damascus Knives, Swords, Blades

This reproduction of the katana wielded by the immortal Scottish clansman Duncan Macleod in the Highlander saga could be one of the best swords ever produced by United Cutlery. Not the usual cheap reproduction, the Duncan MacLeod Katana is a hand-forged tempered katana of high carbon Damascus steel.

In fact, the blade ...

With quality similar to that of the designer's custom blades, this double-edged Tanto Yoroidoshi Dagger is actually a production version based on the work of Wally Hayes, a swordsmith from Ontario, Canada.

Manufactured for Ryumon Swords at the famous Longquan Village in mainland China, the Hayes Yoroidoshi Dagger was hand-forged by a ...

With the six-inch Shun/KAI Chef's Knife, expect the slick performance of a santoku but the familiar style of the standard chef's knife. Not just for light slicing, this high quality prep knife from Shun's Classic series has the strength for other work as well.

Forged with 33 layers of high ...

If you skimp on quality where paring knives are concerned, loading up the kitchen drawer with bargain blades that don't hold an edge, think again. The Boker Yadama III paring knife could replace them all.

A Damascus steel blade, laminated hardwood handle, and stainless steel ferrule give the black Boker ...

Shun Cutlery's Classic six-piece knife block set gives home chefs the best foundation knives for kitchen prep plus a full-sized bamboo knife block with plenty of room for expansion. Add the best knives in your current assortment to the block and replace them with even better ones as time ...

This four-inch Shun Paring Knife is the all-steel version of one of the best paring knives available today. While the D-shaped handle may seem a little slick to some, it completely eliminates worries about crevices where bacteria could hide and gives the knife an unmistakably clean look. The four-inch blade ...

This eight-piece bamboo block set from Shun offers knives from the Shun Classic series, with the focus on chef's knives rather than santoku. If you prefer the traditional European cook's knife style but also want the superior steel and cutting ability of Shun's Damascus blades, this set was designed ...

The Petty Petit gyuko or chef's knife was created by the Kitasho Company of Seki City, Japan, a center of fine swordsmiths for 800 years. Kitasho began more recently in 1948 and manufactures a broad line of chef's cutlery and hunting knives built to Japanese specifications rather than toned ...

Shun Cutlery's Classic Carving Set brings that company's famous VG-10 Damascus style stainless steel to the dinner service. The look is the same as that of Shun's other chef's knives, with an elegant and simple ebony-style pakkawood handle and a forged stainless steel blade.

Both knife and fork provide ...

This very nice Damascus Bowie Knife has a traditional rustic build combined with fine filework on the spine of the laminated Damascus steel blade. It shows the beauty and unique flaws of natural materials and simple methods along with very modern refinements. The brass finger guard and ...

The three Damascus-type VG-10 steel blades in this Shun Classic Gift Box Set may cause you to put aside the knives you've owned and loved for years. Other companies make good knives, but these good knives have a difference you can feel at work. The 8-inch chef's knife, ...

The four knives in this Shun Classic 7-Piece Bamboo Block Asian Knife set all feature the Damascus style steel that gives Shun's VG-10 blades their superior edge-holding ability and strength. A central VG-10 layer forms the cutting edge and is hardened to Rockwell 61 -- excellent for sharpness, but ...

Old tempering processes became so complex and time consuming that few manufacturers today even attempt their reproduction. Higher quality modern alloy steel and new ways of producing high quality blades only occasionally compete with the old standards. Almost never does anyone manage to blend the two approaches.

Through the Kami Katana by CAS ...

If you can get past the non-traditional aesthetic, there's actually a lot to like about this Ken Onion design from Shun.

The handle is appreciably beefy for a small knife, a touch which I find particularly appealing as most smaller Japanese knives have handles which feel undersized in my hands. The modified ...

I've always wondered about the story K-Bar tells of the trapper who killed a wounded bear with one of their Bowie knives. I've felt that it probably wasn't one they make now. If they made this knife, their company story would be a lot more believable -- but the Damascus ...

In my experience, I've found little use for the traditional "carving knife". In my view it's a specialty knife. I generally prefer to use knives which are a bit more utilitarian.

Traditionally, the carving knife is most often seen around the holidays when turkeys, hams, and roasts grace most tables, and is ...

Damascus steel hand-forged by master smith Manfred Sachse forms the two-inch blade of this mother-of-pearl handled gentleman's folder from Boker Knives of Solingen, Germany. Three hundred layers of high carbon steel give the blade exceptional toughness and edge-holding ability. Closed, the knife measures only 2-1/2 inches long, but the wide ...

Not to be confused with the butcher's cleaver well known in European kitchens, this Vegetable Cleaver from Shun's Classic series is the Asian general purpose equivalent of the western cook's knife. With the superior edge and Damascus stainless steel of the Classic line, this knife is one of ...

Primarily used for deboning and slicing raw or cooked meat, fish, and poultry, the Shun Pro Deba knife with a 6 1/2" plain edge is one of the fundamental blades of the Japanese kitchen, dating back to the Edo period in the city of Sakai. Once famous for fine ...

Made to Shun's exacting standards with the same materials as their Classic series, this 4 3/8" Chef's Knife follows a design by famous American knifemaker Ken Onion. This beautiful knife makes a practical addition to any cutlery set, with features suitable for collectors.

The curved full tang handle shows ...

