Best Japanese knives in 2020 | Reviews and Guide
In the kitchen, the essential item to make your preparations is of course the knife. It used to slice, cut, chop your ingredients and it will be necessary at various stages of your recipes. It is therefore essential to choose the most powerful tool available and in this area the Japanese knife is a favorite of chefs worldwide.
Precise, sharp, strong and has exceptional handling, the best Japanese knives will accompany you for a long time, because it is designed to last. To help you choose the model that suits your needs, we review 8 products before offering you a complete shopping guide to understand what makes the best knife quality Japanese cuisine.
Our selection of a look:
Our Choice: Best rated
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Our Choice: Best rated
Best quality price report
Manager Professional
Best of 2020 Japanese knives
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Best-comparatif.fr strives to each article to provide you with clear and relevant information to help you choose the most suitable product for your needs. Our selections are the result of many hours of research and analysis of information about each product.
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We do not cook all the same way, our hands and our ability certainly different and choose the best Japanese knife can be quite subjective. However, to make this selection of 8 models, we relied on very specific criteria, and we peeled the customer reviews and specialists tests – cooks and knife enthusiasts – keeping only the models that are the unanimously.
The elements on which we based our choice.
As we based on these elements and many users experience feedback, we have kept only 8 Japanese knives for this selection, to offer this comparison that will allow you to choose the best Japanese knife with a quality report / price worthy of your expectations.
1. Japanese knife KAI 1706 – A chef knife Damascus blade
The Japanese knife SHUN First 1706 Tim Malzer Kai is a chef’s knife (a Gyuto), which will allow you to perform most kitchen tasks: it is ideal for cutting meat, specific for the portion of vegetables and fruits and it has a universal handling. It is sold with a cutting board rubber wood measuring 35 cm x 25 cm x 2 cm.
Design & Materials
Visually, this Japanese kitchen knife is the most beautiful effect. Its handle 12 cm wood of high quality walnut gives it great elegance and reinforcements at its ends assure him a rock solid.
It has a damask blade with a hammered surface – a recognized standard for strength and flexibility to the blade – which allows the blade to stay glued to the ingredients during cutting. Indeed, air rushes into the steel bubbles, allowing a sure grip during cutting. Cooks who like precision will be in heaven.
The damask blade of this knife is Japanese stainless steel with 32 layers, it is corrosion and extremely sharp. It measures 20 cm, which gives the knife a certain versatility.
In its entirety, it therefore measures 34 cm, a weight of 212 g.
User comfort of this Japanese knife
The grip of Kai Japanese kitchen knife is noticed, with a balance shaft / blade well balanced. It is simple to use, allowing to optimize your preparation time, and only its imposing size makes it more suitable for cooks with large hands to those who have small hands.
Its low weight is an advantage because it does not get tired even when to cut many foods for minutes. It’s so easy that it becomes a real pleasure to do so!
Verdict
Beautiful, sharp, balanced, this model Kai brand, supplied in superb wooden storage case, is one of the best Japanese knives that you can buy. Its price is justified by the overall quality of the object and its longevity.
2. Chef Knife Tojiro – The best Japanese knife cheap kitchen
The Tojiro brand is recognized for its expertise in the field of Japanese cutlery and proposes here a versatile chef’s knife, industrial manufacturing, but which allows for a high-quality tool for an enticing price.
Design & Materials
This Japanese kitchen knife opts for a classic design, far from the traditional Japanese knives as we imagine them. We are dealing here with a standard kitchen knife as we crossed everywhere in Europe, which could disappoint cooks seeking more authentic model. But Japanese quality is the appointment!
Made in Japan this model has a blade of 18 cm, consisted of 13 layers and designed in a cobalt alloy, chromium steel and stainless steel, which gives it a remarkably sharp. It is flexible enough not to break by cutting the hardest foods (but not the bones, beware!) And durable enough to fit in the pieces of meat or fish flesh to run your recipes without any difficulty.
The handle is reinforced, it is Full-tang clothing, for extended durability and weighs 190 g, for a total length of 31 cm.
Comfort in use
The grip disconcert anyone, since it takes the form Japanese knife knives to Western. Anyone who has ever held a kitchen knife will know how to handle right from the start.
