Sakai Takayuki 33-Layer Damascus Damascus Petty Knife, 120mm / 4.7"

A utility knife makes a perfect addition to a chef's knife or santoku. This one, at 4.7 inches in length is a nice standard "utility knife" size -- bigger than a paring knife, but noticeably smaller than a chef knife. I find this Japanese style of utility knife much more useful than the standard German utility and paring knife design, as this one has a deeper blade which is shaped more like a small chef's knife, and so you can in fact use it just like a mini chef's knife instead of just like an oversized paring knife. 

These knives really are very sharp, with excellent construction quality and they just look spectacular with the layered steel, hammered finish and gorgeous wood-grain handle. The handle is made of Spanish mahogany pakkawood, which has that nice wooden feel and look, but it is impregnated with resin/epoxy so it's very strong and is very water resistant to avoid absorbing water or warping or cracking -- an excellent material!

If you like the damascus layered steel look, this is an excellent choice. You get a super sharp and long-lasting VG-10 steel cutting core (this is a very hard steel and high quality knife steel, with a Rockwell hardness of approximately 60), with a 33-layer hammered stainless steel surface and a beautifully finished handle.

Approx. weight: 91g

I'd recommend the fine Idahone ceramic hone for regular/daily maintenance of the edge. As with any knife, use the hone regularly and you'll keep the edge in good shape for a LONG time before you need to think about doing any serious "re-sharpening" or real grinding and refinishing of the edge.

NOTE: This knife is sharpened 50/50 (equally on the right and left side), so it's easy to maintain and fine for right or left hand use. If you look carefully at the edge, you'll see a slight right-side bias, this is just because the final edge is so tiny and because of the way they finish the edge; it has NO bearing on right- or left-hand use, sharpening or maintenance and can be ignored, so you should treat the edge just like any standard 50/50 edge.