Customer Reviews

Calphalon Katana Stainless-Steel 8-Inch Chef's Knife

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Since I was planning to spend a few days in a commercial kitchen, and my 6" Henckels knives are both embarrassingly small for serious work and embarrassingly dull because I'm too lame to sharpen them, I decided to grab the 8" chef's knife (at Bed, Bath & Beyond, with a 20% off coupon.)

It worked extremely well for all the tasks I set it to today, including mincing parsley and chiffonading mint as well as the usual cutting tasks. Despite its shallow curve (I strongly prefer knives whose edges are mostly straight, rather than the curved French style) the blade rocked very well for mincing, and was flat enough to cut completely through the rolled mint leaves in one short stroke. Furthermore, the sharpness impressed the other people who used it, though we shall have to see if it can be REsharpened to the same degree.

The handle design is clearly not for everyone, but I found it very comfortable when I held the knife as many cooks do, with the back end of the blade pinched between thumb and forefinger(s). In particular, most knife handles/bolsters seem to be designed for people who grip knives solely by their handles but the integrated bolster made it feel *right* to grip knife at the blade. The handle *seems* to be just the right weight to balance the blade, but I'll reserve judgment on whether it actually IS that well-balanced until I've spent more than a few hours using it.

I'm impressed enough with the 8" chef that I'm considering getting the block set, which includes the chef and a paring knife (I have no idea if the handle design will work well for that, though) as well as three other not-entirely-useless knives: 5.5" serrated, 6" utility, 5" santoku (which probably would have been great for the chiffonade.) I must admit a 6" chef is probably marginally more useful than a 6" utility, but it's nice to have at least one knife you're willing to hand to your less skilled friends. It also has a diamond hone, which will actually sharpen knives, not just align their edges (though I use a DMT diamond hone for sharpening.)

I find this assortment considerably more useful than many others, which include things like boning knives, carvers and bread knives--all of which are IMO far too specialized to include in a basic knife kit, especially for home cooks. The only shortcoming of the block set is the inclusion of laughably dubious kitchen scissors. I hope that Calphalon will see fit to add to the line at least a 10" chef, and a 9-10" santoku, but most of the funkily ergonomic (or just funky) knife lines I've looked at don't have those, alas.

I have no idea if I'll continue to like this knife as it enters daily use. I hope that Amazon will let me revise my rating later if it turns out to be overly optimistic, but based on this one afternoon's use (and since they force me to rate it) I'll give it five stars.

~ Kiran <entropy@io.com>

i've had my 8" katana for about 4 years now, and i'm just as much in love with it as the day i bought it. like others have mentioned, it's amazingly sharp right out of the package, and i can confirm that a few swipes with a steel bring it right back up to speed years later. beyond keeping it out of the dishwasher and only using wood cutting boards, i certainly don't baby my knives - i generally forget to wash it and put it up right away, things dry on it, etc. still, it cleans up and sharpens up with no problem. the unique handle shape (wider at the butt, narrower at the bolster) means it's comfortable for either a standard handle-grip or for the "chefs grip" where the knife is pinched between the thumb and forefinger right at the back of the blade in front of the bolster. unfortunately, this handle shape also means it might not fit quite right in a standard knife block (it does in mine, but it doesn't in a friend's).

my best advice: go to the store and pick one up in your hands! everyone has different fingers, and some knives will be more or less comfortable to you - get ones that work for your hand shape and grip style. personally, i hate most wustof & henckels knives for this very reason, since i find their squared-off cross-sections very uncomfortable. this one, though, feels great in the hand to me, and has served me well for quite some time.

This knife is AMAZING. Right out of the box it is super sharp! I originally started auditioning this line of knives with the 6" chef's knife and the paring knife. The 6" was great for the price, but I could tell I needed an 8" for bigger jobs, so I exchanged it for this one. Just last night I was slicing up some green peppers and tomatoes and the knife just falls through whatever you're cutting. I practically had to do no work because the knife did it all for me and just sliced through everything like it was butter. In addition to this knife and the paring knife, I have now also aquired the 7" santoku (which is so beautiful to look at that it may as well be a piece of art), the bread knife, and the serrated utility knife, so I have a nifty little rounded out set now. I'm planning to buy a magnetic strip for these so I can put them on the wall on display. Knives this beautiful must be seen, even if just by me and my husband. I have used Shun knives before, and I honestly don't see the difference between them and this line in how they perform one bit. For this price you can't beat it, and as a result you get a crazy sharp knife that makes your life a lot easier in the kitchen. And they're just plain pretty! I highly recommend.

