Over time, I have bought 3 Tanakas, giving 2 away as gifts. In my view this is the best entry level Japanese knife. Rustic good looks, well finished and Blue 2 carbon steel. I have a number of knives in different steels, Blue 2 is more rugged, easy to sharpen and comes up razor sharp. And that’s the point of a Japanese knife, yes, you’ve got to take care of it but it gets you involved, it gives you feedback, stainless steel just doesn’t do that.