Cangshan Thomas Keller Signature Collection Swedish Powder Steel Forged, 8-Inch Chef Knife, Black

This is a very stylish chinese made knife with a blade made from a somewhat exotic steel, a celebrity chef endorsement (Michelin starred Thomas Keller) and a Red Dot award. The knife has a gorgeous sleek and minimalist look with a universal blade shape that leans more toward the german rather than the french style. The handle has a sleek, smooth, flowing shape and is very comfortable. The tapered bolster encourages and offers support for a pinch grip. It's very well made, the overall fit and finish was flawless and the blade was very sharp out of the box. I got the 10" black version and it came with a wooden box with a magnetic closure. FYI The white edition (white handle) which sells for the same price comes with a rather inexpensive looking thin cardboard box with a film window covering the front allowing the knife to be seen. The packaging reminds me of something I'd expect to see an item off of Walmart's as seen on TV shelf to come in. The blade is made from swedish Damasteel's RWL34 powder steel. It's a hard, finely grained steel with a HRC of 61+/-2 which is claimedto allow it to take a very sharp and durable edge. I have another knife by Cangshan, a 5" serrated utility from their Z series. IMO the Keller signature series is simply a tweaked version of the Z series with an upgrade of the blade steel, a slightly gentler taper to the bolster, and an identical handle with the exception of having only one rivet that's decorated with Keller's signature instead of the three of the Z series. The single rivet suits the minimalist look but only time will tell how practical it is. I'm a little disappointed that the handle scales on the Keller are only ABS. Not G10, micarta, wood or even pakkawood. For a TOTL item and given it's price I feel something better would've been more apropos. It's the blade's edge itself that I have my main issue with and why I feel it's suited to a home cook. I began cooking in a restaurant 50 yrs ago at the age of 16. The cutting edge angle is a stated "Asian style" 16 degrees. That's being very generous IMO anything over 15 degrees isn't what I consider Asian style. You certainly aren't going to slice sashimi with a 16 degree angle. German knife maker Wusthof uses german 58 HRC steel in their knives and sets them at 14 degrees. Japanese knife maker Miyabi makes a pull-thru sharpener that's set at 10 degrees. The reason for Cangshan's 16 degree angle is said to extend the time between sharpening and honing. With the RWL34 that really shouldn't be an issue even with a more acute angle. This is a lightweight knife for it's size and I feel that combined with the wider edge angle causes it to require more force than necessary. No pro I've ever known would be willing to sacrifice ease of use so they didn't have to hone as often. Most are actually ritualistic about honing anyway. So not for pros instead someone who wants a gorgeous looking and finished knife with bragging rights i.e. high tech steel, award and the Keller sig.

For what's supposed to be a rather high end knife, the edge finish is pretty bad out of the box with lots of visible grain and even a few nicks. It's a knife so of course you this can be fixed with some work (RWL34 will take a lot more effort than many other metals), but that's not what you'd expect out of a new knife at this price point.

Since I have been taking cooking classes and "deversifying" my menu :-) my husband decided to purchase this chef's knife for me. It is absolutely fabulous. It is perfectly weighted, well balanced and easy to use to chop/dice and cut items. The knife itself is very well made and the box it comes in for storage is attractive; I leave it on my counter actually. It is a great purchase for the price so much so I am considering getting the Utility/Paring knife from this company. I am very pleased

This knife is huge, but beautifully balanced with a solid handle. It is also exceptionally sharp. I ordered it at the same time as a slightly smaller Miyabi Black Chef’s knife. While both are absolutely outstanding, I actually like the Cangshan more and find it slightly more comfortable. As a home chef who cooks for the family almost every night and is used to high end cookware, this knife exceeded my expectations and I bizarrely find myself trying to find reasons to use it more often than I really need something that large, just because it is so well made and effective.

One of the best knives I’ve bought in a long time, holds an edge like a champ. It’s balanced, the ergonomics feel awesome. Beats the Kramer that costs a $100 more. Packaging is excessive would have preferred a saya over a giant wood box, but I’m sure it looks good on someone’s counter. I’m a professional chef and for a $200 knife it’s a beast, worth every penny.

I own a lot of knives. I have never met one I enjoy more than this one. Not even my Ken Onion Shun chef knife beats this one. Thomas Keller has immaculate taste and it shows. This is the best of the best in design!!!!

Really amazing knife, did expect it to be that sharp for as long as I’ve had. I work as a full time chef and literally sharpen my knives every 2 days. I also have over knives all Japanese kitchen cutlery, from gyutos to honesukis even sujikis and I also love debas and yangibas. This quality fits the rest just wish it wasn’t designed from Kramer and went a lil different amazing knife tho

On a 200 dollar knife there is NO ABSOLUTE WAY you get an uneven grind, mine came irregular, it was deeper on the left side tip. I'm assuming it is done by hand, but QC needs to be better. They would replace it but im not in the US and I decided I did not care much honestly. Other than that, supreme steel, ergos are AMAZING and bladeshape is perfect, do it all knife. thin, nimble, comfortable, sharp as F.

