The Tojiro VG10 Hammered Santoku is a knife that plays outside of its price box in many ways. First up are the materials. VG10 is one of the best stainless steels used in the making of Japanese knives. It is highly regarded for it good edge retention, toughness, and superior stain resistance. It also gets really sharp.
Unusually, the inner core is given a cladding that is finished with a hammered kurouchi finish. This combination results in a blade that is super easy to maintain, offers superb food release, and has the rustic looks many people enjoy.
This is a well-proportioned santoku and a knife that will find favor in many home kitchens or with professionals who prefer a smaller chef style knife for close quarters or detail work. Santokus are certainly finding a new legion of users in the west.
The knife is basic in terms of fine detail but it makes up for this in its abilities on the board. This knife performs, and does so with style and ease. Add in the very keen pricing and you have an affordable blade that can be a gateway knife or a do-it-all knife, or anything in between. Edge Length: 167 mm
Blade Height: 48.78 mm
Blade Thickness: 2.54 mm
Weight: 4.8 oz
Unusually, the inner core is given a cladding that is finished with a hammered kurouchi finish. This combination results in a blade that is super easy to maintain, offers superb food release, and has the rustic looks many people enjoy.
This is a well-proportioned santoku and a knife that will find favor in many home kitchens or with professionals who prefer a smaller chef style knife for close quarters or detail work. Santokus are certainly finding a new legion of users in the west.
The knife is basic in terms of fine detail but it makes up for this in its abilities on the board. This knife performs, and does so with style and ease. Add in the very keen pricing and you have an affordable blade that can be a gateway knife or a do-it-all knife, or anything in between.
Reviews
4 review(s) WRITE A REVIEW (Reviews are subject to approval) Perfect present for someone new to knivesPosted By: Simon
2 people found this review helpful
First of all, this is a $100 dollar knife, so a knife of this quality is well worth it as an entry point to japanese knives. I got this as a present for my girlfriend who cooks a lot, but was making do with an old henkels block set. This knife was incredibly sharp OOTB and has maintained the edge for the better part of a year so far despite near daily use. I am thoroughly impressed by the Tojiro heat treatment of the VG10. The hammered finish makes food release a breeze. There are lots of things that make this knife very approachable for someone who isnt used to the world of japanese knives: the 170mm length, and drop tip of the santoku is easy to wield and seems "safe". The round handle is a nice touch for someone who isn't used to the octagonal wa handle. The cheaper handle material and plastic ferrule seem out of place on a knife that looks and performs like this, but it also helps to get over the "it's too nice to use" factor that a more expensive knife might have.
2 people found this review helpful
First of all, this is a $100 dollar knife, so a knife of this quality is well worth it as an entry point to japanese knives. I got this as a present for my girlfriend who cooks a lot, but was making do with an old henkels block set. This knife was incredibly sharp OOTB and has maintained the edge for the better part of a year so far despite near daily use. I am thoroughly impressed by the Tojiro heat treatment of the VG10. The hammered finish makes food release a breeze. There are lots of things that make this knife very approachable for someone who isnt used to the world of japanese knives: the 170mm length, and drop tip of the santoku is easy to wield and seems "safe". The round handle is a nice touch for someone who isn't used to the octagonal wa handle. The cheaper handle material and plastic ferrule seem out of place on a knife that looks and performs like this, but it also helps to get over the "it's too nice to use" factor that a more expensive knife might have.
Nice knife for the pricePosted By: Ryan R
6 people found this review helpful
I bought this as a Christmas gift but got to look it over and use it a bit myself. First off, it's a very attractive knife aesthetically. It came extremely sharp OOTB, I'm a pretty accomplished sharpener and I don't think I could do much better; it didn't even need a stropping. The edge was obviously created on a belt; it had one high spot towards the tip and one low spot towards the heel, both very minor and easily fixed. It's a little thicker behind the edge than your average Japanese knife but it's thin enough to offer quite good performance if the edge is kept sharp. Food release is very good. The blade doesn't have a distal taper and the spine is a little thick for my taste, but we're talking about a 90 dollar knife. My biggest problem with it is it's quite blade heavy with a balance point well in front of my pinch grip. Some people might like that but I prefer a more neutral feel. The edge has held up quite well in the hands of the recipient who is not a knife enthusiast by any means(my mother). All in all I would recommend it to someone looking for something in this price range, you get quality steel and nice aesthetics and performance.
6 people found this review helpful
I bought this as a Christmas gift but got to look it over and use it a bit myself. First off, it's a very attractive knife aesthetically. It came extremely sharp OOTB, I'm a pretty accomplished sharpener and I don't think I could do much better; it didn't even need a stropping. The edge was obviously created on a belt; it had one high spot towards the tip and one low spot towards the heel, both very minor and easily fixed. It's a little thicker behind the edge than your average Japanese knife but it's thin enough to offer quite good performance if the edge is kept sharp. Food release is very good. The blade doesn't have a distal taper and the spine is a little thick for my taste, but we're talking about a 90 dollar knife. My biggest problem with it is it's quite blade heavy with a balance point well in front of my pinch grip. Some people might like that but I prefer a more neutral feel. The edge has held up quite well in the hands of the recipient who is not a knife enthusiast by any means(my mother). All in all I would recommend it to someone looking for something in this price range, you get quality steel and nice aesthetics and performance.
Great knife! A very nice knife
