Chef’s Knife 8 Inch, German 1.4116 High Carbon Stainless Steel Kitchen Knife, Sharp Chef Knife with Ergonomic Pakkawood Handle for Meat, Vegetables, Herbs and Fruit

(Not that I have anything against "Vine Voice" reviews of items obtained for free, but note that I spent my own cash on this knife. Also, apologies for the review length. Reviews that are thin on detail might be earnest, but are almost zero help for making decisions.) I needed a new 20cm/8" Chef's Knife. I enjoy cooking, and opt for high quality tools in pretty much any situation. I took time investigating possibilities in the relatively low price range and settled on the SimCoker knife. For comparison, the TOG 17cm Santoku is highly regarded, but a jaw-dropping £265, and the Wusthof 20cm Classic, a top-end home cook knife, is £90. I couldn't really justify spending a fortune on a single knife because I'm not a culinary professional, and I'm not rich. (Tamara's missing jewels were reportedly worth £26m - or £50m, depending on source - hence the flippant review title). A plus-point for me is that it does not come with freebies (e.g. cheapo knife-sharpener) which means production costs (and therefore price) are primarily for the knife itself. However, the box is quite respectable, and it does come with a decent, sturdy plastic, "shears" ("sheath", or even "blade-guard", might be a better name, and the claim for protection during storage, yes, but "during use"...huh?). Admittedly, I could not find much information online about "SimCoker", and am a little wary about "Made In China" (Err...the "Japanese" in the title doesn't stand up to close scrutiny.) I didn't want to risk disappointment, and returning goods is such a faff. However, most of my home electronic equipment is Chinese-made but still excellent, therefore I decided to hit-and-hope. Some knife reviews focus on the packaging, what the knife looks like, what it sounds and smells like (no, not really :-) ). I do rattle on, but for me the key criteria are: 1) General feel and build-quality. 2) How it feels in use, and anticipated lifetime. 3) Sharpness. Not merely straight from the box. (I steer well-clear of the v-shaped, or similar, edge-ripper sharpeners. I have a 3000-grit whetstone. Honing frequently is far preferable to brutalising the blade. Whetstones take a little patience and skill, but I think the effort is well worth it, and not just for the slightly childish thrill of the "Tomato Test") (1) As described, it has a pakkawood handle. I had never heard of a "pakka" tree :-), but there is plenty of useful information about wood+resin composites on the web. The handle does seem to be designed, instead of just being quirky, though I'm not sure what makes the SimCoker handle "luxury", but even as a big fan of natural wood, I can appreciate the benefits of the manufactured product. (Such material is known by various names, but SimCoker have settled on the one that is very close to "peckerwood", which is a little unfortunate...) Joking aside, the handle is beautifully machined, the rivets are physically imperceptible when the handle is gripped normally, and the shape fits the (my) hand perfectly. (I mentioned "quirky". I have no idea what "Edge of Belgravia" knives feel like in the hand, but as an example, they look quite curious.) Is it full tang? Hard to say. It isn't described as such, but visually (and in the exploded-view picture) it seems to have this better-quality feature. The blurb about "German" 1.4116 steel makes for an amusing read, but I have no easy way of subjecting the blade to a chemical forensic test (e.g. is it really 0.1 to 0.2% Vanadium? Who knows?) 1.4116 Steel has a pretty good reputation and although the blade is not mirror-shiny, it appears to have better than satisfactory quality. (2) My knife weighs 215g, which feels a decent weight. (I find it hard to believe that a few similar knives on Amazon are around the half-kilo mark, but maybe some people want to combine a workout with food prep?) The knife feels pleasantly balanced in the hand. The picture for "WELL-BALANCED", is a tiny bit misleading because the finger is curved (nitpicking...agreed). The accompanying text for that picture is baffling. For anyone who is curious, the centre of gravity on my knife is approximately half-way along the bolster. I can only guess as to lifetime, but if the steel really conforms to 1.4116 standards, it has a decent reputation for corrosion-resistance and hardness. Careful treatment of the knife should prove to be well worth it. (3) As delivered, it was extremely sharp. Not as sharp as my straight-razor, but those things are specialist. I will continue to use it carefully, and maintain a keen edge by honing it on a frequent, probably one or two-week, basis. Whetstone sharpening is made easier for this knife because it doesn't have a full bolster. p.s. Try not to be put off by the clumsy, sometimes humourous, language of the full details about the knife. The knife is indeed sharp, but I would like to meet a "hand-polished craftsman" to see if such a person is very shiny (but in fairness, the seller has provided a lot of product information and high-quality translation services can be expensive.) p.p.s. The seller is "changdeshilechudianzishangwuyouxiangongsi", which seems to be a fiendish tongue-twister, so I'm glad that the order was "Fulfilled by Amazon" because that's easy for me to pronounce.

This knife is great quality at a great price. It arrives in a in a box that displays this quality to the full. A riveted Pakkawood handle that naturally fits the hand and an 8" German steel blade that is razor sharp. Supplied with a fitted blade guard for when not in use. The knife is very well balanced and cuts effortlessly and cleanly. A pleasure to use. Why spend more when you can buy a knife of such quality for so little money. I seriously recommend it.

Great weight, excellent edge (so far), comfortable to use and cuts everything smoothly & easily. The blade cover is good as well, not too bulky meaning I can store it in a drawer without concerns. Amazing value for money!

My husband likes the knife. I dound it too big.

Excellent knife highly recommended

Extremely sharp and cuts effortlesly... have bought one for a friend and a second for me as i use a lot fo knives in the kitchen... amazing for the price!

love it even though I did not realise it was that big

Excellent knife great quality ,only knife you’ll ever need

So happy with this purchase, it great chef knife, I like cooking a lot, so I have different types of knives in my kitchen, but this knife easily beats the other knives for its awesome performance, if you are a home cook, this is what you gotta have, this chef knife will help your cutting job be much easier. Comes very sharp, It feels very solid and is balanced well weight-wise, the handles have a good amount of weight to it that makes holding it intuitive and gives off a good balance and easy to hone. Good quality German steel, the blade is high carbon and very hard, which is naturally more durable than cheaper steel, if you used any of the cheap steel kitchen knives before using the german steel knife, you will feel the big difference between the two. Slicing meats is as easy as cutting butter, incredibly sharp, and very smooth, just put the light force down on the chef knife, and it cut smoothly. With a wood handle, attractive-looking, and premium wood, it's may not dishwasher friendly, but the sheath is a sweet spot. This has been put on my repeat purchasing list once I need another knife or if I gotta buy a gift for my family, overall, good value for the money.

Ich habe das Messer als mein erstes richtiges Schneidemesser erworben und bin durchaus begeistert von seiner Performance! Es ist superscharf und schneidet sowohl Obst/Gemüse als auch Fleisch mit Leichtigkeit. Insgesamt nutze ich es nun 3 Wochen und konnte keine Verschleiß feststellen. Für den Preis wirklich fair und würde es jederzeit wieder kaufen.

Das Messer ist leicht und liegt gut in der Hand . Die Schnittführung ist präzise und erlaubt seine Verwendung bei Fleisch , Gemüse oder gleichermaßen! Die Schutzhülle ermöglicht ein sicheres Verwahren in der Küchenlade und schont den Schliff! Tolle Qualität zum wirklich günstigen Preis

Für den Preis hatten wir nicht damit gerechnet, so ein tolles Messer zu bekommen. Wir sind sehr zufrieden!

Well constructed, light, sharp, manageable tool. This knife has exceed expectation this far. Only need time to see how well the edge holds up. For the price you can't go wrong..