Trademark Global’s 3-Piece Sushi Knife set has everything the high-end Asian knives offer except the best steel. If you’re an expert at sharpening knives, you may find this budget-priced assortment good enough.
The shapes offered are traditional and intended only for sushi. Although they may look like European carving and chef’s knives, they don’t handle the same way. The forged blades are much lighter and edges are ground thin. When kept razor-sharp, they’ll slice less than paper-thin — but if used for general prep in an American kitchen, they may not last long.
Full tang handles with riveted slabs of dependable, synthetic Pakkawood (a composite of resin and layered wood with the look of wood grain but the durability of fiberglass) offer a comfortable grip and an appearance good enough for service. The catch here is the quality of the high carbon stainless steel in these full tang knives — 420HC isn’t the best and won’t keep this thin edge for long, although while it is sharp, it’ll cut as well as a knife of much better steel. Drawing it across a bone or a hard cutting board will degrade the edge quickly.
Keeping the knives sharp will require a set of stones and some good sharpening skills. A honing steel might do more harm than good — the edges could turn under too much side pressure. At this level of workmanship, expect some variation in quality from knife to knife. But if you want to learn something about sushi without spending a fortune, this set is a good way to learn. All the skills you’ll apply here will be equally valuable with better knives.
