Best Tojiro Kitchen Knives

A knife so beautifully made, so unparalleled in excellence, that it is a work of art – Chefs and good hobby cooks tend to be very personal in their likes and dislikes of knives. It's not only a matter of brand or series, but also the… Read more

specific knife being used for specific tasks. When it comes to slicing and chopping vegetables and more, one's knife has to be safe to use, powerful, sharp, long-lasting. There are many good knife brands, but the very first time that I held a Tojiro 'Flash' knife in my hand, it was like suddenly being connected to what a knife was supposed to be, of which all other knives had only ever been the shadow or forerunner.

Tojiro knives are made by Tojiro Co. Ltd, in Japan. They have created quite a few knife series, but the superb 'senkou' ('lightning' - the series is known in Australia as 'Flash') series is something else again. Centuries of Japanese technique in sword making for the elite and mysterious samurai have been the driving inspiration behind this magnificent series.

The blade is folded and forged Damascus steel with a 63-layer construction, so that the heart of the blade is hard and strong while simultaneously being flexible. The VG-10 cutting edge is unparalleled in its hardness (Rockwell 62 HRC), and as a result, the cutting edge is as sharp as anything you will encounter.

The handle - of Micarta with stainless steel inlays - is superbly balanced, and one can hold this knife in a myriad of ways, in the manner most comfortable to the person wielding it. It's the most inspiring, the most ergonomic and the most comfortable knife I have ever held, and it cuts without effort, as though through butter.

The santoku knife is 18cm long (comparable in length and purpose to the 18cm chef knife and naikiri (vegetable) knife). Some people will prefer either of those rather than the santoku, but for this particular length and purpose, I find the santoku ideal.

All of the knives in the 'flash' (senkou) series are exquisite to look at.

It's no surprise that these knives are Heston Blumenthal's knives of choice for their 'precision, quality and design'.

They are pricey, but the quality sings out with each moment of use. In my view, these are the finest knives in the world, and the santoku knife is one of those workhorse knives that will be used every day. I would not be without these magnificent knife.