As a 18 yr hibachi chef veteran, I can tell you that the mac superior is a great all around knife. I've had mine for a year now and I'm gonna purchase another one. Ya they are that good. Always buy a Japan or German knife that has a thin spine because that means it is easier to sharpen and gets sharper than say a thick bladed knife. Buy yourself a mac superior santoku and you will love it I guarantee that
FWIW...my Mac "mighty" Santoku has been my most-used for more than a decade. Feedback from gifts of this knife to family/friends reinforce my opinion. For those who claim stamped knives are inferior to forged, Mac knives will change your mind. They are well conceived and executed using excellent steel. About Rockwell 59-60...a sweet spot between edge retention and easy maintenance.
What an excellent review and tutorial. Spine of knife, angle of blade edge 20 vs 15 degrees, rocking motion, handle feel However, I wonder if you were paid to promote the Misono UX10. On Amazon, ($160) there were lots of good reviews on this knife, but... many customers said that the tip was bent upon delivery or slight use. That it was overpriced for the value. So I don't think this is the best one to get. I'm going back to my Global G8 initial choice. On Amazon, this knife runs $150 for a set of 3 - Santoku, paring, and Petty knives. Williams Sonoma has a set of 2 - Santoku and paring knives for $99. A better value. I'm very happy with my Global G8 Chef Knife 7" currently. My hand does not slip on the metal handle and I like the look and feel of that handle over the thick wooden ones. The blade is fine and strong.
A lot of chefs are switching over to these knives. I have used these for the last 30 years and have find them to be ideal. I still retain a full set of regular chefs knives. I am now retired from kitchen due to health issues. But I pass on my skills to junior chefs these days. I am trained in Heritage Cooking.
you also forgot to mention that the misono is more of a right handed blade. the ux10 has a right handed bias grind. 70/30 on the edge and a similar bias on the face of the blade itself.
Isn't the idea that the least slope is towards the main part of what is being cut? So can lefties just turn the item around so the shallow slope is toward the main part?
Everyone chops, slices, cuts differently. It's all about feel at the end of the day with your preferred technique. This review is nice, but always try your knives before purchasing them. Note that when she tried the Global, she did not use a pinch grip, which is probably why it felt "slippery." In fact there's a line of Global knives that has a thumb indentation to tell you where to place your thumb. Again, each to their own, but try the knives before you make a purchase.
Bought the misono ux10 on this video’s recommendation. I do like the knife, but buyers should know the blade isn’t rounded off. All the corners are sharp making it a bit uncomfortable for a longer prepwork task
I like how she holds the 2 knives differently when cutting the onions. She should really hold the knives identically cause it's really hard to take her word
Excellent video, as usual. I am curious if there are any suggestions for slicing raw potatoes? Using my standard chef's knife (an 8" Victorinox), the potato sticks to the sides of the blade like a vacuum seal. I find this annoying and somewhat dangerous as I try to pull the potato off the blade. I had always thought these Santoku knives had indentations on the side, I assume to provide an air gap to prevent the blade from sticking. I did not see these on either of your recommended knives. Any suggestion for a solution to my problem? Thanks!
I’ve gone through 2 Santoku chef knives and they both broke at the same place-where the tang meets the handle. I always have whashed them. Idk. I went online to buy another Santoku because they’re my fav, and I noticed there’s a recall on certain. Santoku knives. I contacted them and they’re giving me a full replacement of my Calphalon set. 👍🏾
As a high-end folding pocket knife user and collector I'm glad to see there's someone out there cutting through the bs marketing in the knife world. No pun intended.
I hear bad things about the Global knives all the time. But 3 of my 5 are Global (my cleaver was $10 at a Chinese grocery store, my carver is a relatively cheap $30 Mundial I bought back in the 80s when I first left home). I've never had the Global handle turn or slip in my hand, even when my hand was covered in something like plum pulp when prepping 20lb from the tree to preserve it. And the 8" chef's knife goes through chicken breasts straight from the freezer like they were butter. Those black "dots" on the handle are incredibly effective - and I have early arthritis (can't make a tight grip).
Curved-edge santoku are just a marketing gimmick. If you want a knife you can rock through mincing tasks, use a chef's knife; if you want to use a santoku, learn proper santoku technique.
@@fluffywoofer If having Japanese-style knives is important to you, yes, that would work. But the gyuto (literally "meat knife") was an attempt by Japanese blade smiths to copy a French chef's knife, so why not just buy a chef's knife?
@@jamesh625 Oops. I meant to write "beef" and was even thinking of "wagyu" by way of comparison, but for some reason my fingers hit the m, e, a, and t keys. Thanks for the correction.
it's not really about the spine, notice the heavy knife has a bolster and the mac has none. that's a big chunk of steel right there that makes it quite heavy.
It would be helpful if you named the brand of each knife as you talked about it. This way we have a choice rather than only having just the winner to choose from.
Well, I can tell you that the "heavy" Santoku they didn't like, after pausing and moving frame by frame several times, was the Bob Kramer Zwillings. Probably the most expensive knife there.
