Shibamasa Santoku VG-5 170mm (6.7″)

Shibamasa Santoku VG-5 170mm is a great price-performer. It has every characteristic a Japanese knife should have. Stainless steel, kasumi finish, multi-purpose blade shape and a fine sharpness that will make quick work of any chopping task you throw at it. With it’s very thin spine (around 1.4mm) this knife will slide through food with ease. 

Overall, a knife with impressive specifications for the price and a perfect “gateway knife” to introduce you to the world of Japanese knives.

BLADE SHAPE:
The Japanese word Santoku roughly translates to “knife of three virtues” and may refer to the wide variety of ingredients that the knife can handle: meat, fish and vegetables, or to the tasks it can perform: slicing, chopping and dicing – the emphasis being on the number 3 (San).

STEEL:
VG-5 is a stainless steel, similar to VG-10. Its high Chromium content (15%) makes it extremely corrosion resistant, while still maintaining a hardness of 59-60 HRC, due to a Carbon content of ~1%. It is slightly more durable than VG-10 steel.

LAMINATION:
The core layer consisting of the harder VG-5 steel was sandwiched between two layers of softer steel. This technique is called san-mai and is used to protect the hard (but delicate) core from outside factors and physical impacts, which could lead to breakage.

GEOMETRY:
It has a double bevel (50/50 symmetrical) blade.

BLADE FINISH:
The blade features a kasumi finish on the bottom and was polished on the upper part. Kanji signature is the only distinguishing element on this otherwise clean, minimalistic blade. 

▻ Kasumi is a matte surface above the transition between the harder and softer steel

HANDLE:
Western (Yo) handle is simple and ergonomic, without any bolster. The knife tang ends halfway through the handle, further reducing the weight of the knife and pushing the balance more towards the tip of the blade, like with wa-style, traditional Japanese handles. The handle will fit well in your hands for both the hammer and pinch grip. It is made from dark walnut wood with silver rivets, resulting in a classic, but timeless look.