More home cooks enter the world of Japanese knives through a santoku than through any other format. The shorter length, dropped tip, and flat-to-slightly-curved profile are immediately approachable, and the three-virtue design - built for meat, fish, and vegetables with equal capability - makes it useful from the first session without any adjustment period. Tojiro has been making this transition easy for years, building knives in Sanjo City that deliver genuine Japanese knife performance at a price that does not require a major commitment before knowing what you are getting into.
The VG10 Hammered Santoku 170mm follows the construction of the rest of the line: VG10 stainless core, softer stainless cladding, tsuchime (hammered) kurouchi finish. The hammered surface does real work here - food release is noticeably better than a plain stainless finish, and it gives the blade an appearance that reads as more handmade and considered than the price would suggest. The edge geometry is well-executed, the 170mm length is well-suited to home kitchens and close-quarters professional work alike, and the Western-style handle with its rounded profile is a comfortable choice for cooks not yet ready to commit to an octagonal wa handle.
What Customers Are Saying: Customers describe this santoku as an exceptional entry point - both as a first Japanese knife and as a gift for someone upgrading from a standard block set. The edge out of the box impresses experienced knife users, and one buyer reports the blade held a working edge through nearly a year of daily use without needing more than a strop between sessions. The approachable format, hammered finish, and price-to-performance ratio are the three things reviewers come back to most. One buyer notes the handle material and plastic ferrule are the most visible concessions to the price point, but also credits them with removing the psychological barrier of owning something too nice to actually use.
Care Instructions: VG10 stainless is low maintenance and easy to live with. Hand wash and dry after use - avoid the dishwasher. Sharpen on quality water stones and strop regularly to maintain the edge. Avoid bones, frozen foods, and hard materials that can chip the edge at high hardness. Free shipping over $100.
The VG10 Hammered Santoku 170mm follows the construction of the rest of the line: VG10 stainless core, softer stainless cladding, tsuchime (hammered) kurouchi finish. The hammered surface does real work here - food release is noticeably better than a plain stainless finish, and it gives the blade an appearance that reads as more handmade and considered than the price would suggest. The edge geometry is well-executed, the 170mm length is well-suited to home kitchens and close-quarters professional work alike, and the Western-style handle with its rounded profile is a comfortable choice for cooks not yet ready to commit to an octagonal wa handle.
What Customers Are Saying: Customers describe this santoku as an exceptional entry point - both as a first Japanese knife and as a gift for someone upgrading from a standard block set. The edge out of the box impresses experienced knife users, and one buyer reports the blade held a working edge through nearly a year of daily use without needing more than a strop between sessions. The approachable format, hammered finish, and price-to-performance ratio are the three things reviewers come back to most. One buyer notes the handle material and plastic ferrule are the most visible concessions to the price point, but also credits them with removing the psychological barrier of owning something too nice to actually use.
Care Instructions: VG10 stainless is low maintenance and easy to live with. Hand wash and dry after use - avoid the dishwasher. Sharpen on quality water stones and strop regularly to maintain the edge. Avoid bones, frozen foods, and hard materials that can chip the edge at high hardness. Free shipping over $100.
- Maker: Tojiro
- Location: Sanjo City, Niigata, Japan
- Construction: San Mai
- Edge Steel: VG10 Stainless
- Cladding: Stainless
- Finish: Tsuchime (Hammered) Kurouchi
- Edge Grind: Even (50/50)
- Handle: Western
- Weight: 4.9 oz (140 g)
- Blade Length: 170 mm
- Total Length: 300 mm
- Spine Thickness at Heel: 2 mm
- Blade Height: 47 mm
Reviews
4 review(s) WRITE A REVIEW (Reviews are subject to approval) Perfect present for someone new to knivesPosted By: Simon
27 people found this review helpful
First of all, this is a $100 dollar knife, so a knife of this quality is well worth it as an entry point to japanese knives. I got this as a present for my girlfriend who cooks a lot, but was making do with an old henkels block set. This knife was incredibly sharp OOTB and has maintained the edge for the better part of a year so far despite near daily use. I am thoroughly impressed by the Tojiro heat treatment of the VG10. The hammered finish makes food release a breeze. There are lots of things that make this knife very approachable for someone who isnt used to the world of japanese knives: the 170mm length, and drop tip of the santoku is easy to wield and seems "safe". The round handle is a nice touch for someone who isn't used to the octagonal wa handle. The cheaper handle material and plastic ferrule seem out of place on a knife that looks and performs like this, but it also helps to get over the "it's too nice to use" factor that a more expensive knife might have.
