MagnaCut 8" Chef Knife

So we often sharpen in the morning before service. Our executive chef came from a 2-Michelin star, so he's rather specific about this. This knife exceeded expectations, which were high. Besides the obvious super steel appeal, the perfect balance and being able to stay sharp throughout prep and service is fantastic as we definitely don't want to stop to sharpen and ideally not even to hone (some stations are up front). We use a combination of plastic boards in the back (where everything is hidden and they go straight to the pit) and pretty wood boards up front, and it handles both without issue. Some items come out of the superfreeze for code reasons and can be quite rock hard. It may sound strangely particular, but cutting things like vegetables and chives to an absurdly fine level is essential (less than 1mm for the chives) and you can't use a mandolin for such work. I'll probably take this knife down to 11 degrees one day, but even so, it arrived very sharp and received much admiration from a line full of thousand-dollar Japanese 'laser' knives as it was the first MagnaCut chef's knife in the house. Removable bolsters sealed the deal as it will get gross under your bolsters no matter how you clean. Plus, you can swap them out when you get bored. Perfectly set up for pinch grip. Balance is perfect. The hand brushed finish is gorgeous (yes, I looked for imperfections). Even the etching is on the correct face (when you place the knife on your board, sharp edge away from you). The "stickers" that were included gave us a laugh. An incredible value and excellent performer that is also a blank canvas for your specific sharpening needs.

This knife is beautiful, well crafted and I love it.

I was looking for an all purpose kitchen knife made from Magnacut and came across Ikigai. The knife is very well balanced, nicely finished, and performs beautifully. I love high quality knives and have a modest collection of high-end pieces. This is right at home among some of my best. Highly recommended.

For anyone wondering- I ordered this last week, received it today. As a chef of over 30 years this is in every way a true workhorse chef knife. The grip is extremely comfortable (I have large hands), the spine is slightly rounded so no digging into your index finger, its razor sharp upon arrival, and the weight is nice and pretty evenly balanced. Nitpicks? I would’ve preferred a thinner spine and Magnacut affords that luxury. I have another favorite knife that’s Elmax and it’s about 1/3 thinner and just about as strong (depending who you’re talking to)

At the current price, it’s a no brainer if you’re into k-tip purpose built utilitarian working knives. It’ll last forever and I’m probably going to start buying these for my chefs under me as gifts. There are a LOT more garbage brand knives you could spend the same or more on. Don’t do that, get this if it’ll suit your needs.

For reference, my faves are an Artisan Revere Chef, a Dao Vua carbon K-tip, a Steelport Chef, a 52100 Kramer (real Kramer), and a custom made Travis Weige. And now this one.

Nicest geometry I've had on a MagnaCut, which is in my opinion one if not the nicest steels for a kitchen knife. Great quality all around, at a very fair price imo. Thanks!!