Dexter Traditional S5198 8" x 3-1/4" Chinese Chefs Knife with Wooden Handle

Received as described..

I purchased this to replace the 70-year-old Hong Kong-made Dexter chef's knife I inherited 15 years ago. It is not stainless steel, but it holds a very sharp edge. It required special care to prevent rusting, having to dry in immediately after washing. Thinking that more is better, I ordered and tested a knife with 4-inch wide with 3/32" thick blade. I didn't like it because it was too heavy and the extra blade thickness slowed slicing juicy or sugary vegetables, like tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, etc. This knife, out of the box felt better than the 4-inch wide bladed knife, but not as good as the knife I was replacing. Its 1/16" thick blade is very sharp, and its high carbon content should make it easy to sharpen when that time eventually arrives. For me, out of the box. it rates 4 stars. After my modifications, I give it 5. My modifications involved two things. First, because the proper and most comfortable and eficient way to hold and use Chinese chef's knives is by holding them with thumb and index finger at the back of the blade, letting the handle rest in the center of your palm, the back of the top edge was rubbing my index finger, threatening to form calluses. I rectified this by filing the sharp top edges for the first 1.5 inches (almost 4 cm) next to the handle, rounding the edges. This made it comfortable to hold for long sessions of cutting and chopping vegetables and meat. The rounded edges don't rub against my finger. Next, to reduce weight, I used a small rotary tool with 1.5 inch grinding wheel to cut off a half inch from the end of the blade. This took 3 minutes, followed by another 5 minutes of smoothing with file and sandpaper. This reduced the weight to nearly my original, old knife. At this point the knife felt good enough to rate 5 stars.

Shape and feels good in the hand.

it cuts things

Pointe du couteau tordu à la livraison, lame déformé

I happily use this knife for each and every meal preparation.