Dao Vua V3 52100 Carbon Steel 270mm Sujihiki/Sakimaru Slicer - Handmade High Performance Knife

I work at a restaurant in Seattle making pasta and I am using this knife for cutting tajerin and it is great so far. It is keeping a nice edge and I appreciate it very much.

I've been slicing briskets with this knife daily for 2 months now. It takes and holds an edge extremely well for the price point. Although, it seems the heat treatment of the blade is a bit inconsistent, as some parts of the cutting edge dull much faster than others. Also, there are two 1/4 inch hairline cracks in the cutting edge that are only obvious very close up. That said, when you get a tool at this price you know what to expect. I own another DaoVua knife and the quality of it is quite a bit better, but this one still works very well even with the tiny cracks, and gets extremely sharp with a slurry stone. Any high output handmade tool maker is gonna have some inconsistencies in quality from piece to piece. Still worth it, as I'm sure it'll keep slicing for quite a while.

The blade is good but not quite true - there is a subtle twist in the spine at the mid-section. It does take a very good edge, though, and precision is high enough for a competent amateur. The wa handle is exceptional - perhaps even better than the one on my Kurosaki. Not bad considering this was 6 times cheaper! I really enjoy slicing both raw and cooked proteins with this knife. I'm satisfied with it, and especially glad that I didn't blow hundreds more on a far more expensive Japanese piece.