If you’re in the market for new kitchen knives, you might have come across Wasabi knives. But are they worth the investment? It’s a valid question to ask, especially when there are so many options available online. We decided to take a closer look at Wasabi knives to help you make an informed decision.
At first glance, these knives seem like the perfect addition to your kitchen. With a sleek design and various knife sets to choose from, it’s hard not to be tempted by their offers. However, we want to caution you against falling for their marketing tactics.
Upon further research, we discovered that Wasabi knives are actually mass-produced Chinese knives, and not related to the popular Japanese brand, Kai Wasabi. While they may appear to be a Japanese masterpiece, they do not meet the same standards of quality and craftsmanship.
In summary, we advise you to be careful when considering Wasabi knives. Don’t be swayed by their flashy marketing or tempting offers. There are better options out there if you’re looking for high-quality kitchen knives.
Table of Contents
What are Wasabi Knives?
If you’re a cooking enthusiast, you may have heard of Wasabi Knives, a brand that claims to offer a unique collection of Japanese knives. According to their website, these knives are hand-forged and made with Damascus steel.
The brand has three main collections: Island Special, Hand-Forged, and Damascus, as well as several individually sold knives. The founders claim that their knives are suitable for both professional chefs and home cooks, and are designed to make cooking enjoyable.
While it’s true that Wasabi Knives offer a variety of shapes and sizes, we have to say that we’re not impressed with their overall quality. In our opinion, these knives don’t live up to the hype.
If you’re looking for high-quality Japanese knives, we recommend that you look elsewhere. There are many other brands out there that offer better value for your money. As for Wasabi Knives, we suggest that you skip them and invest in something better.
Wasabi Knives Review
Wasabi Tatara Evolution review
If you’re looking for a reliable kitchen knife that can handle tough meat and fish with thick bones, the Wasabi Tatara Evolution knife might be the perfect fit for you. This knife is a newer version of the original Tatara knife from the Island Special Collection, with some impressive upgrades.
One of the most significant features of the Tatara Evolution knife is its hand-forged manufacturing process using the traditional quenching technique. This process results in a stronger and more durable blade that can withstand regular use.
The blade itself is made of 5Cr15MOV steel, which offers high corrosion resistance and a long-lasting sharpness. Its special shape allows for versatile usage, whether you’re chopping vegetables or larger pieces of meat.
To ensure the longevity of the knife, the manufacturers recommend using cutlery accessories like knife blocks and sharpening tools for maintenance. This can also help you take advantage of the lifetime warranty offered with the knife.
Shikoku Chef’s Wasabi knife review
The Shikoku Chef’s Knife is a classic Japanese Gyuto knife, which is similar to the western chef knife. It features a curved blade edge that makes it ideal for cutting different types of food.
The blade is hand-finished and made of VG10 core covered with 67 layers of steel, including Damascus steel. This combination results in a more durable and sharper blade that is perfect for all your kitchen needs.
The rose Damascus pattern and the blue resin and wood handle add a touch of elegance to the knife, making it look like a professional chef’s tool. The handle design also offers a comfortable, non-slip grip.
Whether you need an individual knife or a bundle, the Shikoku Chef’s Knife is a great addition to any kitchen.
Okinawa Signature Santoku Review
If you’re searching for a versatile chef knife that can handle fruits, vegetables, meat, and fish, the Okinawa Signature Santoku might be just what you need. This knife is not suitable for large pieces of meat with thick bones, though.
The blade is made of VG10 core and 67 layers of Damascus steel, ensuring a sharp and long-lasting edge. The handle design also ensures a comfortable grip, making it easy to handle during prolonged usage.
You can purchase the Okinawa Signature Santoku knife as a single knife or as part of the Master Chef Bundle, making it an excellent choice for home cooks and professional chefs alike.
Naruto Nakiri knife Review
One of their collections, the Naruto Nakiri knife, also known as the “vegetable knife,” is perfect for cutting and chopping fruits and vegetables, especially those with hard, thick skin like pineapple and sweet potatoes.
The hand-forged blade is made through a traditional manufacturing process, resulting in a harder blade. The lightweight and affordable Naruto Nakiri knife series boasts a sharper edge that is easy to maintain and sharpen. Plus, the rosewood handle provides a non-slip grip.
