I heartily Recommend this series if you prefer German steel knives. I'm more of a Japanese steel guy, I like sharpening to scary sharp edges on wetstones, so I will more likely be getting phantom or shogun going forward.

Such a piece of art!

So far it has run through alot of food with ease, it goes through chicken under its own weight and a slight draw (pull/push). Pros- Dalstrong Very sharp, not lazer sharp but definitely scary sharp Great fit/finish and I love the handle Cons- WAY too much of a belly for a Kiritsuke (only about half an inch of the blade makes contact with the cutting board at any angle) Spine of the knife isn't sharp, but still has a palpable edge feel Wierd/small bolster... Its there but isn't large enough to play the role that a bolster fulfills (I do not care for bolsters normally, but they serve a purpose unlike this one) Honestly, it is a very decent knife.... but I purchased this knife after seeing Dalstrongs comment to a question "The flat geometry of the blade’s edge facilitates push-cuts over rocking cuts." I wasn't looking for a Usuba edge profile but this Kiritsuke has FAR too much belly to be considered a "flat profile", and more so when this is sold as a Kiritsuke.

This is a fabulous knife. The quality is top shelf, and customer service is a joy. However, this paricular knife may not be ideal for a home cook who doesn't have pro skills. (Like I don't) It's very large. Compared to a Santoku and a cheap 8" chef knife (see photos), it's absolutely huge. The tip is also very low, and the belly very flat. So although it's designed for push cuts, you must be aware at all times where that ultra-sharp tip is. Lest you dig into your board and break it. You can't really rock it, because of the flat belly. Keep this in mind if you do a lot of this kind of chopping. You can rock a little, but again, be careful you don't twist the tip. I fully admit, this was a pure vanity purchase. It just looks wicked cool. I figured a knife is a knife is a knife. I was very wrong. It feels cumbersome. It feels like a hatchet. But, it looks wicked cool, and is sharp enough to shave with. None of the perceived shortcomings of this knife are the fault of the knife itself, I think. Thus, I gave it 5 stars. It's well built, well packaged, well balanced, and well backed. I just need [a lot of] practice to get more out of it. You may be better off with a Santoku, or a more rounded Gyuto if you want the length. Dalstrong makes nice versions of these as well.

Coltello molto pesante per uno yanagi ma comunque confortevole grazie all’impugnatura stile occidentale. Tiene bene il filo, un po’complicato da affilare su pietra vista la lunghezza. Comodissimo il coprilama

Excellent product excellent knife and razor sharp

produit reçu ce jour. Dans une très belle boîte, c'est un très beau produit, par contre la lame est monté pour un gaucher. cela n'est pas stipuler dans le descriptif produit. ce cadeau étant pour mon mari qui est droitier.. dommage. sinon couteau de très belle qualité avec un beau tranchant

Amazing knife got this as a present as I have two other dalstrong knifes I like the new look based on a classic knife you can't go wrong have been a chef for 17 years and spent thousands on knifes and bye far dalstrong kick ass !

Como buen amante de la cocina, me gusta invertir en cuchillos de calidad que sepa que me durarán de por vida, y este modelo de Dalstrong cumple con creces mis expectativas. El Yanagiba es uno de los tres cuchillos basicos de la cocina japonesa, y este cuchillo se convertira en tu major aliado para cortar o filitear pescado y carne, por lo que podria considerare un cuchillo muliusos. El cuchillo destaca por su cuidado diseño, que llama la atencion desde el momento en que lo sacas de la caja. Para la fabricacion de la hoja se ha usado acero de alto carbono para aumentar su robustez, pero el resultado no podria ser mas ligero. Tambien es un cuchillo cómodo, con mango liso y ergonómico a la hora de manejarlo. En resumen, un cuchillo muy bien equilibrado y de gran calidad-precio. Muy contento con la compra!