10 Inch Professional Chef Knife - High Carbon Stainless Steel Kitchen Knife with Ergonomic Handle - Perfect for Slicing, Dicing, and Chopping Vegetables, Meat, and Fruits

I have been using a 10" knife I bought on sale at Mervyns about 8 years ago, for $12.00 and it works beautifully, but I have always wondered about the famous Kasumi, so, I finally broke down and bought one. First of all, I noticed that their "10-inches" means 9.25 only. Since I was used to the true 10-inch length, I was very disappointed. It is definitely lighter than the one I am using. The one I am using looks like a top quality knife but the only thing stamped on it is "Made in China". In the 8 years I have had it, I have only honed it twice, using the steel until I could not get a razor-edge. I test knives by shaving the hair off my arms. I sharpen my own knives on Arkansas stones down to the Arkansas Black, which is pretty much trying to sharpen a knife on a sheet of glass. I was surprised to find that both knives worked equally well but the Kasumi one time, did not slice through a soft tomato whereas the cheap knife did. The Kasumi is beautiful and I really like owning it but I am still using my $12 knife because it works just as well and the little extra weight actually helps slice denser things better. I used the Kasumi straight out of the box and have never even put the steel to it. My old knife has not been honed in about two years, but worked at least as well as the Kasumi. Kasumi is a work of art but by a very small margin, I prefer my old knife. So the major differences are in length and weight. BTW, I am very good at sharpening knives and always finish the edge with leather. I did a lot of fishing on Lake Erie at one time and have cleaned thousands of Perch, Black Bass, and Walleye. Have also cleaned tough-skinned shark and triggerfish. I always favored a razor-sharp knife for filleting fishes.