This is our Aikido steel review.
If you came to this article this means that you have seen advertisements for Aikido steel. You may be thinking of buying from them.
You may be asking if they are really legit or a scam. Are Aikido steel knives actually good knives?
It took me 16+ hours between forums, subreddits, 3rd party review sites (like Trustpilot and Scam Advisor), and YouTube to answer these questions properly.
So, worry not!
Let’s start and see the answers to your questions.
In a hurry? Aikido Steel knives are not Japanese-made knives and they use many sneaky marketing tactics to deceive customers. They are Chinese-manufactured knives. Check these solid alternatives for a better value for your hard-earned money.
Iseya I-series 33 Layer
Wusthof Classic IKON
Mac Knife Professional
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What is Aikido steel? (According to Aikido site)
Aikido is a Japanese martial art that depends on self-defense. Aikido itself means “the way of harmonizing energy”. The brand uses the name Aikido to suggest how balanced and detail-oriented Aikido Steel is.
Aikido Steel claims they are making Japanese knives with Damascus patterns.
Aikido Steel has numerous sets and individual knives, some of which are:
- Signature 7-piece set
- Signature 5-piece set
- Autograph 4-piece set
- Kurashikko 8-inch chef knife
- Signature 8-inch nakiri knife
- Takaharu 8-inch chef knife
What is included in the signature 7-piece set?
- 3.5-inch Paring Knife: A small knife used for peeling and doing small tasks in your kitchen.
- 5-inch Utility Knife: Useful for the odd tasks in your kitchen, from slicing meat to slicing herbs.
- 5-inch Santoku Knife: The 5-inch Santoku knife compliments the 7-inch Santoku knife included in the list. The smaller 5-inch version is like the 7-inch Santoku knife but allows more control.
- 7-inch Santoku Knife: The 7-inch Santoku knife is used for its speed and efficiency while preparing a meal. The 7-inch Santoku knife is suitable for chopping or slicing your ingredients
- 8-inch Bread Knife: A long serrated knife for anyone who enjoys fresh bakery.
- 8-inch Slicing Knife: The 8-inch slicing knife is used for delicate tasks in your kitchen. The slicing knife has a long thin blade that allows for carving and slicing your meat. The slicing knife also cuts thin slices of fruits and vegetables.
- 8-inch Chef Knife: The most important knife in your kitchen due to the chef’s knife versatility. Aikido Steel’s chef knife has a broad and sharp blade.
Aikido Steel Knives review
You probably found out what Aikido Steel is through their ads -either Facebook or Instagram ads. Now you are wondering if you should trust them with your money or not.
The system they are using is supported by Shopify. While Shopify is a legit selling site, scammers have been abusing it.
Shopify makes it easy to set up a professional-looking site and has legit domains. Scammers use this to trick the buyers and get their information then disappear when they are discovered.
Marketing claims Investigation
Aikido Knives claims that they are making Japanese kitchen knives that are twice as hard as other knives in the same price group.
This is false because, with 59 hardness on the HRC scale, the Aikido knives may be on the weakest end of knives in its price group.
Aikido knives use Cr17 stainless steel which is Chinese-made steel. While the type of steel doesn’t matter as much as the heat treatment, we don’t know the precise process in the making of the Aikido knives.
What we know for sure is good knives rarely go through sales and even if they do, this is too much of a drastic sale for a good knife.
Also, Aikido Steel is so proud of its beautiful Damascus steel pattern. This gorgeous pattern is used to lure people who are looking for beautiful knives only to find out it was printed on the blade
Related reading: Learn about our special techniques to spot fake Japanese knives.
Where is Aikido Steel located?
Aikido Steel is based in Ontario, Canada. According to my search through the DNS lookup and Facebook transparency. I found out that the admins and the location linked to the company are in Canada. So while they claim to be a Japanese knife brand I found no connection between them and Japan. Anyone can go anywhere and claim to be associated with the culture.
So Where are Aikido steel knives made?
Aikido Steel has not mentioned they were located out in Canada in any obvious place on their site. Aikido Steel has also been marketing that they are making Japanese knives; however, all the indications show that this is a Chinese knife.
