A Santoku "Chef"s" knife originated in Japan but incorporated parts of German/Western Chef knife design. As we make it, it is our favorite all-around knife and we have several at hand in our kitchen. A Santoku is lighter and better balanced than a western Chef's knife, a true harmony between slicing, dicing and mincing. Other knives may do each of these better than a Santoku, but none do all three better.
Our knives are typically made with Redwood Burl, English Spalted Burls, California Buckeye Burl, Desert Ironwood, Amboyna/Thuya Burl or Rosewood handles. A traditional Santoku knife typically does not have a bolster, but we do incorporate Ebony, Brass or Stainless Steel bolsters on them. All our knives with western handles come with decorative mosaic pins. They provide strength to the handles and are beautiful to look at.
Our stock Santoku blade is made from Japanese AUS-8A stainless steel made specifically for kitchen knives. They are an excellent value, take an incredible edge, and are easy to sharpen. The blade is approx. 6" long, 1 3/4" wide and the knife is approx. 10 3/4" long overall.
Our Damascus Santoku blades are both beautiful and higher performing. The Damascus patterns have to be seen to appreciate. There is a core of VG-10 high grade stainless steel, very hard, will sharpen to a razor edge and hold it for a very long time. On both sides are 33 layers of softer 410 stainless steel to protect the core and provide the stunning pattern to the blade. This steel is made for us in Japan by a small producer and should be seen to be appreciated. The blade is approx. 7" long and almost 2" wide, the knife is approx. 11 3/4" long overall.