The Opal Damascus Bread Knife is very sharp like the other damascus steel knives. The grooves are well balanced so that the knife cuts easily evenly through all types of bread. The knife blade is of damascus steel with a core of VG10 steel plus 66 layers of 431 and 304 steel. They are hardened to 58-62 on the rockwell scale and the edge is sharpened to 16 degrees. The result is an exceptionally sharp and beautiful knife. The shaft is grey pakkawood(compressed wood), which is a very solid and durable material. The knife comes in a grey leather sheath with a loop, so that it can be hung up or placed in a drawer without being damaged.