Best knife I've ever owned. Super sharp. Makes me feel like a professional! Love it!

After reading some professionals pan this knife, I wasn't expecting much. However, when it was on sale for $23.99, I couldn't pass it up. Glad I didn't. I'm not a pro, but when I cook I end up doing a lot of chopping. I chopped onions and garlic last night to make red beans and rice, and I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to handle those chopping chores. Yes, it is a little blade heavy, but that's how I like it. And the handle is substantial, which is important for my large hands. I compared this Furi to my Henckels Pro S Santoku and the Henckels knife looks like a wimp compared to the Furi. The 8-inch Henckels Pro S Chef's Knife is the only knife in my Henckels set that has the heft of the Furi. I might just add more Furi knives and give the Henckels to relatives.

My kids purchased the three piece set for me for Christmas and I loved them so much I had to purchase the 7". I love it, works great, best knives I owne."

I bought one of these for my daughter (paid a lot more!) a year ago. After using hers a few months ago, I fell in love with it. It feels great in the hand, is nicely weighted, and cuts really well. I bought mine from Amazon and am loving it.

The cheap, gummy, orange handle makes this knife a no-go. I'm sure there are those who love it, but when given this knife as a gift, I was disappointed that I didn't get the one I really wanted. Who ever came up with the idea of an orange handle? Ick!

As with some santukos, it doesn't do well slicing through melons and other larger items. You would do better with a chef's knife. But other model santukos beat this one in performance, in my opinion.

Buying a knife is a very individual thing, and people choose what fits their hands. I happen to prefer something with a real handle that doesn't feel like it's chapstick-coated. If you have larger hands, as I do, you may wish to try something else.

Note: See addition of Jan 02/07 at end.

Rachel Ray is very entertaining, I very much enjoy her show (30-Minute Meals). I watch it frequently. I saw her bio and she is a wonderful person.

But a "Rachel Ray" BRAND??!! Has she tested and compared? - or just succumbed to $$$ from a shadow manufacturer? I venture to guess that Forschner makes a better knife for less $$$. I do know that Forschner knives are outstanding because I own five. The Forschner Santoku is the same size and design as this for $17 less. And you know who makes it.

I don't own even one RR knife because I really don't fancy paying RR and a "shadow" manufacturer a celeb commission for an orange handle.
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ADDED Jan 02/08: I did this review because I have come to the opinion that vendors of "celeb" merchandise depend more on the celeb magnet than on quality and service. As just one example, see my review of the George Foreman GRP99 grill (and the complaints of many others). In perusing reviews of various merchandise on various sources, I see that "celeb" merchandise is often of low or middling quality at upscale prices. Believe me, when you buy celeb merchandise you do pay a good price for those orange handles.

And if your orange handle turns purple and stains your counter top, what manufacturer do you complain to?

Again, I want to stress that I have absolutely nothing against or criticism of RR. I think she is a completely honest and nice person. And her enthusiasm is most entertaining and enjoyable.

Throw out all your other "carving" knives...this is the only one you'll ever need! Also check out Furi's paring knives then throw out all you others as well!

This is my first "Santoku" style knife. I am more familiar with the "Chefs" style knife.
I'm very happy with my new Füri Rachael Ray Gusto Grip 7-Inch Knife ! I was a cook in the military for 6 years and I know that a good knife is essential. I'm also a Vegetarian which means I chop a ton of vegetables. I was extremely apprehensive about ordering a knife over the internet because I'm a guy with large hands, so finding a knife handle that fits me is ALWAYS a problem. For me, I find that the handle is a bit on the small side, but the tackiness of the "gusto grip" handle helps with the stability I feel with the knife. Other than the handle, this knife is great.