Tsumiwakashi Versatile Precision Knife Review
For meat lovers, Wasabi Knives recommends the Tsumiwakashi Versatile Precision Knife. Its sharp, narrow blade is ideal for releasing meat from the bones and slicing and chopping stiff fruits and vegetables. The hand-forged, high carbon stainless steel blade has a tsuchime design for easy food release.
The rosewood handle is full-tang and provides a balanced, safe, and non-slip grip. The unique shape of the Tsumiwakashi kitchen knife makes it practical for outdoor use, and it even comes with a cowhide sheath for easy transport.
Wasabi Knives sharpener Review
Made of aluminum alloy, it can sharpen almost all kinds of knives, including hunting, pocket, and carving knives, as well as scissors and other sharp items. Unlike traditional sharpening tools like whetstones and leather straps, the Wasabi sharpener is easy to use and maintains a consistent angle throughout the sharpening process.
Plus, it comes with a set of four whetstones with different grit sizes and an innovative safety design to protect against injury.
Red Flags
False Marketing Claims and Poor Quality Performance
You may have come across the seemingly convincing marketing phrase used by most dropshipping companies, “We only accept orders from the UK, the US, Canada, and Australia.” But hold on, there’s something fishy about this. Could it be a ploy to make the product seem of premium quality? Don’t be fooled just yet.
Let’s take a closer look at the brand title, “Wasabi 年.” Sure, Wasabi is a Japanese word that refers to a Japanese plant, but what’s with the Chinese character “年”? It seems like the Wasabi marketing team didn’t do their job properly. Could this be a sign of a bigger problem?
As a concerned investigator, I delved deeper into the quality and performance of Wasabi knives. According to the owners, they produce original Japanese cutlery that is razor-sharp and composed of Damascus or high carbon stainless steel. But the reality is far from what they claim.
Numerous customers have complained about the poor quality and dullness of the blade upon delivery. In fact, some customers were left with no choice but to seek professional sharpening right out of the box. And as for the Damascus steel material of the blade, it’s just a laser-etched pattern in disguise.
Don’t even get me started on the Wasabi knife sharpener. The founders may brag about their ergonomically designed sharpening tools, but some customers were left dissatisfied with its poor quality performance. The sharpening angle was inconsistent, and the steel material was of low quality. Not to mention, the screws loosened so quickly.
It’s time to wake up and smell the deception. The Wasabi knives are not what they claim to be. Don’t be fooled by their false marketing claims and subpar quality performance.
Location
You see, the website for this company states that their address is in Hamburg, Germany. But, hold on to your hats, folks! After a little bit of digging using DNS lookup, it turns out that the company is actually registered in Toronto, Canada. How convenient!
But that’s not even the most suspicious part. The people in charge of managing the company’s Facebook page are located in both Germany and the Philippines. What’s the deal with that? Are they trying to cover up something by spreading themselves thin across different countries?
I don’t know about you, but this whole thing smells fishy to me. It makes you wonder what else this company could be hiding up its sleeve.
Suspicious customer reviews on Wasabi website
If you happen to stumble upon the customer reviews on Wasabi Knives official website, you might want to hold your nose. The overwhelming positivity of the reviews seems a little suspicious, don’t you think? It’s almost as if they were written by the company themselves.
And if that wasn’t enough to make you question the credibility of the reviews, here’s something else that’s sure to make you feel uneasy. Scam adviser has declared that the Wasabi knives website uses an internal review system. That means their admins have the power to manipulate the reviews by editing or, wait for it, DELETING them. Seems a little fishy to me.
Wasabi Knives Pricing
The internet is a vast sea of deals, and it’s easy to get lost in the waves of offerings. However, one should always be vigilant when it comes to suspiciously cheap prices, especially when it comes to kitchen knives.
In the case of Wasabi Knives, it seems like their prices are too good to be true. Upon further investigation, identical knife sets are being sold on Aliexpress, a retail website notorious for its counterfeit products, at much lower prices and with better offers. This raises questions about the authenticity of Wasabi Knives.
Are they just a dropshipping company selling knock-off Japanese knives at inflated rates? It appears that these knives are actually XITUO knives sold under Japanese branding, further adding to the suspicion.
