Z Series 8-Inch Forged Chef Knife with Walnut Sheath, Forged German Steel, 62731

This is a very, very good knife. I bought mine years ago and it has been my go-to, first knife in my hand, since it arrived. The aesthetics are amazing and the weight, feel, and balance are just right for my hand. It will sharpen up to a razor edge and edge retention is excellent. I sharpen it to 14 degrees, and it will just fall through a tomato. When I wash it, I often get blue sponge specks in the sink from just running the sponge down the blade and catching the edge. I have some good knives, but this is my favorite.

The knife is extraordinarily well made, with a balance point just ahead of the joint between the handle and the blade. At a hardness of 60 on the Rockwell-C scale, it holds a sharp edge very well, even though the cutting surfaces are at an angle of 16° (making a *very* sharp edge possible). By comparison, my Sabatier chef's knife has an edge angle of 20° and I would estimate its hardness on the same scale to be around 40; it can't get quite as good an edge ash the Cangshan and it doesn't hold it as long. With this knife, which I have sharpened five times so far, I can cut pretty much any food with ease, even ripe tomatoes. Overall it is the best knife I have owned.