Thought, trace the out line of your preferred santoku at a knife shop [ onto card, not paper ], than get the 8'' Victorinox chefs, mark it and grind it down, when you get close to the line be careful and take it slow so you don't colour - weaken the metal. Then you will have the great grip and steel in the shape of your choice and when you switch between knives the grip is the same......interesting.
Victorinox makes a Fibrox Pro santoku. It's the same price as their Chef's Knife and has the same handle design; and there's no need to grind it down and reform an edge.
AND WE HAVE A WINNER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It seems wrong that you don't get some steak knives for that, but congratulations on your excellence just the same and thank you Sir.
What they also did here was slow it's a chefs knife is still needed. When mincing spinach... Udine the ticking m rocking motion. The spinach will start to spread out. Short knives won't be useful... As a 8, 9 or 10" chef's knife would be the choice
Good video, but I still have questions. I noticed that most of the Santoku knives they showed had a row of indentations, and Adam did not talk about the indentations at all. I'm guessing that the indentations are there to make it less likely that food will stick to the blade. I would have liked Adam to talk about why the indentations are there. If the indentations are there to keep food from sticking, then I would have liked to see tests to show if the indentations actually work to keep food from sticking, and to compare knives with and without indentations. Adam said the testers liked the thinner blades. I was wondering if the knives with the indentations are thicker, because it seems like you would have to make blades with indentations thicker. I think the biggest problem with the video is that they did not even mention that there are ceramic Santoku Knives. They should have included ceramic Santoku Knives, and compared them to steel the Santoku Knives. I would have also liked them to talk about all the knives they showed, even if they just talked about each one briefly. I noticed other people made the same comment and that they said there are more details on the website.
"I noticed that most of the Santoku knives they showed had a row of indentations, ... I'm guessing that the indentations are there to make it less likely that food will stick to the blade." That's the theory, but according to their review: "Finally, we considered Granton edges. These oval hollows (also called cullens) that run along the sides of the blade supposedly prevent food from sticking to the metal, but we didn’t notice any less sticking to the seven Granton-edge blades in our lineup; in fact, two of our top three performers lacked this feature, so we consider it unnecessary."
A vacuum is created when cutting through certain foods, think cucumber, potatoes, etc. the “divots” help prevent this. But, in my experience they aren’t that effective. But, the avg American consumer when confronted with a santoku without these divots feel they are missing out on something.
Why wouldn’t they also test MAC’s higher end Santoku? If my favorite knife was one from the lower end of a manufactures range, I would be very curious to see how their pricier stuff compared to it, and to other more expensive products. seems kind of like saying that a cheap Toyota used to be your favorite car, but you now prefer an expensive Acura, but for some reason, you also refused to even take a Lexus for a test drive.
Yep; not even a professional grip on the knife when she's air slicing. The santoku serves no purpose other than to sell people knives they don't need. - Get a Nakiri if you want to chop veg and make efficient use of a board.
I really don’t understand why they film their videos with two people. It’s so awkward. Just have one person talk to the camera and present things to us. Two people talking to each other on camera is so strange
@@jevolavirus9994 How in the world is one person talking about a piece of equipment objectively better, easier to understand or less "awkward" than two people discussing that piece of equipment? One is an equipment expert, one is a chef. They both have different things to add. I don't get this theory that one person is somehow better than two. And should we also assume you would want a segment like "Gear Heads" to get rid of either Lisa or Hannah? For instance.
Even if they're not rehearsed, the guy (probably unconsciously) signals the "right" answer each time. He always offers the "best" knife last: so she knows the criticize the initial knives.
I’ve got a global, shun, Mac Pro and Glestain. Mac Pro and Glestain are my favorites also they are around 120. Give or take. I usually use my Glestain, best place to get it is at Korin. Not only do they run sales( as of now it’s 114) but they will sharpen it for free, taking the factory edge and making it razor sharp. Maybe research some more knives and not keep the majority of the same ones from the last video.
Lisa’s video a couple of years before this one, which reached the precise same conclusions as this one, was a better video. Present info... don’t try to be chummy.
Every one of the videos they've uploaded for months has been uploaded before. God only knows when we'll get some new show content. There is new internet stuff they've made of course, but all the show clips themselves have been and continue to be repeats.
They don't have a link to the best buy 😔. I wonder why the knife in the show had Japanese writing but the one they link to doesn't? I wonder of its different?
The pinch grip is the norm when using French-pattern chef's knives, but with a santoku -- which has a higher spine and little if any edge curve -- the full handle grip seems more natural to many of us.
I prefer Consumer Report’s assessment of knives. They grade each knife on sharpness, ease of use, etc., and don’t take donations from companies they test for.
This is literally the same video as the review from two years before this. 💀💀 Same format, clips, just different presenters and I prefer the other one.
colby762 click the link in the description box for a bit more detail, this is not the ikon range, it’s the less expensive models. Wüsthof Classic 7" Santoku, Hollow Edge Despite the ultranarrow angle on each side of the cutting edge, this “light,” “agile” knife didn’t feel especially sharp. That might be because its spine was nearly 2.5 millimeters wide; it thus took “some force” to dice onion, which sprayed juice into our eyes.