As shown in the photo below, this is the only place that I found Aikido Steel mentioned where their knives are made. They are Chinese-manufactured knives used to deceive the buyers and make them think that they are buying a real Japanese knife.
Price:
Aikido Steel claims that they manufacture and store the knives at their inventories. While that may be true. It has been noticed that they deliver within a month or maybe more in contrary to what they announce.
This has raised the question of whether they really make their knives. I found the same knives sold on Aliexpress with lower prices and better discounts as I will show below.
This shows that Aikido Steel is dropshipping the knives and not manufacturing them. They are also selling them at twice their price just to gain extra profit with no regard for the buyers.
Customer reviews on the site:
It is always a red flag when a site has only positive feedback and no one is complaining. It looks like they are trying so hard to hide how bad the brand is.
When you look at the Aikido knives reviews on their site, you don’t see any photos for the reviewers, and the accounts look like they were made in a hurry. As I already mentioned they only have 5 and 4-star reviews with more than 500 reviewers which raises questions.
Contact numbers:
The contact number present on the site looks like it is a virtual line and not an actual line.
Third-Party Aikido Steel Reviews:
I found no reviews on any reputable reviewing site. Even on their Facebook and Instagram pages, they had their reviews closed.
As you can see here on Scam Advisor, no popular review site had any mention of their knives. This makes me more sure that this brand is just a Japanese knife hoax.
Aikido knife customer reviews:
Aikido Steel Legit Alternatives:
Since you were viewing the Aikido knife, I assume you want a beautiful Japanese knife. That’s why I suggest you go for the Iseya I-series Gyuto knife. The Japanese showstopper has 33 layers of Damascus stainless steel pattern and an inner layer of the traditional VG-10 steel.
The VG-10 steel core is high carbon steel that provides a sharp edge that keeps its edge for a longer time. The factory blade slices through paper with ease. Its blade has an HRC of about 60.
With the tsuchime pattern on the blade, it allows for easy release of your ingredients from the blade.
Also, Iseya I-series Gyotu Knife has a D-shaped handle and is crafted from high-grade Pakkawood. This handle is beautiful and allows for a comfortable grip.
This Gyuto knife is the Japanese knife equivalent of a chef’s knife. This means it is an all-purpose knife that is gonna be a lifetime investment.
To ease your mind let’s talk a little about Iseya I-series’ history. It is made in Seki city, Japan by Seto Cutlery MFG Co., Ltd. Seki city is known for its blade making for about 800 years. Seto Cutlery has been established in 1908.
If you were going to buy the Aikido steel knives because of the offer on their sets, I suggest you invest more money to get the Wusthof set.
The Wusthof set contains all the primary knives you will need in your kitchen:
- 3 1/2″ Paring Knife
- 6″ Utility Knife
- 8″ Bread Knife
- 8″ Chef’s Knife
It also contains 9″ Steel, Come-Apart Kitchen Shears, and a 15-Slot Walnut Block.
What makes the Wusthof set unique is that it is made of one block of high carbon steel. This makes the knives durable -passed on from generation to generation if taken care of properly- and it resists corrosion.
The Wusthof Knife set is an easy pick because of how sturdy and sharp it is. The blade is made of high-carbon stainless steel. This allows for the knife to retain its sharpness for longer periods of time and being sharp out of the box.
The handle of the Wustchoff Knife set is made of triple-riveted polypropylene. It is easy to hold and withstands real wear and tear.
I find it handy that the set only includes four knives with no fillers because this set has what a home cook needs.
The Mac Knife reaches the perfect balance between a German-style knife and a Japanese-style knife. It is not as curved as a German knife but not as straight as a Gyotu. This helps in being able to cut with all the techniques you want. Be it Push-Pull or rocking motion. You ask and the Mac delivers.
The knife has about 60 on the HRC scale which allows it to hold up its sharpness for a long period of time. With the proper care, the knife can stay for a lifetime and needs little sharpening throughout the whole period.
The Mac knife is an all-around Chef’s knife with a comfortable handle feel to almost all its users. It is a quality knife that is very sharp, maybe sharper than any knife in its price range.
