Kotobuki Japanese Kitchen Knife Set

I was a bit hesitant to buy these knives, because I've bought other knives with high reviews on Amazon only to be disappointed. But I'm very impressed with this set. Out of the box these knives cut better than my $150+ Wusthoff set. I can cut paper thin see-through slices with little effort. The handle is a bit rough and unfinished and I wish it was smooth, but I noticed just from the little bit of use I gave it that the natural oils from my hand were beginning to soften the handle. I assume that over time the handle will attain a natural smoothness and patina from use.Update Sept. 2015. These are still the best knives but they WILL rust at the slightest drop of water. Wipe them immediately after cutting and washing. You can remove it easily with Barkeepers Friend. Also treat the handle with some oil. I'm a Japanese knife convert due to these knives.

The symbols are flimsy clear stickers though, and when I finally took them off display(though the box is not good for this I decided it was not quality) and used them, they rusted in my dish drainer even though it was all that was in there, standing straight up in the plates section with no standing water. It rusts more each time and I use then wash right away. TrashThat's where it's going alright 👌

I bought these knives as my first Japanese style knife set. I like them for what they are.Please note the following points before you make your decision:1) The knives cost $15 each on average. This is not going to be as pretty as the $100 Shun2) this is carbon steel. It WILL rust if you let it rust. Wipe the knife dry after use.3) You probably already have a sharpening stone or two. If not, get them. Buy a diamond two side sharpener atleast (DMT or Smiths is good enough). The knives are sharper than knives I have seen in other people's kitchens, but a little TLC will keep it that way.4) the knife will NOT handle abuse. It will chip if you try to cut hard things. Use both knives just for vegetables. Look elsewhere for cutting meat with bones.5) although they are japanese shaped, these are DOUBLE BEVELED. (I wanted to try my hand at a single beveled knife :-( maybe some other day )So do they belong in your kitchen? If you are willing to care for them a bit, sure. Great value for the price!

Right now this is just my first impression, but these seem great. The knives are very light and well balanced. They come Very sharp out of the box, with a near razor edge (they will take the hair off your arm, but there is a bit of resistance.) It has a nice pitched ring when the blade is tapped, so they seem to have a good carbon content and well hardened and tempered blades. I will point out, these blades have a very steep angle to the edge, so they are best resharpened with a high grit whet stone (1,000-6,000) instead of with a normal kitchen sharpener, as those do not sharpen at the right angle for this type of blade.I would like to add that when i give these a 5 star rating, it is not because i think they are perfect or without issue, just that for the money, they feel worth every cent. I have not found knives for $15 each that were this quality before.

The media could not be loaded. These ARE NOT carbon steel. They will rust however. They appear to be made of very cheap stamped steel with a low nickel content ( This does not mean high carbon, think of it more as cheap industrial steel). You can bend these knives in half with little effort. They will stain, they will not hold and edge for very long and the handles are made of somthing akin to balsa wood. I purchased these along with a King brand Whetstone and will keep them solely for the purpose of practice. If you're just looking for a good kitchen knife may I suggest KUMA ( Chef knife) or the lesser known UPDATE INTERNATIONAL series ( A budget friendly option to the Wagner series) I think you would be happier with them. Otherwise these " Japanese" knives make a very nice decretive piece but nothing more.

These knives rust after just two weeks!! look great and are sharp but poor quality metal used!

These are totally awesome knives at an unbelievable price. High carbon Japanese steel is the best blade!!!They do need care as they stain easily (as do all high carbon knives). Need to be rinsed n dried immediately, oiled lightly. Even 10 minutes in contact with water and rust spots appear.They are wonderful knives nevertheless.

After one use, a wash and a dry, this knife was set down on the drying rack (already dry) and was completely rusted by the next morning. It is cheaply made. Even though it looks like a wood (to look like bone) handle with the characters burned in, the handle is really plastic, and the characters are a sticker which would probably peel off if the knife itself made it past one hand-wash. I returned this item immediately. Thankfully the seller took it back for a full refund with no issues.