Frequently Asked Questions

Both Gyuto and Santoku are versatile Japanese kitchen knives. Gyuto is a Japanese copy of western style Chef’s knives, originated in Germany or France. It started from meat handling. Santoku was invented in Japan, based on another Japanese kitchen knife Nakiri. It started from vegetable handling.

For more information, read this: GYUTO VS SANTOKU, what's the difference?

Both are equally light, ergonomic, sturdy, and water-resistant. It's really a matter of personal preference which one to choose. The differences are as follows.

(2.1) Walnut handle: Taken from the center core of the natural walnut wood. The shape and the fixing to the blade are traditional Japanese styles handed down for centuries. The tang is heated to fix to the handle with special adhesives, which doesn't need rivets.

(2.2) Mahogany handle: It's plywood and the material is not really natural mahogany wood (which is prohibited for international transport by CITES). We make it look like mahogany. The three circles in the handle are the rivets that fix the tang to the handle. The mahogany handles are more popular among Western people, but we observe more people tend to change to natural wood types (like walnut and magnolia) once they're used to the Japanese-style knives. 

Out of the box, they both are ruthlessly sharp. You wouldn't notice any difference. If you're using the knife very frequently like a professional chef, you might need to sharpen it a bit more frequently for the VG-10.

(3.1) ZA-18: It's one of the hardest and most rust-resistant knife metals (Rockwell Hardness is 62-63).

(3.2) VG-10: It's one of the most popular knife metals for professional use (Rockwell Hardness 60-62).

(3.3) The hammered pattern on VG-10 prevents sticking of the foodstuff to the blade. Many people like its appearance.

The engraving will be done by a Japanese master artisan in Japan, and the product will be shipped from Japan to your country. Here are the steps to order your knife. Please contact us and let us know the following: 

a.) The link of the product you're interested in.

b.) The exact characters you'd like to engrave. If you don't know how to write Kanji or Katakana, let us know what you wish to engrave, and we will translate it for you.

c.) Due date for receiving (this is extremely important if the knife’s purpose is as a gift).

For more details, read this: How to order a custom engraved knife?