5 Great Knives for Gifts

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5 Great Knives for Gifts

Post by ChefKnivesToGo »

5 Great Japanese Knives For Gifts

Our site is large and it’s challenging enough to try and choose between over 1500 different knives but getting someone a gift makes the task even more difficult. Where do you start? We thought we would help you with 5 great choices for an excellent gift that will make your friend or family member happy as a clam. We'll do one of these each day for the next 5 days as we get closer to xmas.

#5 Masutani VG1 Santoku.

Masutani San has a reputation for making quality knives at great prices. At $69 he’s truly outdone himself with the entry-level Santoku which gets our vote as one of the finest Santokus for the money. The blade is beautifully finished with a hammered stainless steel cladding and the edge is masterfully sharpened for great cutting performance. Santoku translates to three virtues and the acts of slicing, chopping, and dicing are tackled with aplomb by this classic design. Many western chefs and home cooks look to the santoku as their go-to blade for many general cutting tasks. The symmetrical 50/50 grind, coupled with the gently curved belly, make this a good choice for cooks of all types and cutting preferences.

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/mavg1sa17.html

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Re: 5 Great Knives for Gifts

Post by ChefKnivesToGo »

#4 Takamura Chromax Gyuto 210mm

Our best selling knife for 2018 and for good reason! Takamura makes excellent knives with great fit and finish. In this case, they're using hard semi-stainless steel called Chromax that is heat treated to 65 Rockwell for a hard, long-lasting edge. At $125 this knife is a great value and the nice, hammered cladding gives the knife "gift appeal". Great cutting action on this knife makes it a keeper. Gyutos are general purpose chef knives is popular for good reason. Your friend or family member will be thrilled with this great performing too.

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/tachgy21.html

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Re: 5 Great Knives for Gifts

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#3. Kohetsu SLD Nakiri 165mm

Nakiri knives are really fun to use and most people don't have one. If you're giving a gift to a person that has a collection of knives or just want to give them something more unique and authentically Japanese, a nakiri would be an excellent choice and this one Kohetsu SLD Nakiri doesn't disappoint. It has a nicely finished tsuchimi (hammered) finish using good quality stainless steel and it's paired to a very attractive walnut octagonal handle. Nakiri knives are very popular in Japan and home cooks often reach for one to quickly dispatch with vegetables and proteins using a blade that is compact and easy to handle with nice height for good knuckle clearance on the board. Another excellent value at $120.00.

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kosldna16.html

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Re: 5 Great Knives for Gifts

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#2 Makoto Sakura SG2 Gyuto 210mm

Makoto Kurosaki was an apprentice for Hiroshi Kato for many years and he has recently started making knives under his own name Makoto. He's the elder brother of Yu Kurosaki who is an excellent blacksmith in his own right. Makoto makes this knife line named "Sakura" which means "Cherry Blossoms" and it would make a very nice gift to a friend who enjoys cooking. The blade is made with top of the line SG2 stainless steel and Makoto is a master blade grinder and sharpener so it will wow your friends with the silky smooth cutting action. The handle is tastefully done with Cherry wood in an octagonal shape and it's ground symmetrically so it will work for both left and right-handed users. Price is $180.

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/masasg2wagy2.html

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Re: 5 Great Knives for Gifts

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#1. Konosuke HD2 Gyuto 240mm

For the aspiring knife nut in your family, this would make a fantastic gift. Everything about this fine instrument screams quality of design and execution. Starting with the ultra light weight of just 136g. Add to this, the unbelievably thin grind and screaming out of the box edge. This knife easily earns the title of laser while defining the saying “a knife through butter”. The lightweight and slightly shorter blade (than other 240’s) give this knife a very different feel which might at first surprise users of more conventional designs. The subtly convex blade is a thing of simple beauty. Slice into a soft tomato or other produce and be prepared to be amazed. An iconic blade that is super thin, offering outstanding performance and ease of maintenance. This is a knife you simply must try. Price $319.

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kohdwa24.html

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Re: 5 Great Knives for Gifts

Post by lsboogy »

Sister in law picked up the Takamura for my brother and I got him a strop kit. Maybe I will not need to bring a knife kit when I go to his house now
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Re: 5 Great Knives for Gifts

Post by STPepper9 »

Coincidentally I'm gifting two of the knives on this list (although one is a larger version [Makoto 240]).
Good list.
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Re: 5 Great Knives for Gifts

Post by Daniel-J »

Gave one of them to a friend of mine, he's very pleased. The quality is beautiful!
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Re: 5 Great Knives for Gifts

Post by Bob Z »

Keeping this thread alive, here is my experience with some of these recommendations

Takamura Chromax:
I have used the Santoku for years now and its my rotation. Thin behind the edge and easy to maintain sharpness. Have given a few for gifts so far with good results. While this isn't as robust as some other knives, its cutting ability is awesome. The Takamura Santoku is OOS but the Takamura Gyuto should have identical excellent performance and is in stock:
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/tachgy21.html

Kohetsu SLD Nakiri
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kosldna16.html
Got this one about a year ago and its become my most used knife. Semi stainless is basically stainless as I have noticed no patina. Edge and its retention is good and one or two passes on a strop an you are back to super sharp again. I can see the Santoku or bunka having similar performance. In my opinion these might be one of the best deals on the site.






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Re: 5 Great Knives for Gifts

Post by Santas_101 »

Will the Takamura Chromax 210mm Gyuto be restocked?
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Re: 5 Great Knives for Gifts

Post by Altadan »

Ha! Recalling all the trepidation before the 500 units of the Taka chromax 210 was made... and now what? Has it been a year since? Their all gone!
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