Allow 10–15 days. Our knives ship direct from the forge that makes them rather than sitting in an Australian warehouse — a longer wait than a big-box retailer, and the reason a 67-layer Damascus blade costs what it does here instead of twice as much.

Free express shipping on orders over $249. Under that it's $16.95. You'll get a tracking link by email as soon as it's on its way.

You have 30 days from delivery to return anything for a full refund or exchange, provided it's unused and in its original packaging.

Email support@takumiedgeco.com with your order number and we'll send a prepaid return label within one business day. If it arrived damaged or defective, we cover return shipping too.

Real, folded Damascus — not an etched or printed pattern. Every blade is layered around a 10Cr15CoMoV core and hardened to 60±2 HRC.

Layer count differs by line: 67 on Glacier, Ink, Ember and Abalone; 89 on Ironwood; 37-layer on Obsidian, left with a hand-hammered forge finish instead of a polished swirl. More layers means a more dramatic pattern, not a better knife — the core steel and the heat treatment are what hold an edge.

The edge is ground to 9–12° per side. A typical Western knife sits around 20°, which is why these bite into an onion skin instead of sliding off it.

A harder, finer edge does need looking after — see the care answer below. Every knife carries our 2-year edge guarantee: chip the edge or have the blade fail under normal kitchen use and we replace it, free.

Hand wash and dry straight away. Not dishwasher safe — the detergent is abrasive enough to dull the edge and the heat dries out a natural-material handle.

Cut on wood or plastic, never glass, stone or a ceramic plate. Store in a block, on a magnetic rack, or in a sheath rather than loose in a drawer.

Not by hand. Spend over $300 and we include a rolling sharpener free ($79) — set the magnetic base to 18° or 20°, rest the blade against it and roll. It holds the angle for you, so there's no freehand technique to learn.

Pull-through sharpeners are the one thing to avoid: they tear a fine Japanese edge rather than grind it.

Start with the 8" chef knife — it handles most of a week's cooking on its own. If you prep a lot of vegetables, add a nakiri. If you like a shorter blade with a flatter profile, a santoku instead.

Everything past that is a specialist: bread, boning, paring. Build the set you'll use, not the set that fills a block.