I love to cook, and treat all my tools with a lot of respect. I use them a lot, and expect them to hold up. This knife is an excellent addition to my kitchen tools. As noted, it's not real Damascus steel. It's still very high quality steel that really holds an edge, and is very easy to sharpen to a razor's edge. The quality and finish are top-notch, and in terms of functionality, it's every bit as good as knives costing three or four times as much. Hard to go wrong with this product. I may even buy a few as gifts for my culinary-inclined friends.