In this video, I do an unboxing and review of the knives by Taski. These knives are made in Seki City, Japan (a city known historically for sword making). Does that translate into a great kitchen knife?
These knives were provided to me free of charge in exchange for a fair and honest review. That’s exactly what I’m going to provide.
Product link: https://lp.taski.store/SeriousKeto
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Amazon links:
Double sided leather sharpening strop: https://amzn.to/3Yx03I1
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Timestamps:
0:00 Intro & disclaimer
0:58 Taski marketing points
1:51 Unboxing
4:52 Sharpening
6:29 Blade test
7:48 Testing Taski’s claims
8:33 Who are they for?
9:40 Summary and coupon code
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49 Comments
Great review but I think I'll pass on these.
Thank you for reviewing. Love that your shirts often match the topic of your videos.
Goodmorning Steve.❤️🇨🇦🐕
I would be disappointed if it was not razer sharp coming from the manufacturer.
Having checked the price at your link, I would suggest that the knives should arrive fully sharpened at the very least. I would say their are definitely priced as luxury items, so they ought to perform as luxury items from the outset. Also, the page says they are 'effortless' to maintain; I wouldn't consider monthly sharpening to meet that definition. Those comments are my impression of the product, but they are no reflection on your review Steve. I think you managed to be honest without being negative, which obviously I have not managed myself. Thanks for another great video.
I didn't think I needed another knife until I saw the cheese knife. Now I need to go find one.
I'm very tempted, but with the many knives I currently own, it is hard to justify the purchase. In addition, my wife would disown me.😅
Thanks for the honest review! Unfortunately not in my budget
Thanks for the review Steve
How do they compare to your Cutco knives? We have a few of those and I love how balanced they are and the hand feel in addition to their sharpness of course.
another great review
Maybe a bad bearing in the roller or a bit of grit from the factory. A roll comparison on your countertop with the other one to see if you feel a catch might be interesting. Those big o-rings vary in quality like the weather. And combined with their use of stone and not diamond, they were saving money there.
If I may suggest, you might try a bit more angle when stropping. Looked to be quite a bit too shallow to be hitting the apex of the edge with the majority of the pressure.
I do like those Japanese style handles. So simple yet so much better than some of the painful ones on most Wusthof and Henkel.
And thanks actually using the knives for a decent period of time and not doing the far to common YT tout use once to cut a baloney and wonder bread and rave about it!!!
And please tell me they at least give you the set for doing the review or paid you. If any company wants them sent back or a YT'er to by the product after review, that be a joke!
I've been a fan of Japanese knives for a long time. I really like Global brand and also have some Kamikoto. Don't know if I would like the handles on these. Great review!
Hi Steve. Great review. I’ve been watching your other videos on knife sharpening. Very interesting. As someone who has 30 knives plus 2 sets of steak knives I think I’m covered, lol. That being said your cheese knife intrigues me. I have a lot of trouble cutting cheese. Which brand would you recommend? I like my knives to have a full tang which these Taski don’t appear to have. I have Wusthof, Global, Viking, Shun, Henckle and the Victorinox recommended by ATK which are nice and light. None are in a set. I purchased them all individually. I also have a slicer by some Italian company whose name escapes me. I stopped buying knives about 15 years ago. I have way too many. I have the worst time sharpening them! I have an electric sharpener by Chefs Choice very similar to yours. It’s probably an older model but it has both the 20 and 15 degree angles plus the honing slots. Maybe I’m not doing it long enough? The whetstone you have a link to appears to be more for honing or smoothing out the edges or am I wrong? I have never heard of a strop and just ordered one from your link. I used to have two diamond stones but had no luck with them either. I also have the AccuSharp hand held sharpener and another hand held I got from Amazon recently. Sorry for the long post but any advice would be appreciated. Do you also use that whetstone after you use the Chefs Choice and before you use the strop? Thanks for a great and very interesting video!😊
I loved your honest review. I was telling a chef friend that I was looking for a decent utility knife. My hands are losing their grip strength due to my spine injury, and using a full-size chef's knife was making it dangerous for me to use. I was also looking for a handle that was easier to grasp with my diminishing strength. He had a load of knives that he had me grip and there were a few that I could manage with confidence. Two months later I received a plain box like yours and it was a Taski Petty Knife! I never heard of them before, but I LOVED how meaty and light the handles were! I felt I was in control once again. The octagonal shape allows me to have an edge to grip onto for better control, I didn't get that feeling of control with the other knives that I have tried or the ones I already have at home. The length of the blade was just right for the angle I sat in my wheelchair at the counter, I didn't feel like I was using a cleaver. What about that blade! The Damascus pattern is so mesmerizing and the weight of the blade is neither too heavy nor too light. The blade and the handle together make it a very balanced piece when held. The blade is a little bit longer than your usual utility length, but the knife is so well-balanced that you don't notice the length. It is so, so sharp! It is so easy to care for and the sharpening and honing stones make life a lot easier! It is so cool you were selected for a set!I hope you enjoy them as much as I have with my little one. I have gone minimalist in my kitchen and I now only have four really good knives and I gave the rest to my son. If it collects dust, then it is time to go to a new home! Thank you for sharing your review of this amazing brand!
