MisonoUX10 Gyutou 9.4" (24cm) - Right

I bet you never thought that cutting a tomato could be a religious experience, did you? I sure didn't...until I got this knife. the 9.4" UX10 is the best all purpose knife I've ever owned.The Good:- The Factory edge is spectacular. I'm not master with a whetstone, but it's as good or better than a hand polished edge.- The Asymmetric bevel aids food release a bit but without the tendency to pull like a full one-sided blade- OMG the balance. This knife is so wonderfully balanced. Holding it is a dream. I opted for the 9.4" model since I have large cutting boards and tend to work with larger cuts of meat. The weight ever-so-slightly biases towards the blade making rocking chopping easy and smooth. I suspect the 8" would be slightly more handle biased with it's weight, but that's purely speculation.- Ergonomics. I have slightly smaller and slightly stronger hands than the average cook. The nickel bolster fits perfectly in my hand with a blade grip for detail work and the handle is easy to hold with a handle-grip for heavier chopping.- Edge retention. Comes sharp. Stays Sharp. I've been using and abusing this for the past few months. A few gentle passes over a ceramic rod each day, and I have yet to have needed to pull out my whetstones. Slides through tomatoes, slices delicate herbs without bruising, glides through meat and fish.The Bad: (Not much!)- Fit In covers. Because of the design of the angled bolster, the knife tends to not fit in most traditional saya covers. In the base of a soft, magnolia cover, this is an easy fix with a coping saw and some sandpaper. Molded or leather covers might be more problematic. Given how awesome the ergonomics of the grip are however, this is a perfectly fine trade-off.- Exposed heel. This is typical of all Japanese knives, but exacerbated by how mind-numbingly sharp the UX10 is, the lack of a full bolster puts your fingers closer to the exposed heel of the blade. I've given myself a tiny little nick while adjusting to the new grip, but I'm also a hot mess in the kitchen. Personally, I'm still a fan of the design since I can easily sharpen the full blade.

Aesthetically beatiful, very good finishing, excellent performance, nice and aggressive profile, demon sharp edge, prestige steel, and prolonged edge retention. All what knife people like.

Pefectly balanced for a pinch grip, best feeling knife handle/bolster I've ever held. High quality blade and with the asymmetrical edge I get this thing scary sharp on my sharpening stones. Holds a edge extremely well with some basic ceramic honing rod lovin'.

I should have gone for the 27cm because this knife is great and very light you don't feel the size. The spine is a little sharp but it's not a rocking knife.Maintenance may be hard for those without whetstones etc

i like this knife

Knife came in extremely sharp and it handles similarly to my 8" inch knife even though it is bigger. I use it for everything from daily prep like fine dicing shallots to butchery. It felt amazingly comfortable in my hand and if I were to ever lose it or break it I'd buy another one in a heartbeat.

This is an ok knife. Edge retention is not the best, the factory edge is quite weak and it's also not the easiest to sharpen. You can find better performing knives at this price point.

I like the feel of the knife, but I think my Wusthoff is more comfortable. But I’ve been using my Wusthoff for over 20 yrs