An absolutely amazing knife for the price
I use a lot of knives, blades, razors, saws, scrapers, and chisels, etc., in my daily life. I’ve read and researched the types of steal used in making American knives vs. Japanese knives. I’ve learned why ceramic knives and Ginsu were passing fads.I recently bought a “Silky” brand “Nata” and was very disappointed. I was equally disappointed with my “Gerber” hunting knife, my “Dovo” straight razor for shaving, the “Gotham Steel” products I’ve bought were all crap... the best thing in my kitchen has been the “Cuisinart” knife that was included in my knife block and that’s only because I sharpen it on my whetstone with nearly every use.All of that said, when the Kuma arrived, I almost returned it based on the cheap looking packaging alone. For the price, I decided to give it a try and it has been the only tool that has impressed me right out of the box. It cuts, peels, chops, and carves through everything I’ve put before it. It’s a joy to use, easy to clean, and, has needed no special attention.What impressed me most is how sharp it was right out of the package. It’s so sharp, I cautioned my wife when she picked it up for the first time. “It’s sharper than it looks.” I warned.“I’m a surgeon, cutting meat with sharp objects is, literally, what I do for a liv... okay, that is sharper than it looks.” She responded, interrupting herself.I hate writing reviewers, they take me so long and always seem longer than anyone will read, but the Kuma is worth reviewing and telling everyone about. It’s been great in every way and, no, they didn’t give me a free one, I wasn’t paid to write a review, I just really appreciate such a well made, versatile tool.
✔ Verified Purchase
J
Jimmy James
September 12, 2016
Amazing Knife For The Money... (hell, it would be an amazing knife at twice this price!)
When you train as a chef and own a restaurant, you become a bit of a knife snob. Even when you're at home and the restaurant work is done, you're a knife snob. I have some outrageously priced knives in my collection, but I'm always on the lookout for good knives for everyday use in the kitchen or to gift to family and friends (they kind of expect it).I was introduced to the Kuma chef's knife by a precious member of my family in Denmark, she had found a very mysterious and magical thing - a blend of Swedish steel and Japanese craftsmanship in a conventional western 50/50 blade.Until recently, my everyday knives were typically $100+ Wusthof blades. They're workhorses with heft, rather squared handles, and long bellies - a design that is the commercial standard for line-cooks everywhere from Applebee's to Michelin star gems run by culinary masters. I have, in recent years however, begun to gravitate toward slightly lighter and more precise tools. Lighter knives do less of the work for you and rely slightly more on your skill… and that’s what this new Kuma blade brings to the party.Like most knives in its class; the Kuma 8” chefs' knife is a stiff-spined, full tang, riveted handle, broad-faced, 50/50 ground, stainless steel, cutting board tool that aims to get the job done efficiently. The DNA of all great prep knives is plainly obvious.The Kuma knife breaks from the norm in a few key areas, however.1) It’s light, noticeably light. Weighing in at just 6.5oz, that's 20% lighter than most of my other 8” blades. This makes in-hand work easier, and allows me a bit more control and precision that I typically get from my heavier knives.2) The handle is tapered nicely from the center down to the blade-guard, instead of being square like many of my other knives. This bit of ergonomic detail makes the knife feel much more natural in the hand, and contributes to its weight loss.3) The spine is a bit narrower than my heavier knives, but not so much that it loses rigidity. It isn’t a fillet knife by any means, it’s just a teeny bit narrower than more crudely designed standard knives. It’s still quite stiff, but just pliable enough to make it a joy in butterfly work.4) The blade is clearly made of Swedish stainless steel, which will hold an edge nicely despite its brightness and tendency to oxidize. You don’t want to let it sit in the bottom of the sink for week, as it will show some surface oxidation that you’ll need to knock off with a scratch-pad.. but.. that shouldn’t be a detractor. I would invest a few dollars in a honing rod, and use it, to help hold the blade’s edge between sharpenings.5) The belly of the blade is short, covering only the first third of the edge. (The belly is the part of the blade that is curved and allows the knife to roll forward and back to give you that guillotine action when processing vegetables on the cutting board.) The short belly doesn’t make rocking the blade back and forth awkward at all, its actually very smooth, but it does give you a good deal more straight edge with which to perform other tasks.. which is actually a huge bonus.If I were going to fault this knife in any area, it would be the guard. The chin of the guard is a bit long (maybe half a millimeter), which is a really small thing to criticize. The first time you have the knife sharpened you’ll want to have the chin ground down a bit to ensure the throat of the blade can make contact with the board. Though, at this price, you could afford to simply replace the knives instead of having them retooled (which is incredible). Like I said, very small thing to criticize.. and doesn’t detract from my review of the knife at all.I am happy to say that two Kuma 8” chefs' knives have gone beyond simple testing in my kitchen and are now pulling full-time duty on my counter (one is always ready for raw meat and the other for vegetable and plating chores). At this cost, it’s almost impossible to not make the investment.Bottom line, this is a fantastic knife for the price. Don't buy one... buy two! ... or buy three and give one to a friend.
✔ Verified Purchase
Excellent knife for the price.
First of all, keep in mind this knife is going for $22.49. Go look in your local grocery store or department store and see what's available at that price point. You're not going to find anything nearly this nice. They will mostly be cheap stamped-steel blades with molded plastic handles.The knife is well-made and finished extremely well. It features a full tang and a generous bolster. There are no gaps between the handle scales and the steel. The handle is ergonomically shaped and very smooth, with no hint of a burr between the scales and steel. Its a fairly light knife, but the balance is excellent. You can put a finger just behind the bolster and the knife will rest there easily.This blade rings when you tap it with your finger. That indicates good heat-treatment. It's clearly not as hard as some of my (much) more expensive knives, but it doesn't give off a dull thud like a cheap, soft stamped-steel knife.I have read that the blade is stamped, but I've never seen a stamped blade with an integral bolster like this one. I have to think it is a forging. There are even some slight imperfections in the surfaces of the blade and bolster that are indicative of forging, not stamping.The grind and profile of the blade are very good, though not perfect. And I really don't want machine-made perfection, I like to know that a skilled craftsman had a hand in making the product.The blade was really sharp as delivered, with a few places along the edge that were rolled as if the knife made contact with other blades during the packaging process or somewhere along the line. It cut well enough out of the box, but a few strokes on a ceramic rod straightened the edge and it could cut newsprint.My only complaint is that the bolster extends beyond the edge of the blade at the heel by .5 to 1 mm. This leaves several millimeters of blade edge that don't cut. I'm no chef, and perhaps this is purposeful design, but I'm used to knives where the entire length of the blade will make contact with your cutting board.I would highly recommend this knife. At this price point, for daily use in a home kitchen, I can't see how you would go wrong.
✔ Verified Purchase
