Miyabi Kaizen Knife Block Set 7 and 10 Piece Review

Miyabi Kaizen Knife Block Set Features

The Miyabi Kaizen is a top knives line from Miyabi that tends to be more Japanese in style then other Miyabi product lines. With Japanese style handles and Japanese blade designs the Miyabi Kaizen Knife Block set embodies Japanese tradition mixed with high-end German engineering. Through the brand name and the knife line name you get a full picture of what this set has to offer. Thus, In Japanese language “miyabi” means “elegance” and “refinement”, while “kaizen” refers to the concept of continuous improvement.

All Miyabi Kaizen knives are created in the city of Seki, Japan where traditional Japanese blades were made for hundreds of years. Thus using the best steel the Japanese craftsman employ traditional knife making techniques with advanced German hardening techniques patented by Zwilling J.A. Henckels. This affiliation between western and eastern knife making techniques adds up to some exceptional knives for users around the world.

The Kaizen knife blades are made with a VG10 super steel core which is covered in 64 layers of beautiful Damascus steel. The VG10 is one of the hardest high carbon stainless steels on the market today, just perfect for knife making. But the steel on its own isn’t enough. Thus its qualities are majorly improved by the Zwilling CRYODUR hardening process. The blades are heated up to a specific temperature in special ovens before it is cooled down to room temperature and frozen at -196 Celsius (-384 Fahrenheit). Only after, the blade’s edge reaches a hardness of 60 HRC.

The Handle of the MIyabi Kaizen knives is a Japanese D-shaped handle. The material used for it is known as Linen Micarta. This synthetic material is a industrial laminate made by the application of pressure and heat in order to make it extremely tough and water resistant. .

Miyabi Kaizen Knife Block Set Unboxing

The Miyabi Kaizen line features 2 block sets and one steak knives set. Thus you can choose between the 10 piece block set or the 7 piece knives set. In order to get a complete picture of all the knives featured in these sets we have unboxed them to taken a closer look at each piece offered. Take a look and get all the information you need before making a purchase.

Miyabi Kaizen Knife Block Set 7 Piece Set

The Kaizen 7 piece block set is the most concentrated set on offer from Miyabi. It features 4 basic knives, a pair of kitchen shears, a sharpening steel and a bamboo block to safely hold your knives in. This set features all the basic knives you need in order to prepare a perfect dish every time. Probably the only basic knife missing from this collection is a slicing knife.

Kaizen 3.5 inch Vegetable Paring Knife

The Miyabi 3.5 inch vegetable knife is also known as a flat cut paring knife. These are Japanese style paring knives perfect for peeling and cleaning vegetables and fruit. The paring knife is a indispensable tool in any kitchen. Imagine how hard it would be to peel an apple with a chef’s knife. Thus the Kaizen paring knife is a must have in a well equipped set.

Kaizen 6 inch Utility Knife

The utility knife is a great knife to own especially in a household kitchen. Because the utility knife has longer size then a paring knife and smaller size when compared to a chef’s knife, it is perfect for slicing sandwich meats and larger vegetables. Thus it is a great addition for your home kitchen knives set where sandwich making and vegetable plus fruit slicing is a daily task.

Kaizen 8 inch Chef’s Knife

The chef’s knife is another indispensable tool in your kitchen. It is used almost 90% of the time in any cooking endeavour. Thus a great chef knife will be a pleasure to use daily. The Miyabi Kaizen 8 inch chef’s knife has the perfect size for either beginners or experienced chef’s as its size fits in the middle range. The 60 HRC blade’s edge hardness will ensure you have a sharp knife for a very long time while the linen Micarta handle feels very sturdy and comfortable in your hand.

Kaizen 9.5 inch Bread Knife

As the name suggests a bread knife is used for slicing bread. But why do you need such a specific knife in order to cut bread? It is very simple. The bread knife has a serrated edge that is best for slicing ingredients with hard exteriors and soft interiors. If you use any other knife (especially for fresh bread) you will have to exert pressure on the ingredient thus squishing the interior before being able to cleanly slice. The 9.5 inch size of the Kaizen bread knife is perfect as it is long enough to perfectly slice even the widest loafs.

