Asian Knives Reviews

I have the Shun Classic lines Santoku which cuts like a dream 6 months since I bought it. That knife's weight helps it glide effortlessly through piles of vegetables. We are vegetarian & love our veg, I prep and cook literally lbs of veg a day, bought this to try since the price was right and so many reviews were positive, and I wanted an extra one when I did not want to wash up between the onions and the apples or whatever.

Well I'm disappointed. It IS sharp, and works, but the very weightlessness prevents it from working like a good Santoku should -- you can just rock to effortlessly slice. Also slicing plantain bananas stained the blade badly, am afraid to scrub heavily since the resin coating looks delicate. So I will bite the bullet and pick up a great set of Shun knives, because with THIS one, my hands ache after a couple of handfuls of beans from the effort and I still have 10 handfuls to get thro... Might be an option for an older person who cant hold a heavy knife. So yes you would add an extra digit to the price by going for the real thing, but a good knife is SO worth it. It was also more sticky than my un scalloped shun, so the scallops didn't seem to be working either. I am not returning it since my M-I-L can't hold a heavy knife, and still likes a big knife so that might be a situation in which you buy this. I would also recommend that you pass on the henckels, wusthof, sabatier etc since I've spent literally thousands of $ on them and have not been as happy with them as with my single shun knife.

I have a set of W�sthof Grand Prix (7 knives). It does not include a Santoku knife. So, I preordered a Komachi Santoku knife with scallops for a try. After waiting about two months, I finally received my knife from Amazon. I was surprised and somehow disappointed when I saw this knife. This knife has a purple pink color. It is very cute and looks like a girl's toy, not a cooking knife. So I let it sit for days without touching it. Until one day, I met a chef at a local grocery store, she used Komachi knives and highly recommended them. So I thought at least I should give it a try. I tested the purple knife side by side with my favorite W�sthof 6" chef knife for cutting cheese and potatoes. These two knives are very similar in size. However, the Komachi knife is significantly lighter in weight and thinner in blade than the W�sthof chef knife. After testing, I was very surprised! I usually use a utility knife instead of a chef knife for cutting potatoes to prevent foods from sticking. I found that the resin coating and scallops for the Komachi knife really prevented foods from sticking. I can cut cheese and potatoes much faster and effectively than using the chef knife. In addition, the Santoku knife can slice foods thinner than the chef knife. Right now, I still use my W�sthof knives. I use this purple knife for cutting foods that stick to the blade. If you are thinking about buying an all-purpose or a vegetable knife and do not have strong expectations about what a good knife is supposed to be (such as a knife's color and appearance), this will be a good knife for you. I highly recommend it.

after reading reviews of this knife and others, my husband came to the conclusion that this knife would be the best christmas present for me. and it was for about 5 days. it cut wonderfully and felt perfect in my hand. after i was washing the knife off after cutting an onion, i noticed a crack in the blade!! so i sent it back for another one, and that one was defective. the divits that are on the sides of the blades (to keep food from sticking to the knife) were off centered and went off the blade's edge instead of running above it. so i sent that back for another one. then amazon said lots of other people were having problems, too, so they did not have any more in stock. i gave up then. i am using my refund money towards a trip to california....

I love this knife. It makes slicing of anything so easy. The knife feels a little heavy, but I am all right with it. I find myself taking this knife out to slice everything. I have actually become a better slicer, since using this knife. I would recommend this knife to anyone who wants a good quality knife that is not too expensive.

For balance and performance, very few knives compare. This knife feels like it was custom made for my hand. It has handled every task I've put it through. Amazon's price was fair (saw it in the mall "On Sale" after Xmas for the same price), but the free delivery made the difference for me.

You can't go wrong with this knife. I use it almost as much as I use my 8 inch chef's knife. It holds an edge well, feels light in your hand, and has perfect ballance.

