Shun Classic 7-3/4-Inch Chinese Chef's Knife

Trust me, I've tried cleavers, they are not a replacement for a real Chinese Chef knife. I've also used many of the Chinese Chef knives that you can pick up in many Chinatown shops and Asian specialty shops. (BTW, I'm from the largest Chinese community outside of Asia, so we are not lacking the "goods").

The Shun classic....is amazing. It is perfectly weighted, and the grip is fantastic. I can grip the knife with confidence even when wet or dealing with meats.

The blade is the sharpest I've used of _any_ Chinese Chef knife. The first time I used it, I was mystified why it took so much effort to cut (it was supposed to be sharp, wasn't it?). The reason was, I had already sliced through everything without noticing and was already pressing on the cutting board!

One problem is that it also cuts into my cutting board with relative ease. If I don't remove the blade straight up, I hear a sound which makes me think the thin edge is being knicked. However, so far, no real problem, the edge is still perfect.

I have still been a bit wary to use it to hack at bones, but I think that fear will go away. (When I say Chinese chef's use it for everything, I mean everything).

I don't care about a Damascus steel look, but I can attest that the surface has no problems with releasing food. Slides off easily.