- Joined
- Jan 28, 2007
- Messages
- 2,155
We've had the Shun Bob Kramer Santoku for around 6 months now and the 6 inch Chef's Knife for about a year. Before we got the 6 inch Chef's knife, my girlfriend was intimidated by the 7 and 8 inch knives I already had.
Like many people, she had grown up without having a truly sharp, high quality knife in the kitchen. The Kramer 6" Chef's Knife was a real eye opener for her. She went from dreading cutting vegetables to actually enjoying dicing onions. The knife has been a joy for her to use, though eventually she realized that the 6 inch was actually too small for some of her tasks. We bought the 7 Inch Santoku as a step up from the Chef's. I'd have to say that it was a successful buy.
The handle ergonomics of the Santoku match the Chef's and we both find them very comfortable to hold. They have very nice hand filling shape that have been a pleasure to use even in extended cutting sessions.
The handles are red and black Pakkawood with a simple mosaic pin. (If you buy them individually, check the mosaic pin, I have seen another version of the mosaic pin with slightly different pattern, though both of mine are as pictured).
The blade is an SG2 Core clad with pattern-welded nickel/stainless. The blade is VERY thin and light and seems to be balanced perfectly. From my experience with the Ti/SG2 version of the Junkyard Dog 2, I fully expected great performance from the edge, and it has not disappointed. Both knives were phenomenally sharp out of the box. As a matter of fact, the first time my girlfriend used the 6 inch she made numerous deep cuts into the cutting board because she wasn't used to knives cutting through vegetables so easily. (I like to believe that I kept all my kitchen knives sharp, they clearly weren't as sharp as I thought they were.)
According to the marketing info, the blade is hardened to 64-66HRC. The blades definitely hold an edge, I've only run the 6 inch on some ceramic sticks twice since we've had it and the Santoku once last week (six light passes each side).
I'm not sure whether to attribute it to the highly polished surface finish or the thinness of the blade, but it feels like there is much less resistance when cutting through draggy foods than any of my other kitchen knives.
So far the cladding has resisted stains and is very easy to clean up.
I fully intend to get the 8 inch Chef's Knife when I can. As far as I know the Shun Bob Kramer line is a Sur La Table exclusive (Williams Sonoma has the Shun Bob Kramer Meiji line which has Japanese styling). This is a mixed blessing since it may be tough to find a Sur near you. The store near me did not carry them (until recently), but they assured me that their return policy was quite liberal.
Like many people, she had grown up without having a truly sharp, high quality knife in the kitchen. The Kramer 6" Chef's Knife was a real eye opener for her. She went from dreading cutting vegetables to actually enjoying dicing onions. The knife has been a joy for her to use, though eventually she realized that the 6 inch was actually too small for some of her tasks. We bought the 7 Inch Santoku as a step up from the Chef's. I'd have to say that it was a successful buy.
The handle ergonomics of the Santoku match the Chef's and we both find them very comfortable to hold. They have very nice hand filling shape that have been a pleasure to use even in extended cutting sessions.
The handles are red and black Pakkawood with a simple mosaic pin. (If you buy them individually, check the mosaic pin, I have seen another version of the mosaic pin with slightly different pattern, though both of mine are as pictured).
The blade is an SG2 Core clad with pattern-welded nickel/stainless. The blade is VERY thin and light and seems to be balanced perfectly. From my experience with the Ti/SG2 version of the Junkyard Dog 2, I fully expected great performance from the edge, and it has not disappointed. Both knives were phenomenally sharp out of the box. As a matter of fact, the first time my girlfriend used the 6 inch she made numerous deep cuts into the cutting board because she wasn't used to knives cutting through vegetables so easily. (I like to believe that I kept all my kitchen knives sharp, they clearly weren't as sharp as I thought they were.)
According to the marketing info, the blade is hardened to 64-66HRC. The blades definitely hold an edge, I've only run the 6 inch on some ceramic sticks twice since we've had it and the Santoku once last week (six light passes each side).
I'm not sure whether to attribute it to the highly polished surface finish or the thinness of the blade, but it feels like there is much less resistance when cutting through draggy foods than any of my other kitchen knives.
So far the cladding has resisted stains and is very easy to clean up.
I fully intend to get the 8 inch Chef's Knife when I can. As far as I know the Shun Bob Kramer line is a Sur La Table exclusive (Williams Sonoma has the Shun Bob Kramer Meiji line which has Japanese styling). This is a mixed blessing since it may be tough to find a Sur near you. The store near me did not carry them (until recently), but they assured me that their return policy was quite liberal.
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