Apparently they found the shun handle heavy and they didn’t like the handle. My favourite knives are shun classic knives, they are incredibly light, sharp and have very thin blades so cut very easily.
You'll find better information in the comments of their videos. There's no reason to get a Santoku (it's selling you a knife with limitations that is inferior to a Chefs (or Gyuoto), or a Nakiri).
@@mon6745 Then Lisa's segments are like a bad shopping network too. Not all of the shopping networks' segments have two people. Many of them have featured one person talking to the camera, just like Lisa's segments did. People seem to get attached to Lisa and so they always dump on anyone who's not her, but Chris Kimball has been doing these segments with Adam exactly this way since the beginning of ATK. They've always been popular until Lisa's internet fandom began. By the way I love Lisa too. But Adam's clips are at least as good and helpful.
So the best santokus are the ones are most like a regular chef knife, and do chef knife tasks most like a chef knife? Nothing here to celebrate the difference!
Yes you can. Most if not all santokus are sharpened to a 15 degree angle. Just make sure what ever sharpener that you use, it has a 15 degree sharpener. The Chef Choice manual sharpener that I use has both, one for western and one for asian knife. it also has a ceramic honing rod. I have it for over 3 years and still working great.
Most electric sharpeners are set for 20 degrees and not 15 degrees. You'll have to make sure you buy one capable of 15 degrees. Knives that are sharpened to 15 degrees are getting more common, so having a sharpener that does both is your best bet.
@@David_T Chef's choice has several electric models with 15 degree angles. America's Test Kitchen has a video review of 15 degree sharpeners, and the Chef's Choice is their best pick for electric and Chef's Choice also wins in the manual category. See th-cam.com/video/Yif_uMZ-y5k/w-d-xo.html
you guys also do not talk about the parts where the hand is always in contact with when cutting stuff up. the spine. good knives have rounded edges on the spine. also good ones have rounded edges right at the bolster / base of the blade coz fingers get up there too. makes a hell of a difference in fit and finish when using them.
Jesus Christ, please have some sort of consistency with these titles. It makes finding these videos impossible, especially with the playlist being out of date.
There are some fundamental problems in your analysis. First disagree on spine. A lot of truly high end Santokus that are hand made have a much wider spine. However, their grinds make significantly thinner knife on the primary bevel than the edge than something like the UX10 and therefore you get a little more mass and food separation while having a lot less friction and resistance for ease of cutting. By choosing all western handle you missed something critical about Japanese blade design as well, which is that you want the knife to be blade heavy. This is especially useful in thrust cutting and push cutting which is what the blade's designed for. Extremely light wooden Japanese style handles add to cutting power by making the blade heavy and make it feel more agile and less resistance.
Grantons (or dimples) in the blade make no sense on a santoko. The dimples are supposed to provide a non-stick effect, but only work with a drawing motion so you whipe the blade on the food to be cut, therefor the dimples have to be perpendicular to the direction of the motion. But santokus are made for chopping with an up and down motion, so here the dimples only make the knife more expensive (and look stupid, btw.), but serve no actual purpose.
So the first difference is that the Japanese one is 5 inches while the Western is 8 inches... way to go America's Test Kitchen reinforcing those stereotypes
Can we get a comparison review on Chinese chef's knives like this? I can't seem to find a good cross-company review of these knives and I want one to the caliber of ATK, so why not go straight to the horse's mouth?
@@stephen129 off the top of my head, Dexter Russell, Mercer, Victorinox, Zwilling, Zhen. Shun and Wustof both make them also, but the prices would seem nuts to most home cooks on a budget. They might be worth it, but I'd want a thorough side by side before doing that much scratch on a single knife. There's also a really interesting similar blade from Dexter Russell in their Duoglide line that looks like it cuts in a very similar fashion that might be worth a look. ATK does the kinds of cuts tests, durability, etc... that I trust truce been thorough. Also they find equipment I've never heard of, so maybe there's a great knife waiting for me that I haven't found in my own research
@@kiltedcripple How much are you looking to spend? All those knives are inferior to a handmade Japanese knife (probably about $150 for a santoku) personally I'd never buy one, get a gyuto instead.
@@stephen129 all respect, but a gyuto is not a chinese chef's knife. Different blade profiles, different heights, different hardnesses, different edge angles... I suppose they're both kitchen knives, but that's about as close as they are in comparison. Aldo, i'd like to spend under 100 bucks. I've had pretty decent luck thusfar with more budget kitchen knives, including a few that are straight up restaurant supply, back of the house cheapos that are absolutely punching well over their weight. I've spent on a couple pricey knives in the past, and frankly, I haven't found one yet over a hundred bucks that can outcut and outlast a 60 dollar competitor. But I'm one dude, and my stories are as anecdotal as yours. I want scientific testing, hence the request.
Why are all your dimension measurements on blade thickness in metric and not in standard, being the America’s test kitchen I thought it would be in an American increments of an inch?
Leave it to these two to test santokus as cleavers and according to how well they rock, instead of the techniques they're actually intended for, like push-cutting and slicing. Sigh.