27 people found this review helpful
First of all, this is a $100 dollar knife, so a knife of this quality is well worth it as an entry point to japanese knives. I got this as a present for my girlfriend who cooks a lot, but was making do with an old henkels block set. This knife was incredibly sharp OOTB and has maintained the edge for the better part of a year so far despite near daily use. I am thoroughly impressed by the Tojiro heat treatment of the VG10. The hammered finish makes food release a breeze. There are lots of things that make this knife very approachable for someone who isnt used to the world of japanese knives: the 170mm length, and drop tip of the santoku is easy to wield and seems "safe". The round handle is a nice touch for someone who isn't used to the octagonal wa handle. The cheaper handle material and plastic ferrule seem out of place on a knife that looks and performs like this, but it also helps to get over the "it's too nice to use" factor that a more expensive knife might have.
Nice knife for the pricePosted By: Ryan R
43 people found this review helpful
I bought this as a Christmas gift but got to look it over and use it a bit myself. First off, it's a very attractive knife aesthetically. It came extremely sharp OOTB, I'm a pretty accomplished sharpener and I don't think I could do much better; it didn't even need a stropping. The edge was obviously created on a belt; it had one high spot towards the tip and one low spot towards the heel, both very minor and easily fixed. It's a little thicker behind the edge than your average Japanese knife but it's thin enough to offer quite good performance if the edge is kept sharp. Food release is very good. The blade doesn't have a distal taper and the spine is a little thick for my taste, but we're talking about a 90 dollar knife. My biggest problem with it is it's quite blade heavy with a balance point well in front of my pinch grip. Some people might like that but I prefer a more neutral feel. The edge has held up quite well in the hands of the recipient who is not a knife enthusiast by any means(my mother). All in all I would recommend it to someone looking for something in this price range, you get quality steel and nice aesthetics and performance.
43 people found this review helpful
I bought this as a Christmas gift but got to look it over and use it a bit myself. First off, it's a very attractive knife aesthetically. It came extremely sharp OOTB, I'm a pretty accomplished sharpener and I don't think I could do much better; it didn't even need a stropping. The edge was obviously created on a belt; it had one high spot towards the tip and one low spot towards the heel, both very minor and easily fixed. It's a little thicker behind the edge than your average Japanese knife but it's thin enough to offer quite good performance if the edge is kept sharp. Food release is very good. The blade doesn't have a distal taper and the spine is a little thick for my taste, but we're talking about a 90 dollar knife. My biggest problem with it is it's quite blade heavy with a balance point well in front of my pinch grip. Some people might like that but I prefer a more neutral feel. The edge has held up quite well in the hands of the recipient who is not a knife enthusiast by any means(my mother). All in all I would recommend it to someone looking for something in this price range, you get quality steel and nice aesthetics and performance.
Great knife! A very nice knifePosted By: Steven - verified customer
29 people found this review helpful
It is a very nice to look at and to use it was crazy sharp out of the box I have used it every day for the last few weeks and I have more the 30 are so knifes. I find myself laying it out .
29 people found this review helpful
It is a very nice to look at and to use it was crazy sharp out of the box I have used it every day for the last few weeks and I have more the 30 are so knifes. I find myself laying it out .