However, there may be mentioned among the most remarkable points of this model perfect balance, which allows working food effortlessly. The handle is well in hand and the small weight of the knife in his favor.
Finally, know qu’ilne not lose its edge quickly. Even after several months of regular use without sharpening the knife is as good as new.
Verdict
The Tojiro brand – whose logo is displayed on the blade – offers good knife Japanese cuisine at a very reasonable price, sold in a pretty box. We recognize the expertise of the specialist cutlery which guarantees comfort in the kitchen. Top !
3. Japanese Santoku Messer 1702 Kai – A model of excellence for your kitchen
Kai brand is accustomed to offer Japanese knives with harmonious curves and undeniable professional quality. With this model Santoku – ideal for cutting meat, fish and vegetables – yet was once a very nice overview of the expertise of this specialist in cutlery.
Design & Materials
Elegant. This is the first word that comes to mind us when we see this beautiful model in 1702 Santoku Messer. It is exactly the image we have of a Japanese kitchen knife and users who want a knife respecting traditional curves will not be disappointed.
It is equipped with a blade 18 cm steel Damascus, which in addition to offering him a remarkable style gives it a perfect edge. Its composition and the 32 layers of this blade allow it to be anti-corrosive and is carried out according to the principle of Tsuchime, art hammered the blade, in the city of Seki in Japan.
It is a way to ensure ease in the cutouts, as the air rushes between the food and steel bubble will have a suction effect, which makes the knife never come off of that slice it. For the most demanding cooks, who perform precision preparations, this is exactly what is needed.
The convex blade is sharpened by hand and you will not struggle to sharpen yourself, when necessary. Simply knowing the right thing and it will be a breeze!
The wooden handle walnut is the finishing touch, just give this Japanese kitchen knife timeless style.
Comfort in use
Its weight (399 g) is a heavy and very well balanced Japanese knife. The weight distribution is done on the entire knife with a metal reinforcement in the handle (which also serves as brand recognition punch) and a slight curve that matches the shape of your hands, for a perfect outfit.
It is used both by right-handed than the left, because of his blade V, and its size makes it perfectly manageable by both men and women, because the latter often tend to prefer Japanese knives Santoku to their smaller size compared to Gyuto.
Verdict
This Japanese knife Kai brand – a limited edition of 5555 copies – is a marvel, which approaches a work of art. If you like to combine beauty and efficiency, this is the best Japanese knife selection.
4. Knife Japanese Damascus Shan Zu – A knife pro cheap
With its long blade, knife to the reasons pro raindrops could satisfy cooks who want a solid model, versatile and comfortable once in hand. This is what provides the Shun Zu brand, with the head of Damascus knife blade.
Design & Materials
This Japanese kitchen knife 34cm opts for a mix style with a blade damask 20 cm in length which is very Japanese and black reinforced handle eyeing the side knives to Western.
Its blade is made of Japanese steel to 67 carbon layers, by artisans of the city of Yangjiang in Guangdong Province, China. This is an area famous for its cutlery, which incorporates the expertise Japanese wonderfully. This damask blade (with a less marked effect on some blades, admittedly) has several qualities.
It resists corrosion, wear, which prevents him from losing his excellent initial sharpness and it is nonstick. In practice, this translates into a blade that slides along the ingredients in the cutting, which is fun. The reasons that adorn the blade of this knife Japanese represent drops of water, which offers a particularly original visual effect in this model.
The handle, in turn, is designed G10, a material which combines glass cloth and epoxy resin, easy to clean and strong.
User comfort of this Japanese knife
The Japanese kitchen knife Zu Shan is well balanced, and the handle ensures a very appreciable held in hand. It does not slip and can easily effector most appropriate cuts. It is just a little heavier than average, which may, in use, cause muscle fatigue if you use it for substantial tasks.
It is very sharp base and nothing can resist it, so it will find a special place in your kitchen quickly. Too bad the storage box is cardboard, as it may be damaged very quickly!
Verdict
For an affordable price, you will get a Japanese knife of good quality, which ensures you round use. his mix style is appreciated, its handling and its solidity, but his blade deserves to have a greater effect damask.
5. Santoku MIS 781 Misono – The best Japanese knives
Misono is one of the largest Japanese cutlery brands and products never disappoint. With this model UX10 – MIS 781, a Santoku knife that can cut meat, vegetable and fish without problems (as Santoku means three good things, three utilities …), we find all their art in a single object.
