Sakai Takayuki Grand Chef SP Petty Knife, 120mm / 4.75"

A perfect A perfect companion to a chef's knife or santoku. A petty knife is what the Japanese call our "utility" or "paring" knives. This is the ideal size in my opinion -- it's small enough to use like a standard paring knife, so if you already use a santoku (which is already shorter than a standard chef's knife) or a small chef's knife (say 8"), then I think this is a great length. These rectangular dimples also look REALLY cool and match the rest of the set and don't add much to the cost, so it's nice to treat yourself to this little luxury if you like the look. As with all the Sakai Takayuki knives, I find this a great value, very well made, and with a super sharp, accurate and carefully finished edge. This is a super-sharp knife that will be sure to offer years of pleasure in the kitchen. Note: dimples are only on the one (front) side.

All Grand Chef series knives are made from high quality Bohler N685 stainless steel. This is a martensitic chromium stainless steel with added molybdenum and vanadium, which results in high hardness and good wear resistance, with excellent corrosion resistance -- an ideal steel for durable and sharp kitchen knives! Grand Chef blades are hard and tough with long lasting edges. HRC approx. 59-60 for sharpness and ease of maintenance and sharpening.

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 almost entirely on the right side, which means it's not really suitable for left-handed use.