I am no chef, just a granny who cooks huge meals regularly for a very large extended family. The knife was a gift over a year ago and I love it. It has become something of a workhorse for me and after all this time and use (almost daily) it has begun to lose just a little of it's edge. I also have very small hands(my eight year old grandsons hands are the same size as mine, which he finds amusing) and I don't have any problems handling the knife. This knife and an ancient, but very reliable faberware paring knife are practically the only knives I use. I cannot say about how a professional chef would view or rate this knife. I have a sneaking suspicion that our chopping and cutting techniques would be VERY different, but for the kind of cooking I do, this knife has been wonderful, and I would not hesitate to recommend it to others like myself.

I bought this to replace a damaged Eberhard Schaaf Goldhamster knife, thinking that the replacement would be "just OK". The Katana is fantastic! Super-sharp out of the box, nicely balanced, with a wide bolster to easy the pressure on my forefinger when I have to apply a lot of pressure. Looks good, if a bit "different" next to my collection of classic Schaaf knives. However, I'm probably going to buy more of these over time, so it'l look less strange.

The proof of the pudding will be how this knife performs in 20 years' time. I'll check back then with an update!

I've owned this knife now for over four years and it has consistently out performed every other knife that I've tried at my parent's house and many friends' houses. It looks just like it did when I purchased it, even though I use it nearly every night to prepare dinner for my three kids and other guests. Because it is a very high-grade carbon steel, it holds an incredibly sharp edge for at least a few weeks before it needs very mild sharpening (with a two step sharpening stone device) The key to keeping its sharp edge is cutting on a wood cutting board (I like bamboo) and simply using kitchen soap (Dawn or something similar) and water, with a quick towel dry immediately afterward. Because it isn't stainless steel, leaving water on it overnight might rust it, but I've never seen any rust on mine. On the plus side, because it isn't stainless steel, its edge is significantly sharper than it would be otherwise. (Putting a knife like this in a dishwasher is a good way to ruin it) Because I make a lot of stir-fries and soups, I enjoy the shape of this knife and its excellent balance. I can mince an onion or garlic far faster than anything you'd see on TV. It is great for cutting very thin slices of tomato or radishes for use in salads and making quick work of broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, and sweet potatoes. Even though it is not serrated, it also cuts through meat and poultry like they were nothing more than iceberg lettuce. I highly recommend this knife.

I am not a professional chef but am a foodie who loves to cook. My wife noticed the way I ogle the fine knives when we are out shopping and so decided to surprise me with this knife for Christmas. I have used it several times in the last few days and my initial impression is "what a great knife"!
Specifically, here is what I like about it:

1. The edge - expertly sharpened right out of the package. It cuts cleanly and easily. The core in made of VG-1 steel. VG-1 is high carbon steel which should take a very nice edge when resharpening is needed.
2. The Damascus style stainless steel layers provides a degree of rust and stain protection and has great eye appeal.
3. The handles integrate with the blade without the use of rivets or other fasteners. I have fairly large hands and the shape of the handles are very comfortable for me.
4. The wedge shaped bolster, integral to the blade, is fantastic for people like me who mainly use a pinch grip on the rear of the blade.
5. The knife has a good heft to it without being so heavy that it is tiresome to use.

I am rating this knife 4 stars instead of 5 simply because I have only been using it for a week and would want to use it for a while to confirm it is as good of a knife as I think it is.

This has happened twice to us with these knives. The first one, I sent back under warranty. The second time, I think I'll just stop using the knife. The thin inner layer is prone to cracking if the blade gets just the smallest chip. With other knives, you can sharpen these chips out, with the Katana, it forms a crack the goes all the way up to the layered cladding. I think the materials design, at least in the 8" Chef's knife, is lacking. We aren't cutting nails here, either. If you have one of these knives, be very careful not to allow it to bump up on anything else in the sink or dish drainer. In Calpalon's defense, we have several other kinves in this line and the 8" Chef's knife is the only one that exhibits this tendency.

Fantastic, it looks great and cuts even better. Nicely balanced for high speed cutting but works in amateur hands as well. The price is outstanding.

I bought this knife for my husband as an anniversary gift, and it is his new favorite knife. This knife is not only so sharp that it goes through meat, veggies, and anything else, but it is also absolutely gorgeous. The alternating metal textures in the blade are eye-catching. I did have trouble storing it though. I does not really fit in my knife block (the blade widens toward the handle). It would work well on a magnetic knife strip. Currently I have it in its box in a drawer (a shame because it is so attractive).