Santoku translates to three virtues, a fitting name for a knife built to slice, dice, and mince equally well. This 180mm version from Kanehide combines the general versatility of a gyuto with a sheep foot tip, drawing the spine down toward the front of the blade with very little clearance above the cutting edge, which favors push cutting over a rocking motion.
The core is PS60, a semi stainless steel based on Hitachi Gin5 and closely related to AEB-L, hardened by Kanehide to about 60 to 61 HRC through special heat treating and a cryogenic treatment that boosts both hardness and wear resistance. The santoku carries an asymmetric 70/30 edge and is finished with a western rosewood handle, well suited to home cooks and line cooks who want an easy to maintain, all purpose blade.
What Customers Are Saying:Reviewers consistently praise the fit and finish on this santoku, often describing it as comparable to far more expensive knives, with several buyers purchasing a second one as a gift for a family member after trying it themselves. One owner who has used it almost daily for six months in a family kitchen reports the factory edge was excellent on arrival and that a bit of hand rubbed beeswax was all the handle ever needed, with the grind staying even and well balanced throughout regular use. More than one reviewer also notes it has become the preferred knife in their household over pricier German and Japanese alternatives.
Care Instructions:PS60 is a fully stainless, cryogenically treated steel, so hand wash and dry the blade after use rather than running it through a dishwasher. Avoid cutting through bones or frozen foods, and sharpen on quality water stones or strop regularly to keep the edge at its best.
The core is PS60, a semi stainless steel based on Hitachi Gin5 and closely related to AEB-L, hardened by Kanehide to about 60 to 61 HRC through special heat treating and a cryogenic treatment that boosts both hardness and wear resistance. The santoku carries an asymmetric 70/30 edge and is finished with a western rosewood handle, well suited to home cooks and line cooks who want an easy to maintain, all purpose blade.
What Customers Are Saying:Reviewers consistently praise the fit and finish on this santoku, often describing it as comparable to far more expensive knives, with several buyers purchasing a second one as a gift for a family member after trying it themselves. One owner who has used it almost daily for six months in a family kitchen reports the factory edge was excellent on arrival and that a bit of hand rubbed beeswax was all the handle ever needed, with the grind staying even and well balanced throughout regular use. More than one reviewer also notes it has become the preferred knife in their household over pricier German and Japanese alternatives.
Care Instructions:PS60 is a fully stainless, cryogenically treated steel, so hand wash and dry the blade after use rather than running it through a dishwasher. Avoid cutting through bones or frozen foods, and sharpen on quality water stones or strop regularly to keep the edge at its best.
- Brand: Kanehide
- Location: Seki City, Japan
- Construction: Laser Cut, Mono Steel
- Edge Steel: PS60 Stainless
- HRC: 60-61
- Edge Grind: Asymmetric 70/30
- Handle: Western Rosewood
- Weight: 5.8 oz (166 g)
- Blade Length: 181 mm
- Total Length: 297 mm
- Spine Thickness at Heel: 2 mm
- Blade Height: 47 mm
Reviews
6 review(s) WRITE A REVIEW (Reviews are subject to approval) Bought a second one for my daughter Posted By: Todd
9 people found this review helpful
My wife preferred the cheap santoku knives I bought at bed bath and beyond to my wushof chef's knife or my son's gyuto (which is a higher end knife than either of those). Got her this partly based on the visuals, but also because CKTG said it was a good knife. Now it's the only knife she uses besides some inexpensive Victorinox paring knives. My daughter also decided it was more comfortable than other shapes so she just got the same one. It's a good knife, it's comfortable, and the handle is pretty. There may be slightly better blades available around this price, but I'm 100% sure my wife and daughter wouldn't like them as much.
9 people found this review helpful
My wife preferred the cheap santoku knives I bought at bed bath and beyond to my wushof chef's knife or my son's gyuto (which is a higher end knife than either of those). Got her this partly based on the visuals, but also because CKTG said it was a good knife. Now it's the only knife she uses besides some inexpensive Victorinox paring knives. My daughter also decided it was more comfortable than other shapes so she just got the same one. It's a good knife, it's comfortable, and the handle is pretty. There may be slightly better blades available around this price, but I'm 100% sure my wife and daughter wouldn't like them as much.
Kanehide PS-60 SantukoPosted By: Gilbert Clounie - verified customer
5 people found this review helpful
Awesome knife. Fit & finish equal to high quality knife. Beyond my knife skills at the moment but able to learn with it. Waiting for quality cutting board (on order) before using.
5 people found this review helpful
Awesome knife. Fit & finish equal to high quality knife. Beyond my knife skills at the moment but able to learn with it. Waiting for quality cutting board (on order) before using.
Excellent Knife Wonderful quality Posted By: RDesimone - verified customer
5 people found this review helpful
This review is being written after using this knife almost daily for six months in our family kitchen. The fit and finish are outstanding. A bit of bees wax hand rubbed into the handle was all it needed. Edge at arrival was excellent. The grind was about 80/20 and very even. The knife is well balanced and very popular for almost every task in our kitchen. It is my wife's favorite knife. The only downside is that the heat treat does not seem to be RC60, but more in the 57-58 range. To keep a great edge, it needs weekly attention but only needs the stone about once in two or three times because it responds to a loaded strop very well indeed. This steel in the knife is a wonderful steel to sharpen! It is arguably the easiest (out of dozens knives of various knives that I own) to bring to a hair popping edge. If you enjoy sharpening, this is a real sweetheart. For a long day at the cutting board though, I personally love the Hap 40 series in the Santoku and 210 and 240 Gyuto.
5 people found this review helpful
This review is being written after using this knife almost daily for six months in our family kitchen. The fit and finish are outstanding. A bit of bees wax hand rubbed into the handle was all it needed. Edge at arrival was excellent. The grind was about 80/20 and very even. The knife is well balanced and very popular for almost every task in our kitchen. It is my wife's favorite knife. The only downside is that the heat treat does not seem to be RC60, but more in the 57-58 range. To keep a great edge, it needs weekly attention but only needs the stone about once in two or three times because it responds to a loaded strop very well indeed. This steel in the knife is a wonderful steel to sharpen! It is arguably the easiest (out of dozens knives of various knives that I own) to bring to a hair popping edge. If you enjoy sharpening, this is a real sweetheart. For a long day at the cutting board though, I personally love the Hap 40 series in the Santoku and 210 and 240 Gyuto.
Surprised in a good way! sharp and balancedPosted By: julia mcmurray - verified customer
6 people found this review helpful
wonderfully balanced knife and sharper than I've ever experienced. Easy to work with; Im so pleased. Thanks for the help picking it out. My daughter is a chef and got one too, with the same delight.
6 people found this review helpful
wonderfully balanced knife and sharper than I've ever experienced. Easy to work with; Im so pleased. Thanks for the help picking it out. My daughter is a chef and got one too, with the same delight.
