Customer Reviews

Wasabi by Kershaw 6621D 8.25-Inch Deba Knife

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

 

 

This is a fabulous knife. It is super sharp and feels great in your hand. My friend has several Shun Pro knives and recommended these because I am a more casual cook. I couldn't be happier with my purchase. I also bought the 4 1/2" Deba and the 9 1/2" Yanagiba. The only other knife you might need is a nice paring knife. But these knives will cover all of your needs for a long time. The nicest part is that Kershaw will sharpen them for free. You just pay the shipping. Highly recommended for their quality and value.

I bought this knife from a catalogue last year, I paid forty dollars for it. I thought that was a very reasonable price for a Kershaw chefs knife , and a very high carbon steel japanese style at that. That was a year ago, I use it in my kitchen at work, I am a professional chef. To this day it is R A Z O R sharp. I simply run it on a steel and occasionaly on a ceramic rod. Dollar for Dollar, this is the best knife I ever bought. I can hardly believe it is only $20 here! Get this knife.

I had been looking at many different knives for over a year and I came across many different types and price levels. I tried a few knives at various kitchen stores and I even found some great German knives at good prices.

I purchased a Henckels Henckels International Classic 8-Inch Stainless-Steel Chef's Knife for a line-cook friend and she really liked it and I used it a few times and thought it was a good knife at a good price. I also bought a Wustof Grand Prix Wüsthof Grand Prix 8-Inch Cook's Knife for my former Exec. Chef (I am a restaurant manager) on sale for $40 (the Grand Prix II came out and now the Grand Prixs are reduced).

I found that I really didn't like the German designed knives and I looked at Japanese knives. I really liked the Shun line of knives from KAI but they are truly an investment at $120 for a Shun Classic 8-inch Chef's Knife Shun Classic 8-Inch Chef's Knife. With a little more searching I discovered KAI's Wasabi line and with a little research on the difference between the types of Japanese blade styles I decided to try the 8.25-inch Deba (similar to a European Chef's Knife) and the 6.5-inch Nakiri vegetable knife. I have really been impressed with both knives. The steel is very strong and of great quality. The one-sided blade takes a little getting used to, but the edge stays sharp with a little honing after a few uses. The handle is nice and easy to clean.

I would recommend giving any of the KAI Wasabi line a try. Decide whether you want the multi purpose Santoku (meaning 'three virtues' for its use with meat, fish and vegetables), one of the 3 sizes of Debas (4-inch, 6-inch, 8.25-inch), the Nakiri or the 3 sizes of Sashimi (6-inch, 8-inch and 9.5-inch). I love my 8.25 Deba and Nakiri. I use the Nakiri on vegetables, garlic, herbs and I use the Deba for mincing and other tasks. I want to try the Santoku and the 9.5-inch Sashimi, and since they are less than $20 a piece, why not!

Ok, this knife doesn't suck. I don't regret getting it. But it's not the greatest deal either. Honestly, looking back on my purchase, if I only had 40-50 dollars to spend on one good knife, the Henckels Internation 8" Chef Knife at [...] is a MUCH smarter purchase for the "home Chef." Now, if you're going for the "cool factor," this Japanese Deba definitely is more original - definitely cooler looking - than a standard "boring" chef's knife. However, I own the Henckels as well (I also own Messermeister, Berghoff, Sabier, Shun Pro, Hattori, and Korin among others) and the Henckels performs much better in the Kitchen for prep work. ALSO, the standard blade on a Henckels is a lot easier to care for - just a few swipes on my DMT Ceramic steel and it's good as new. Speaking of Sharpness, the Wasabi Deba came to me with a rather dull blade. Now, anyone who knows how to sharpen a Japanese knife (I STRONGLY suggest getting a DVD or book on sharpening Japanese Blades if you've never done it before - Japanese-Knife.com offers a good one for around [...]) will be able to put a RAZOR SHARP 15-16 degree single edge on a japanese blade... but I was honestly somewhat disappointed that out of the box i had to sharpen it - i didn't have to do that with my Henckels. I am also aware that a Deba is more related to a Cleaver than it is to a chef knife - the Nakiri and Usuba (as well as the somewhat American Santoku) are more efficient for prep work - however, the Deba IS supposed to be capable of cleaning fish, and honestly, other than seperating the little guy from his head, I was a little disappointed in the performance. Believe me, when you finally do get a REALLY sharp knife, you will realize what you've been missing the whole time.

So, to sum it up, if you're bored with standard blades and looking for a cheap, durable piece of japanese steel that you can practice your sharpening skills on, get this blade. if you're looking for a "cool" looking addition to your Wusthoff or Henckels collection, get this blade. HOWEVER, if you're looking for a good knife to make short work of prep - get a Henckels internation or similarly built/priced piece of steel.

Real Debas are Beautiful and Efficient pieces of Art. Form following Function. This is a good attempt at making that exclusive japanese knife available to all budgets, however, it just doesn't quite cut it in the kitchen (unless you're willing to put in the time to sharpen it properly).

This is a great knife for the price. I am a chef and currently in a Zagat rated restaurant, I cut 100-200 ribs a day and this knife cuts like no other. This is the first single sided beveled knife I have ever used and I love it. It is Way sharp and easy to sharpen with a stone.

This knife is almost everything that I expected. It is sharp and great quality, it is heavy and blade goes all the way through the handle. The only thing I was disappointed about was the description said the handle as made of bamboo, but it is actually a rubbery-plasticky material. Which is fine, but not what I was expecting. Everything else is great though, and I would recommend this knife to anyone who is thinking of buying it.

I ordered this Deba because I hope to catch some large, 15-40 lb , fish this summer. I have read some about Japanese kitchen knives and this one, because of its heavy blade and sharp(after you sharpen it yourself)edge should be good for cleaning those fish.

The steel, 1K6, is not the highest quality but is a decent knife steel and can be forged to a Hrc 58-59 which will hold an edge without chipping on the fish bones.

I re modeled the edge down to a 20 degree edge. The other side is flat, so this allows you to get it very sharp.

Overall, I think it's a good buy for a fish cleaning knife, specially with the size of my catches.

If you want a sharp knife then buy this one. Super sharp, but you have to make sure you dry it immediately and thoroughly after use, otherwise it will rust very easily.

Excellent quality and sharpness. Have not had them long enough to see if they will hold their edge, and/or easily re-sharpened.

Cuts cleanly--without a doubt--smooth--and nice size for more functions

than I thought when I first saw the knife