The Yi (B27) is an 8.5" Bunka — a double-bevel Japanese-style all-rounder with a flat profile and a sharp k-tip for everyday prep. The blade is 67-layer Damascus folded over a 10Cr15CoMoV core, hardened to 60±2 HRC and ground to a 15° double bevel. A flat edge for clean push-cuts, a precise tip for detail work, and enough blade height to scoop. One knife for vegetables, proteins and herbs.
67-Layer Damascus
10Cr15CoMoV Core
60±2 HRC
Vacuum Heat-Treated
Full Tang
Rosewood Handle
Reach for this when you've got a pile of onions to rock-chop before Sunday ragu, or a whole chicken that needs breaking down before it hits the pan. The 8.5-inch blade is long enough to work through a butternut without the tip dragging, and the extra half-inch over a standard chef knife means you're clearing the board with fewer strokes. Heavy enough to feel authoritative; light enough to use for an hour without noticing.
The core is 10Cr15CoMoV high-carbon stainless steel, wrapped in 67 layers of Damascus cladding. Vacuum heat-treated to 60-62 HRC, it takes a keen edge and holds it through a full prep session. The layered Damascus isn't just visual: that cladding helps the blade resist chipping when you're working through denser produce like raw beetroot or a celeriac.
The rosewood handle is triple-riveted to a full-tang blade, so one solid piece of steel runs from the tip through to the butt. That's where the balance comes from. It sits low in the hand with a clean profile that doesn't fight you whether you're gripping back for power cuts or choking up for finer work. Rosewood doesn't swell or stain the way cheaper timbers do near a sink.
Pair it with the Yi Series 7" Santoku for push-cut vegetable work where this 8.5-incher is more knife than you need, and the 3.5" Paring Knife for the small in-hand jobs like peeling apples or deveining prawns.
All our knives arrive in a beautiful, premium gift box that's ready to impress. (Whether it's for a very lucky cook, or just for you.)
Yi Series — B27
A Bunka does the work of a chef's knife with a flatter edge and a k-tip that gets into detail. The Yi runs a 210mm blade, 55mm tall at the heel, on a 269g body — substantial without being heavy. It is the knife you reach for first: dicing onions, breaking down a chicken, finely slicing herbs. Workhorse geometry, Damascus underneath.
In stock. Ships from Australia. Hand-wash only.
Why it earns the bench
The flat profile keeps the whole edge on the board for clean push-cuts, while the angled k-tip handles the close, precise work most chef's knives are clumsy at. The 10Cr15CoMoV core is vacuum heat-treated and deep-frozen to 60±2 HRC, so the 15° edge holds longer between sharpenings. At 2.2mm at the spine, the blade is thin enough to glide and thick enough to feel planted.
The steel
This is real Damascus, not a printed pattern. A 10Cr15CoMoV cutting core is clad in 316/316L stainless Damascus — 66 outer layers, roughly 33 per side — forge-folded to 67 layers total. The pattern (herringbone, sometimes called feather) is the steel itself, exposed by hand-polishing the double bevel. Vacuum heat treatment plus a deep-freeze cycle stabilises the core at 60±2 HRC for a hard, corrosion-resistant edge that takes a fine finish.
Specification
Hand-wash only — not dishwasher safe.
In the hand
The handle is rosewood over a full tang, pinned with three rivets — one a decorative mosaic rivet. The tang runs the length of the handle for balance and durability, and the 269g weight sits forward enough to drive cuts without forcing your wrist. A western-style grip on a Japanese-style blade: familiar to hold, faster on the board.
The difference
Xinzuo Yi Bunka (B27)
Generic stamped chef's knife
In the box
Arrives ready to gift.
Yi Series
Yi Series — B27
Add to cart — $139.95FAQs
Real. The blade is 67 layers of forge-folded steel — a 10Cr15CoMoV core clad in 316/316L stainless Damascus — and the herringbone pattern is the steel itself, revealed by hand-polishing. It is not etched or printed on.
It is a Bunka — a Japanese-style all-rounder that does the same everyday job as a chef's knife. It has a flatter edge for push-cutting and a sharp k-tip for detail work, so it covers most prep tasks.
The core is hardened to 60±2 HRC via vacuum heat treatment and a deep-freeze cycle. That hardness, combined with the 15° edge, holds a sharp edge longer than a typical softer stainless knife.
Yes. It is made in Yangjiang, Guangdong — the long-established centre of Chinese knife-making. The Damascus construction, vacuum heat treatment and full-tang build are the real points that matter, and it carries a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects.
Rosewood over a full tang, secured with three rivets including one decorative mosaic rivet. The full tang runs the length of the handle for balance and durability.
No. Hand wash and dry only. Avoid soaking, and don't chop bones or frozen food — that protects the edge and the rosewood handle.
The blade is 210mm (8.3"), with an overall length of 345mm and a net weight of 269g — a substantial everyday size.
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