Review on Sakai Takayuki Layer Damascus Sujihiki by Meaghan Abosi

The Bad: The only thing I really didn't like was the shaft, which isn't rounded, making the grip a little awkward if you don't already have a callus. I rounded mine with 320 to 2000 grit sandpaper. Problem solved. Pros: Fairly flat chamfers on the shaft. Sharp edge. The metal is easily machined (more on this below). Sexy aesthetic, wood, horn, damask, tsuchime, it's beautiful. Mislabelling: Advertisements across the internet list the steel core as VG-10 (made in Japan by Takefu Special Steel Co.) but the description, as well as several other vendors such as Chef Knives To Go and more importantly, on their own web Sakai website specify the steel as Swedish or AEB-L (made in Sweden by Böhler-Udderholm). I have several VG-10 knives and I have to say that picking up and removing the wire edge on this blade definitely seems easier than this one, so I'll take a chance and say it's AEB-L. Both steels are good, both stainless, both can get damn sharp, but the AEB-L is a little easier to sharpen and lasts a little longer on the edge than the VG-10. AEB-L was designed for razor blades, by the way, which brings me to my next point. This is a 10" blade (my copy is 9.8" (249mm)). The right edge geometry is 80/20. While I'm rarely satisfied with stocks, I cut my bevels to around 20* and then sharpened on a waterstone a fine 12000 grit then on a chrome oxide belt and then on a smooth result?It shaves almost as well as my straight razors and almost falls through sashimi with very little friction.Probably not as easy as a heavier traditional Japanese blade with a bevel but very good for the amount of protein I'm cutting with it.It's a medium-hard blade with almost no distal taper, the shank stays about 2mm long until it slopes down to the tip.As this is a knife with long handle it is heavy. the blade is heavy.. well in front of the handle - about where the central kanji is in the maker's mark in the example picture. really dislike There are sharp points on the knives and this would e get a 5 if they rounded it off even a little bit, although that's a pretty minor point. If I could bet 4.5 I would.