Most if not all Santoku knives are sharpened on both sides like a western knife. You are correct that most traditional Japanese knives use a 'chisel tip' single side sharpening, however Santoku knives were developed in the mid 20th century has a combination of eastern and western style knives.
They're not, they're double bevelled. There are Japanese knives that are though such as a usuba (for vegetables, often daikon) or yanagiba (for slicing fish for sushi).
I guess you haven't been around the culinary scene very long. Adam has been doing the ATK and Cook's Country equipment reviews for years, while Lisa was the "Gadget Guru," introducing the latest salad dressing shakers, silicone egg poachers, and such. She only recently started doing the TH-cam-direct equipment comparison videos.
As a 18 yr hibachi chef veteran, I can tell you that the mac superior is a great all around knife. I've had mine for a year now and I'm gonna purchase another one. Ya they are that good. Always buy a Japan or German knife that has a thin spine because that means it is easier to sharpen and gets sharper than say a thick bladed knife. Buy yourself a mac superior santoku and you will love it I guarantee that
It looks like the Mac Superior Santoku isn’t made with stainless steel. Do you oil the blade, to protect it?
@@FreedomFox1 I don't. I never have any issues with staining or spots. But I would recommend to oil it yes
May I ask what made you pick the santoku over a MAC superior nakiri or a MAC superior 6 inch chef knife?
@@MrSATism because I use it for cutting on the hibachi grill. The curved egde makes cutting in hibachi way much easier
Always well prepared and informative videos. Kudos to the entire staff.
FWIW...my Mac "mighty" Santoku has been my most-used for more than a decade. Feedback from gifts of this knife to family/friends reinforce my opinion. For those who claim stamped knives are inferior to forged, Mac knives will change your mind. They are well conceived and executed using excellent steel. About Rockwell 59-60...a sweet spot between edge retention and easy maintenance.
I was hoping you going to comment on each knife. Was looking forward on the wusthof santoku
We have more information posted on our website under the equipment review!
that is in the article on their website (link in the description)
i have the wusthof santoku, it was a gift. i love it. had it for almost 8 yrs now, sharpened it 1x.
I wish they took the time to talk about each knife.
They do on their Web site.
You need to pay. They can’t give all their info
@@Chilax my time, which is monetized is paying for their content.
@@seikibrian8641 great, but I'm watching this video not researching online.
I have a Kohetsu HAP40 Santoku that I love. I can rock it, fantastic. It was expensive, but worth it.
What an excellent review and tutorial. Spine of knife, angle of blade edge 20 vs 15 degrees, rocking motion, handle feel
However, I wonder if you were paid to promote the Misono UX10. On Amazon, ($160) there were lots of good reviews on this knife, but... many customers said that the tip was bent upon delivery or slight use. That it was overpriced for the value. So I don't think this is the best one to get. I'm going back to my Global G8 initial choice. On Amazon, this knife runs $150 for a set of 3 - Santoku, paring, and Petty knives. Williams Sonoma has a set of 2 - Santoku and paring knives for $99. A better value. I'm very happy with my Global G8 Chef Knife 7" currently. My hand does not slip on the metal handle and I like the look and feel of that handle over the thick wooden ones. The blade is fine and strong.
A lot of chefs are switching over to these knives. I have used these for the last 30 years and have find them to be ideal. I still retain a full set of regular chefs knives. I am now retired from kitchen due to health issues. But I pass on my skills to junior chefs these days. I am trained in Heritage Cooking.
Luv you guys. I watch your shows religiously, and I am subscribed. Thank you
Just bought the MAC and love it!
I just luv this show.watch all the time. ☆☆☆☆☆
you also forgot to mention that the misono is more of a right handed blade. the ux10 has a right handed bias grind. 70/30 on the edge and a similar bias on the face of the blade itself.
You can order them leftie for a fee
Isn't the idea that the least slope is towards the main part of what is being cut? So can lefties just turn the item around so the shallow slope is toward the main part?
Love these videos that test. Definitely influences my purchasing. Thanks
Everyone chops, slices, cuts differently. It's all about feel at the end of the day with your preferred technique. This review is nice, but always try your knives before purchasing them. Note that when she tried the Global, she did not use a pinch grip, which is probably why it felt "slippery." In fact there's a line of Global knives that has a thumb indentation to tell you where to place your thumb. Again, each to their own, but try the knives before you make a purchase.
Yeah, not to throw shade or anything, but I JUST watched a video where this same woman was using a Global knife lol Liiiiittle scripted here.
My go to knife.
Because of this channel I own the best grill I have ever owned. Will definitely consider their opinions on just about anything.
What grill?
Weber sprit gas grill
Bought the misono ux10 on this video’s recommendation. I do like the knife, but buyers should know the blade isn’t rounded off. All the corners are sharp making it a bit uncomfortable for a longer prepwork task
Love my Miyabi Artisan 7in Santoku
The Misono UX10 won your last santoku test and the Mac was the best buy.
