Miyabi Kaizen Santoku Knife 7 and 5 inch Review

Miyabi Kaizen Santoku knife Features

The Kaizen line offers 2 types and 2 sizes of Santoku knives to choose from. Thus, you are able to get the Miyabi Kaizen 7 inch rocking Santoku or the 7 inch and 5.5 inch straight edge santoku. The Miyabi kaizen Santoku knife 7 and 5 inch are featured with a Hollow edge design. Also, the blade has a 64-layer damascus construction with a VG10 steel core. And a comfortable, sturdy, water repellent, black, linen micarta handle. The blade is hardened at 60 HRC for great edge retention and traditionally Honbazuke sharpened for a scalpel like edge.

Blade

The blade of the Miyabi Kaizen Santoku is a 65 layer construction of laminated steel. Bassically, a VG10 super steel core is covered by 64 layers of damascus. The VG10 steel is a popular choice for modern japanese knife makers as it is a high carbon stainless steel. It is made up of the basic steel with 1% Carbon and 15% Chromium plus around 1% Molybdenum, 2% Vanadium and 1.5% Cobalt. All these elements combined make the blade rust and corrosion resistant with a high edge retention.

The Kaizen Santoku has a hardness of 60 HRC ( Rockwell scale) while still being flexible. This is achieved through the process called CRYODUR. This is a Zwilling J.A. Henckels registered process through which the blades are being hardened. First the Kaizen, VG10 super steel is heated up in vacuum sealed ovens to a exact temperature. Then, cooled down in a very short period before being frozen at -196 Celsius around -320 Fahrenheit. In this way the knife’s blade becomes hard but not brittle. The stress in the steel is removed thus the blade becomes flexible.

Handle

The 7 and 5 inch santoku handles are both made from linen micarta. The “micarta” is a composite made by applying pressure and heat to resin soaked materials like fiberglass, burlap, canvas, paper or in this case linen. The resulting substance is a hard and resistant to water damage which makes it really good for a knife’s handle.

Employing one materai or another in the creation of the micarta gives the end finish a different texture. Thus, if canvas or burlap was used then the end finish is rough.and textured. Opposed to that, If Linen or paper was used the handles texture is smooth, after polishing. Thus the Miyabi Kaizen knives are fitted with a smooth finish, linen micarta handle.

The design is traditionally Japanese and features a finely rounded, D-shaped handle. Normally D-shaped handles are intended for either left or right hand use. But, in this case the shape is rounded and the knives feel pretty symmetric in both hands. Thus, good for ambidextrous use.

Sharpening

The Kaizen santoku knives come very sharp out of the box. This is made possible because of the traditionally Japanese, Honbazuke, 3 step, sharpening technique. This is traditionally Japanese method means to put the “truer edge” to a knife’s blade. The “Honbazuke” is a factory sharpened edge and comes with all Miyabi knives.

The 3 step process involved in the sharpening of the knife consists in grinding, honing and polishing the edge. Thus, the edge is first ground to shape on vertical rotating sharpening stones. Second, it is sharpened on a horizontally rotating wet stone. And third it is polished to perfection on a leather belt. This final polishing stage gives the Santoku its scalpel like finish.

All Miyabi Santoku knives come with a manufacturer lifetime warranty.

Miyabi Kaizen Santoku knife 7 inch Hollow Edge Rocking

The Kaizen rocking Santoku is most prefered by western cooks. Because of the slightly curved edge the knife can be easily used for rock chopping. In order to chop larger ingredients with this technique, Miyabi has made the 7 inch size the rocking santoku version. A shorter blade would not make it possible for the blade’s heal to be raised high enough for rock chopping larger cuts.

Miyabi Kaizen Santoku knife 7 inch Hollow Edge

The classic shape, 7 inch, Kaizen santoku knife has a straight edge. Thus it is best used for up and down cutting motions. The issue is that the Santoku has a wide blade, and most of the time when employing this cutting technique, you will end up with slices stuck to its surface. That’s why Miyabi has fitted the knives with a hollow edge. Because of the indentations on the blade, air pockets can form while chopping so that slices won’t stick.

Miyabi Kaizen 5.5 inch Hollow Edge Santoku knife

The matter of choosing between a 5.5 inch Santoku or a 7 inch Santoku is simple. Most of the times it is based on the user’s preference. If you are confident with bigger blades you will most probably choose the 7 inch. While if you are a beginner in the kitchen or just have smaller hands you will probably go for the 5.5 inch knife. No matter which one you choose, you still get the same great edge, made from the same super steel and fitted with the sturdy linen Micarta handle.

Pros of the Miyabi kaizen Santoku knife 7 and 5 inch

• 60 HRC Rockwell Hardness
• VG10 Steel Core
• 65 Layer Construction
• Honbazuke 3 Step Hand Sharpened
• Linen Micarta Handle
• 2 Different Sizes and 2 Types of Santoku Knives
• Very Sharp Out of the Box
• Lifetime Manufacturer Warranty

Cons of the Miyabi kaizen Santoku knife 7 and 5 inch

• The blade is a bit chippy at first (but loses its tendency after being sharpened a for few times)

Did you like the 3 Kaizen Santoku knives? Take a look at the entire Miyabi Kaizen line.