It is all the things one could want in a knife.

First a little background. I have had a set of 11 Wusthof Classic knives, of which the Santoku was my far and away favorite seeing daily use for the last 11 years and the main competition for this knife. I had been wanting the chef's knife to cut heavier things like thick skinned vegetables and raw primal cuts. The santoku was very sharp, light and agile but it did not excel at those tasks so I finally bought the 8" chef as my first new knife purchase in 10 years.

Balance- It is quite heavy, but in a good way that provides momentum to slice through heavy things.

Ergo- I find the handle to fit my large hands better than the santoku which is slightly smaller in the handle.

Edge- Typical european edge, which is to say a bit different from Japanese. Not necessarily better or worse just different. My santoku has never been resharpened over the years and is still very sharp (no doubt due to my OCD of edge damage) and I expect nothing less from this knife. A quick run on the steel before use and after cleaning should keep it in excellent shape.

Value- This is a bigger knife with more steel so it will cost a bit more than the other knives in my collection, but once you amortize that cost over XX years it is a good value. It has already become my new favorite knife and sees use several times daily.

Conclusion- If you have Wusthof knives already you should know what this knife is about. If not, this would make an excellent start to a collection. This style is always recommended as a core to any collection or single knife for a reason.

Love the weight and quality of the knife. It did arrive with the tip bend slightly from the package being dropped on the tip end.

My mom, browsing my Amazon wishlist one day, saw this listed there. She emailed me immediately to ask why I would ever want a knife that is that expensive. Aren't the knives that she gave me as a housewarming gift good enough? They are dishwasher-safe and have a lifetime warranty, she reminded me.
I had to explain that while the knives she gave me were nice, they don't even compare to my Wustofs. My Wustof knives retain an amazing sharpness (even when I'm a little lazy about sharpening them). Their balance is unparalleled. The handle fits my hand perfectly. The knives that she sent me always feel dull in comparision, and the handle is simply uncomfortable.
I consider a good cook's knife to be essential for anyone who cooks. The question of which cook's knife to buy depends on the person who will be using it. There are two different questions: which model to purchase, and which length to purchase.
There are two main knife manufacturers: Wustof and Henckels. I think that Wustof knives are better made. However, some people prefer the handles on the Henckels. The Henckels handle is extremely uncomfortable for me, so I don't even consider them.
The second question is that of length. If you are taller, you will want a longer knife. Shorter people will want a shorter knife. I stand at 5'7" (170cm), and find that the 8" knife is most comfortable for slicing and chopping. My best friend is about an inch taller than me and also prefers this knife. A friend who is a couple of inches shorter than me prefers the 6" cook's knife.
If you have never purchased high-quality knives before, I would recommend that you go to a traditional store and try them out first. You want to see if the handle is comfortable and if the balance is right for you. Then come back here and order it -- the Amazon price is much better than that found in any kitchen speciality or upscale department store.
Also, if you have never purchased high-quality knives before, I would recommend two other purchases: a knife holder of some sort and a sharpening steel. The former, which doesn't need to be very expensive at all (my best friend has one that cost him less a dollar; it is simply a plastic tray with slits for holding the blades), keeps the blade from getting nicked while it's sitting in your drawer. The latter keeps the blade nice and sharp. You should sharpen your knives every time you use them. This isn't very difficult, nor is it very time-consuming, but it keeps your knives in perfect condition.
I am extremely happy with my purchase. I am slowly growing my knife collection. You will always find one of these knives on my wishlist. Even my mother has come around -- after experiencing these knives herself, she bought one for herself, and sent me the 6" cleaver as a birthday gift!

Several comments are questioning the knifes they've received. The PICTURE you see will NOT be what you get. They need to update the picture! HOWEVER, I checked into mine and confirmed it was a original Wusthof... just not the one pictured. So you're not getting scammed here. The visual differences are the markings on the blade; no 200 yr... thingy. It will just sayWusthof CLASSIC made in Solingen, Germany with the company symbol and a couple of numbers. The other difference is the symbol on the handle. it will not have a square shape with red symbol in the middle; rather the company symbol (red) will be etched into the handle itself. So there ya go... but buy with confidence. Wusthof knockoffs are rare tbh. Hope this helps!