I like how she holds the 2 knives differently when cutting the onions. She should really hold the knives identically cause it's really hard to take her word
Love the info video!! Thanks !!
I've had the Mac Superior Santoku for 15 years and it's still the best knife I've owned and I've owned several more expensive chef's knives.
Excellent video, as usual.
I am curious if there are any suggestions for slicing raw potatoes? Using my standard chef's knife (an 8" Victorinox), the potato sticks to the sides of the blade like a vacuum seal. I find this annoying and somewhat dangerous as I try to pull the potato off the blade. I had always thought these Santoku knives had indentations on the side, I assume to provide an air gap to prevent the blade from sticking. I did not see these on either of your recommended knives.
Any suggestion for a solution to my problem?
Thanks!
Lots of great info! Thank you for testing all of these knives!
My cooking doesn't deserve such superb knives!
I’ve gone through 2 Santoku chef knives and they both broke at the same place-where the tang meets the handle. I always have whashed them. Idk. I went online to buy another Santoku because they’re my fav, and I noticed there’s a recall on certain. Santoku knives. I contacted them and they’re giving me a full replacement of my Calphalon set. 👍🏾
I Love santokus. I have 2. A cheap kitchenaid and a germany Dick's santoku.
As a high-end folding pocket knife user and collector I'm glad to see there's someone out there cutting through the bs marketing in the knife world. No pun intended.
It's exactly what they're not doing. Santoku have no reason to exist.
Pun not intended maybe, but pun very much appreciated😁
@@davejones5747 😆
Hey guys great video!! I love the equipment comparisons.
You guys are great. ATK keeps getting more multi-cultural and scientifically precise. Great job!!
oh wow you are so confused
bill smith Ya? What’s your point?
I hear bad things about the Global knives all the time. But 3 of my 5 are Global (my cleaver was $10 at a Chinese grocery store, my carver is a relatively cheap $30 Mundial I bought back in the 80s when I first left home).
I've never had the Global handle turn or slip in my hand, even when my hand was covered in something like plum pulp when prepping 20lb from the tree to preserve it. And the 8" chef's knife goes through chicken breasts straight from the freezer like they were butter. Those black "dots" on the handle are incredibly effective - and I have early arthritis (can't make a tight grip).
Is there a knife that is more suited for left handed vs. right handed?
Curved-edge santoku are just a marketing gimmick. If you want a knife you can rock through mincing tasks, use a chef's knife; if you want to use a santoku, learn proper santoku technique.
Thank you!!! finally someone that has sense.
or maybe use a gyuto knife
@@fluffywoofer If having Japanese-style knives is important to you, yes, that would work. But the gyuto (literally "meat knife") was an attempt by Japanese blade smiths to copy a French chef's knife, so why not just buy a chef's knife?
SeikiBrian 牛刀 gyūtō actually literally means "beef knife".
@@jamesh625 Oops. I meant to write "beef" and was even thinking of "wagyu" by way of comparison, but for some reason my fingers hit the m, e, a, and t keys. Thanks for the correction.
it's not really about the spine, notice the heavy knife has a bolster and the mac has none. that's a big chunk of steel right there that makes it quite heavy.
It would be helpful if you named the brand of each knife as you talked about it. This way we have a choice rather than only having just the winner to choose from.
Well, I can tell you that the "heavy" Santoku they didn't like, after pausing and moving frame by frame several times, was the Bob Kramer Zwillings. Probably the most expensive knife there.
Should have , the full review link is below the video .
Great feel is nice, but do you test longevity?
Hard to do for knives. Plus I do not imagine that there is much difference. Build quality is more of an issue.
Yu kirusake makes best santokus in my opinion not cheap tho start out at around 230
Thought, trace the out line of your preferred santoku at a knife shop [ onto card, not paper ], than get the 8'' Victorinox chefs, mark it and grind it down, when you get close to the line be careful and take it slow so you don't colour - weaken the metal. Then you will have the great grip and steel in the shape of your choice and when you switch between knives the grip is the same......interesting.
Victorinox makes a Fibrox Pro santoku. It's the same price as their Chef's Knife and has the same handle design; and there's no need to grind it down and reform an edge.
AND WE HAVE A WINNER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It seems wrong that you don't get some steak knives for that, but congratulations on your excellence just the same and thank you Sir.
@@justme.9711 Get steak knives for what? We were talking about santoku knives and chef's knives.
Interestingly, I did not see one knife in japan that had air pockets. I have visited japan 3 times, and each time looked for kitchen knives
2:54 - Looks like she almost got Adam with the knife? Be careful.
Lolol look out adam 🤣
Close call. Good thing he was paying attention and moved qucikly
She was just trimming his fingernails
What they also did here was slow it's a chefs knife is still needed. When mincing spinach... Udine the ticking m rocking motion. The spinach will start to spread out. Short knives won't be useful... As a 8, 9 or 10" chef's knife would be the choice
I like my Member's Mark Santoku from Sam's Club. Package of two for about $12.
Any recommendations for a left-handed santoku? Both recommended knives are beveled for righties.
Misono does make a left-handed version of their UX10 santoku.