This knife has made me eat more vegetables, just because it's so much fun to chop carrots. I was a little concerned with the handle at first, but it's very comfortable, and isn't slick at all, even in soapy water. I also worried that maybe I should have gotten the bigger version of this knife. Again, my fears were unfounded, as this was the perfect size for vegetable preparation. You can't really describe the feeling of using the best tool for the job... but if you've ever had that feeling, you already know how you'll feel using a Global. When I slice carrots for snacks, they come out as perfect, translucent discs. Any vegetable I've cut has been a joy.

I really like this knife for making thin slices of small to medium size veggies. However, I think this knife is a bit small for mincing onions and the side is too short for scooping like a cleaver (which is bad for your knife anyway). I still usually grab for this knife because its insanely sharp, light, and versatile because of its size. I can use it as to slice tomatoes, shred lettuce, and then dip it in the mayo jar. Perfect for making gourmet sandwiches. Great knife, worth every penny. I plan on getting a 7 1/2 inch Global vegetable cleaver/knife and a Shun 10" chef's as well.

Dont plan on cutting anything you need a sharp knife for. Other than that, it's ok.

I bought this knife as a Christmas gift for my wife who has become an excellent cook and I asked her about Santoku knives and shesaid they are very good knives to have in the kitchen. So I bought her this 4.5 inch model because she has small hands and she absolutely loves it. It is put to use everyday. An excellent buy

I was looking for a good Santoku knife to add to my collection and after reading a few reviews and looking at a few different knives I decided upon this one.

Well the knife its self isn't really that bad. It has good balance and feels fairly comfortable in my hand, always a plus. The handle all though very comfortable and easy to grip has a very cheap look and feel. The knife was definitely not as sharp as I like my knives to be so I had to sharpen it. A big negative in my mind!

Overall I'd say for the $19.99 price tag its not a bad knife just don't expect greatness.

I have a Wusthof Santoku, and I absolutely adore it. I wanted to get my mother something like my knife for christmas. Being short on cash, I needed to shop around and I found this. I bought the 5-inch and the 7-inch and I'm extremely impressed.

The balance is great and they feel really nice in your hand. I was able to cut up a carrot with no problems at all (something I consider one of the ultimate tests as far as knifes go, right next to cutting tomatoes) and the carrot didn't stick to the blade, either.

I know the price might be worrisome because it's so low - but these are really nice knives. I went back and bought a 5-inch for myself after testing out the ones I bought for my mother. I highly recommend these - they're great knives for those on a budget!

I bought this knife and the 5" for Christmas for my wife. Since I do most of the cooking as she works long hours, I wanted to make sure that they were something I would be happy with also. We cook every day and feel we can cook as well or better as some of the local restaurants.

Now after 3 months of using them we could not be more pleased. They are the equal of our Wustof and Helkels for sharpness, handeling any vegetable, or meet thrown at them. I can get paper thin slices of corned beef and julienne carrots.

I have used a steel on them every other day as I do on my other good knives and they show no sign of needing sharpening. I wish they weighed a little more, but this is my only complaint, I'm a big man and have the same complaint with my other small knives.

Cristina Vaamonde has reviewed other cheap imported Chinese knockoffs of brand name products here on Amazon.
Just be aware that for the price you get the import version.
This is one product you should buy at a department store so you get to look and feel the product.

I can't review this knife because I didn't receive it from Amazon. They sent me the "Henckel's International Forged Pro" version, not the "Henckels Pro S" they advertise!
The Forged Pro, Model # 10227-181 is lightweight and made in China. The real thing is model number 31120-183, made in Germany.
Amazon didn't acknowledge that they made a mistake, therefore I am returning the wrong knife and buying the right one elsewhere.
I am not the only one who has been duped -- read the reviews and be careful!

Just purchased this as another step towards the Pro S set I am building. I must say that I was extremely impressed with the ease this knife chops, cubes and dices. It is RAZOR sharp out of the box, and has the nice santoku shape.

I can forsee this knife being the most used out of the entire set - very versatile and easy to use.

Can't speak for longevity, but it is very well built, and I see nothing preventing this knife from lasting 40+ years.

Great job on this one, Henckels!

