I own the 9 inch version, but am posting on the 8 inch product page to give some balance to another review which I think might be less than fair.As noted by another reviewer, this knife has an asymmetrical blade. Those of us that are used to using Japanese steel, asymmetric grinds are not "strange". they allow a finer edge and a more elegant cut with less strain on the wrist (if paired properly, right handed knives for right handers, left handed knives for left handers)I don't use a spyderco sharpener, but the other reviewer is probably right that it might be hard to sharpen on that sharpener. Most chefs sharpen their knives on stones so we don't have that problem that he had, so that part of the review is less than fair.Another reason that he might have noted that it is hard to sharpen this knife is because it is made of a new particle metal or powdered metal that IS different to sharpen than 440A or other steels. The new powdered metal have much higher hardness at the same time as having much higher toughness. Usually if a knife is "soft" it is easy to sharpen (take away metal) but it won't hold an edge. If it is "hard", it isn't tough and can be brittle.The combination of narrower , asymmetrical edge, and the high hardness at the expense of "toughness" is why Japanese knives can be considered brittle and easy to chipPowdered metallurgy allows for high hardness, very narrow bevel profiles and high toughness (not being brittle)So, most of the things that he finds a "negative", a chef would find a "positive"