Yoshihiro Cutlery NSW Hammered Damascus Usuba Knife, 6.3-Inch

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All in all, I highly recommend this knife. It's perfectly functional, being sharp right out of the box, and it has a lot of aesthetic charm to it. In comparison to my Shun Premier knifes, this one is more "rustic." The blade is less polished and refined looking (IMO) than those on the Shuns, but it has a rustic beauty that I happen to really like. The handles on the Shuns are treated, finished, and perfectly smooth right out of the box. The wooden handle on this one, in comparison, is completely untreated and wasn't sanded very well out of the box. Outside of color variations in the bolster (which are clearly stated in the description to happen), my knife looks exactly like the images here so the description is spot on.

I'll start with the blade. The steel has a good sturdy feel to it, and the fit and finish are consistent along the whole length. The edge was sharp right out of the box which should always be the case, but hasn't been on every brand that I've bought. The layered steel on the bevel is very attractive and polished, and the hammered upper area is an excellent look.

The shape of the blade is what got my attention and inspired me to buy it, as I'd never used a knife like this before. My Shuns come to a very fine thin tip, and I find myself worried that I'm going to bend the tip (which certainly could be unreasonable, but I am nervous about it) when I'm cutting through something and the tip hits the cutting board with a lot of force. The lack of a sharp tip at the end makes it easier for me to cut with simply because I'm not worried about damaging the tip, and I can fly right through cutting veggies. Shun makes this same type of knife, and I might like it just as well.

Now for some notes on the handle. The wood is completely unfinished, as least as far as I could tell. That surprised me, so I was disappointed. It might be traditional, so I might have had the wrong expectations but I wanted to note it in case you were also thinking that it would be treated in some way. Although the shape was spot on, the surface roughness was sub-par, IMO. Honestly, I would have gotten a "B" at best in eighth-grade shop class if I had left it like that. Due to the outer finish, I felt compelled to lightly sand it down. After sanding, which took very little time, it looked and felt much nicer. Being untreated, though, it just soaked up water when I washed it. I applied mineral oil three times, and it soaked it up quickly each time. The mineral oil improved things, but it still looked too unfinished to me so I ordered some Howard Butcher Block Conditioner because it contains waxes that coat the surface. After using it, the handle is starting to really look and feel nice to me. I wish that it had been treated with something before it arrived, considering the cost of this knife. Since that might be traditional, I didn't deduct a star but I did deduct a star because it required sanding.

I agree with Rubbertoe that the handle feels light compared to my other knives. That said, I find cutting vegetables with this knife to be very easy and...I've got to say...enjoyable. I've learned to grip it higher up on the handle, which puts it into balance for me.

I wanted to make sure that you knew about the handle being unfinished, but I do recommend this knife. The handle can be treated once you get it, and the overall feel and look of the knife is great.

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First thing first, this is not an usuba. It's a nakiri. It has a 50/50 double-bevele edge, not a single bevel edge found on an usuba.

I've been using this knife for a few weeks now, chopping, slicing and cutting every vegetable I could get my hands on. It is a traditional vegetable knife, so I'd rather not use it on meat (and I don't even want to consider using it on anything with a bone in it). As such, it has a much thinner blade (than a chef's knife, for example), is super-sharp but would probably get nicks in it quite readily if it were to be used on bones. The hammered Damascus blade is very beautiful and slices through vegetables with the greatest of ease. Also, the saya is a nice addition and fits snuggly on the blade. This knife, however, is not a full tang knife (I've read elsewhere that traditional Japanese knives are not full tang). My only complaint about this knife (albeit a minor one) is the handle. The knife feels a little out of balance because the handle is so light and while magnolia wood is waterproof, the handle is unfinished so after wrapping the knife in a towel for transport, I found little splinters forming from the friction of the towel. All-in-all though, I'd recommend this knife to anyone looking for a nice, affordable Japanese knife.

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