ZWILLING J.A. Henckels 34891-163 Chef's Knife

I am a retired professional chef of 38 years in restaurant business. I have many blades which may add some weight to this review. Simply, this Damascus 10 inch Kramer by Zwilling is my all time favorite blade. I have an extra large mitt and this blade fits perfectly. I also have its cousin the Kramer by Zwilling 10 inch Straight Carbon. After seeing reviews between both blades which give the Carbon the upper hand I must say I disagree. I find the Carbon to slice better but I feel the Damascus chops and rocks with style. The Damascus feels as if it is part of my hand like my Marks from Brazil did. And it's a sexy looking beast. It arrived dangerously sharp. And plowed through 24 bell peppers in a few minutes. The blade is stiff and has more weight towards handle. It is slightly lighter then the Carbon. It does not need the upkeep of Straight Carbon so if you don't completely dry it, it won't rust. Buy this Damascus blade and you will ask yourself why you waited. Yes it's costly but it sure is fun! (There are many videos and reviews pertaining to this knife should you require detailed metallurgy information.)

This is the most perfectly balanced blade I have ever touched. When gripped, it feels comfortable, sturdy, secure, and as if it is an extension of my arm. It's easy to hone, retains its edge well, and slices through ingredients as easily as the surrounding air with proper technique. Before purchasing this blade, I was using an 8" forged German blade and at 6'1" with gorilla arms, I can appreciate the extra 2". The weight is perfect; heavy enough to let gravity assist with slicing yet light enough to flip around like a wushu broadsword (don't recommend trying this at home). The pattern is simply stunning. Knowing the process of forging such a blade, it brings to surface a desire to make food worthy of the blade that cut it. It's been really fun elevating our home kitchen experience using this knife, and be careful, it's addicting! We soon bought the entire set of Kramer Euroline Damascus knives. His and hers chef's knives (10"/8") work perfectly for my wife and I. I know blades and am rapidly learning food; I appreciate the opportunity to learn more about Bob Kramer and can now only imagine what one of his handcrafted blades must feel like. If you appreciate fine craftsmanship, love to work with articles of beauty, and want your technique flaws to be pointed out by the perfection of the tool you are using such that you can perfect them, this knife is for you. Unless something goes seriously wrong, this is the last chef's knife (and set) I will ever purchase.

The tip was not finished properly. Shameful to try to sell it on Amazon to someone. To mess up a Kramer and instead of fixing it they try to pawn it off as “good enough” when it’s a Kramer it demands perfection from its material, not the beginning finishing mistakes Krammer would never make. To add insult to injury they try to charge for shipping and restock. Do not buy here. It could be a beautiful knife if they knew what they are doing.

some people report scratches when in reality its the pattern creating sort of an illusion, took me a few minutes to realize that after studying the knife for a few minutes, The knife overall is astounding in quality and feel, I struggle to find any issues with it at all, the sharpness is unmatched in anyway, out of its box its a 10 inch razor blade, edge polished to mind boggling perfection that is almost hard to believe.I was hesitant at the price when I ordered it, thinking i would return it almost immediately sure I would find issues with it vs that price tag, don't hesitate! I would NEVER sell this or return it its going to be a family heirloom its THAT GOOD !going to purchase more of this line for certain !

I took off a star because out of the box the knife was sharp, but not as sharp as it should have been. I spent 10 minutes with a whetstone and made no progress, so I had it professionally sharpened and now it's the best knife I have ever had. I can feel the hardness in the cutting board which might be an indication of brittleness, but I haven't had any problems in the eight months I've owned it. Very well balanced and the handle is comfortable; it seems like an extension of my hand. It has the hardness and edge retention of carbon steel without the maintenance because of the Damascus outer layers.

Product is fine, but for 480$ should be perfect. Works well and is sharp. Might return.

It’s awesome. Light. Balance is great.

Great feel in you hand. Excellent Ballance. Super sharp and great durable handles.

I have the Carbon Steel series of these Kramers.. this Damascus is spectacular - darker in colour than expected (could be just mine).Cutting is like using a laser beam. Pure control and comfort - just perfection.I work full time in a high volume kitchen and barely have to sharpen this masterpiece.NB: it does / can scratch against the Damascus pattern if using a steel / honing, etc. - be careful..Sharpening this knife is the by far, the least effort and time of any knife I've sharpened, including via wet stones.As commented above, this steel is quite 'grippy' when cutting, so I will confirm that experience.

Very nice knife, well constructed and aesthetically pleasing. The details are appreciated in the rounded spine for a working knife. The only note is the SG2 steel is a bit "grabbier" than stainless or high carbon so you do notice it when chopping.

Arrived sharp and with a Damascus pleasing design.

I couldn’t wait to get this knife after all the research I did on it. Amazon was great as always. Opened the box and it was truly beautiful…admired it for a bit. Picked it up and held it for about 3 seconds and decided to return. The rivets were sharp and protruding from the handle material and the handle material did not line up with the bolster which was sharp as well. I have cheap knives plus, Wusthof, Shun, and a set of Miyabi birch woods and the cheapest knife in my house was more comfortable. This knife was definitely missed by quality control before it left the factory. Blade was sharp out of box but not as sharp as any of my Miyabi’s.