Damn; it may as well be a kiritsuke then!
三徳包丁 は包丁の一つ。文化包丁とも言う。日本の家庭では最も一般的な包丁。 from wiki まず最初に買う万能な包丁ですよねー
Good video, but I still have questions. I noticed that most of the Santoku knives they showed had a row of indentations, and Adam did not talk about the indentations at all. I'm guessing that the indentations are there to make it less likely that food will stick to the blade. I would have liked Adam to talk about why the indentations are there. If the indentations are there to keep food from sticking, then I would have liked to see tests to show if the indentations actually work to keep food from sticking, and to compare knives with and without indentations. Adam said the testers liked the thinner blades. I was wondering if the knives with the indentations are thicker, because it seems like you would have to make blades with indentations thicker.
I think the biggest problem with the video is that they did not even mention that there are ceramic Santoku Knives. They should have included ceramic Santoku Knives, and compared them to steel the Santoku Knives.
I would have also liked them to talk about all the knives they showed, even if they just talked about each one briefly. I noticed other people made the same comment and that they said there are more details on the website.
"I noticed that most of the Santoku knives they showed had a row of indentations, ... I'm guessing that the indentations are there to make it less likely that food will stick to the blade."
That's the theory, but according to their review:
"Finally, we considered Granton edges. These oval hollows (also called cullens) that run along the sides of the blade supposedly prevent food from sticking to the metal, but we didn’t notice any less sticking to the seven Granton-edge blades in our lineup; in fact, two of our top three performers lacked this feature, so we consider it unnecessary."
@@wwoods66 Thank you Bill.
A vacuum is created when cutting through certain foods, think cucumber, potatoes, etc. the “divots” help prevent this. But, in my experience they aren’t that effective. But, the avg American consumer when confronted with a santoku without these divots feel they are missing out on something.
Grantons don’t work, and ceramic blades are impossible to sharpen at home and obviously are brittle.
Curtis stones Santoku knife is the best. And probably the cheapest of them all
You should've had cutco
hmm I find the Global handle much less slippery
Why wouldn’t they also test MAC’s higher end Santoku? If my favorite knife was one from the lower end of a manufactures range, I would be very curious to see how their pricier stuff compared to it, and to other more expensive products. seems kind of like saying that a cheap Toyota used to be your favorite car, but you now prefer an expensive Acura, but for some reason, you also refused to even take a Lexus for a test drive.
We have a full review, including the MAC posted on our website under the equipment review
Her responses feel incredibly rehearsed! The dialogue in this is so unnatural. Like watching the home shopping channel.
Yep; not even a professional grip on the knife when she's air slicing. The santoku serves no purpose other than to sell people knives they don't need. - Get a Nakiri if you want to chop veg and make efficient use of a board.
I really don’t understand why they film their videos with two people. It’s so awkward. Just have one person talk to the camera and present things to us. Two people talking to each other on camera is so strange
@@jevolavirus9994
How in the world is one person talking about a piece of equipment objectively better, easier to understand or less "awkward" than two people discussing that piece of equipment? One is an equipment expert, one is a chef. They both have different things to add. I don't get this theory that one person is somehow better than two. And should we also assume you would want a segment like "Gear Heads" to get rid of either Lisa or Hannah? For instance.
Even if they're not rehearsed, the guy (probably unconsciously) signals the "right" answer each time. He always offers the "best" knife last: so she knows the criticize the initial knives.
@@jevolavirus9994 Especially when it's so fake and scripted.
3;15 doesn’t sound like much, but it’s 10%.
I’ve got a global, shun, Mac Pro and Glestain. Mac Pro and Glestain are my favorites also they are around 120. Give or take. I usually use my Glestain, best place to get it is at Korin. Not only do they run sales( as of now it’s 114) but they will sharpen it for free, taking the factory edge and making it razor sharp. Maybe research some more knives and not keep the majority of the same ones from the last video.
Is it bad that my santoku knife is from the Dollar Tree? Hey, I hone it before every use, so that's gotta count, right? Cause I'm a maverick.
Not at all. Just be sure to get some fingerless gloves to match your fingerless hands! :)
Chances are your dollar store knife was made in the same factory as the name brand!😉
Does it cut? Are you able to maintain the edge? Then cut with abandon!
Lisa’s video a couple of years before this one, which reached the precise same conclusions as this one, was a better video.
Present info... don’t try to be chummy.
In order to develop an accurate judgment of these knives, several people should be giving their opinion on feel, not just one person.
Great segment but I prefer regular regular chef 🔪
The best one I see on the table is the Zwilling pro rocking santoku
Wait, wasnt this uploaded previously?
That was the previous video they mentioned :)
Every one of the videos they've uploaded for months has been uploaded before. God only knows when we'll get some new show content. There is new internet stuff they've made of course, but all the show clips themselves have been and continue to be repeats.
They don't have a link to the best buy 😔. I wonder why the knife in the show had Japanese writing but the one they link to doesn't? I wonder of its different?
Click on full review link under video , has a link to the best buy .
2:54 woah be careful with that blade ma'am
Has the pinch grip gone out of style for holding kitchen knifes? Her hand was only on the handle while cutting the onion.
