Miyabi Birchwood SG2 5000MCD

Super fine – An awesome knife I don’t know how I used to work without it. Looks awesome and stays sharp for a long time. Recommended to everyone who cooks at home or commercially.

Miyabi Bitchwood 8 Inch Gyuto – I decided I needed to try out a modern 'Damascus' knife....so after looking at various cheap and cheerful (ahem - Chinese made) pseudo 'Damascus' chef knives ...I went and ordered a Miyabi Birchwood SG2 8 inch Gyuto. Wicked 9 degree grind angle plus probably the most beautiful Gyuto ever made...fabulous Damascus pattern and handle to die for. The fit and finish is simply outstanding - it is almost too nice to use...mirror polished blade, hammered surface, beautiful Damascas pattern, rounded spine and bolster edge (no sharp edges there).

Now the edge...while it didn't feel noticeably sharper than my Globals - its cutting performance is better - most things are effortless to cut! I'm willing to believe the 9 degree claim. The finish on the edge is mirror smooth.

The usability - the birchwood handle is amazing, profiled in a 'D' shape (optimized for right handers...not sure if left hand is available), and the balance is neutral. All in all, a pleasure to use.

Now this is a moderately light Japanese style knife, so the usual caveats apply - despite looking like it has a full tang, I suspect it would be unwise to abuse it like a heavy Western style chef knife (prying and smashing Jamie Oliver technique). The steel used (SG2) is amazingly hard (63 Rockwell) so will stay sharp for ages *but* may chip or blunt if abused to cut bones or frozen food etc (use a cleaver for that).

This is a fairly expensive knife - but the obvious level of care that has gone into making and finishing, plus the excellent performance justifies the price in my opinion.

Now there is conflicting information about whether the grind angle is really 9 degrees per side, and also whether you will ever need to sharpen the knife. While I'm not 100% sold on the 9 degrees - it certainly arrived very sharp (as sharp/or shaper as my Globals that are ground at 11 degrees). The never needing to sharpen is probably wrong - I needed to sharpen it this week, after a month of light work. This is not unreasonable - but clearly claims of how you will never need to sharpen these knives are misleading. On the positive front, it is very easy and pleasant to sharpen on my 6000 Naniwa water stone (less sliding resistance than the Globals). I used an 11 degree angle as I had guides for that. Seems just as sharp as factory.