I own a set of Henckels knives but wanted a santuko knife. I went looking and really liked how this knife felt in my hand. It was a bit cheaper than the henckels that matched my set, so I decided to give it a try. It feels good, cuts well, very sharp. My only comment is that it came with 3 stickers ON THE BLADE!!! Advertising stickers. I had to soak the knife overnight to get them off and can still see the marks from the adhesive on the blade. Obviously, that doesn't affect the performance of the knife, but I can't see Henckels or Wustoff ever putting stickers on the blade...

My mom loves her knife. I have used it at her house and I wish I had one.

We are picky about knives and really love this one so far. Haven't had to sharpen it yet. Great non-slip handle.

I completely agree with Sobai's January 9th review. I looked at the Furi knives when shopping locally two months ago, but my husband encouraged me to purchase a set of Wusthof classic knives instead. While I love the Wusthofs, I reach for my Furis just as often.

I received the Furi 5" knife as a Christmas gift and was so pleased with the product that I ordered the 7" a week later. Both knives were incredibly sharp right out of the package. I give them a couple of swipes down a steel before each use and they're holding an edge beautifully.

Like Sobai, I also like the orange silicone grip (did someone actually call it plastic?). I have small hands and find the grip to be ergonomic, safe and comfortable. The knife remains secure in my hand even when cutting chicken! The orange color stands out in my block, making it easy to find the desired knife quickly. Besides, nothing like a little "Harley Davidson" orange to brighten up the kitchen ;-)

Knives are a matter of personal preference. I'm pretty picky and have found the Furis to be a quality product. My recommendation: go to a local knife shop and hold a lot of different knives in your hand. Pay attention to how each feels and imagine how your hand would feel after cutting a mountain of veggies. The "best" knife in the world for one person may not be the best choice for another.

Happy chopping!

I purchased this item for a Christmas gift for my mother in law. She absolutely loved it!! It was packaged nicely and even though I ordered it a little late, I got it before Christmas and was able to WOW the Rachel Ray fanatic of the family!

My cousin she loves it. She is a big fan of RR, saw the knife on the MANY shows Rachael Ray is on and liked the way it looked, but after getting the knife, she was not dissappointed. She has thanked me every time we get together. Went out and got her the 3 piece for her birthday since she is now in love with the blade.

I bought this knife for my daughter for her birthday. I'm sure she's going to enjoy using it. I had the occasion to use it at her house after she unwrapped it and found it to be amazing. It was so well balanced and weighted that when slicing a potato very little pressure had to be applied. Now I just have to get one for myself. Well, my birthday is coming up in February!

The knife is very sharp. It glides through onions. The handle is tacky and has a nice feel. Easy to grip. I also have a more expensive santoku knife, and this one seems just as sharp.

REVISED REVIEW: As previously noted, I do love using these knives and really like the 'rubberized' handles for non slippage during cutting. However, after 6 months of use I find they are rusting and pitting on the blade. Perhaps because I place them in the dishwasher? Although I cannot imagine they would not be dishwasher safe - as all my other chef knives are. I'm about to contact Amazon regarding replacement of these knives. I'll update after I hear their response. Shame that the blade material is not as good as the ergonomic and handling aspects.

INITIAL REVIEW: I purchased the 5" Furi East/West knife and am now the 7". I did not make the decision based on Rachel Ray but on the Furi reputation of good economical products. I had been looking for a santoku type knife for awhile and had tried many of them for hand feel, grip comfort and ease of use. This one definitely fits the bill. Initially I was a bit hesitant to buy anything but Wusthof, which is all I have ever purchased, but I must say that these knives do it all. Don't get me wrong - I love my Wusthof knives, but if you are looking for a knife that doesn't cost a paycheck ... this one is a great find for much less money. I tend to use the 5" knife for almost everything. However, when I am chopping, I usually do a lot of veggies at one time and the 5" is not quite long enough to cut through all at once. So that is why I added the 7" to the set.