A part of the Shun Classic series, this boning knife is forged in Shun's famous Damascus stainless steel, but with a profile slim enough to give this blade the slight flexibility you need for boning and fileting meat, poultry, and seafood.

The build is the same one used for ...

Seki, Japan, where the Shun Classic Ultimate Utility (U2) is manufactured, has a long history as a center of Samurai sword production. Many of the old techniques that produced these legendary military blades have now been transferred to high quality cutlery such as the U2.

For the best katana, sword makers used ...

This Damascus Masame Tsukuri is a very beautiful collector's piece from Boker Knives. The crafters used different styles of ancient swordmaking techniques and blended them into one knife, making it truly unique.

The blade is forged with an elite style of traditional Damascus craftsmanship called masame tsukuri. It's a Japanese term for ...

At first glance, it's difficult to see any reason to criticize this short ceramic bladed slicer from Kyocera. The blade features a beautiful damascus pattern. It is a nice length for small cutting jobs and has more depth to the blade than other utility slicers of comparable size.

That extra ...

If you were to refer to this in the proper Japanese terminology, this would be called a petty, which evolved from the term "petit gyutou" or "little cow sword".

Regardless of how you refer to this little knife, it's an excellent knife. Typical of knives from Shun, it is a blend ...

If you hang around Williams-Sonoma, you're sure to know about the Shun Classic Santoku knife. If you hang around professional kitchens for a while, you'll get to know some lesser-known Japanese brands that are just as good.

Kanetsune makes their knives with similar materials as the Shun -- it's got a 33-layer Damascus-patterned blade ...

The Tiger and Rose Katana is a beautiful collector's item. It has an extensive history of ancient samurai heritage embedded in each facet of its design, which is refreshing to see.

And it's not just for looks. This sword is battle-ready and sharpened with folds of Damascus steel, layered by hand and ...

You've got to digest a few things when checking out this knife you may never have heard of.

First off, the style. It's a gyuto - basically the Japanese equivalent of a western chef's knife - an all-purpose knife sharp enough to cut through multiple meats, vegetables, and fish.

Next up, the brand. Kanetsune is not ...

Boker is well known for providing high-end, limited edition knives. They're expensive, but since they're collector's items, you know that they might just bring you a return on your investment in several years.

This 10-inch trench knife is no exception to that fact. It's made from Damascus steel and features ...

From one of the world's front runners in knife technology comes the Idun blade, a hunting knife that's both artistic and advanced.

Fallkniven is one of our favorite hunting knife makers. It's a family-owned firm, many of whom are hunters themselves. They use that knowledge to continually refine their blade designs. They've always ...

If you're going to spend decent money on a knife, make sure it's one that you'll use frequently, feels comfortable in your hand and is made of premium materials.

This Shun Classic Paring knife earns our recommendation as the "Best Paring Knife" by fulfilling those three criteria.

For starters, any paring ...

We named Shun Classic Knives our best $500 kitchen knives a while back, and for good reason.

Shun took kitchen cutlery to the next level when they introduced their Classic series a few years back. The Classics feature a VG-10 Japanese "super steel" that is incredibly hard and, as a result, ...

Four hundred bucks for a pocket knife?! What's up with that?

Well, for starters this is made from a very rare steel. It was forged from the German tank Leopard I. That's where the name "Leo" comes from.

Next, Boker has added modern technology to that steel by including chromium and vanadium to ...

For many Chinese chef's, this type is not just an essential knife, but rather the single most essential knife in the kitchen.

Some will quibble and say that this is a Chef's knife and technically not a cleaver, but what's in a name? If you can use it to hack through ...

We recently wrote about the Kyocera Revolution Ceramic Chef's Knife and spent a fair amount of that space discussing the pros and cons of ceramic. You should check out that post for the details.

For those who want a quick recap, though, ceramic knives are a good alternative to stainless steel ...

Shun knives are by no means budget knives. Some consider them synonymous with "expensive". But limit yourself to a small set of essential knives and you'll actually find them worth every penny.

Why? Because Shun has also become synonymous with "quality". All three of the major US cutlery retailers -- Williams Sonoma, Sur La ...

OnlyKnives' Best $1000 Kitchen Knives
FromShun Classic Knives, the blade is made up of a VG-10 steel core, wrapped by layers of stainless steel. This allows the edge to be extremely sharp, to retain its edge over time and yet still be stain-resistant.

VG-10 is one of the premier steels being used in ...

You may know that Shun and Kershaw brands are both owned by the same company. You may also know that Ken Onion is one of the most successful designer of Kershaw knives, winning numerous industry awards throughout his career.

So what happens when a premium kitchen knife maker asks a ...

The Shun Classic 8-Inch Chef's Knife is a great example of the high-end ultra-sharp Japanese knives that are now all the rage.

It is made from premium VG-10 steel -- a high-carbon, molybdenum and vanadium blend which is known for its extreme sharpness. The blade is hardened to a Rockwell hardness of ...

The Puma knife company is based in Solingen, Germany. It is one of the highly-reputable knife-making companies that helped give that city the nickname "City of Knives". Puma has been making knives for over two hundred and thirty years.

This knife is a new step for the company -- German know-how and tradition coupled ...

This balisong sword is a replica of the Damascus Blade used by Alita in "Battle Angel Alita: Last Order". The sword is wielded quite impressively by the title character in Yukito Kishiro's Manga movie.

It's quite an impressive knife -- gorgeous, large, heavy, and sharp. The handle is made of stainless steel and ...