Design & Materials
This quality knife Japanese with Western form has a 18 cm blade with sharp edges and a mirror material. Just watch it to understand how it can be sharp.
This blade is designed in stainless steel ultrathin from Sweden, for a perfect cut and a loss of tiny sharp despite many uses. It has Misono registration, reflecting its quality, but put on a certain sobriety.
design level, this knife 34 cm in total (for a weight of slightly more than 300 g) moves away indeed traditional Japanese kitchen knives and opts for a more contemporary approach, including a black metal reinforced handle just set the blade in Full-tang.
Its wooden handle staminate, classic and robust, is impeccable.
User comfort of this Japanese knife
The balance of this Japanese knife Misono is certainly what gives it its strength. With a perfect grip, and ideal weight distribution, the feeling of lightness emerges from its use gives the impression that food will oppose any resistance.
Whether meat, fish or fruit and vegetables, cut and chopped are at full speed (do not hurt!) And we seem to get finishes of extreme precision. If you’re one of those cooks who appreciate prepare dishes as beautiful as good, it Misono knife you will do it without any effort.
Verdict
In proposing a knife Western design with a Japanese blade, the brand offers here Misono knife of excellence, which will delight both professionals looking for a tool to facilitate their work as individuals who love to cook with the most qualitative material that is.
6. Multi-purpose knife SekiRyu – Mini Price for efficient Japanese knife
Home cooks who want to combine style knife and effective minimum price will be interested in this model Sekiryu brand. If it is far from Japanese knives upscale proposed by some models, we can only welcome the capabilities of this small knife also pretty effective.
Design & Materials
This multi-purpose knife SekiRyu the brand is a Santoku, which has a wooden handle and a smooth blade 17cm that make it quite handy for a variety of action.
In its totality, this model is 29 cm, for a weight of less than 100 grams. It is very light and of course we feel the cuts in, since we must press a little harder than with a professional knife, better balanced. However, it offers excellent results, particularly for slicing fresh fish or meat. It’s easy to make very thin slices effortlessly.
On its blade engraved kanji give it a considerable charm and only the handle is a little cheap, since we presented raw wood, unadorned.
Note that the blade steel does not rust, it cleans easily and retains its edge, but it has a tendency to get scratched over time. This does not affect its performance.
It would take a little protective case to ensure durability and easy storage!
Comfort in use
Because of its lightness, it is perfect for small daily tasks and appeal to those who do not like to handle the heavier knives.
The handle does not slip grip, but if you use it without having wet hands, this poses no problem. It should anyway be vigilant with all the knives! You may be advised to cover it with a coating for better grip, which is what many users.
In terms of balance, it clearly leans to the side of the blade, which could disturb the cooks who prefer Japanese knives balance distributed the handle to the blade. But it can be used by left-handed and right-handed, thanks to its convex blade!
Verdict
For the price, difficult to really find fault with this Japanese knife traditional design. If the handle deserves to be more qualitative, the blade perfectly accompany you in most of your cooking sessions daily.
7. Premium Santoku Makami – A knife robust Japanese cuisine and sharp
This Santoku knife Makami brand seems to be a very good compromise between quality, style and affordable rate. With a damask stainless steel blade and a handle Micarta, it is visually appealing and guarantees the best results for cooks who use it.
Design & Materials
Japanese Makami knife is equipped with a stainless steel blade damask VG-10, with a length of 16.5 cm blade, clean the Santoku (for a total length of 30 cm). Therefore, it can cut all the main foods (except for hard materials) and decide with ease.
This efficiency comes from its 67 layers Japanese steel HRC 60, divided into 33 layers on each side. Clearly visible on the blade, the steel ribs give this knife a very interesting style, which will delight lovers of beautiful objects.
Sharp base, this Santoku knife does not lose its edge despite long use and sharpening will be simple, once you know how you go.
Its handle is not outdone in terms of design as the black Micarta selected gives it a certain elegance, as the curves that lie on the handle. At its end, a metal reinforcement comes ensure balance and robustness of the tool.