The pinch grip is the norm when using French-pattern chef's knives, but with a santoku -- which has a higher spine and little if any edge curve -- the full handle grip seems more natural to many of us.
I prefer Consumer Report’s assessment of knives. They grade each knife on sharpness, ease of use, etc., and don’t take donations from companies they test for.
This video seems more like an infomercial than a review.
This is literally the same video as the review from two years before this. 💀💀 Same format, clips, just different presenters and I prefer the other one.
What they don't tell you is the Misono UX10 have sharp heel corners. :) Be sure to have the corner rounded. :)
The Misono has* sharp corners ...
Can you guys do one on knife sharpeners?
They did one a few years ago. th-cam.com/video/Yif_uMZ-y5k/w-d-xo.html
I love my Woustof brand. But it's old. The newer Woustofs have a big fat handle. My hands are tiny it makes using it uncomfortable.
I'm thinking about purchasing the Wusthof 8408 8 piece set. I saw the Wusthof Santoku in the video but they didn't mention it.
Which range are the fat ones? I was considering the Wusthof Classic Ikon Range, hopefully it isn’t the fat ones?
colby762 click the link in the description box for a bit more detail, this is not the ikon range, it’s the less expensive models.
Wüsthof Classic 7" Santoku, Hollow Edge
Despite the ultranarrow angle on each side of the cutting edge, this “light,” “agile” knife didn’t feel especially sharp. That might be because its spine was nearly 2.5 millimeters wide; it thus took “some force” to dice onion, which sprayed juice into our eyes.
Apparently they found the shun handle heavy and they didn’t like the handle. My favourite knives are shun classic knives, they are incredibly light, sharp and have very thin blades so cut very easily.
MaZEEZaM, thanks, just read it. Now I'm considering if I even need a Santoku. Can it do anything a chef's knife can't? Probably not.
What about Cutco knives? I would like to see a review of them.
I looooove these new ATK commercials...
$215 for the best knife? It better be good for that price!!!!
Lol, most of my 21 knives cost at least that a piece. Going all the way up to around $600 for some of my Bob Kramer's.
@@baddrivercam ... some Bob Kramers* (plural, no apostrophe)
Do you have a video like this of your favorite Chef's knife and would you recommend your winner here over your winning chefs knife? 🤔
They do. I think it's the voctorinox 10inch chefs knife
You'll find better information in the comments of their videos. There's no reason to get a Santoku (it's selling you a knife with limitations that is inferior to a Chefs (or Gyuoto), or a Nakiri).
What happened to the brunette with glasses that does reviews???
Her name is Losa and she sometimes does hear heads ... I love and miss her... I like Adam too, but this set up up is like a bad shopping network
@@mon6745 Lisa Mcmanus to be correct. (Hi Lisa!❤)
@@mon6745
Then Lisa's segments are like a bad shopping network too. Not all of the shopping networks' segments have two people. Many of them have featured one person talking to the camera, just like Lisa's segments did. People seem to get attached to Lisa and so they always dump on anyone who's not her, but Chris Kimball has been doing these segments with Adam exactly this way since the beginning of ATK. They've always been popular until Lisa's internet fandom began. By the way I love Lisa too. But Adam's clips are at least as good and helpful.
What did ya learn girth matters
Yaxell for life!
Why are you testing the grip with a bat grip? A proper cook would be using a pinch grip. Best bang for the buck knives are definitely Takamura
So the best santokus are the ones are most like a regular chef knife, and do chef knife tasks most like a chef knife? Nothing here to celebrate the difference!
Can these santokus be sharpened with the standard electric sharpener?
Yes you can. Most if not all santokus are sharpened to a 15 degree angle. Just make sure what ever sharpener that you use, it has a 15 degree sharpener. The Chef Choice manual sharpener that I use has both, one for western and one for asian knife. it also has a ceramic honing rod. I have it for over 3 years and still working great.
Most electric sharpeners are set for 20 degrees and not 15 degrees. You'll have to make sure you buy one capable of 15 degrees. Knives that are sharpened to 15 degrees are getting more common, so having a sharpener that does both is your best bet.
Buy the king 1000/6000 whetstone. Those knife sharpeners mentioned previously kill knife edges.
Yes. But most premium santokus are jones between 9.5 and 12 degrees. The Zwilling and Miyabi brands are 10 degrees.
@@David_T Chef's choice has several electric models with 15 degree angles. America's Test Kitchen has a video review of 15 degree sharpeners, and the Chef's Choice is their best pick for electric and Chef's Choice also wins in the manual category. See th-cam.com/video/Yif_uMZ-y5k/w-d-xo.html
you guys also do not talk about the parts where the hand is always in contact with when cutting stuff up. the spine. good knives have rounded edges on the spine. also good ones have rounded edges right at the bolster / base of the blade coz fingers get up there too. makes a hell of a difference in fit and finish when using them.
Jesus Christ, please have some sort of consistency with these titles. It makes finding these videos impossible, especially with the playlist being out of date.
