Since I was planning to spend a few days in a commercial kitchen, and my 6" Henckels knives are both embarrassingly small for serious work and embarrassingly dull because I'm too lame to sharpen them, I decided to grab the 8" chef's knife (at Bed, Bath & Beyond, with a 20% off coupon.)
It worked extremely well for all the tasks I set it to today, including mincing parsley and chiffonading mint as well as the usual cutting tasks. Despite its shallow curve (I strongly prefer knives whose edges are mostly straight, rather than the curved French style) the blade rocked very well for mincing, and was flat enough to cut completely through the rolled mint leaves in one short stroke. Furthermore, the sharpness impressed the other people who used it, though we shall have to see if it can be REsharpened to the same degree.
The handle design is clearly not for everyone, but I found it very comfortable when I held the knife as many cooks do, with the back end of the blade pinched between thumb and forefinger(s). In particular, most knife handles/bolsters seem to be designed for people who grip knives solely by their handles but the integrated bolster made it feel *right* to grip knife at the blade. The handle *seems* to be just the right weight to balance the blade, but I'll reserve judgment on whether it actually IS that well-balanced until I've spent more than a few hours using it.
I'm impressed enough with the 8" chef that I'm considering getting the block set, which includes the chef and a paring knife (I have no idea if the handle design will work well for that, though) as well as three other not-entirely-useless knives: 5.5" serrated, 6" utility, 5" santoku (which probably would have been great for the chiffonade.) I must admit a 6" chef is probably marginally more useful than a 6" utility, but it's nice to have at least one knife you're willing to hand to your less skilled friends. It also has a diamond hone, which will actually sharpen knives, not just align their edges (though I use a DMT diamond hone for sharpening.)
I find this assortment considerably more useful than many others, which include things like boning knives, carvers and bread knives--all of which are IMO far too specialized to include in a basic knife kit, especially for home cooks. The only shortcoming of the block set is the inclusion of laughably dubious kitchen scissors. I hope that Calphalon will see fit to add to the line at least a 10" chef, and a 9-10" santoku, but most of the funkily ergonomic (or just funky) knife lines I've looked at don't have those, alas.
I have no idea if I'll continue to like this knife as it enters daily use. I hope that Amazon will let me revise my rating later if it turns out to be overly optimistic, but based on this one afternoon's use (and since they force me to rate it) I'll give it five stars.
~ Kiran
I am not a professional chef but am a foodie who loves to cook. My wife noticed the way I ogle the fine knives when we are out shopping and so decided to surprise me with this knife for Christmas. I have used it several times in the last few days and my initial impression is "what a great knife"!
Specifically, here is what I like about it:
1. The edge expertly sharpened right out of the package. It cuts cleanly and easily. The core in made of VG-1 steel. VG-1 is high carbon steel which should take a very nice edge when resharpening is needed.
2. The Damascus style stainless steel layers provides a degree of rust and stain protection and has great eye appeal.
3. The handles integrate with the blade without the use of rivets or other fasteners. I have fairly large hands and the shape of the handles are very comfortable for me.
4. The wedge shaped bolster, integral to the blade, is fantastic for people like me who mainly use a pinch grip on the rear of the blade.
5. The knife has a good heft to it without being so heavy that it is tiresome to use.
I am rating this knife 4 stars instead of 5 simply because I have only been using it for a week and would want to use it for a while to confirm it is as good of a knife as I think it is.
Buy Calphalon Katana Stainless-Steel 8-Inch Chef's Knife Now
i've had my 8" katana for about 4 years now, and i'm just as much in love with it as the day i bought it. like others have mentioned, it's amazingly sharp right out of the package, and i can confirm that a few swipes with a steel bring it right back up to speed years later. beyond keeping it out of the dishwasher and only using wood cutting boards, i certainly don't baby my knives i generally forget to wash it and put it up right away, things dry on it, etc. still, it cleans up and sharpens up with no problem. the unique handle shape (wider at the butt, narrower at the bolster) means it's comfortable for either a standard handle-grip or for the "chefs grip" where the knife is pinched between the thumb and forefinger right at the back of the blade in front of the bolster. unfortunately, this handle shape also means it might not fit quite right in a standard knife block (it does in mine, but it doesn't in a friend's).
my best advice: go to the store and pick one up in your hands! everyone has different fingers, and some knives will be more or less comfortable to you get ones that work for your hand shape and grip style. personally, i hate most wustof & henckels knives for this very reason, since i find their squared-off cross-sections very uncomfortable. this one, though, feels great in the hand to me, and has served me well for quite some time.
Read Best Reviews of Calphalon Katana Stainless-Steel 8-Inch Chef's Knife Here
I am no chef, just a granny who cooks huge meals regularly for a very large extended family. The knife was a gift over a year ago and I love it. It has become something of a workhorse for me and after all this time and use (almost daily) it has begun to lose just a little of it's edge. I also have very small hands(my eight year old grandsons hands are the same size as mine, which he finds amusing) and I don't have any problems handling the knife. This knife and an ancient, but very reliable faberware paring knife are practically the only knives I use. I cannot say about how a professional chef would view or rate this knife. I have a sneaking suspicion that our chopping and cutting techniques would be VERY different, but for the kind of cooking I do, this knife has been wonderful, and I would not hesitate to recommend it to others like myself.
Want Calphalon Katana Stainless-Steel 8-Inch Chef's Knife Discount?
I bought this to replace a damaged Eberhard Schaaf Goldhamster knife, thinking that the replacement would be "just OK". The Katana is fantastic! Super-sharp out of the box, nicely balanced, with a wide bolster to easy the pressure on my forefinger when I have to apply a lot of pressure. Looks good, if a bit "different" next to my collection of classic Schaaf knives. However, I'm probably going to buy more of these over time, so it'l look less strange.
18 months later, I am still in love with it. The knife feels like a natural extension of my hand, and is super-comfortable. The blade does;t seem to stay sharp for as long as the Schaaf knives, but maybe that's because I use it far more. Five minutes with a Spyderco Sharpmaker and you could shave with it, so no big deal.
If it doesn't hold up for the next 20 years, I'm going to buy another.
Gourmet magazine recommended this fine Brazilian knife. Only $24 for the plastic-handled one and about $42 for the nicer fused wood handle, but they are the same knife. You can get them slightly cheaper at other sources, but there you have to pay shipping, so Amazon is the best bargain!
