Calphalon Katana Stainless-Steel 8-Inch Chef's Knife

 (13 customer reviews)

Since I was planning to spend a few days in a commercial kitchen, and my 6" Henckels knives are both embarrassingly small for serious work and embarrassingly dull because I'm too lame to sharpen them, I decided to grab the 8" chef's knife (at Bed, Bath & Beyond, with a 20% off coupon.)

It worked extremely well for all the tasks I set it to today, including mincing parsley and chiffonading mint as well as the usual cutting tasks. Despite its shallow curve (I strongly prefer knives whose edges are mostly straight, rather than the curved French style) the blade rocked very well for mincing, and was flat enough to cut completely through the rolled mint leaves in one short stroke. Furthermore, the sharpness impressed the other people who used it, though we shall have to see if it can be REsharpened to the same degree.

The handle design is clearly not for everyone, but I found it very comfortable when I held the knife as many cooks do, with the back end of the blade...Read more

I am not a professional chef but am a foodie who loves to cook. My wife noticed the way I ogle the fine knives when we are out shopping and so decided to surprise me with this knife for Christmas. I have used it several times in the last few days and my initial impression is "what a great knife"!
Specifically, here is what I like about it:

1. The edge - expertly sharpened right out of the package. It cuts cleanly and easily. The core in made of VG-1 steel. VG-1 is high carbon steel which should take a very nice edge when resharpening is needed.
2. The Damascus style stainless steel layers provides a degree of rust and stain protection and has great eye appeal.
3. The handles integrate with the blade without the use of rivets or other fasteners. I have fairly large hands and the shape of the handles are very comfortable for me.
4. The wedge shaped bolster, integral to the blade, is fantastic for people like me who mainly use a pinch grip on the...Read more

i've had my 8" katana for about 4 years now, and i'm just as much in love with it as the day i bought it. like others have mentioned, it's amazingly sharp right out of the package, and i can confirm that a few swipes with a steel bring it right back up to speed years later. beyond keeping it out of the dishwasher and only using wood cutting boards, i certainly don't baby my knives - i generally forget to wash it and put it up right away, things dry on it, etc. still, it cleans up and sharpens up with no problem. the unique handle shape (wider at the butt, narrower at the bolster) means it's comfortable for either a standard handle-grip or for the "chefs grip" where the knife is pinched between the thumb and forefinger right at the back of the blade in front of the bolster. unfortunately, this handle shape also means it might not fit quite right in a standard knife block (it does in mine, but it doesn't in a friend's).

my best advice: go to the store and pick one up in...Read more