User comfort of this Japanese knife
Through its various reinforcements and a good weight / size (it is still 400g), this Japanese kitchen knife has a very good balance to use. It sinks into the meat or fish without that we have to force, and it will be perfect for cutting large pieces of meat as well as to make sashimi accurately. In addition, the movement of swinging necessary to decide the vegetables is almost automatic, thanks to the good distribution!
Careful, because its weight could hamper cooks with small arms!
The handle is ergonomically designed and includes well the blade (in full tang) and it does not slip during the preparations, because of the adhesion of Micarta.
Verdict
Makami offers here a Japanese kitchen knife look great, able to support you during your long cooking sessions. For this reasonable rate, you get a robust tool, cutting edge and convenient!
8. Knives Chef Japanese Sunnecko – Ergonomic and inexpensive model!
For a Japanese professional chef’s knife to correct price, the leaf pattern Damascus offered by the brand Sunnecko is a qualitative alternative, which will allow all the minutest cooks perform culinary wonders without difficulties.
Design & Materials
This Japanese knife is a Santoku with a Damascus VG10 blade stainless steel layers 73, dressed Cloudy pattern for a striking effect. This blade almost 18 cm, for a total of 30.6 cm for the entire knife, there are also 12 steel bubbles. They are used to ensure good sliding between the blade and cut food, and the result is a flawless efficiency.
Non-stick the knife blade is rust, corrosion-resistant and easy to clean. Qualities that guarantee a good life. It also has a slightly curved edge, ideal for cutting most ingredients: meat, fish, vegetables, fruits … Nothing can resist him!
The handle of this Japanese kitchen knife is part of the Classic series of the brand and put on a Full-Tang manufacturing. copper reinforcing rivets (3 in number) are used to secure the assembly and to the non-slip grip. In addition, a punch in the middle of the nail gives a small aspect Katana significant in this model. Lovers of beautiful Japanese objects appreciate.
G10 used in the manufacture of the handle – a mixture of epoxy resin and glass fiber – increases the quality of the knife, which will resist the ravages of time and any which can be cleaned easily.
User comfort of this Japanese knife
This knife 259 g has a very good balance, because of its design in full-tang and good weight distribution. Effortlessly, it is possible to make precise cuts with a push on the food which is under the blade.
Delivered very sharp, he does not ask frequent sharpening as it keeps its sharp blade and it will be careful in the handling, not to cut yourself. Users often tout the merits of the grip and the pros agree that it is a product able to meet the professional needs without any worry.
Verdict
Comes in a magnetized box quality, perfectly sharpened, and offered at a great rate, Damascus blade that great Japanese knife is part of the same knives to meet the chefs, amateur or pro ‘!
Buying Guide – Everything you need to know before buying a Japanese kitchen knife
To buy the best Japanese knife, here are the criteria to be taken into account. You will be able to acquire a high quality kitchen knife, which make your life easier when your cooking!
Do not
For a Japanese knife of choice, it is recommended that the standard represents the blade of Damascus. The quality of this steel design guarantee a resistant blade, which does not spoil easily. design it is also preferred in Full-Tang, with a blade which extends throughout the length of the handle.
A good Japanese knife blade is anti-corrosive, easy to clean and does not rust. But be careful not to get your Japanese kitchen knife machine: they wash by hand! We also like the hammered blades which facilitate cutting, such as the Japanese Santoku Messer 1702 Kai.
The ideal blade will be hard enough to cut different foods you submit it, but flexible enough not to break in case of resistance. In addition, it must sharpen easily (with the right equipment) and will keep its original sharpness as long as possible.
Note that for the left, it is better to focus a convex blade!
The handle
In combination with a good blade, we obviously have a good race. This results in a secure and easy plug in hand, and a nice coating.
There are models opting for wooden handle (pretty but more fragile), while others prefer material types or G10 Micarta (such as Premium knife Makami). It is a matter of preference to the touch, rather than a parameter that really affects the performance offered by the knife.
On the most resistant sleeves, there are often reinforcing rivets, and sometimes fixing seal at its end.
the design
Japanese knives are generally in two categories: knives with a traditional design (like the superb Gyuto 1706 KAI) which we immediately think of when we imagine a Japanese kitchen knife, and Japanese blade knives but with a western style as very good professional model Misono.
