Customer Reviews

Tom Douglas by Pinzon Kai 8-Inch Stainless-Steel Chef's Knife

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

(I give this knife 4.5 stars.)

I must admit that I'm fairly new to using knives that weren't bought in a department store demonstration because they "never need sharpening!!" However, the past few years I've been researching knives and their uses.

I found this knife to be very sharp out of the box...and in fact, cut my finger when washing it, so always be careful and use a RAG, and not your hand, when rinsing off a knife blade, boys and girls! :)

I did some comparison tests with this knife and a Vitorinox chef's knife of the same size, and the Vitronix is now in storage! I'm very impressed with this knife because of its nice-length, curved blade which lends to rocking when wanting to cut up veggies quickly and cleanly, and the nice blade width that allows one to cut straight through larger items. This knife is also on the heavy side, and the handle is WONDERFUL -- rubberized, ridged grip which makes it so less likely to slip when you're cutting (and I obviously need lots of help with safety!). I have a very small hand and short fingers, and this handle fits it very nicely.

This is more of the "fluff" area, but the box it came in had a very nice woodgrain look, and, especially because of the knife's quality, this would be a nice gift for someone for any occasion.

I'm sure the fancier knives out there have certain features that make them superior, more expensive, and more durable, but this knife is certainly an excellent one in my judgement, and I will be using it regularly in my home.

The product is a good Chef's knife however, it's not professional grade and could use some improvements.

The knife is dishwasher safe and the blade does not collect permanent water spots. If you leave it wet or wash it in the dishwasher the blade will retain it's clean looks. The overall balance of the knife is great and makes it easier to use with dry hands.

The biggest two draw backs are the sharpness of the blade and the handle grip pattern.

The knife was not as sharp as I had expected it to be. Based on owning other Tom Douglas items I expected it to be much better. The knife did well with celery, green peppers, and other semi-soft vegetables. However, on firmer vegetables such as onions, I had to force the blade through the vegetables.

The grip pattern should be changed to a rougher texture to help with the slickness. The handle was difficult to hold with wet hands and very difficult with slightly greasy hands that developed from deboning a chicken.

4 1/2 Stars. I have RA so holding anything can be difficult. This knife has a rubber grip, it's well balanced, not too heavy and it's very sharp. Chopping was easy, the knife didn't slip from my hand, it rocks easily, and my hand didn't get tired. I will keep this in mind when purchasing gifts for family. It would make a great wedding gift as well.
EDIT 5/18/10
I have now used this knife daily for months and am changing from 4 1/2 to 5 stars. I love this knife. It is easy to use, easy to grip, stays sharp and I tell everyone this is the knife and brand to stay with if you want to be pleased and stay pleased!
My new slogan is: Tom Douglas - Pinzon - enough said.

I used this knife for the very first time tonight. I am so pleased that it has a molded (rubberized) grip handle, which makes all the difference in the safe use of a knife. This is the only knife I own that has this feature. It is a very comfortable knife with which to work and the 8 inch size is perfect for me.

The knife has a precise, sharp cut and I was able to slice my vegetables very thin and evenly. The knife blade appears sturdy and well crafted. I have not yet tried this knife on meat, but will update this review shortly.

The instructions indicate that the knife is dishwasher safe, but in my experience, all of my good chopping knives are better off being hand washed.

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Update July 30, 2009
I used this knife to slice cooked pork tenderloin. I was very pleased with how thin I was able to slice the meat. I do not like thick cuts of meat on my plate and I could achieve the exact cut I wanted with this Chef's Knife.

This is my first quality kitchen knife. Now I want to throw all my others away. I don't see how any knife could be any sharper. Yes, I have nicked myself about 3 times already. The first thing I used it on was dicing new potatoes. It was really like cutting through butter.

I have long looked for a chef's knife which is made by a Japanese knife maker with the spec.s of a professional French chefs knife. Now thanks to Chef Tom Douglas I have one. I highly recommend this knife to any and everyone!

I fancy myself an accomplished home cook. I use this knife daily to prepare all sorts of meals for my family and friends. This chef knife makes chopping everything from fruits and vegetables to the carving of meats and fish a breeze. Sharpest knife that I have ever used and I have worked in proffessional kitchens and used all sorts of kitchen equipment. The handle feels great in your hand and the weight is also comfortable. The only advice i have for consumers is make sure you have knife guards for these knives and store them properly. Wash these knives immediatly and separately from other dishes because one false move and you will get cut. I only recommend a fairly trained cook to use this knife because of the sharpness. Once you use this knife you will wonder why you ever spent tons of money on big brand cutlery. A++ I plan on filling my drawer with Tom Douglas by Pinzon. Packaging should include a knife guard or Amazon should add one with every purchase!

Bought for my boyfriend. He says it is a fantastic knife. Very sharp with a very well made blade. He loves the handle. We have a kitchen with lots of good knives, but when he saw this one he had to have it. It has become one of his favorites. He made the statement that it would never be put in the dishwasher just as we would never put any of the Good and Old Chicago Cutlery in the dishwasher.

We like the knife, great price, nice and sharp. My wife nicked her finger with it already so she is back to using a butter knife. Will be using it to carve the Thanksgiving turkey so will report back how it worked.

I ordered this knife on October 17, 2009. It is the only knife we have used since it arrived. We try to keep it as simple as possible in the kitchen so that cleaning up is as easy as possible, and owning one knife that does everything we need it to do is perfect for us.

It was very sharp in the beginning. It has lost some sharpness understandably. Today is July 25, 2010 and we still haven't sharpened it once. It's not cutting tomatoes as well as it used to, but it's still able to slice them instead of just crushing them. We are vegetarians, so I can't comment on preparations for carnivores. The hardest thing that we cut around here might be ginger or pineapples.

The blade is everything I was hoping it would be. I think the curve of the blade makes it easier to mince garlic and chop vegetables. We never dry it after washing, so it's nice that it really is rust-free.

It would be nice to have a Shun Classic 8-Inch Chef's Knife, but I don't think it would be wise for us to pay $129.95 for a knife. I still keep the Shun on my wish list because I think it looks really nice, and pretty things inspire me. I don't like the design of the Pinzon's handle, but at $29.99, I'd give this knife six stars for it's functionality. Also, it's very important to me that kitchen tools are not made in China.