SimCoker Professional Chef Knife 8-Inch – German High Carbon Stainless Steel 1.4116 Blade, Sharp Kitchen Knife, Ergonomic Pakkawood Handle, 3-Year Warranty

(Not that I have anything against "Vine Voice" reviews of items obtained for free, but note that I spent my own cash on this knife.Also, apologies for the review length. Reviews that are thin on detail might be earnest, but are almost zero help for making decisions.)I needed a new 20cm/8" Chef's Knife. I enjoy cooking, and opt for high quality tools in pretty much any situation. I took time investigating possibilities in the relatively low price range and settled on the SimCoker knife. For comparison, the TOG 17cm Santoku is highly regarded, but a jaw-dropping £265, and the Wusthof 20cm Classic, a top-end home cook knife, is £90.I couldn't really justify spending a fortune on a single knife because I'm not a culinary professional, and I'm not rich. (Tamara's missing jewels were reportedly worth £26m - or £50m, depending on source - hence the flippant review title).A plus-point for me is that it does not come with freebies (e.g. cheapo knife-sharpener) which means production costs (and therefore price) are primarily for the knife itself. However, the box is quite respectable, and it does come with a decent, sturdy plastic, "shears" ("sheath", or even "blade-guard", might be a better name, and the claim for protection during storage, yes, but "during use"...huh?).Admittedly, I could not find much information online about "SimCoker", and am a little wary about "Made In China" (Err...the "Japanese" in the title doesn't stand up to close scrutiny.) I didn't want to risk disappointment, and returning goods is such a faff. However, most of my home electronic equipment is Chinese-made but still excellent, therefore I decided to hit-and-hope.Some knife reviews focus on the packaging, what the knife looks like, what it sounds and smells like (no, not really :-) ). I do rattle on, but for me the key criteria are:1) General feel and build-quality.2) How it feels in use, and anticipated lifetime.3) Sharpness. Not merely straight from the box. (I steer well-clear of the v-shaped, or similar, edge-ripper sharpeners. I have a 3000-grit whetstone. Honing frequently is far preferable to brutalising the blade. Whetstones take a little patience and skill, but I think the effort is well worth it, and not just for the slightly childish thrill of the "Tomato Test")(1) As described, it has a pakkawood handle. I had never heard of a "pakka" tree :-), but there is plenty of useful information about wood+resin composites on the web. The handle does seem to be designed, instead of just being quirky, though I'm not sure what makes the SimCoker handle "luxury", but even as a big fan of natural wood, I can appreciate the benefits of the manufactured product. (Such material is known by various names, but SimCoker have settled on the one that is very close to "peckerwood", which is a little unfortunate...) Joking aside, the handle is beautifully machined, the rivets are physically imperceptible when the handle is gripped normally, and the shape fits the (my) hand perfectly. (I mentioned "quirky". I have no idea what "Edge of Belgravia" knives feel like in the hand, but as an example, they look quite curious.)Is it full tang? Hard to say. It isn't described as such, but visually (and in the exploded-view picture) it seems to have this better-quality feature.The blurb about "German" 1.4116 steel makes for an amusing read, but I have no easy way of subjecting the blade to a chemical forensic test (e.g. is it really 0.1 to 0.2% Vanadium? Who knows?) 1.4116 Steel has a pretty good reputation and although the blade is not mirror-shiny, it appears to have better than satisfactory quality.(2) My knife weighs 215g, which feels a decent weight. (I find it hard to believe that a few similar knives on Amazon are around the half-kilo mark, but maybe some people want to combine a workout with food prep?) The knife feels pleasantly balanced in the hand. The picture for "WELL-BALANCED", is a tiny bit misleading because the finger is curved (nitpicking...agreed). The accompanying text for that picture is baffling. For anyone who is curious, the centre of gravity on my knife is approximately half-way along the bolster. I can only guess as to lifetime, but if the steel really conforms to 1.4116 standards, it has a decent reputation for corrosion-resistance and hardness. Careful treatment of the knife should prove to be well worth it.(3) As delivered, it was extremely sharp. Not as sharp as my straight-razor, but those things are specialist. I will continue to use it carefully, and maintain a keen edge by honing it on a frequent, probably one or two-week, basis. Whetstone sharpening is made easier for this knife because it doesn't have a full bolster.p.s. Try not to be put off by the clumsy, sometimes humourous, language of the full details about the knife. The knife is indeed sharp, but I would like to meet a "hand-polished craftsman" to see if such a person is very shiny (but in fairness, the seller has provided a lot of product information and high-quality translation services can be expensive.)p.p.s. The seller is "changdeshilechudianzishangwuyouxiangongsi", which seems to be a fiendish tongue-twister, so I'm glad that the order was "Fulfilled by Amazon" because that's easy for me to pronounce.

Excellent knife great quality ,only knife you’ll ever need

aBit scary looking but does the job.

For the money this is actually a pretty good value knife. All knives arrive sharp, the test is how well they last, retain their shape and stand up to sharpening. Time will tell on that front but this one seems well constructed and feels good in the hand. I've certainly had more comfortable hand grips and this isn't suitable for the dishwasher, but then most high quality knives aren't either.

Extremely good knife ,Slight dent in handle but for the price£18 I can put up with it ,Very sharp, just what I need.

So much better than my multi set of cheap knives. As I said it's really sharp and handle grip has an excellent feel. Slices fresh meat, even thick pork rind with ease.

Quality, sharpnes

Really pleased with this knife. Great present