It is a matter of taste, mainly because performance will be the same if the making of the tool is good!
ergonomics
The knife should be easy to hold, do not slide, it must guarantee the safety of the user and enable it to decide, to chop and cut quickly.
Its curves, its size and weight, and the balance offered by all affect the ergonomics.
Resistance
A good Japanese knife is made to last in time. When you know that some time Katana blades are still sharp today, we understand why the reputation of Japanese cutlery has crossed borders and that the greatest leaders of the world adopted the Japanese knife.
To judge its resistance must take into account the composition of the blade of the knife finishes and verify that it is simple to maintain. If you choose the right model, it might take you for decades!
Use
They exist a great variety of Japanese knives, and we focused in this selection of those that allow versatility: the Santoku and Gyuto, sometimes called chef’s knife.
If both allow you to make the most of food cuts (meat, fish, fruit or vegetables), Santoku is smaller and therefore more manageable by the hands of women, and it offers a slightly increased accuracy compared to a chef’s knife.
For its part, the Gyuto will be indicated for the cutting piece thicker, longer and it will adapt perfectly to the most impressive hands.
Depending on your primary use, you choose the model that you seem most appropriate, but be aware that if the difference is palpable for chefs, an amateur will be happy with either of these models!
The price of Japanese knife
This is a sensitive issue because the best blades can be very expensive! But we can now find excellent Japanese knives bills for a hundred euro, which may seem therefore to a simple knife. True, but that’s because it is not a simple knife that prices are higher!
If the models between 20 and 50 euros will be first good shopping, to become familiar with these sharp utensils, the most seasoned cooks will not hesitate to spend 200 or 300 euros in a top model, and they will regret not.
FAQ – Answers to any questions you have about Japanese knives
What is a Japanese knife?
The Japanese knife is a bit the heir of which were equipped katana samurai during the feudal period in Japan. These famous for their sharp blades were the pride of the local ironworks, but during the ban in 1876 port sword, to prevent the industry crisis, blade specialist craftsmen were converted into … cutlery.
When the most famous chefs in the world are starting to use them, they are subjugated to the finesse they came to realize with these knives. In France, the wave began in the early 90s … and nowadays Japanese knife is still the star of professional kitchens!
Japanese knives are therefore deemed utensils for their resistant blade, solid and perfect finish and could be considered as kitchen katana!
How to sharpen a knife Japanese?
To avoid damaging it, we must maintain and sharpen your Japanese knife in the right way. For this you will need to bring a whetstone, preferably fine-grained to very fine (go for a fineness of grain between 3000 and 8000).
Then it is good to sharpen Japanese knife about once a month, using a board and potentially sharpening stone for smoothing the surface of the whetstone main, when it deteriorates.
For optimal results, follow these steps:
When this game is over, you can use the grain finish your stone.
Know that by opting for a stone grain purposes, you do not will damage your blade. So do not be afraid to sharpen it when necessary. Regular sharpening is much less painful than if you wait until your blade is dull.
> See our article on sharpener knife.
How much is a Japanese knife?
A professional Japanese kitchen knife can cost between 50 and 100 euros. It will then be an entry level, sufficient for fans and casual cooks.
If you want a knife midrange or high-end, able to last for decades without serious deterioration, count between 200 and 500 euros to enjoy the expertise of recognized Japanese craftsmen.
Finally, there are knives that easily exceed 500 euros, but they are rare and often it’s limited editions made by masters of cutlery that offer their works to an audience of privileged, as some Heads of the largest in the world.
Where to buy a Japanese knife?
To buy a Japanese knife and be sure of its origin, there are 3 main choices:
What are the advantages of a Japanese knife?
The Japanese chef knife allows faster, make cutouts of unparalleled smoothness and thus improve both your production time and visual quality of your dishes.
As long as you are a lover of sushi or sashimi, then you will only utensil capable of making the delicacy of these dishes.
In Japan, the right cutting foods that you present to your guests is a mark of respect!
What are the best Japanese knife marks?
Among the brands most famous knives in the cutlery world include models of Tojiro brand KAI knives of the collections, some embodiments of Shunryu and most professional models offered by Misono specialist.
With all of these items, you are now able to choose the best Japanese knives, maintain and prepare with him meals that will delight your guests!
Last updated on 2020-05-13 / Affiliate Links / Images of the Amazon API Partners