J
James D Whitby
January 13, 2026
Outstanding Japanese knives
About a week or two before I ordered these knives I stumbled upon a fascinating video, either on a national TV program or perhaps online, about the centuries old art and craft of Japanese sword and knife making. I was fascinated for a few reasons. First I am a nerd about this kind of old world craftsman skills while I am also getting into cooking post retirement and want to know as much as I can about how the tools of the trade have been made, where and when and what can/does a home amateur need to produce good food for family and friends. I also had a father who owned a smallish steel fabrication company in the agricultural market while I spent a good chunk of my career in a steel based manufacturing company. It was a fascinating TV program and I marveled at how a raw piece of steel was forged, pretty much the same way for hundreds if not thousands of years. I knew this set of Made In knives were potentially overkill for our kitchen and my developing skill set, but it was motivation the push the learning curve, enjoy the process and the outcomes.So far the knives have seen limited use. When I opened the package I felt the need to go back to the net, search out some more video and history before I could begin to use the knives. The amazing quality of these knives, notwithstanding the price point, was much greater than I had been using. My wife who has always done more of the cooking in the family until I retired. Sure I did the outdoor grilling and carved in the kitchen and on the family table on holidays, but it was almost an afterthought. I didn’t really pay attention to knives, let alone sharpening. This was going to be a challenge so I was going to learn about these Japanese knives and do this right.I have acquired what I thought were some pretty good knives made in France, Germany and of course from China. I have a number of sharpening tools from good MADE IN honing rods to some other devices, but nothing special. I realize I need to get a good set of whetstones and learn to use them if I was going to use these Japanese knives right from day one. So while my wife seems to only want to use the knives we have had for years and recently she is not interested, at least right now, in using this new set. So, I am going to use these knives, which so far have been amazing, for myself, cherish them, and likely pass them along to my son or daughter when I am no longer standing at the cutting board preparing a meal or serving out of the oven.In the mean time I say highly recommended. I long ago gave up golf and all of the high end clubs and accessories, have given up the Japanese and European sports sedans and coupes. I guy needs a passion, so here is finish the through line from my father’s company, my career and connect in a very small way to the craftsman of Japan.
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Samurai sword-like sharpness and precision in your kitchen
There are certain kinds of products I've learned over the years that it's worth extra for to get the very top quality in the world. Among the top of this list are kitchen knives. I used to think that sharp knives were the most dangerous, but the reality is that it's dull and cheaply made knives that cause more injuries—dull knives require more force, slip easily, and cause you to develop poor cutting technique. If your kitchen knife can't cleanly slice through a tomato skin, you need to get a new one.Something else I've found over the years is that there is absolutely no substitute for genuine knives made in Germany or Japan. You might find knives that look the same that are mass produced cheaply elsewhere, but knives aren't just sharpened metal; there's true art and craftsmanship that go into making them, and of course the quality of the steel matters as well.My go-to brand for knives has been Shun and Wusthof, but after seeing these Made In definitely is going to the top of my consideration set. If you've never heard of Made In, they're an American company that has a background in the restaurant supply industry and now is dedicated to providing professional chef-quality kitchen supplies to ordinary people. As the name implies, they'll literally go around the world to source the best manufacturers for every single product they sell—I have ceramic pans that are made in the USA and a set of non-stick pans made in Italy, and both have outlasted more well-known brands that clearly care less about the quality of their products and more about how to find the lowest bidder to provide the minimum necessarily quality for consumers.These knives are forged in Seki, Japan (called Japan's "City of Blades"). The word "forged" is an important one to note. Many knife brands (sadly, including iconic brands like Wusthof) sell "stamped" knives that are cut out of a flat sheet of steel. Forged knives are made from a single solid bar of steel that's heated and shaped into the blade. The result is a knife that has good heft, balance, and a solid feel. Seki's blade tradition dates back 800 years to the Kamakura period when the city was filled with sword makers. These knives are very much reminiscent of those traditional aesthetics and techniques. When I was testing the knives out I accidentally brushed one against another and heard the distinctive clanging sound you hear in movies during samurai sword fights.The craftmanship on these knives is exquisite. The blades are the sharpest I've seen on a knife and retain their edge though multiple uses (be sure to hone the edge regularly to keep their sharp edge). The handles are made of POM (Polyoxymethylene), a thermoplastic that's hygienic and easy to clean while providing a comfortable, secure grip. I still prefer wood handles, but they did a nice job of making the POM feel comfortable, balanced, and solid. They're also aesthetically beautiful, providing a sleek black contrast to the silver steel.The set comes with three of the most essential knives for your kitchen.The Gyuto knife (the long chef's knife) is a useful all-purpose knife for slicing meat, fish, and vegetables. It's versatile and has a pointed tip for detail work.The Nakiri knife (the rectanglar one) is use for vegetable prep only. It's designed for efficient, straight-down cuts through vegetables like onions, cabbage, carrots, and herbs.The Santoku knife (the shorter one) is the one I use the most for everyday cookiing. It's compact and convenient for chopping, slicing, and mincing.Needless to say, they chop and slice like a dream. My go-to application for testing knives is to try to cut an apple or a potato as paper thin as I can. As you can see from my photo, the Gyuto handled that task like a champ. I always felt in control of the knife, and the blade slided through the hard apple like butter.The care instructions say to hand-wash only, and I'd agree vociferously with this. Not only will high temperatures compromise the POM handle, you don't want the blades to be knocking into other things. You'll want to always store the blades in the sheaths they come in (which are made of plastic and so will last much longer than traditional cardboard-based sheaths) or a high quality knife block or a magnetic wall strip. If you'll be investing this much into knives I'd also suggest splurging for Made In's butcher's block—a cutting board that'll be much nicer on your knives than marble, metal, or plastic surfaces.Yes, the price does seem to put this out of reach for most ordinary cooks. But when you consider the improvement to the quality of your cooking experiene, and that these will last you a lifetime with proper care, honing, cleaning, and (as needed every couple of years) professional sharpening, the value for the money far exceeds buying low quality "disposable" knives every few years from cheap manufacturers and dealing with the frustration and risk of dull knives.
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D
Dream Machine
January 07, 2026
This is how knives are supposed to be
If I could give these knives 10 stars, I would. They are so nice! They are extremely sharp out of the box and come with some low-profile protective sleeves. They are easy to store away. I keep mine in a knife box so I'm the only one allowed to use them.As you can see in the photos, the quality is top-tier and the blades are beautiful. These are by far the nicest knives I've ever owned and they don't disappoint. They glide through everything like butter. I was shocked when I laid a potato down on the cutting board and was able to just pull the knife right through it. Literally no pressure needed. It's the same with tomatoes as well. Truly a wonderful cooking experience. I actually look forward to using these knives every night. The good thing is that I have passed up on eating fast food just so I can cook a good meal using these knives.Overall, if you are looking for some good knives that will last a lifetime, then look no further. This set is all you will ever need. Truly. So many times I have bought the whole knife set and block and been disappointed. It wasn't until I ventured into the world of buying individual knives that I found what it's supposed to be like to love cooking. If these are in your budget and you are on the fence, then just go for it. You will be very happy with your purchase.
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