Kanehide TK Semi Stainless Santoku 180mm

This is a great knife at a really great price. It is a perfect introduction to Japanese-style chef knives. Easy to maintain, easy to sharpen, and easy on the pocket.

The santoku is a multi-purpose knife but with a slight vegetable bias. Santoku means three virtues, or to solve three problems. The virtues or problems are slicing, dicing, and mincing. The santoku is gaining in popularity every year in the West. They are shorter than chef knives but have a blade height that is proportionally larger.

The most notable difference is their blade geometry which incorporates a sheep’s foot-shaped tip. The design draws the spine (“backstrap”) down to the front, with very little clearance above the horizontal cutting plane when the blade is resting naturally from heel to forward cutting edge. This results in a knife that is more of a push cutter than a rocker.

The Kanehide TK Santoku is made with a mono-steel construction of proprietary semi-stainless steel. The alloy is hardened to 61 Rockwell. The steel combines several attributes of stainless steel (less prone to corrosion and thus less maintenance) with the edge holding and ease of sharpening associated with full carbon blades. The overall fit and finish are of a high level, especially at this price point. The blade is coupled to a nice black pakka wood western-style handle which exhibits a nice level of fit and finish.

This knife has half the chromium of a fully stainless knife, so it will be reactive and form a patina. Wash and towel dry after each use, and use Bar Keepers Friend if desired.

Location: Seki City, Japan

Steel: TK Semi Stainless Steel

HRC: 61

Handle: Yo Pakka Wood

Edge 50/50

Weight: 5.8 oz (164 g)

Edge Length: 181 mm

Total Length: 304 mm

Spine Thickness at Base: 1.8 mm

Blade Height: 47.2 mm