The Kohetsu HAP40 line is made exclusively for CKTG by the Tsukahara family in Seki City, Japan - the same specialist shop that produces the Kohetsu Aogami Super line. Seki operates as a distributed craftsman network: forgers, grinders, sharpeners, and handle fitters each own one stage of production, with blades moving between shops in plastic crates on small delivery trucks. Mark visited and toured these shops personally. The Tsukahara family specializes in the precise heat treatment that brings HAP40 to 65-66 HRC consistently - a harder target than most steels and one that requires real expertise to hit reliably.
The santoku - three virtues in Japanese - is the all-purpose kitchen knife for cooks who prefer a shorter, more compact blade. At 180mm this one sits at the larger end of the santoku range with a flatter profile suited to push-cutting and high-volume chopping. The thin grind lets the blade pass through food with minimal resistance, and the 60/40 asymmetric edge - biased right with a feathered tip - works equally well for right- and left-handed cooks. Stainless san-mai cladding over the HAP40 core keeps daily maintenance straightforward. Octagonal dark grey pakka wood handle, light and nimble in hand. CKTG is the only source for the Kohetsu HAP40 line.
What Customers Are Saying: Reviewers describe cutting through onions, celery, and chiles out of the box without touching a stone - and finding the edge still performing weeks later. One professional sushi chef praises the steel specifically for line use. The fit and finish are called elegant and simple, with the steel being the star rather than expensive handwork.
Care Instructions: HAP40 is a semi-stainless steel - the stainless cladding fully protects the flanks and the HAP40 core has meaningful corrosion resistance, but hand washing and drying after each use is still best practice. Avoid the dishwasher. HAP40 at 65-66 HRC is harder than most kitchen steels - use wood or rubber cutting boards only and avoid bones, frozen foods, and hard materials that could chip the edge. Sharpen on quality water stones; HAP40 sharpens more easily than most powdered steels but rewards patience and consistent angle. Strop regularly between sharpenings to maintain peak performance.
The santoku - three virtues in Japanese - is the all-purpose kitchen knife for cooks who prefer a shorter, more compact blade. At 180mm this one sits at the larger end of the santoku range with a flatter profile suited to push-cutting and high-volume chopping. The thin grind lets the blade pass through food with minimal resistance, and the 60/40 asymmetric edge - biased right with a feathered tip - works equally well for right- and left-handed cooks. Stainless san-mai cladding over the HAP40 core keeps daily maintenance straightforward. Octagonal dark grey pakka wood handle, light and nimble in hand. CKTG is the only source for the Kohetsu HAP40 line.
What Customers Are Saying: Reviewers describe cutting through onions, celery, and chiles out of the box without touching a stone - and finding the edge still performing weeks later. One professional sushi chef praises the steel specifically for line use. The fit and finish are called elegant and simple, with the steel being the star rather than expensive handwork.
Care Instructions: HAP40 is a semi-stainless steel - the stainless cladding fully protects the flanks and the HAP40 core has meaningful corrosion resistance, but hand washing and drying after each use is still best practice. Avoid the dishwasher. HAP40 at 65-66 HRC is harder than most kitchen steels - use wood or rubber cutting boards only and avoid bones, frozen foods, and hard materials that could chip the edge. Sharpen on quality water stones; HAP40 sharpens more easily than most powdered steels but rewards patience and consistent angle. Strop regularly between sharpenings to maintain peak performance.
- Brand: Kohetsu
- Exclusive: CKTG Exclusive - Available Only at CKTG
- Blacksmith: Tsukahara Family
- Location: Seki City, Japan
- Construction: Laser Cut, San Mai
- Edge Steel: HAP40 Semi Stainless (Powdered High Speed Steel)
- Cladding: Stainless Steel
- HRC: 65-66
- Edge Grind: 60/40 Asymmetric Double Bevel
- Etching: Acid Etched Kanji
- Handle: Octagonal Dark Grey Pakka Wood
- Blade Length: 180mm
Reviews
6 review(s) WRITE A REVIEW (Reviews are subject to approval) Another great knife from Kohetsu, March 6, 2025
Good value for a hap40Posted By: Kalvin
50 people found this review helpful
Almost good as my konosuke 180mm hd2 petty, the edge was poorly grind and uneven from tip to heel. The wide edge was not full polished, still scratches from the sharpener. The stamped side had two different angles for the edge. Knife is not fully straight, curves slightly to the left and the tip curves slightly to the right. But after sharpening it, works as well as my other 180mm petty. The handle is a little smaller than my other petty s well. I enjoy using this knife but, wish it was slightly more refined. (Sushi chef)
50 people found this review helpful
Almost good as my konosuke 180mm hd2 petty, the edge was poorly grind and uneven from tip to heel. The wide edge was not full polished, still scratches from the sharpener. The stamped side had two different angles for the edge. Knife is not fully straight, curves slightly to the left and the tip curves slightly to the right. But after sharpening it, works as well as my other 180mm petty. The handle is a little smaller than my other petty s well. I enjoy using this knife but, wish it was slightly more refined. (Sushi chef)
Great knife at a great pricePosted By: Alex Barham - verified customer
14 people found this review helpful
Bought this santoku for my wife to use on the line at our restaurant. She was looking for something that could hold an edge well, feel nimble, while still being capable of fairly large scale prep tasks. This knife has faired exceptionally well on every task that's been thrown at it. Vegetable prep, herbs, mincing, slicing fish for crudo, you name it. The knife itself feels solid, polished, and sexy. Cladding has held up great to acidity making for easy upkeep. All in all, a great performer for a great price.