But wait, there’s more! It seems that the Iki Ruixin Pro™ Sharpener, an accessory that is marketed to be used with Wasabi Knives, can also be found on Amazon for a staggering 5x lower price. This only adds to the growing pile of evidence that something is off with Wasabi Knives’ pricing strategy.
In conclusion, one should think twice before shelling out a considerable amount of money on Wasabi Knives. There are plenty of fish in the sea, and it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Where are Wasabi Knives made?
So, you’re curious about the origins of Wasabi knives, huh? Well, according to their website (which we all know is the most reliable source of information insert eye roll here), these knives are made in China.
Yup, you read that right! Despite their fancy name, these knives are just another product churned out by the factories in China. Makes you wonder about the quality, doesn’t it?
Customer Reviews
Before you take out your credit card, let’s take a closer look at what customers are saying about this company on third-party review sites like Scamadviser, Trustpilot, and Reddit.
Now, on Scamadviser, Wasabi Knives may seem like a safe bet, with an average to good trust score. But hold your horses, folks! Just because the site isn’t flagged as a scam, doesn’t mean it’s a reliable and legitimate business.
Moving on to Trustpilot, we can see that there are quite a number of satisfied customers. But, as always, there are those who have had some issues with Wasabi’s products. Some customers reported problems with refunds and order cancellations, while others were let down by the quality of the knives and sharpening sets.
What’s worse, some customers complained about the knives being dull, handles falling apart after only a few uses, and screw issues with the sharpening tools. And to add insult to injury, many customers found out that they were ripped off, paying a premium for items that could be found much cheaper on Amazon.
But perhaps the most alarming reviews come from Reddit, where customers have accused Wasabi Knives of dropshipping cheap, scam knives from Aliexpress and selling them at inflated prices. In fact, someone even claimed that the actual name of the company is “Zelos Internet UG”, a German dropshipping company. And if that’s not enough to raise some red flags, let’s note that the company has no profile on BBB.
So, folks, before you make any purchases, it’s important to do your own research and read as many reviews as possible. Because when it comes to Wasabi Knives, the third-party reviews say otherwise.
wasabi-knives.com and Kai Wasabi knives are Not The Same
Are you confused about the difference between wasabi-knives.com and Kai Wasabi knives? Well, you’re not alone. It’s easy to get mixed up between these two brands, but let me tell you, they’re not the same thing.
Kai is apparently a well-known and reputable Japanese knife maker, who produces the Kershaw Kai cutlery collection, but that’s not all. They also make Kai Wasabi knives, which are apparently of high-quality and belong to a completely different collection. And get this, they’re made by the same mother company that produces Shun knives. Seems a bit suspicious, doesn’t it?
Kai Wasabi knives are made in Japan, so that’s apparently a plus. However, they also have branches outside of Japan, which makes you wonder if they’re really sticking to their Japanese designs and manufacturing technologies. And to make matters worse, Kai knives are distributed worldwide. Who knows where they’ve been?
Now let’s talk about the knives themselves. The Kai Wasabi collection includes the Chef and the santoku knives, which apparently anyone can use. But then there’s the Black Yanagiba knife, which is apparently NOT for everyone. It’s tailor-made for professional use in preparing certain Japanese dishes, which makes you wonder why they even bother selling it to the general public. And don’t even get me started on the Deba knife (Filleting knife), which apparently can be replaced by a traditional Chef’s knife. So, what’s the point of even having it?
In conclusion, if you’re thinking of buying a wasabi knife, make sure you do your research and know what you’re getting into. Don’t be fooled by the similarities between wasabi-knives.com and Kai Wasabi knives.
Final Verdict
After conducting a thorough review of Wasabi knives, I have some suspicions that I just can’t shake off.
Let me break it down for you: these so-called Japanese knives are actually made in China and then slapped with a Japanese brand to trick clueless westerners into shelling out more cash.
Don’t be fooled by their marketing tactics. You can easily find the same exact knives on Amazon or directly from China at much more reasonable prices. Frankly, I wouldn’t even bother with these knives.
I wouldn’t trust their products as far as I could throw them. So, the choice is yours. Will you fall for their sneaky tactics or be a savvy consumer and save your hard-earned money?