Why oh why did I wait to buy a boning knife? I went to the local housewares store but all they had in the way of boning knives were forged $$$ knives which were overkill in this instance, in my humble opinion. I'd previously purchased a Dexter-Russell bread knife which I was very happy with, so I finally ordered this knife and its arrival coincided with a BIG sale on whole chickens at the local market, so I got to put it to use right awayWOW. What an INCREDIBLE difference using the proper tool makes! I'd done some research online as to whether I wanted or needed a flexible blade or not, and this 5" narrow flexible blade proved to be IDEAL. Taking a chicken apart is remarkably easy now, no longer the mess I'd make with my Wusthof Wusthof Classic Ikon 8-Inch Cook's Knife, Black 8" chef's knife or my Wusthof Wüsthof Classic Ikon White - Paring Knife 3 1/2" 3 1/2" paring knife. I did not understand the difference that a boning knife would make. I like to purchase whole chickens because they're usually cheaper and the longer a piece of meat remains in a large piece, the fresher it's going to be.Consider this knife ESSENTIAL if you do any real cooking. Budget for it at once. Worth every penny!