After working my way through some very expensive bread knives that did not do a very good job on crisp bread crust, I found this after doing a broad search for "the best bread knife." For me, it is exactly that. It is sharp enough to cut easily through my Tartine sourdough crust. Great for soft vegetables like tomatoes too. It is a very nice looking knife, light weight to boot. Arrived with a tip protector. I use blade protectors for the knives I care about so I keep it in a drawer (not a knife block). I am tempted to buy a second one just to have a back-up. GREAT knife!