These are different from mass-produced knives made by die pressing blanks from a stainless steel sheet. Uchihamono from Sakai is used by professional chefs. Sakai City accounts for less than 7% of cutlery production nationwide, including household-use knives. However, more than 90% of knives used by professional cooks are Sakai Uchihamono. Sakai Honyaki knives, made purely of steel, boast cutting edges that rank with Japanese swords and elicit the maximum flavor from sashimi and other food ingredients without damaging them. However, keeping cutlery made entirely from steel in good condition is difficult. The ability to properly handle finely-crafted, authentic Sakai Uchihamono is regarded as proof of a top class chef.

The process of making Sakai Uchihamono is unique because it involves the complete separation of the production processes of forging, polishing and attaching the handle, i.e. battling red-hot flames, hammering the steel, forming the shape in the forging process, polishing to determine the cutlery's sharpness and attaching the handle. Craftsmen working on each process, work closely together. Knives forged by specific smiths are finished by specific polishers who are completely familiar with those artisans' methods of forging. The creation of the "premier product" is evidence the craftsmen have mastered their respective skills.