MIYABIBirchwood SG2 Japanese Chef's Knife, 6-inch, Designed for Smaller Hands, Lighter Feel, Chef's Kitchen Knife, Karelian Birch Handle, 100-layer flower Damascus pattern, Handcrafted in Seki, Japan

To begin with I am not an expert on knives, particularly Japanese ones. All I know is that I tried the Misono UX-10 recommended by Cook's Illustrated a few years ago and I was hooked. So when it came time time for a birthday present I asked for another Japanese knife. I was going to get a second Misono but decided to do some research and find another brand just for variety. I settled on the Miyabi after reading the reviews of others here.First of all it is indeed gorgeous. And very sharp. But to me it does not quite perform as well and easily as the Misono. Full disclaimer, I only cook vegetarian so all my knife work is vegetables of every sort and lots of herbs. I have compared both knives extensively and the Misono is just a lot more nimble and quicker.The Miyabi is heavier although not overly so, but I do notice the difference. I am a woman with medium size hands and I would not recommend this knife to someone with small hands. The grip might be a bit challenging. Whereas the Misono is very easy to grip firmly and securely. Maybe also due to the more squareness of the handle versus the rounded one of the Miyabi.The lightness of the Misono also made cutting extremely fast. It felt like an extension of my hand whereas with the Miyabi I always was aware that I was holding a knife. Also if you look at my pictures the blade starts further down from the handle. This means that you can't grip as close if this is the kind of cutting that you like to do.The Misono stayed sharp seemingly indefinitely. If I thought it needed sharpening then I gave it to a professional to do. This is why I wanted another knife. I just did not want to be without the Misono even for a week!If I had to pick one I would actually chose the Misono but since I can have both I am very pleased with the Miyabi as a complement. It is just one gorgeous knife! FYI, once I got my first Japanese knife years ago I never touched my Wusthof and Henckels again. Why bother?

Hands down absolutely the best knife I have had in the past 15 years cooking professionally. Great weight, super sharp and well crafted.

Love this knife. My first high end Japanese knife. The highly polished Damascus blade and the birchwood handle are beautiful. Fit and finish of everything is faultless. I only marked down comfort a little because I wish the handle was larger. But the shape of the handle, the incredible wood, the perfect fit of the decorative pin and the handle to the blade, and the kanji on the metal end of the handle, are just great.it is a perfect prep knife. Destroys shallots, makes mincemeat of herbs. Super sharp out of the box, a few hits with the strop after each session maintains the edge so far.A superb product and I am thrilled with my choice.

I ordered a 7 inch Santoku, relieved a rocking Santoku with a criminally dull blade and a handle that is falling apart. I'm just beside myself, how does this happen? I have to assume this was a return item but how does a defective piece go out like this? It was even shrink wrapped, made to look straight from the factory. Hopefully Miyabi makes this right, otherwise they need to be written off for bad business practices.

Not as flexible as my Henckels filet knife, but just as maneuverable. The whole line holds an edge longer than the our Henckels or Wusthof's and the birch handle is reminiscent of using a cork handle or stacked leather grip found on some camp knives but more substantial and solid.For boning, It works it's way around a chicken pretty well and can cut through joints with minimal effort. The sharp edge almost makes up for the lack of flexibility.As a prep knife, it can't be beat. Great for tomato's or cubing potatoes, slicing up cheese bricks (better with hard, but still good with soft), preparing Ginger or Garlic. The shape has enough "chef knife" qualities to it that you can mince or chop small quantities, but is no replacement for a proper Chef knife.The knife is a joy to use and a pleasure to look at.

This is a much better than average knife.Pros:Blade narrows toward the tip.Wood handle is grippy when wetComparatively lightGood blade geometryComfortable in the handGood knuckle clearanceCons:Just a little bit thicker behind the edge than I would like to see.Average factory sharpening of edge

Bought as a gift, there really happy with the knife, works great.

This is by far the most beautiful knife I've ever owned I was hesitant at first to even use it because I didn't want to stain it. But it is extremely sharp; the cutting ability is superb. It's a pleasure to do prep work in the kitchen now. This is the second Miyabi knife that I own. The other one is a Morimoto 8" chef knife which has given me excellent performance over the last several years I've owned it. I expect this new knife to be of equal value in my kitchen.