Miyabi Birchwood Slicing Knife Review

While researching which is the best slicing knife on the market today we have found the Miyabi Birchwood slicing knife is one of them. Get informed with our full review in order to understand all the knife’s features.

Miyabi Birchwood Slicing Knife Features

The Miyabi Birchwood slicing knife is made in Seki, Japan through a combination of Western and Japanese knife making techniques. Miyabi is a Zwilling J.A. Henckels brand that makes its knives in the traditional city of Japanese sword making, employing western styles in Japanese knives in order to appeal to the wider public. The Birchwood slicing knife from Miyabi is no different. It features a D-shaped Japanese handle while the blade is double beveled as opposed to single beveled Japanese slicing knives, like a Yanagiba knife. Also the blades are hardened through Zwilling’s CRYODUR process while the knife’s edge is sharpened through the traditional 3 step Honbazuke technique.

Birchwood Slicing Knife Blade

The steel used in the birchwood slicing knife is the micro carbide MC63 powdered steel. This special steel is extremely hard and it makes up the core of the slicing knife. The hard core of the knife is sandwiched between 101 layers of soft and hard steel which give it a beautiful damascus flower pattern. But this is not the only use of the laminated sheets of metal. They improve the hardness of the blade while making it still flexible enough so that iy does not get brittle. Similar to how a Japanese katana sword is made.

But the steel is not enough to have a exceptional knife. The blade has to be treated in special processes in order for it to reach the desired hardness of 63 HRC while still being flexible. Thus Miyabi uses the patented Zwilling J.A. Henckels CRYODUR technique in order to achieve these specifications. Through this process the blades are heated to very a specific temperature in a vacuum sealed oven before it is quickly cooled down to room temperature and then frozen at -196 celsius. The heating up of the blade and the cooling of the blade to such a low temperature takes the stress out of the blade so it won’t become brittle. This process is known as tempering.

Birchwood Slicing Knife Sharpening & Handle

All Miyabi Birchwood slicing knives are sharpened using the traditional Japanese Honbazuke hand sharpening technique. This technique will ensure your blade will be as sharp as a scalpel. But how does it work? First the blade’s edge is ground to the desired angle using a vertical rotating stone. Second the edge is sharpened and honed on a horizontally rotating stone. And third, the edge is polished on a leather belt that ensures the impressive Japanese cutting edge.

The handle of the MIyabi SG2 slicing knife is also special. The material used for these knives is the beautiful Karelian Masur Birchwood. This exceptional wood is mostly grown in Russia and Finland where it used for knife handles and great artistic pieces. The lines in the wood match the damascus flower pattern on the blade perfectly making this a exceptional piece.

Pros of the Miyabi SG2 Birchwood slicing knife

• MC63 Powdered Steel Core
• Hardened at 63 HRC
• 101 Layers of Damascus Pattern Steel
• CRYODUR Blade Hardening
• Masur Birchwood handle
• Honbazuke hand Sharpening
• Mosaic Pin, Red Separators and Stainless Steel End Cap

Cons of the Miyabi SG2 Birchwood slicing knife

• The slicing knife comes at a higher price than other Miyabi lines
• Only one size and type of slicing knife

Before buying this Miyabi slicing knife make sure you check out the entire Miyabi Birchwood product line, in order to get a complete view of all the knives on offer.