Misono Molybdenum Steel Small Chinese Knife No. 661

Out of the box this was very sharp. Typical Japanese quality. Meaning very high quality. If you’re looking for gussied up Chinese overpriced cutlery, go buy Dalstrong or the many other brands out there claiming to have Japanese craftmanship and being sold at Japanese knife prices or beyond. The steel and wood handle are both qualities. Simple art. Is this cleaver fancy? No. But the fit and finish are excellent. Its function way outweighs any kind of pretty or marketing. I got this from Japan for 90 bucks. Took longer to get but it was worth the saving. I will be sharpening this up to about a 6000 or 8000 grit stone. I bought my son a 12000 grit Shapton but it arrived broken. Above a 6000-8000 grit stone is a little overkill but my son wants to try straight razors. I bought several cleavers this holiday season for others and this one I bought for me. If they like theirs and use them, next year, I might buy every one of my loved ones their own Misono cleaver. Chinese chef knives or cleavers if you will, are not meant for bones. Veggies and boneless proteins only. And once the technique is mastered, they excel at this task. Using good skills, you can learn off YouTube you will find these are fast. Manual food processors if you will. I love cooking asian but I use these types of knives daily. They are useful for scooping food up and transferring it to the pot or a plate. Smashing cloves of garlic and ginger as well. Very useful. Sorry I got so winded. Enjoy.