I wasn’t familiar with the Cangshan brand, which launched in December 2015 and so is relatively new. It has won numerous awards since then and the quality of this knife, designed in conjunction with the Michelin starred Thomas Keller, shines through as soon as you open the cardboard sleeve that protects the walnut storage box.The box itself is lovely, well finished and something that makes the knife stand apart from others - it would make a great engagement, wedding or new home gift for someone and be something to be cherished for years to come.The knife is quite heavy, but beautifully balanced in the hand and deserving of special treatment - no dishwasher for this, just gentle hand washing is the order of the day. It is very sharp, exceptionally so and slices through everything with an ease that makes me realise I need to get some new knives. Just as well this is only part of a large range with which I fully intend to familiarise myself. There is a great looking TAI knife block, crafted from walnut, that also might just have my name on it.

I was excited to receive this knife to review, like a lot of people I've been inspired by all the chef TV programs and keen to try all the recipes. Opening the box I was quite taken aback by the size of the knife, I understood it was 8" which in my minds eye was a reasonable but not massive knife. What I saw was this mighty and serious looking knife that I must admit I felt a bit intimidated by.The first thing without even taking it out of the box was the sheer quality, the engraved signature etc. The white handle I'm not that keen on but that's just preference. The feel of the knife is strong and weighted, despite the size it felt ok to hold, meaning I didn't feel as if I was holding and axe like weapon!The size 8" refers the the blade length , the overall length is 13.5". I was taken aback by the width which is 2" at widest point by handle. The blade is sharp and accurate, I needed a bit of time to get the feel of the knife but now realise the difference between a crafted blade and a cheap kitchen knife - worlds a part!Slices through absolutely anything with ease without too much pressure. I am now comfortable using it but still feel slightly worried I might slice off my finger. For someone who is serious about cooking, a chef who knows how to handle knives and can master that smooth swift cutting action this knife is amazing. Price reflects the workmanship and materials. Privileged to get to experience such a quality item which would be out of my price range. Excellent all round.

This knife is contained within a very nicely polished wooden box with a lid that is held in place with magnets. Initial thoughts were that this was wasteful, but as soon as you pick the knife up you realise it needs to be treated with care and respect and to shove this in a cutlery drawer is sacrilege as well as dangerous. It is a good and safe way to store the knife, but it does take up room. The knife is comfortable to hold and feels balanced in the hand. You could cut for hours with this and not get fatigue. The edge is incredibly sharp and easily slips through hard, uncooked vegetables, but it can also slice through soft skinned foods too. When I sharpen my knives I usually slice up a tomato to check the edge. There shouldn’t be any snagging or tearing and with very little pressure being applied. I should also be able to cut wafer thin slices with very little effort. This one naturally does all of this out of the box and after several uses cutting onto a wooden board, the edge is still keen.I am yet to sharpen this and to be honest, I am not looking forward to it. I am pretty adept with water stones and have an array of them, but the steel is harder than anything I have in the kitchen. To make matters worse, the blade angle is narrower (reportedly 16 degrees), where I am used to wider angle. These are not negatives, it is just that I don’t want to mess the knife up as it is a beautiful work of knife art.The only thing with knives of such high reputation is that they come with a price. I normally wouldn’t pay anything over £100 for a good knife, but to be fair, this is the Rolls Royce of the knife world.

Ask anybody who has ever worked in a kitchen or does all the cooking at home and they will say the same thing, good tools make a good chef far better, You certainly know you are getting a quality product here from the moment it is delivered.It comes in a nice box and looks brilliant, but when you actually take it out and hold it for the first time, the balance and feel of the blade makes it feel like it is part of you, very comfortable which makes it a pleasure to use.This is a proper chef knife and as such it cuts like a dream, no matter what you are doing it makes it all seem so effortless and easy.The only reason I have not given this amazing knife five stars is the price, as just under £200 seems to me to be just too much, I think at £150 it would represent superb value.

Cangshan Thomas Keller Signature Collection Swedish Powder Steel Forged, 8-Inch Chef KnifeI am very impressed with the quality, absolutely fantastic knife. Nicely forged, very sharp and well balanced; it can cut through anything.I like to watch "Forged in Fire" serious; the judges test the knives in many ways. That makes me test the blade too, I tried to cut the coconut with this knife, and the edges held very well. I don't see any crack or chipping, and it is still sharp.I like the white handle, very comfortable to hold, support a firm grip and look posh.Is it worth £199.95? I think a professional chef would know, but for me, it's worth every penny.I hope this review is helpful for you to make a purchasing decision.