I have the santoku pro chef and meat slicer so it was a no brainer to get this knife. The value is great, I figure it has cost me less than $.02 a day for the length of time I have had those knives. The main reason I got it is that my wife prefers a smaller knife in her hand, among other things, so I got it as a gift for her, but really was for me as well. It’s sharp out of the box and maintains an edge.