8" Yaxell Tsuchimon Chef's Knife Expired

Billy seems to think so:


Honestly, not a ton of review on the Yaxell, but let me just say that any knife that comes from Seiki City, Japan, is typically very high quality. Like Solingen, Germany... if you're trying to make a cheap knife, these are not the places where you'd go to make one.

Also, the website Nothing But Knives [nothingbutknives.com] rated Yaxell as one of their top picks in the premium Japanese cutlery category:

CURRENTLY OUR PICKS FOR THE BEST JAPANESE KNIFE SETS ARE AS FOLLOWS:
Yaxell Mon 6 Piece Knife Set
Shun Premier 3-Piece Build-A-Block Set
Shun Classic 6-Piece Knife Set
Shun Sora 6-Piece Knife Set
Enso HD 7-Piece Knife Set
Global 20-Piece Knife Set
Tojiro DP 8-Piece Slim Knife Set
Tojiro DP Damascus 3-Piece Knife Set
Myabi Kaizen II 7-Piece Knife Set
MAC SK-20 Santoku 2-Pice Knife Set

Here's their review on the Yaxell knife set:
Set Includes: one 3.25″ paring knife, one 4.75″ utility knife, one 6.5″ santoku knife, one 8″ chef knife, one 9″ bread knife and one dark Ash storage block
This is an excellent Japanese knife set at a great price. Yaxell has been making high quality kitchen cutlery for almost 100 years in Seki, Japan. They have a great mix of traditional knife making combined with modern manufacturing that has resulted in knives that perform at a high level, but are still relatively affordable.

Yaxell is legit and quality. My Yaxell nakiri is one of my two favorite large knives in a mixed set of mostly Japanese brands (wustoff, Miyabi, Tojiro, Global, and Shun…not a fan of full sets, I buy the one I like for the blade I want). Unlike a previous poster's experience, the Yaxell blade feels less delicate to me than Shun blades and I've never chipped it. (Although I have a different Yaxell line than the one posted, so have a different overall blade composition.) The Yaxell has stayed as sharp as the others. Plus I have a larger hand and the handle works better for me as well.

Having said all that … I dislike the chefs knife blade profile, so if you are new to knives give a quick google to make sure this is a good style for you before purchasing. (That's totally a personal thing based on how you cut.) And give some thought to the length too; I actually find a 7" knife to be the sweet spot for me. 8" knives feel a little too cumbersome. Again, personal preference.

Finally, ignore the comment suggesting a shill posting for the store/website. I give high end knives as presents (pro tip: turns out people love nice knives and they tend to be unique gifts that others don't give!) and therefore buy a lot of them. Cutlery and More has great service and their sale prices are really good. They are supposed to be the exclusive retailer for Yaxell so there's a reason they are mentioned every time a Yaxell knife is.

Oh, finally finally - if you're looking at knives and want cheaper but still amazing Japanese quality, check out Global. Love my Yaxell but also have several Global knives and they are amazing and very cost effective.

(Not a shill, just like having a small number of quality knives so figured I'd share my thoughts on why I keep Yaxell in that group

Yaxell is comparable to Shun in terms of cutting performance without the pretty handles or price. I myself have Shuns and artisan Japanese artist knifes but recommended the Yaxell to friends who are pleased with it. All these knives need regular sharpening to maintain peak performance. This is a good price for a name brand Damascus finished VG10 knife especially in these days of high inflation.