I also noticed that another reviewer didn't like the "cheap plastic handle" but I don't find the handle to be cheap at all. In fact, that is what I liked about this knife. It is ergonomically correct for my hand, with a slight curve on the handle end so it doesn't slip. The "plastic" is really a poly-rubber base that also keeps the knife from slipping around in the hand, especially when wet. Very safe and convenient. Lastly, another feature that I was looking for in a santoku knife was the ease to "rock" the knife back and forth while keeping most of the blade on the cutting surface while cutting. This knife is great for that, as it is one of the few santoku knives that has an up-curve at the tip of the blade.

Overall this Furi santoku knife has been a wonderful find at a great price.

I'm not a chef, just a guy. I have a ninety-five year old mother who has recently developed a chronic desire for fried onions, on hamburgers, in mashed potatoes, or `a la carte. She also is a big Rachael Ray fan, as I too have become. Rachael is the cutest!
So, the best knife that I had to slice onions, was a sharp folding knife from my knife collection. It outsliced all of my mother's kitchen knives. Then I came across the Rachael Ray knife on the internet. I told my mother we'd buy it to slice onions and because we like Rachael so much, kind of like when I was a kid and I got my Mickey Mantle baseball glove.
The knife slices onions like a dream. I had always wondered how restaurants get those nice thin clean onion slices, and now I get them too! It's the only really sharp kitchen knife we've ever owned. It must be as sharp as it was when we purchased it, because it still slices as it did when it was new.
The only minor inconvenience was that it doesn't come with some kind of a sheath. My brother improvised one with the knife packaging and some scotch tape. It works fine, just to not have the blade exposed.
I like the orange handle, it allows for a non-slide confident grip.
If I wanted other types of kitchen knives, I'd certainly try the Rachael Ray line again.

I have used this knife for everything since it arrived. It is perfect for everyday use, great product for the price.

I have always been afraid of knives and tend to use them gingerly in the kitchen. However, this knife is very sturdy with a comfortable-to-hold handle. It is as easy to use as demonstrated on the 30 Minute Meals show.

I've never used a single knife as a multi-purpose tool before because I have always had paring, boning, etc. knives. This does work well for all, but doesn't give you quite as much control over small chops as you would have with a paring knife.

Overall it is a good knife and I will use it regularly, but I still recommend a variety of utility knives for your varied purposes in the kitchen. For example, it doesn't work as a knife to slice bread, you will still need a serrated one for that. Good buy, as long as it is not your only knife.

This knife is as sharp as Rachel is cute... wonderful balance and cleans like a dream, SHARP !!! We have been using a japanese laminated kitchen knife for 20 + years and have never found a knife that could be as sharp. But it was getting tired, the handle had come loose and the blade was pitted because it was not a stainless base.

Thought we would take a chance and we are very pleased. My only suggestion is that there might be more choices in handle colors. The orange is never going to get lost but may clash with ones kitchen accent color scheme...

We love Rachel and we love this knife.

I've been using this knife for several months now and find it to be a good all around knife. It's heavy enough to cut up chicken yet sharp enough to cut tomatoes. It is weighted somewhat differently and I often find that I have my finger on top of the blade when cutting extensively. I also like the "rounded" santoku since you can rock the blade or cut flat, whichever you prefer.
My parents have one of those high end German brand knives which is a nice knife but for the price this knife is a good value.

This knife is just like the ones used by Rachel Ray on her TV shows. The blade is super sharp and the handle fits nicely in your hand.

I just purchased this knife after having purchased the smaller 5 inch Furi Knife. I liked the 5 inch version so much that I wanted to add this one to the collection. I find that this knife is far more comfortable to use than the Wustof Santoku Knife that I already own. While I saw that other reviewers were put off by the color of the handle, the handle is quite comfortable and makes chopping far easier with less fatigue. I sometimes find that the Wustof Santoku Knife, while a great knife with a great reputation for quality, became uncomfortable to use after lengthy chopping and cutting sessions in the kitchen. This Furi knife, on the other hand, is simply wonderful; and despite other reviews about the orange handle, the ease of use makes up for the color. The handle is quite comfortable and the grip makes it easier to chop and cut without fatigue. Highly recommend!!!

