Sakai Takayuki Grand Chef Boning Knife, Japanese Hankotsu Style, 150mm / 5.9"

Hankotsu style boning knife. Strong and sturdy for cutting meat away from bones (like a standard western-style "boning knife" -- it's NOT for cutting through bones). Like the honesuki style boning knife, this is a thick blade and a pretty serious piece of metal! It's not like a Western (German) style flexible boning knife -- the blade is really thick and stiff, but the edge is still remarkably sharp, so the knife is tough, but still effective. An interesting and useful knife, and a style that seems to be gaining more traction among my professional chef customers. The handle is nice and beefy to allow for good leverage and control while boning, and the fit and finish are excellent, making this a great value for someone looking for a quality true Japanese-style boning knife with high quality steel. Made of hard and long lasting special alloy stainless steel from Uddeholm Sweden. Comes in a beautiful gift box. I'd recommend the fine ceramic hone (see below) for regular/daily maintenance of the edge. As with any knife, use the hone regularly and you'll keep the edge in good shape for a LONG time before you need to think about doing any serious "re-sharpening" or real grinding and refinishing of the edge. NOTE: This knife is sharpened in the traditional Japanese style, that is, almost entirely on the right side, which means it's not really suitable for left-handed use. And when you maintain it, you should concentrate your sharpening and honing efforts on the right side of the blade. Of course if you sharpen both sides you're free to change the edge to a more symmetrical bevel, or even to a left-handed bevel (this is also more easily accomplished quickly and easily if you have an electric knife sharpener with a coarse stage, or a coarse sharpening stone). Or you can bring it to a professional knife sharpening service (a GOOD one that you trust!) who can re-grind the edge however you'd like. A symmetrical right/left bevel (good for left or right hand use) in my opinion really won't diminish the performance much if you maintain it, so that's also a good option if you're left-handed or just want something easier to maintain.