14 people found this review helpful
Bought this santoku for my wife to use on the line at our restaurant. She was looking for something that could hold an edge well, feel nimble, while still being capable of fairly large scale prep tasks. This knife has faired exceptionally well on every task that's been thrown at it. Vegetable prep, herbs, mincing, slicing fish for crudo, you name it. The knife itself feels solid, polished, and sexy. Cladding has held up great to acidity making for easy upkeep. All in all, a great performer for a great price.
Second Look at the SantukoPosted By: Edward Roth - verified customer
13 people found this review helpful
It has been a few weeks now that I have had this jewel in collection. This knife gets crazy, wicked sharp on a 6000 King stone...and it doesn't take much! Edge retention is great though not as miraculous as the voodoo label might instill. The Santoku, at 180mm has me a believer, at first I thought it would be too long but it is just about perfect. The profile is such that I can do just about everything...slice, dice, chop on veggie, meat and fish. A true all purpose knife. It is light, fits my hand well for both full grip or pinch. This Santoku also has a nice profile for rocking, push-pull slice or chopping. Thank-you Mark and Sue for a great line-up, web-site a wonderful selection of knives. The only downside is the amount of out-of-stock items and the wait to replenish them.
13 people found this review helpful
It has been a few weeks now that I have had this jewel in collection. This knife gets crazy, wicked sharp on a 6000 King stone...and it doesn't take much! Edge retention is great though not as miraculous as the voodoo label might instill. The Santoku, at 180mm has me a believer, at first I thought it would be too long but it is just about perfect. The profile is such that I can do just about everything...slice, dice, chop on veggie, meat and fish. A true all purpose knife. It is light, fits my hand well for both full grip or pinch. This Santoku also has a nice profile for rocking, push-pull slice or chopping. Thank-you Mark and Sue for a great line-up, web-site a wonderful selection of knives. The only downside is the amount of out-of-stock items and the wait to replenish them.
First ImpressionPosted By: Edward Roth - verified customer
14 people found this review helpful
I'm not sure why one review was not the greatest. Bear in mind this a first impression and i will review further as I grow to know this knife better. I bought this knife for the steel, and am very impressed. Out the box sharp has never been a criterion I have much truck with...that said I went through onions, celery and chiles like they hardly slowed it down. I haven't even touched the santoku to a stone. I can only imagine what a good sharpening will do. The fit/finish is, if not superb, quite good as this knife is about the steel and not over priced handworked hilts and handles. Personally I really like the look...elegant and simple. The knife is light and nimble if a santoku can be nimble and fits my hand just right, full grip or pinch. I think the Kohetsu HAP40 180mm Santoku is well worth the price of admission and a bargain at 180USD
14 people found this review helpful
I'm not sure why one review was not the greatest. Bear in mind this a first impression and i will review further as I grow to know this knife better. I bought this knife for the steel, and am very impressed. Out the box sharp has never been a criterion I have much truck with...that said I went through onions, celery and chiles like they hardly slowed it down. I haven't even touched the santoku to a stone. I can only imagine what a good sharpening will do. The fit/finish is, if not superb, quite good as this knife is about the steel and not over priced handworked hilts and handles. Personally I really like the look...elegant and simple. The knife is light and nimble if a santoku can be nimble and fits my hand just right, full grip or pinch. I think the Kohetsu HAP40 180mm Santoku is well worth the price of admission and a bargain at 180USD
SOLIDPosted By: benito - verified customer
20 people found this review helpful
Sharp, durable workhorse. It sticks a little, can be prone to microchipping if used aggressively; but gets really sharp and holds its edge well. I reach for this knife for long veg prep sessions, push/pull cuts. In terms of eccentricities: there is a very gentle rocker to the blade that gives it a faint whiff of versatility, but rocking this santoku on rubber boards just gets it stuck. other than that, it's not quite what the kids call a laser, but it does tick all the right boxes in what you want for edge geometry in a thinnish santoku. it's got a nice weight, balance. the handle is whatever. It's cool this knife low key tho. Or, Ugly is the new Beautiful (LOOKIN AT U TAKEDA SAN). This knife is total MF'n prep monster. You reach for her, when you have veg prep: lots of it. Feed her Shaptons, keep her happy.
20 people found this review helpful
Sharp, durable workhorse. It sticks a little, can be prone to microchipping if used aggressively; but gets really sharp and holds its edge well. I reach for this knife for long veg prep sessions, push/pull cuts. In terms of eccentricities: there is a very gentle rocker to the blade that gives it a faint whiff of versatility, but rocking this santoku on rubber boards just gets it stuck. other than that, it's not quite what the kids call a laser, but it does tick all the right boxes in what you want for edge geometry in a thinnish santoku. it's got a nice weight, balance. the handle is whatever. It's cool this knife low key tho. Or, Ugly is the new Beautiful (LOOKIN AT U TAKEDA SAN). This knife is total MF'n prep monster. You reach for her, when you have veg prep: lots of it. Feed her Shaptons, keep her happy.
