EnsoEnso SG2 Prep Knife - Made in Japan - 101 Layer Stainless Damascus Utility Knife, 5.5"

Having a fairly small kitchen, this knife is a sort of a default choice. I have both the vg10 version and this one. This one is the winner, but I use them both. If I need more, I have some bunka knives. But many days I get by with this one and a paring knife.

I have a collection of beautiful kitchen knives: Miyabi, Shun, Yaxell, Misano, Wusthuf, etc. Enso is of course made by Yaxell. It is my first Enso. This is a gorgeous knife. Beautiful to look at. Superb attention to detail. Light weight and perfectly balanced. And VERY, VERY, VERY sharp...

I'm extremely disappointed in the edge retention of this knife. I've only used it maybe 6 times over a couple months on a cutting board that's softer than hardwood, and the incredible sharpness it had when it was new is gone. I thought with a hardness of 63, it would stay sharp for a year or longer. It was amazing at first, but now it's no different than a Wusthof.

This is the third ENSO knife we have purchased. This one was a Christmas gift for my husband and he COULD NOT BE MORE PLEASED WITH IT! So we now have the 10", 8" and now this 5.5" - I was surprised it looks bigger in person. I think the 5.5" does not include the handle. Highly recommend and well worth the money.

I like the size of this blade ... it is very sharp and convenient for cooking. But as for me the 7/8 "handle is too small, at least 1 inch this size is better in the hand.

I was a little hesitant to spend this much on a “prep” or utility knife, but I’m glad I did. Excellent blade, super comfortable, stays sharp. The handle is fantastic, the fit and finish is what you’d expect from Yaxell — perfect. I can not recommend this enough, and has replaced my peeler + utility knife + veg knife.

It’s a beautiful knife and a unique size which is really comfortable to use.Unfortunately, after a couple of years, I found several small burrs on its edge. None of my other knives have them, so it’s not me. I was of course very disappointed because I hoped this would be a life long purchase.

I absolutely love this knife. Very sharp, very hard, nicely polished. The size and shape of the blade makes it nimble and versatile. This knife alone makes me want to cook more.The only ding I would give it is that the handle is a little small for my hand. A larger width handle might make it less nimble though.