My dad was a butcher by trade his whole life. We kids inherited his knives. All with wood handles. And all know the process of sharpening. Thank you for doing this review. Something a little different and was enjoyable. Price is a tad high for us regular folks
The shaving test.. hahahaha 😂
My God. I thought my Shun knives were expensive. For that amount of money they should have been razor sharp out of the box.
Went to the linked site and checked out the marketing. Wow!! I realize the purchaser is buying "the knives", for whatever reason, but for the price they are asking they could do way better in the packaging/storage arena. Even Victorinox provides nice storage display boxes for their MUCH cheaper knives which are arguably just as good at cutting while perhaps not quite as eye catching. I think I meet the description of their target audience and I still wouldn't pay that much for these knives.
Thank you for providing ALL of the information so we can make an informed decision ☺️
❤the shirt for sure!
Good review. Thanks.
I think of them more like medium for maintenance as Im not one for adding a weekly task to remember. Also like you, I would prefer a little more wight in the handle side as it didnt seem balanced between blade and handle. I think its a bit of a mistake with them not providing the knives to be in peak sharpness when delivered also. Pretty knives but not something Id choose to spend on compared to alternatives.
Their definition of low maintenance is very different than mine. I don't remember the last year I sharpened one of my kitchen knives. Maybe I should try to sharpen them one of these days.
Thanks for the review, Steve. The knives looked good from your review. Wow, they are expensive. I think I would buy them if they were about half the price in the store. I do need some good knives so will keep in mind for long term consideration.
Very nice review Steve! Love your shirt.
Great honest review Steve. A little out of my price range. I have enough high quality Knives that if I sharpened more than twice a year I would be fine
I’m more knife guy than cook. Two of my kitchen knives I made. Solid review. It just makes me want to make more knives.😉
That looked like a block of Cutco knives.
Gotta say that $1K is a bit out of my budget for 2 knives. I have some decent knives that I can get to that sharpness, so I'm good. But Steve, thanks for the reviews and congrats on snagging those knives.
Great review Steve! I like how you are honest about your reviews and that you don't just tell them what they want to hear. Sorry to miss the Meeting tonight. Stupid cold that I didn't want to share with y'all LOL Hugs to you and Terry! xoxo Cella & Sugar Keto on…
This one sliced deep. But your sharp insight is appreciated. You handle the subject well and cut to the chase. Also what was that cook gadget your wife was filming with?
I like the knives, no question! I haven't look at their price, but they appear to be quite nice. Thanks for the review Steve!
I think the knives would make a very nice gift from one's adult child / children that they have supported their entire lives. 😄
Our family used to have family reunions and other gatherings thru the year. The running joke in our family was about my Uncle Windy (who liked to talk) was to be sure and cut the roast beef thinner because more family showed up.
You can use that joke. Thanks
Good review, Steve. Thanks. I must admint I have a little bit of knife envy. If I had the disposable income I'd be interested in getting these knives. However, given my current circumstances I'm satisfied with the cheaper knives I own. At least for now.
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As a knife nerd and Japanese knife collector, I must say PLEASE don't buy these. They may be serviceable, but they are an absolute rip-off. Even if you don't read my reasons below, please lookup a decent Japanese knife seller that works with real Japanese artisans, and who can sell you much better knives for a fraction of this price. A few I recommend are Seisuke Knife, Knifewear, Japanese Knife Imports, and Chef Knives To Go. If you have a local shop, go talk to their knife nerds at the counter!