The blade is thinner at its tip then gets thicker where it is needed the most, near the handle. This allows the knife to reach a middle ground between hefty German knives and thin Japanese knives.
The thin tip is used for slicing and carving your meat. At the same time, you have a thicker spine that gives a feeling of sturdiness and adds balance to the knife.
Verdict: Is Aikido any good?
Our Aikido steel review now comes to an end.
Well after showing that Aikido Steel may be just another deceptive Chinese Knife scam. As shown throughout this article Aikido Steel is not trustworthy enough for you to spend your money on them.
I suggest you stir away from it and go for a trustworthy Japanese brand such as the Iseya I-series if you are looking for a beautiful knife with a Damascus pattern. It is an authentic Japanese Knife company with a great history of unique knives that offer phenomenal performance.
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My name is Kenzo Kishita. I’m a retired cook and a knife nerd. Now I’m a full-time home cook and a passionate blogger. Here in the blog, I share with you my love for knives and cooking.
Wish I would have read your site first. Aikido knives is a scam.
Wish,I would have read up,before cash when’t out.sounds like.i just lost a lot of money.
I am SO glad I came across your blog.
For years, I have been fumbling around my kitchen, using run of the mill knives, (Cuisinart, Kitchen Aid, etc), and finally decided to invest in a quality set.
I THOUGHT I did proper research, and narrowed my choices down to the Aikido and Vertoku sets. My choices were based on price, product description, and customer reviews.
If not for YOUR eye opening reviews, I would have wasted my money.
I appreciate your “alternative” suggestions, but unfortunately, they were all a bit out of my price range. I will go back and explore your site to see if i can come up with something that fits my needs.
Thanks again 1
John E Spear
False advertising. Blade is stamped. Mine came in a cardboard box with no receipt or invoice. No insignia on blade of any sort. Clearly a ruse. Do not trust Aikido.
Kenzo, I purchased the Aikado knife set a couple of months ago and so far been very pleased with their performance. Time will tell but they have maintained an edge for me better than my Wusthofs. Nothing better than a good kitchen knife set. I hope I’m not going to regret my purchase. I’ll let you know if my opinion changes. All the best.
I hope so Don. Please keep me updated with your appreciated feedback.
Hi Don, I also bought my Aikado chef’s knife a few months ago. It has an octagonal handle which is a perfect fit for my hand as I have Dupetryn’s contracture. The blade is razor sharp making it so much easier for me to chop vegetables. It’s a lighter knife with great balance in my hand. Veggies come away from the blade easily. I wish Aikido made a complete knife set with this handle. I also have a Lamson chef’s knife which is heavier that I use for things like cutting apart chicken and hard veggies like butternut squash. It’s made in Western, MA. My paring knife is Wüstoff. I like choosing different brands for different jobs. I’m a happy chopper!
They say they will refund if notified within 14 days. I asked for a refund within 2days They are ghosting me now.
Did you got your refund?
Bought aikido set for Christmas gift. When it arrived and realized they were made in China and quailing was not there. Requested refund. They sent a prepaid label. I sent it back. They received it weeks ago. No refund issued. Will not answer emails and phone number does not work. Am now disputing charge with credit card. DO NOT BUY FROM THIS COMPANY. TOTAL SCAM.
I must say. I was skeptical about buying them but my Henkels knife set was almost worthlessly dull after about 11 years of ownership. The sale was in my opinion worth the chance. I got the 7 piece set and it was delivered about a month later. Upon opening they look quite nice, obviously the pattern is just printed on, but whatever lol. Otherwise they are sharp as hell. Cut through paper sharp. I have now owned them for 6 months. Haven’t sharpened them once and they are incredibly sharp still! Of course no dishwashing, and always dry off immediately. They’re clearly not actually Japanese knives, but for the $140.00 I paid for the set I am more than pleasantly surprised. Time will tell if they end up being a rip off, but so far I am happy with my purchase. Probably not a “lifetime set”, but if you’re looking for something very sharp, that looks cool, performs well, and is extremely budget friendly, I would recommend these to anyone.