Review on 🔪 ZHEN Japanese VG-10 67 Layer Damascus Steel 7-inch Vegetable Usuba/Nakiri Hollow Ground Knife Cleaver by Eric Hall

If you don't want to read my long review on this knife please know I love it for the money it's worth, it holds a solid sharp edge for a reasonable amount of time, it's very easy to tweak has a nice grip size and is one of the "most comfortable" knives I own. I have and have used knives in all price ranges and prefer to spend less than 100€ per knife. I prefer Japanese style knives for cooking vegetables, fish and some white meat, for other meats except for a good boning knife (the Zelite Infinity boning knife is a nice addition to this Vienna Nakiri). I'm in love with the Victorinox line, their lever knife is a wonderful value, I also use their bread knife and paring knife. So, all said, let's move on to this knife. I always test knives with boxed potatoes and this nakiri passed with flying colors, with little pressure or control I was able to consistently cut crisp strips of potato. Poor quality knives can be difficult to use as they are not sharp enough, require too much pressure, do not have good "balance", blade design, etc. If the blade isn't sharp enough I can easily sharpen it to a razor and my knives were a little dull to begin with, but after a bit of tweaking the preform changed amazingly (newer Shun knives suffer from this, and so does my Wusthofs) . On the other hand, the balance and design of the blade cannot be corrected. If I take my Global G19 flexible tenderloin knife, which isn't designed for chopping vegetables, and try to chop onions, I'll probably lose a few numbers, because that's not what a blade sharp enough to chop onions is for thought. Onion, it's still not the right tool, but it's great for skinning salmon fillets. Its wide, straight blade makes it very sturdy and is great for scooping chopped food straight into the pan. The design, the sharpness and the ergonomics of this knife are 5 stars in my opinion. WHAT REMAINS? Value I give this knife 4 stars it's under $100 which I like but for a Damascus model not made in Seki Japan it's right on the limit. My Nakiri-Seto was only $100 and had a hammered finish that was made in Japan, not Taiwan. I will compare this knife with it soon. SO the cost will lose a star. Is it worth the price? YES but I wish I paid less lol. Also yes. Compare the Damascus Zhen line of knives to the prices of the Bruntmors Tokuso line, they are also great knives and are 30% off. The last point I will talk about is blade retention. I take great care of my knives, I don't cut glass, granite or stone, I only cut wooden boards, I clean them immediately so I have NO food left to clean, I also never use a clean detergent. I use diluted detergent on a Swissco sponge (they are soft) which I only use on my knives and not an all purpose sponge and never a sponge and when I apply it during use I put it on a baby washcloth , which is also what I dry them before storing. I also only keep them on a magnetic board, not in a pad. As a result, I don't need to touch up my blades very often, but this is on par with all my other high end knives, easy to sharpen and keeps a sharp edge for a long time. I'm comparing this knife to a Seto hammer forged Nakiri, which is only $10 to $20 more expensive than a single blade could be better. I've been told it's the same metal and a similar process, but the reason is that the knife is in the drawer and this knife I use ergonomics. This knife fits my hand much better. The only thing I don't like about Japanese knives is some of the round dowel handles they often use, I'm not a fan of them. The control over the oval shaped handle is 100 times better IMHO. Dowels are made to roll and I don't want my knife to roll. It took a few and I've learned my preferences over the years of use but it is what it is, I like the Curly Pen, its action, safety, speed and all aspects of the cutting. In conclusion here are a few similar knives that I love, Zelite Infinity, Dalstrong SHOGUN, Bruntmor Tokuso, Ken Onion Rain, even the Tou Damscus line is a great product for the money. But you have to use them so you know what you prefer. I have all of the above and I like them all for different reasons, but on my Jen Nakiri board because it's longer than my Shun Nakiri and I like the grip better than my Setu. Of all the Nakiri style knives I have owned I would say this is my favorite except for the Mcusta which I used at the show it was also very good despite being 6.5 inches and had a partially rounded handle felt good and the looks were second to none, it also cost over $300 so I left it at the show knowing I had a $90 Zhen at home have. I have 2 of these knives, you will not be disappointed, your purchase, good luck and safety.