Why I won't touch these (aka my "don't support these shysters" rant):
They may not be a complete scam, but they are being dishonest. These may be made in Seki, but that doesn't automatically mean they are good. These are not "artisanal" crafted knives, they are identical cheaply machine-forged production knives made in large quantity by factory workers, not master or even apprentice blacksmiths, because they never name a master smith or apprentice as is the way in Japanese bladesmith culture. That's not always a bad thing, but decent big-name Japanese knife companies like Tojiro and Sakai Takayuki will tell you the difference in their commodity knives and will charge a reasonable price. These companies respect the artisans working in the same industry and are transparent about their knife specs and value.
Even Miyabi (Zwilling's Japanese brand) and Shun make good production-grade knives and are up front about them, and charge less for much better steel. I actually think Miyabi's SG2 steel knives are a great deal, and feel as good to use as some hand-crafted Japanese knives costing 3-5x as much (I have plenty to compare them with, and reach for my Miyabis frequently — I'm just not afraid to abuse them a little).
Even if they weren't stretching the truth (if I'm generous) about being "artisanal Japanese blades", the AUS-8 steel at the core is absolute bargain-bin steel just above unspecified "surgical", "stainless", or "high carbon" steel. They don't specify what's in their "33-layer Damascus", but given no specs and the cheap core steel, it's probably whatever semi-hardenable junk steel they can get a bargain on that month. With steel of this quality, these prices are outrageous. You can get much better knives based on now-cheap VG10 for around $100, and VG10 is an excellent upper-midrange kitchen knife steel.
Taski's owners should feel shame and dishonor at how they are abusing the reputation of the Japanese bladesmith community and their history and dedication to quality to sell these decent at best knives at prices commanded by knives made by master smiths from expensive, high-grade steels or that took dozens of hours to make because of their special construction.
Saki is probably pronounced sahkee like the Japanese wine I'm guessing.
Thank you tor your honest review! I am in the market for a new set of knives and will not be purchasing these. They are too bourgeois for me and I need a workhorse set (which may end up being one of those that comes with sharpeners built into each slot on the knife block). I cook a lot and, as a semi-retired grandma, have too much else going on to warrant fussing over cooking tools. Your assessment at the end was far more helpful to me than a "yay or nay" vote. Thanks for always keeping it real Steve!!
Sharp outfit there, Steve.
Thanks Steve, very informative 👍🏼
Nice touch that you coordinated your t-shirt with your video. 😄 Cracked up at the shaving test on your leg—😂 Very thorough review. I haven’t checked out the price using your link yet…..🤔
I enjoyed the review Steve, thanks!
One of the many wedding gifts my wife and I received from my patents was a set of wood handled Chicago Cutlery knives along with a wood knife holder that my father made himself. I love a good, or great, knife, but I'm really sentimental about this set of Chicago Cutlery knives for obvious reasons, not to mention my parents are now both gone from this vale of tears. Funny thing is, I really dislike cleaning those wooden handled knives, but my wife prefers them. When we sit down for a NY Strip or Ribeye, I grab the plastic handle serrated knives but give the wife her wood handled knife. One reason I don't like using them is the need to maintain the wood, and family members leave me to clean their wood handled knife after a meal. I won't allow them to be put in a dishwasher; my mother-in-law always put her wood handled Chicago Cutlery knives in the dishwasher, and the wood handles were like the bleached bones from a carcass you'd find in the Mohave desert! Tung oil will do wonders to restore that wood, but won't do a thing to help with the warping of the wood handle from years of going through a dishwasher. Luckily, like you Steve, I'm pretty handy with a wet stone, steel and / or ceramic rod knife sharpeners.
I’m glad you followed the initial tests with the durability issue. I’ve seen butter knives that can be sharpened to make those thin tomato slices. The issue is whether it will retain the edge! Loved the review though. Keep up the good work.
Steve you are a funny ppl. Did I saw you shaving your hairy leg?😂 About Japanese Artisan Knives…. I did have a look on their site, bc I like sharpen and good knives… But so much pricy. 😫 A knife costs 500€??? Not for my budget. Thanks for your review
Another great review! I always appreciate your honest opinions! Thank Steve!
You're right. They are EXTREMELY expensive. The set you received is over $500 US and that's a special! A single knife is over $300. I like knives, but that's a little expensive for me. I ordered the chef's knife recommended by America's Test Kitchen. (I have actually ordered a second for my wife, since she loves it, too.) I am extremely pleased with the knife. I also, hone the knife before I use it, and sharpen it about once every month, or so. It's not a full blade knife that goes through the handle, but it is made by the makers of the Swiss army knife. I gave one to my daughter for Christmas a couple years back, and her husband was extremely excited, because he had just gotten a Swiss army knife. It has become their favorite knife, as well.