I heard about the Pure Komachi kitchen knives almost two years ago, from my wife who shops at Tuesday Morning. She pointed out the pastel-colored knives, made by KAI, and we picked a few up. Komachi, by the way, means "the town beauty" in Japanese.
There are also two Komachi lines; the Pure Komachi and the Pure Komachi 2. The first one has been discontinued and was made in Japan. The Pure Komachi 2 is the current line, and is made in China. I've only found one real difference with these: the Pure Komachi knives have a translucent handle and show the intended uses of the knives (beef, fish, etc.) on the full tang and are marked on the blade as Made In Japan; the Pure Komachi 2 knives have no "Made In..." marking, and the handles are not see-through.
I'll be reviewing three of these knives: the Pure Komachi 2 3-1/2" Paring Knife (green in color), the Pure Komachi 4-1/2" Santoku Fish knife (baby blue in color), and the Pure Komachi 2 6-1/2" Santoku / Japanese Chef's knife (pink in color). The green one is model KSAB5068 and costs about $8; the blue one is model KSAB5037 and runs around $12; and the pink one is model KSAB5038 and costs around $10. These are store prices, not MSRP.
Here's the review...
THE PURE KOMACHI 2 PARING KNIFE
This is the standard paring knife, used for most things in today's kitchen.
The Handle: The handle is solid green, almost light olive, and is made of ionomer resin. Whatever that is, it feels like Zytel to me. It's hard; no grippy texture or rubbery feel. It's 4-1/2" long and 5/8" thick. For me, it's a perfect fit.
The Blade: The paring knife's blade is made of modified 420J2 (from what I've read). It sure doesn't perform like it; this is some nice kitchen steel. Mine has kept a nice edge, and gets scary sharp in no time. It's 3-5/8" long with a 3-1/2" cutting edge, and is 1/16" thick. The blade has a full flat grind and really slices with ease. The blade has a coating on it to prevent corrosion and to keep food from sticking to it, which I've found works well. Clean-up is easy with the blade and handle as well. The right side of the blade has lasering (shown below) and doesn't attract rust or impede clean-up.
The Holder: The paring knife is the only Pure Komachi knife that comes with any sort of blade guard. This one comes with a green stand that grips the blade. It stands upright on your counter.
It does its job and I don't really have much more to say about it. It's not brittle and it will fit into a knife drawer.
The paring knife is a much better knife than its price would make you think. It outslices my Old Hickory by a wide margin.
There are also two Komachi lines; the Pure Komachi and the Pure Komachi 2. The first one has been discontinued and was made in Japan. The Pure Komachi 2 is the current line, and is made in China. I've only found one real difference with these: the Pure Komachi knives have a translucent handle and show the intended uses of the knives (beef, fish, etc.) on the full tang and are marked on the blade as Made In Japan; the Pure Komachi 2 knives have no "Made In..." marking, and the handles are not see-through.
I'll be reviewing three of these knives: the Pure Komachi 2 3-1/2" Paring Knife (green in color), the Pure Komachi 4-1/2" Santoku Fish knife (baby blue in color), and the Pure Komachi 2 6-1/2" Santoku / Japanese Chef's knife (pink in color). The green one is model KSAB5068 and costs about $8; the blue one is model KSAB5037 and runs around $12; and the pink one is model KSAB5038 and costs around $10. These are store prices, not MSRP.
Here's the review...
THE PURE KOMACHI 2 PARING KNIFE
This is the standard paring knife, used for most things in today's kitchen.
The Handle: The handle is solid green, almost light olive, and is made of ionomer resin. Whatever that is, it feels like Zytel to me. It's hard; no grippy texture or rubbery feel. It's 4-1/2" long and 5/8" thick. For me, it's a perfect fit.
The Blade: The paring knife's blade is made of modified 420J2 (from what I've read). It sure doesn't perform like it; this is some nice kitchen steel. Mine has kept a nice edge, and gets scary sharp in no time. It's 3-5/8" long with a 3-1/2" cutting edge, and is 1/16" thick. The blade has a full flat grind and really slices with ease. The blade has a coating on it to prevent corrosion and to keep food from sticking to it, which I've found works well. Clean-up is easy with the blade and handle as well. The right side of the blade has lasering (shown below) and doesn't attract rust or impede clean-up.
The Holder: The paring knife is the only Pure Komachi knife that comes with any sort of blade guard. This one comes with a green stand that grips the blade. It stands upright on your counter.
It does its job and I don't really have much more to say about it. It's not brittle and it will fit into a knife drawer.
The paring knife is a much better knife than its price would make you think. It outslices my Old Hickory by a wide margin.
