Customer Reviews

Pure Komachi by Kai 8-Inch Stainless-Steel Bread Knife

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have made bread for years, long before the bread machines. I've used all kinds of knives-even electric. This is the first knife that really does a perfect job on fresh homemade bread. The only knife I have ever owned that slices bread clean.

I don't own a single knife under $60 (until now) and many over $100 - I had a "well, it's chaep, how bad can it be" attitude... but didn't want to spend over $100 for a bread knife that I would use only occassionally. So, I tried this guy, and I LOVE IT! The quality of this knife is excellent - It is a perfect bread knife. If they end up making one with a longer blade, I would buy that one too.

Cuts bread, bagels, and buns with little effort, and a smooooooth cut. Very happy.

I'll preface this review by stating that I'm a chef with 20+ years spent working in pro kitchens; on top of that I'm a knife nerd. The bulk of my collection is comprised of much more expensive pieces, mostly Japanese. And even though I've got several other bread knives (including a $200 Shun Elite in SG2) this is the one I always have in my working knife case. It shares the same reverse-scallop serration common to Shun and Mac knives, and this pattern is far superior to the old-school German pattern you're probably used to. The Komachi will cut bread like a lightsaber without tearing and creating few crumbs. And unlike the old-school Germans this pattern is easily resharpened.

To address a couple of other reviews, I've had no problem with the finish flaking off. I suppose with a $20 product Q/C isn't perfect and maybe a few bad ones slipped thru, but I've used mine in a professional kitchen (and passed it around the restaurant) for well over a year with very minimal loss of finish. If it did begin to flake I'd probably just use steel wool or sandpaper and take all the finish off- it's stainless, it doesn't really need it. And my experiences with its edge retention are far better- I find I only need to touch the edge up every month or two, and that's in a pro kitchen cutting more bread in a day that a home cook does in 3 months.

I deliberated for awhile on how many stars to assign: does 5 stars out of 5 mean it's as good or better than a Mac or a Shun Elite? Hardly. I took the price into account. I can think of no bread knife as good for less than 3 times the price (and that would be the Mac). For $20 the only thing I could possibly improve upon would be the length- I wish it was 10" or 11".

One last thing- this one has been replaced by the Pure Komachi 2. I haven't seen one in person yet; it looks very similar, but just in case I plan to buy a couple more of the original model.

That's what I'd give it if I could.

I've avoided serrated knives in the past because I sharpen my own knives and have had no problem with bread, tomatoes or anything else that came my way.

Last week, however, I bought a loaf of French bread from a new bakery, and the crust on this was a chewy-stretchy, semi-soft-rather-than-crisp-but-still-tough and my knives just didn't cut it.

I tried two different types of bread knives - a Henckels with wide-spaced teeth, and an older one with closely spaced, fine teeth. Both generated tons of crumbs as they sawed through the loaf rather than cutting. (The Henckels was worst by far, with the Rogers providing a smoother, cleaner cut.)

The Komachi arrived today and even though it is serrated, too, it cut like a laser - totally, incredibly awesome.

I'm getting two more for my kids.

I have looked for years to replace a "favorite knife" that I had 20 years ago. I found this company and bought each knife Komachi makes, I've already sent a set for a gift. Fabulous!

We bake most of our bread, sometimes soft crusts sometimes hard, and need a bread knife that cuts through both (without squishing the bread). This knife does a great job; the only drawback is that it's a little short for big round loaves. But you can work around that. We've had it a month or so and don't know how long it will hold up (we use it only for bread), but even if it's only a year, at this price we can get a new one.

Received the knife for Christmas 2008. The colors on these knives make them easy to find when go to grab them from your knife block. It's the best serrated knife I have and have ever had. It does more than bread. Very light and easy to use. . . .. Buy one and you won't look back. The price is certainly right.

This knife does what it's supposed to do: cut through fresh baked bread or bagels with ease and little crumbing. Solves one of life's little chores as designed. Highly recommended.

Great bread knife! I finally replaced the long sereated bread knife my mother gave me 40 years ago. The fancy kitchen store clerk let me buy this one, after I told her I would not pay over $40. This is a wonderful tool. I wish I'd bought it years ago, and I may use it for the next 40 years.