Review on J.A. Henckels International Forged Premio 8-Inch Chef Knife, Black by Tracey Brown

Looks like a good knife but with some caveats. It's forged, with a full shank, which is good. The steel appears to be good and well tempered. Other reviews claim they broke the tip, suggesting it may be too hard, but better than too soft. The spine is quite flexible, but even strong pressure did not bend it. The downside is that it's cheaply made, with the finishing touches seeming to be done quickly by hand. This is regular sharpening, not very sharp, and my edge profile was a little wobbly. It took quite a bit of profiling before I could actually start sharpening. As the final sharpening is very coarse, it doesn't hold a sharp edge well from the factory - the nature of the beast for something at this price point. If you have the skills, with some work you will have to polish the edge and it will be much more durable. This required a good edge, a close shave without the formation of large burrs or rounded edges.