Kaizen Kitchen Shears

Kitchen shears are a great addition to your knives set. Not only for opening bags of produce or cutting sheets of greaseproof paper but also for portioning roast chicken by cutting the joints or gutting fish. Thus a pair of kitchen shears is always welcome in your collection, making your life easier every time you prepare for cooking.

Kaizen 9 inch Sharpening Steel

In order to keep your knives edge in great shape, a sharpening steel has to be used regularly. With use the blade’s edge wil slowly tilt to one side or the other. This will result in a blunt knife which will regain its sharpness only with professional sharpening equipment. The sharpening steel, or better named the honing steel is used to straighten those tilted edges as soon as it happens. Also in order for the honing steel to have an effect on your blade you have to use a steel that is made out of a material which is harder than your blade. Thus it is recommended you use the sharpening steel provided in the product line or in this case a steel that is harder than 60 HRC.

Kaizen Bamboo Block

In order to correctly store your knives you need a knife block or some type of individual storing space for every knife. If you just through your knives in a kitchen cabinet the blades will move around and scratch each other damaging the blades and handles. Also when choosing a knife block be sure to take into consideration the number of knives and their length so that you don’t end up with a improper block. Thus choosing the Kaizen 10 slot bamboo knife block is the easiest way you can store your knives.

Miyabi Kaizen Knife Block Set 10 Piece Set

The 10 piece Miyabi Kaizen knife block set is an extended version of the 7 piece set containing 3 extra knives to your collection. The set includes all the knives and accessories included in the 7 piece set with the exception of the utility knife. This knife is exchanged in favor of a 6 inch chef’s knife. But this isn’t a disadvantage as both knives can do the same tasks with ease. On top of these knives you will also get the 4.5 inch paring knife, a 5.5 inch hollow edge Santoku and a 9.5 inch slicing knife. This is the most well equipped set from the Miyabi Kaizen line.

Kaizen 6 inch Chef’s Knife (instead of utility knife)

In the 10 piece Kaizen knife set the utility knife from the 7 piece set is exchanged for a 6 inch chef’s knife. Both knives have the same length. The only difference is that the chef knife’s blade is wider. But this isn’t a disadvantage as the 6 inch chef’s knife can also be considered as a prep knife. In this case both knives can be used for the same tasks.

Kaizen 4.5 inch Paring Knife

Besides the 3.5 inch flat cut, vegetable paring knife, in the 10 piece block set, you also receive the 4.5 inch paring knife. This knife is designed for ingredients that are too large for a 3.5 inch paring knife but too small for a 6 inch utility knife. You can consider it as a small utility knife. This knife is probably not the most used in a kitchen but is surely welcomed in the collection.

Kaizen 5.5 inch Santoku Knife Hollow Edge

The Kaizen 5.5 inch hollow edge Santoku knife is a general purpose kitchen knife like the chef’s knife. It is used for chopping, slicing or dicing all types of ingredients. Different to the chef’s knife, the santoku has a wider blade. This can be a challenge when slicing wider ingredients because the slices will tend to stick on the blade’s surface. In order to avoid this, Miyabi has featured the Kaizen santoku with a hollow edge so that air pockets can form between the blade and the slice, making it hard for it to stick to the blade.

Kaizen 9.5 inch Slicing Knife

The Miyabi Kaizen 9.5 inch slicing knife is probably the only basic knife missing from the 7 piece block set collection but it is included in the 10 piece set. A slicing knife is very useful especially when trying to cleanly slice wide pieces of roast, meat or vegetables. While a shorter blade is prone to piercing the ingredient while slicing and makes a clean slice impossible to achieve. Thus the 9.5 inch Kaizen slicing knife is just perfect for any slicing task at hand.

Pros of the Miyabi Kaizen block sets

• Hardness of 60 HRC (Rockwell scale)
• 64 Layers of Damascus steel
• Sturdy Linen Micarta Handle
• Sets contain all the basic knives you need at the proper sizes
• Sharpening steels included in both sets
• The sets have extra slots in order to later include other knives

Cons of the Miyabi Kaizen block sets

• The sets are on the pricey side
• The 7 piece set does not include the slicing knife

Do you like the Miyabi Kaizen set? Take a look at all knives featured in the Miyabi Kaizen product line..Or, find the best knife set on the market in our all you need to know review.