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

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(More customer reviews)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

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Named for the sacred sword carried by Japan's Samurai warriors, Calphalon Katana Series cutlery has its roots in a centuries-old tradition of superior cutlery craftsmanship.Like the awe-inspiring swords wielded by the Samurai, Calphalon Katana Series cutlery is crafted using a time-honored layering process that creates a Damascus style blade, clad with 33 stainless steel layers.This unique series of cutlery uses VG Japanese steel, which provides exceptional sharpness and ultimate edge retention.These knives also feature a patented integrated bolster design and an ergonomically designed poly-resign handle.This knife is the most commonly used knife in the kitchen.The blade of the Chef knife is designed to handle a wide range of tasks.It is gently curved from tip to heel allowing you to use a gentle rocking motion as you cut.

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