Matsato blade vs my old knife, is the finger hole a big change?

I never really got used to mine either, to be honest. I used it for a couple weeks and ended up going back to my regular knife. Some people seem to like it though.

The hole actually won me over once I stopped treating it like a handle and just let my index finger rest there during rocking cuts. Took me about two weeks of dinners before it clicked. If you’re forcing your grip around it, yeah, that’s gonna feel all wrong.

I don’t think it’s something you just get used to. I’ve handled a couple knives with a hole in the blade, and for me the issue wasn’t the hole itself, it was that I kept trying to grip the thing like a normal knife. Once I stopped treating my index finger like it had to go somewhere specific and just let it sit wherever felt stable, the hole stopped mattering as much. But that’s not the same as it becoming useful.

The part I’d push back on is the idea that you owe the knife some adjustment period. If you’ve used a regular chef knife for years and it works, going back isn’t failure. I know people say give it a few weeks, but a few weeks of awkward cutting is a real cost, especially if you cook daily. I gave a similar knife about a month before I admitted I was avoiding it and reaching for my old one instead. That told me more than any “just stick with it” advice.

The hole can make sense if you’re doing a lot of precise slicing and want that extra point of control, but for general chopping and everyday meals it mostly just felt like a gimmick to me. Not dangerous, not terrible, just unnecessary for how I cook. So no, I wouldn’t count on it clicking eventually. If it still feels off after a week or two of actual use, that’s probably your answer.

Hole just collects onion bits for me.

Finger holes never felt natural to me either. I borrowed a Santoku with one for a weekend and kept catching myself ignoring it. If you’re still reaching for the old knife after a week, that’s your answer.

The thing nobody warned me about was how much the hole changes where my hand sits on the blade. I came from a cheap Western chef knife where I pinched the bolster, and on the Matsato my grip naturally slid forward until my index finger landed in the hole. That part actually grew on me after a week or so, especially for slicing. What I did not expect is that it made the knife feel shorter in use, almost like a petty knife, so big cabbage heads got awkward. If your old knife was longer, that adjustment might bother you more than the hole itself. I still grab the Matsato for most veg, but I kept the old one around for anything bulky.

The finger hole isn’t some magic feature you have to adapt to. I had a knife with one for about a month and never got past the point where my hand just wanted to sit where it always sat. Kept jamming my index finger in there because the handle shape kind of forces it, then it would slip out mid cut and throw off my grip. That’s not a “give it time” thing, that’s the knife fighting how I already hold a blade. If your old chef knife worked fine for years, that’s your answer. A hole in the steel doesn’t make you a better cook. I ended up passing mine to my brother in law who loves it, so it’s not trash, but I’m not pretending it clicked for me. You either like that grip or you don’t.

I actually use the hole differently than most people seem to. I don’t put my finger in it while chopping. I rest my index finger against the top edge of the hole instead, kind of like a guide, and that felt natural almost right away. So if the full finger thing feels weird, try just touching the edge of it. Mine came with the hole and I honestly didn’t think about it much after a few meals. The thing that took longer was getting used to the lighter feel compared to my old heavier knife. That threw me off more than the hole ever did. I’d say give the edge trick a shot before you decide to go back. Your old knife isn’t going anywhere, so there’s no rush to pick one forever.