Right Hand/Wood Carving Japanese Kiridashi Knife/Brass (Japan Import)

Comes very sharp. Easy to sharpen. Works better than most hobby knives with the added benefit of being resharpenable rather than disposable blades. It's a beautiful knife for the price. It is well made and has a very nice handmade look to it. I highly recommend it to anyone who has use for a hobby knife.

I’m very impressed. Very sharp and very handy for cutting thick leathers.

I really like this little knife. Comes reasonably sharp but needs work to be its best. The back of the blade on mine needed to be flattened, then i put a 15-20 degree bevel on it and now its like a razor. I also made a little handle for it cause its a thin and small and hard to get a solid grip on it.

Very slim profile. Typical perfect Japanese craftsmanship. The blade is ultra-slim, the handle is very slim, and the blade cover and handle are made of brass. Thin and very sharp blade.

Overall, it's a decent, small, blade that can be used for marking, scoring, or other light work. Once you get up to box cutting or harder work, I'd grab a different knife. It's small, flat, form makes it extremely convenient to store wherever you want, and the low price means you can get several and store them readily at hand. Pro's: Cheap. This is the #1 feature. Thin small blade with a single bevel. Can be easily adjusted for proper use. Con's: Blade handle is a bit short. Came with a dull hollow grind. Folded seam from manufacture. Manufacture: It's a bit of thinly folded brass with a steel blade insert and locked in place with a crimp. The sheath is exactly the same folded brass. The whole knife is just over 5" long, 5/8" wide, and 1/16" thick. The blade portion is about 2" long, and is a bit over half the thickness. The sheath is held in place with a friction fit which feels plenty secure. The blade itself is a rough hollow grind. You can easily see the lines from the abrasive on the edge. It was able to cut the neoprene mat in the background of the pictures without issue, but a paper test or shave test on the arm were complete failures. Adjustments: First I addressed the blade. For this blade, I want a flat bevel, so I flattened that out, and then sharpened it. It was able to get a very fine edge after sharpening, and it should keep an edge reasonably well for light use. I then gave the blade a fresh oiling. That did make the friction fit with the sheath a little weaker, but it still holds the blade just fine. I took a small brass shim and sealed off the openings in the end. I just used a 5-min epoxy to lock it in place, then ground it smooth so you can't see the lines. This neatened up the ends instead of having openings that would pick up dust, pocket lint, etc. It also eliminated the sharp edges (see below). The brass was fairly dull, so I polished that up and then put a protective wax coating on it. It feels much better now and the look is significantly improved. Things I would change: The handle is too short. Particularly given how thin the whole knife is, I would have preferred a shorter blade with a longer handle. Right now it's just a bit too short to be held like a pencil, and I only get leverage with 3 fingers instead of all four. To get consistent and well controlled lines, I have to tuck the butt of the knife against the middle of my palm, with my index finger on the spine. With the sharp edges on the back it was not very comfortable to use, but once I shimmed and smoothed the back it rests fine now. Instead of folded brass stock, I wish they would have used brass tubing and flattened that instead, making it seamless all the way around. Just a minor change that would have made a big difference, and would have made the Value for Money rating 5 stars. Conclusion: Of the modifications I made, only the sharpening is really mandatory. The rest is just details that help make it fit a bit better. It's a good value for the price, and if you need a knife in this form factor, it's worth grabbing.

This is one of the most useful craft knives I've ever owned. Perfect for detailed cuts on everyday projects from fabric to paper to wood. It preforms better than an Exacto knife on some tasks- I found it is able to cut paper designs without leaving as large a tail hanging on when you disconnect the trailing you cut from the spot. It trims in the tightest spots with ease, the tip and style of the knife edge makes all the difference. I have purchased 3 so far, 2 were gifts and I will keep buying this product until all the crafters in my family have one. It is also easy to sharpen if you get to the point you need to do so. The thickness can make you feel like it has too much flexibility, but if you find yourself applying that much force you probably need to readjust your technique or get a heaver knife for the cut anyways. A simple yet elegant knife worth every penny.

Simple, slim, cheap, and sharp.

This thing is just super, scary sharp. Just opening it up, the blade looked menacingly sharp and angry. It just looks like it wants to cut things up. I plan on using it to mark up wood, but it looks like the blade is quite durable and can cut up other things very easily. Nice bevel and one sided blade, just like tradition Japanese knives. So you know this thing is sharp.