The first thing I noticed was the weight (or lack thereof) in the Grand Prix II 7" Santuko blade, it feels noticably lighter than my 6" Grand Prix Chef's knife. After using this knife however, I am very impressed with it's performance and feel. The Grand Prix II has a slightly different handle shape than the original Grand Prix but that is barely noticable. I find that the Santuko blade is excellent for large quantity chopping jobs, I can speed through veggies and meats in no time at all. A great addition to my Wusthof set.

I am lucky enough to own three very beautiful blades: a Shun Santoku 7", the Wusthof Grand Prix II 7", and the Henckel 8". Of these three the Wusthof is my least favorite. The blade is somewhat thinner than the Shun, which may be a positive point for those who prefer lighter blades. The black plastic handle also contributes to a lighter weight. However, I personally prefer the heavier better quality steel of the Shun as well as the beautiful wooden handle. Makes for very satisfactory action on the cutting board--solid thunks. Of those three knives, the Henckel is by far my favorite. It is so incredibly versatile, nice quality materials, and the weight and length are perfect for very fast action using both hands. If you have a choice, I would definitely research Shun and Henckel. That said, the Wusthof is a wonderful knife and you should be very pleased with it. As I said, some of the things that I find less attractive about it may very well be a draw for others. It's a good quality blade and with proper care should last many years. If you've ever wondered what the fuss about knives was, then you really must borrow a nice knife for an evening of cooking. It makes all the difference.

When my Wusthof Grand Prix II 7" Hollow Ground Santoku knife arrived from Amazon as a mid-year birthday present to myself, I tore open the packaging and immediately bonded with the high carbon no-stain steel beauty inside. The knife *gleamed*, was obviously surgically sharp and, for an intermediate cook who had been using a 1980s-era Chicago Cutlery chef's knife all her life, it was a bit...intimidating.

After several days of regarding the knife (and it doubtless regarding me), of hefting it and testing its balance, I decided to put it to work on ingredients for guacamole, and within seconds had not only sliced an onion to delightfully transparent thinness (oh, to watch the sun set through a slice of Walla Walla Sweet) but also the top-most layer of my little finger. We were off to a good start.

I had researched and compared the Wusthof Grand Prix II to Wusthof's classic and the original Grand Prix, as well as to various Henkels knives. The Grand Prix II came out ahead for me, primarily because of Wusthof' quality and because I personally wanted to experience a change from the chef's blade and classic straight handle I'd been using for so many years, to a santoku blade and ergonomic handle.

I recommend this knife to anyone who has used vintage or department-store quality knives all their lives, who has envied the ease in which chefs on the Food Channel slice and dice (now you, too, can do it!), who wants to better enjoy food preparation, or who wants to work with the most modern and well-made knife the market offers. With little effort on your part, you can just sit back and watch it perform like a manual food processor, precisely cutting onions, bell peppers, etc., into cubes of perfect symmetry. Enjoy.

In Anthoney Bourdain's book "Kitchen Confidential" he talks about how in a real kitchen the chefs don't use Henkle or Wustoff knives, they use Global. Cat Cora of "American Iron Chef" also uses Global knives. I needed a good knife in my kitchen so I decided to check out Global as well.

First of all, it's incredibly light. If I'm chopping a LOT of onions for a french onion soup or making a big batch of mirepoix for some beef stock I notice that lightness.

Then there's the balance. See that notch where the blade meets the handle? Pick the knife up by that notch and it balanced exactly level. Try that with a standard knife and you'll see how handle heavy they are.

Finaly, the edge. These knives are insanely sharp. They cut like a dream. I just went to a knife sharpening clinic by Wustoff and they suggest honeing your knife with 5 or 6 stroks on a steel before every meal that you cook. I've found that this keeps the edge razor sharp. However, you should realize that the edge on these knives is at 15 degrees, not 20 degrees. So adjust the angle you use to hone the edge.

Overall, it's an amazing knife. Take care of it and it will serve you as a professional quality tool for a long time.