I tried this knife at Sur La Table at the Furi demo. They appeared to be very sharp. However I did not like these knives for the following reasons

1) I dont care much for the cheap plastic-like orange handles


2) The finish on the knives appear to be cheap. Furi implies that these knives are made in Germany. However they are cheaply "Made in China". Now generally I dont care that much .. everything is now made in China anyways.. But when I am paying so much money for a product, I was hoping it was made in Germany or USA.

3) The case is even more cheaply made.

Personally, I would wait for a sale on the Global or the Wustof knives.

I bought this knife after watching Rachel zoom through all the prep for her 30 minute meals, hoping it would make my time in the kitchen a little less tedious. I wasn't disappointed!! This knife makes food prep so easy it's almost fun, lol! I highly recommend it for all the other amateurs out there!

This knife is weighted improperly. The blade is too heavy for the handle and it feels as if the whole knife is being pulled down, which is an unpleasant way to cut. It got dull very quickly with just routine use and I don't recommend it at all. Just another example of "celebrity" (I use the term loosely) branding and the lemmings who will buy anything.

I have been using a less than perfect set of knives for almost twenty years and am so happy that I found this knife. Thought the original set that I bought (Gerber!?) stays quite sharp the handles are not comfortable. I learned to hold the handle end of the blade between my thumb and forefinger so that the knife would not turn in my hand, and the Gerbers have always caused me pain when doing a lenghty chop for a large recipe. About six months ago I bought my girlfriend a three piece set of Global knives after reading good things about them and checking them out at a retailer. After using the Globals I found them too small for my large hands and did not like the way they felt (again with the gripping of the handle end of the blade). I bought the Furi sight unseen but am very happy with the way it cuts and feels. The only reservation, echoed by a reviewer of one of the Furi sets, is that it did not feel all that sharp the first time I used it. It seemed to take more force to enter the flesh of an avocado (the first cut on the Furi) than it should have. Granted, the blade is thicker and has a different angle on the blade edge than either the Gerbers and the Globals that I have tried, but I expected less force. That said, I am still very happy with this Furi and have adjusted my cutting force. Probably I will purchase a Furi sharpening system soon and will know whether sharpening the blade helps.

I'm very happy with this knife! It's comfortable to work with and makes chopping, slicing, and dicing fun & easy. I also bought the Furi knife sharpener to keep it sharp.

Also ordered the sharpening tool and love it. Now have all kinds of sharp knives in the kitchen.

Ok, so I never had a good knife before. I usually used a steak knife to cut up vegetables. As you can guess, this was a huge chore. I hated cooking with onions especially, because cutting them up took forever, made a huge mess, and made me weap copious tears.

After watching Rachael chop things on her show with such ease, I decided I'd give it a go with the right equipment. Wow. It. Is. So. Easy. The Furi Pro just goes right through the food like butter. I just cut up an apple because I wanted to cut something with it, it's so cool. I can cut up an onion so fast now there's no time to tear up.

I have no idea how this compares to other knives, but it sure beats a steak knife!

This Santoku knife is made a little heavier than the Furi RR Coppertail model. I believe this is due to a thicker tang on the blade. The silicone grip is ideal to help prevent one's hand slipping on the handle & is very comfortable.
In my opinion, Wusthof may lose alot of customers after they try using this knife. If one is interested, the Foodtv.com web site has two different sets of the RR Gusto Grip knives for sale.
I seldom use my Wusthof Santoku anymore. The curved tip saves alot of needless wrist movement when chopping or mincing.
The 1st knife I ordered was defective; a cracked handle near the metal cap on the rear of the handle plus metal pitts on top of the tang. In my opinion, the Wusthof Santoku has a superior German steel that stays razor sharp alot longer!