Comments: A sharp knife is a wonderful thing. A wonderful, sharp knife is almost beyond description.

This is a wonderful, sharp knife.

A few may scoff that this is made of high-carbon, no-stain German steel – but in Taiwan. We don’t care. It is forged, with a full tang. The balance is wonderful. The handle feels great (sensuous, even) in your hand (we can't believe we just said that). We don't know what paper-thin means (even though it's used constantly to refer to things cut in the kitchen), but you can cut thin, beautifully consistent slices with this knife. The indentations on each side of the blade work well to cut surface tension, so your slices don't stick as assiduously to the knife.

Is a Santoku better than a chef's knife? Clearly it is a matter of personal preference. A Santoku is still very trendy on these shores. Many of the more conservative will stick with chef's knives. A few brave souls will wield both.

Philosophical and political issues aside, this knife is as good as or better than any totally German knife we have.