I O Shen Knives Chef Knife 8"

High quality knife, for all levels of use – After 3 months daily use of our I O Shen Chefs knife I can say without doubt, it is an excellent knife. I have used a number of other brands such Wenger, Global, Scanpan, Mundial, Whustof and absolutely prefer the cutting edge, balance and shape of the IO Shen Chef’s knife. Regarding the shape, the blade is shorter compared to European knife brands. If you have very large hands and thick fingers, your knuckles will most likely contact your cutting surface in use. Initially I was mindful of this, but after 3 months use, the feel is natural and balanced for me. There is no thickened butt on the blade, which I prefer, as it lets you sharpen the full length of the blade properly if need be and doesn’t get in the way.

The blade weight seems perfect, not light or heavy and has an excellent balance.

Over 3 months of daily use I have only had to refine the cutting edge with a sharpening steel every week or so. This may sound frequent, but it is only less than a minute on the steel and this retains an almost razor sharp edge. I have not needed to sharpen the blade on a stone and do not expect I will need to if maintained with the steel. Even if not sharpened on a steel, the cutting edge retains its sharpness very well - depending on your frequency of use and cutting surfaces.

Fantastic knife and reasonably priced. I would recommend IO Shen knives compared to knives 2 to 3 times it price, but I am aware that knives do retain a very personal preference, so if you can, try before you buy (or like me just try one blade first).