I need to put this through its paces before I give it 5 stars. So it will depend on how it holds an edge and how it sharpens. My impression is, it's beautiful but possibly too light. Feels good in the hand and relatively balanced. But it's not blowing me away. However, for this price, it really is gorgeous and I expect it to be the best purchase at this price. I'll return to review in a few months.
Edit. It holds a good edge, well enough that I only need to sharpen it once quickly before each use. I've chopped with it many times, and it's great. You can actually hear how well it sharpens and hones compared to other knives. It's super smooth, and still gorgeous. What I did notice, the handle fit and finish. It's actually slightly off. Not a lot but just enough where you can feel it. Other than that, no complaints. Great knife and beautiful to display.
wekarneskyIt's great. I mean... for the price it's perfect. Fantastic edge but still uncharacteristically light (see picture of another vg10 damascus blade, it weights about 1/4 more). The handle is slightly off. Almost like you want to sand and grind all the way around to smooth it out. It won't bother you, but I'm nitpicking on fit and finish. I've included a picture of it next to a Japanese knife bought in Japan from a local Smith. The one on the bottom looks larger because of the camera angle but they're within a 1/4 inch.