ATK...you need to visit your link to see what that "best buy" knife is costing now. +$200! Still a good deal?
Love the shirt!!! No collar to pop!
Oh, and your hair looks great. Good look!
this is just a copy of Lisa's video?
I wish the lady didn’t feign ignorance, makes it seem like a cheap infomercial rather than a critical review
Adam says for that price I would hope it comes with a case of booze 😒
There are some fundamental problems in your analysis. First disagree on spine. A lot of truly high end Santokus that are hand made have a much wider spine. However, their grinds make significantly thinner knife on the primary bevel than the edge than something like the UX10 and therefore you get a little more mass and food separation while having a lot less friction and resistance for ease of cutting. By choosing all western handle you missed something critical about Japanese blade design as well, which is that you want the knife to be blade heavy. This is especially useful in thrust cutting and push cutting which is what the blade's designed for. Extremely light wooden Japanese style handles add to cutting power by making the blade heavy and make it feel more agile and less resistance.
Grantons (or dimples) in the blade make no sense on a santoko. The dimples are supposed to provide a non-stick effect, but only work with a drawing motion so you whipe the blade on the food to be cut, therefor the dimples have to be perpendicular to the direction of the motion. But santokus are made for chopping with an up and down motion, so here the dimples only make the knife more expensive (and look stupid, btw.), but serve no actual purpose.
BS. Most high quality German knives use a 15° angle. And you test a knife handle by using it in the air? Yeah, I don’t think so.
So the first difference is that the Japanese one is 5 inches while the Western is 8 inches... way to go America's Test Kitchen reinforcing those stereotypes
👍😊
日本刀很不錯，但是別用太硬的砧板，免得刀子鈍的很快（對廚師沒問題，因為廚師要天天磨刀）。
I thought, "what a lame infomercial". Although I really liked the lesbian subtext at the end.
Can we get a comparison review on Chinese chef's knives like this? I can't seem to find a good cross-company review of these knives and I want one to the caliber of ATK, so why not go straight to the horse's mouth?
Which brands do you want an opinion on?
@@stephen129 off the top of my head, Dexter Russell, Mercer, Victorinox, Zwilling, Zhen. Shun and Wustof both make them also, but the prices would seem nuts to most home cooks on a budget. They might be worth it, but I'd want a thorough side by side before doing that much scratch on a single knife. There's also a really interesting similar blade from Dexter Russell in their Duoglide line that looks like it cuts in a very similar fashion that might be worth a look. ATK does the kinds of cuts tests, durability, etc... that I trust truce been thorough. Also they find equipment I've never heard of, so maybe there's a great knife waiting for me that I haven't found in my own research
@@kiltedcripple How much are you looking to spend? All those knives are inferior to a handmade Japanese knife (probably about $150 for a santoku) personally I'd never buy one, get a gyuto instead.
@@stephen129 all respect, but a gyuto is not a chinese chef's knife. Different blade profiles, different heights, different hardnesses, different edge angles... I suppose they're both kitchen knives, but that's about as close as they are in comparison.
Aldo, i'd like to spend under 100 bucks. I've had pretty decent luck thusfar with more budget kitchen knives, including a few that are straight up restaurant supply, back of the house cheapos that are absolutely punching well over their weight. I've spent on a couple pricey knives in the past, and frankly, I haven't found one yet over a hundred bucks that can outcut and outlast a 60 dollar competitor.
But I'm one dude, and my stories are as anecdotal as yours. I want scientific testing, hence the request.
@@kiltedcripple When you say Chinese knives do you mean Chinese cleavers or knives that are made in China?
Why are all your dimension measurements on blade thickness in metric and not in standard, being the America’s test kitchen I thought it would be in an American increments of an inch?
Leave it to these two to test santokus as cleavers and according to how well they rock, instead of the techniques they're actually intended for, like push-cutting and slicing. Sigh.
I want to make Organic PIZZA from Farm to table! I can help!😘
My question is how do you sharpen these knives? Aren't they sharpened on just one side!
Most if not all Santoku knives are sharpened on both sides like a western knife. You are correct that most traditional Japanese knives use a 'chisel tip' single side sharpening, however Santoku knives were developed in the mid 20th century has a combination of eastern and western style knives.
They're not, they're double bevelled. There are Japanese knives that are though such as a usuba (for vegetables, often daikon) or yanagiba (for slicing fish for sushi).
This is soo scripted lol she's well instructed how to react to each knife. 🤦♂️😂
This would’ve been cool if it didn’t feel like an infomercial
On these new videos I'm always waiting for the guy to say "But wait, there's more". I miss the other lady.
OK but for an FYI, these videos aren't new. They've been doing these for twenty years. The ones with the other lady were made more recently.
Omg... right???
I guess you haven't been around the culinary scene very long. Adam has been doing the ATK and Cook's Country equipment reviews for years, while Lisa was the "Gadget Guru," introducing the latest salad dressing shakers, silicone egg poachers, and such. She only recently started doing the TH-cam-direct equipment comparison videos.
what are the four signs of a strok....
@mort glickman - Not completely spelling the last word of a sentence?