This Japanese style slicing knife from Wusthof of Solingen, Germany, incorporates some good features from both styles. Much better than a typical chef's knife for slicing vegetables and making other fine cuts, the Wusthof version is not a complete concession to Japanese ideas.

Wusthof retains the forged construction that's a trademark of ...

Believe it or not, there was a time when even the best knives were made in this pattern and people were happy with them. Today it's possible to pick apart the details and complain that the metal ferrule over wooden handle may conceal a gap where moisture can collect, or ...

With some concessions to competitive design--and new ideas of their own--Henckels brings us a patented new TWIN Cuisine 5" Santoku. This hollow ground pattern has been a standard tool in Asian kitchens but is relatively new here in the West. The Santoku design is a direct competitor of ...

Wusthof's Gourmet product line, with thinner stamped steel blades of high quality Solingen stainless alloy, yields versatile knives that are light weight and well balanced, as is this 7" Gourmet Santoku. Without the heft of the heavier forged products for which Wusthof is best known, this Santoku retains many of ...

Henckels of Solingen, Germany, now produces a lighter streamlined counterpart to its usual forged steel builds - the Twin Signature Asian Set features hollow ground blades of stamped high quality German stainless steel that rival the versatility of traditional Japanese santoku knives.

This two knife set includes a 3" ...

Although this is a high quality starter set, to say that these three Wusthof knives plus a sharpening steel and kitchen shears will handle all the work of the average kitchen is not accurate. You will need more, and the storage block does have room for them.

In this set ...

The real improvements you'll see in this 7" Santoku from J. A. Henckels have more to do with the thinner steel than the multiple hollow grind of the blade. The benefits are still genuine when you compare this vegetable slicing knife to the older chef's knife patterns.

The Western style ...

This 7" Chef's knife from Kyocera's Revolution series adds both length and depth to the zirconium oxide ceramic blade. Closer to the usual dimensions of a good santoku or chef's knife, this version offers users better knuckle clearance and enough cutting edge for larger work.

The cutting ability of ceramic blades is ...

I like forged steel knives--I always find it hard to admit that stamped steel blades can actually outperform the older patterns for some applications, and the Santoku pattern is one of those. Dependent on light weight, thin steel, and streamlined designs, the Santoku is a perfect example of a ...

A very good looking but rather small forged slicing knife, the Wusthof 5" Classic White Santoku has the usual high quality Wusthof features but with a striking ivory white composite handle. Other aspects of the build are dependable rather than unusual. Wusthof's forged pattern Santoku's are a little heavier ...

Made in Solingen, Germany, by the well known cutler Wusthof Trident, the Grand Prix Santoku is a streamlined version of the Western chef's knife. This 7" cutting edge blade has the shape of a Santoku, with a long and nearly straight edge, but not the hollow ground granton ...

I've seen a lot of knives. If on my first glance at a new knife I say Wow!--that usually isn't good. This time it's good, but if you buy the Revolution Series two-knife set from Kyocera be prepared to change the way you think.

These knives, a 5.5" Santoku and ...

Well known as a maker of fine forged steel blades, Henckels draws closer to standards set by new competition with the Five Star Santoku. Nearly the only concession to the heavy build of its older European model chef's knives is the forged steel bolster. In the new Henckels process, ...

One might take a look at these knives with their buoyant colors and whimsical flourishes and assume these knives are children's toys. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

KAI, makers of the well regarded Shun knives, have produced a knife which performs quite well, despite the unusual appearance. ...

The Japanese translation of Santoku means "three virtues". The name refers to the idea that the santoku is meant for cutting meat, fish, and vegetables. While true that the santoku is the Japanese equivalent of a utility infielder, it's not as well suited to any of these purposes ...

If you hang around Williams-Sonoma, you're sure to know about the Shun Classic Santoku knife. If you hang around professional kitchens for a while, you'll get to know some lesser-known Japanese brands that are just as good.

Kanetsune makes their knives with similar materials as the Shun -- it's got a 33-layer Damascus-patterned blade ...

While most other knife makers are watching and mimicking each other, Global stands by its unique design.

They were the first to introduce razor-sharp, lightweight Chef's knives to Western kitchens nearly twenty years ago. In doing so, they've gained something of a cult following.

Couple that with design features you won't find on ...

You'll see some great reviews of this knife out there. Ignore them.

There's nothing inherently wrong with it -- it's made of decent high-carbon stainless steel and a black polypropelene non-slip grip. The blade has granton edges which help -- a little -- in keeping food from sticking.

There's no heavy bolster in ...

Santokus have become wildly popular over the past several years. Perhaps it's the novelty of using an Asian-style blade. Or perhaps it's the celebrity chefs that push them at every turn.

Truth is, they are versatile knives that belong in every kitchen. What they're not is an all-purpose knife that should ...

We named Shun Classic Knives our best $500 kitchen knives a while back, and for good reason.

Shun took kitchen cutlery to the next level when they introduced their Classic series a few years back. The Classics feature a VG-10 Japanese "super steel" that is incredibly hard and, as a result, can ...

My, how far Wusthof has come. Once wedded to the idea of creating full-bolster, thick-bladed, somewhat-dull kitchen knives, they've now come full circle.

Take this Classic Ikon Santoku. Years ago, Wusthof would not have dreamed of making a thin, sharp, light knife in a traditional Japanese form.

But this Santoku is exactly that.

It's ...

Hang around CooksDen for a while and you'll start to get to know MAC knives. They're fantastic knives and they tend to be about 20% less than other "big name" knives.

We recently reviewed the Mac Superior Santoku knife and gave it an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

This Santoku is part of the ...

These Forschner knives really are exceptional. CooksDen named them the Best $50 Kitchen Knife Set a while back, and Cook's Illustrated has lauded them many times as well.

The Santoku fits right in. For thirty bucks, you get a very sharp blade, a non-slip fibrox handle and a dimpled granton edge ...

A lot of Westerners have fallen in love with the idea of the Santoku.

It's a nice idea -- you've heard about high-end Japanese knife brands and maybe you've even heard about razor-sharp Japanese steel. Why not try a Japanese style blade as well?

There's only one problem with that -- the Santoku was ...

If you spend much time on cooksden.com, you'll know that we love MAC Knives. We raved about both the Superior and Professional series earlier.

But today, we're going to focus on a single knife -- the Superior Santoku.

It's an amazing value -- you will not be able to find another knife ...

Wusthof making Japanese-style knives? Alert the media!

Actually, Wusthof has come a long way recently in redesigning its knives to meet needs of today's chef.

This knife is a good example. The full bolster that prevented re-sharpening is gone. The shape is a departure from the traditional German styling and the ...

Warning: I'm about to say something bad about Rachael Ray. If this review ends abruptly, you'll know that the lawyers got to me!

Okay, here goes: You can (and should) get better knives than these for the same money. Regular readers of this blog know that our favorite inexpensive knife set ...

This Santoku is a seven-inch Japanese style chef's knife. Chicago Cutlery specializes in delivering high value knives. When I say value, I mean that you get more than what you pay for, not that this is the highest-end knife out there. I'll link to a slightly higher-grade knife below as well so you ...