Paring Knife

Sliced a tomato and onion without pressure. Now looking for the whole knife set.

this knife is very sharp. I make sure not to put it through the dishwasher so it doesn't get dull.

For those of you that are knowledgeable about knives, know that VG-10 is one tough steel. It is hard to sharpen well, because it is so tough; BUT once sharp it stays sharp for some time longer than you might expect. Coating the hard steel with patterned steel (also called Damascus) is designed to protect the VG-10 from unintended abuse. It is a tradition in Japan to do it this way, as for generations. It has protected both the Samurai's and the kitchen chef's tools from serious abuse.>.. Since this knife is made in China, there is some speculation that the patterned steel outer metal is just 'carved' on the knife with lasers. I am not skilled enough to refute that claim, but the argument went on to say who is going to make patterned steel in such a small amount.?>.. To them I say, I believe the patterned steel is true. As it is exported in large quantities from various steel mills around the world. For instance, I could see tons of it in smallish billets shipped out of Germany or Japan daily to go to knife makers where it is needed. Ditto the VG-10. Some work getting the blade in shape, the patterned steel welded onto the VG-10, and hey-presto 10,000 or more knives made in a month.>.. It's long past the time that individual artisans make cooking knives except for the very high end blades, or individual knife smiths making a good blade for their own or a friend's kitchen. There's no economy for a knife smith to compete with the good inexpensive kitchen blades. Custom blades, yes; regular knives, no.

This knife is handsome and the steel holds an excellent edge. It is heavier than some, and in a small knife that is a virtue.

First impression: wow! I am no stranger to nice knives. A bit of a nerd, I am, and my EDC is the Benchmade 940-1, and I have gotten my son into cutlery as well (his EDC is a Civivi Elementum in Damascus and carbon fiber, a gift from me), if that means anything to you. I decided to replace my old Henkels paring knife and bought this Xinzuo paring knife and unboxed it with my son. We were both really impressed. I expected the factory edge to be less sharp, based on a few reviews, but no, it needs no stropping or refinement. This is a beefy, heavy little blade, and the G-10 is subtlely beautiful and very ergonomic. For the money, this is outstanding, and I will certainly buy more from this line of knives! This is a Chinese product, but so is that absolute miracle of a product you're likely reading this very review on, whether you're an iPhone user or an android user. This isn't the best Damascus blade I own, but it is still quite nice, and there is no noticeable cost-cutting quality issues of any kind here, just an excellent addition to my collection and I look forward to using it daily.