Fantastic knives and a responsive and good company
I already had the Cangshan Kita series large set of knives, but there were only 4 steak knives included with it. We needed more and these are another gorgeous set of Cangshan knives. They're balanced so that it feels good to hold them in my hand. They're extremely sharp. They won't fit into my existing knife block but come in a beautiful blue-stained wood, velvet-lined knife box. These will be stored in the side cabinet till needed. All around, these knives are something special. But... when I looked at them, every one of them had the same "fold and hammered" pattern, not what I'd expected to see in a Damascus steel set of knives. I expected unique patterns on each knife. So I emailed the company, asking for an explanation.Cangshan gets 5 full stars for how incredibly responsive they were. I got a very informative explanation of how companies who produce blades in quantity buy and use the "semi-Damascus" steel that they purchase to make their knives. It made so much sense and gave me a huge measure of comfort to know both what these knives are made of and how they're made. Per their response to my question, steel suppliers produce layered steel that you could argue is “semi-Damascus” because it is not folded. Rather very thin sheets of steel are sandwiched together. There are 66 layers of high grade stainless steel (33 per side) and a higher carbon inner steel core that will hold an edge much longer, maintain a sharper edge out of the gate and is somewhat easy to restore, hone and maintain. The consistency of layers looking identical is a direct reflection of the precision of the raw material arriving in its perfectly layered state and their ability at the factory to put a precise grind down the spine to the edge and from the heel (bolster) to the tip in a manner that appears as exacting layers. My question was more than simply answered, I got a little bit of an education, satisfying the science geek in me.The bottom line is that these knives are extremely well made, will impress even if you only purchase the set of four, but make a major impact if you combine them with the full set from the Kita series. (shown in the photo) They are an investment, given the price, but like any good investment they have held their value. My father has owned his Cangshan knife set for about a year, uses the pieces daily, and they're still holding their edge and look like new. These knives, and this company, are worth every penny.