I have tested this out for one meal, at first glance it looked very quality. The sharpness is excellent and the handle is very ergonomic and fits well in hand. I would have liked to have the knife be overall a little bit heavier but the balance of it is great. Being a Japanese knife I expected the metal to be a little harder, however, I have not had any problems with it (perhaps it is better the way it is). I got it from a retailer and the packaging did not seem to match the quality of the knife, for a knife at this price, the knife could have been packaged nicer.