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 with a core of VG-10 wrapped by stainless steel. This gives it the best of all worlds — a hard and sharp edge with a corrosion-resistant exterior.
Like the Shuns, they also look mighty fine as well. That Damascus styling is so gorgeous, there’s no doubt you’ll want to display them in your kitchen.
The handles are a bit more pedestrian than the Shun, and the pricetag is similar, so it’s not like you’re getting a steal here. But they really are exceptional knives in their own right.
Kanetsune is well-known for making all kinds of high-quality knives, but they fly under the radar a bit when it comes to kitchen knives.
They also make a Gyuto, which has more of a traditional Chef’s knife shape. You might want to consider that one if you want to be able to rock your knife while chopping or if you want something a bit larger.
