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 on the small side, with the blade measuring just seven inches. That’s somewhat typical of the style though - Santoku’s tend to have shorter blades than Chef’s knives.

The blade is a steel alloy that is hardened to 58 on the Rockwell hardness scale. This is higher than many other German knives, but still trails the hardest, sharpest Japanese knives.

The high-carbon stainless steel blade features dimples, or “grantons” that help to keep the food from sticking.

The handle is a contoured, tripe-riveted polymer that is made to ease fatigue during long chopping sessions. The bolster is a half-bolster designed to add balance while not getting in the way of resharpening.

This knife is similar in attributes to the MAC Professional Santoku. The MAC has harder materials, meaning it can be made sharper than the Wusthof, but the Wusthof is a bit more damage-resistant and features the contoured handle.

More Info on this Wusthof Classic Ikon Santoku:

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Find this Wusthof Santoku on eBay:

WUSTHOF CLASSIC IKON 7" Hollow Edge Santoku Knife NEW US $79.99 Auction Ends: Tuesday Dec-02-2008 18:55:03 PST Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

New 2pc. Ikon Classic knife set W/ 7' Santoku/3' paring US $17.49 (2 Bids) Auction Ends: Tuesday Dec-02-2008 20:06:40 PST Bid on this Item   | Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

WUSTHOF CLASSIC IKON 5" Hollow Edge Santoku Knife NEW US $59.99 Auction Ends: Tuesday Dec-02-2008 20:13:14 PST Bid on this Item   | Buy this Item   | Watch this Item