Review on 7 Inch Japanese VG10 67 Layers Super Steel Santoku Knife - Kitory Damascus Warrior Series With G10 Handle & Gift Box by Johnny Burns

Got this Kitory Paring Knife to replace an old lower quality paring knife, and add another piece to my growing collection of damascus knives.Design is alright, the blade structure is san mai, the damascus is decorative (could just as readily be mild steel), there appears to be a weld joint at the ricasso, I would not be surprised if the tang were not VG10. Calling kitchen knives the "Warrior Series" seems absurd.Build quality is good, following that design I don't see any defects, everything is tight and polished smooth, the ricasso weld is only noticeable by the sudden end of the damascus pattern and a slight imperfection on the spine, edge grind is clean and razor sharp.Functionality is good, blade feels almost weightless but the handle has some heft to it and is easy to index, holds an edge much better than my old 420 knives. On first two uses the G10 left a black residue on my hands, after washing with dish soap and sponge twice, then I gave it a thorough scrubbing with a soapy abrasive pad, no more residue.This is a good looking knife, the damascus is subdued, clearly there without standing out, this can be drawn out (darkened) with an acid dip. The G10 handle looks good. Might call this "refined utilitarian" in style, which oddly fits with calling it the "Warrior Series", but I still think that's absurd. The name etch is too large and too prominent, infringes on the small blade too much.Packaging is a nice cardboard box. Price point is good, below average for similar items.Overall, 4 stars, good paring knife.Hope that helps, thanks for reading, and thanks to Best Buy for the free paring knife to review.