Utility knife

Utility knife with a 150 mm long blade.

Steel: Stainless VG-10 with 2 layers of stainless cladding (HRC: 60-62)
Blade length: 150 mm
Blade height: 31 mm
Spine thickness: 2 mm
Weight: 83 grams
Blade finish: Mirror-polished tsuchime with a misty transition towards the polished core steel.
Handle: Mono ebony

This knife series is the result of close collaboration between Hatsukokoro and one of the largest and most esteemed knife manufacturers in Seki city, Japan. We are incredibly impressed by this knife series, which offers both a beautiful finish and very thin and fine edges with consistent quality. We highly recommend this knife!

The blade is made of high-performance VG10 stainless steel. Around the core steel are 2 layers of softer steel that have been hammer-beaten (tsuchime) and mirror-polished. The shiny finish transitions into a misty kireha that meets the polished core steel, creating a pleasant contrast. The handle is octagonal and made of ebony.

Important:
Note that the edge is hard and very thin. Therefore, be careful not to expose the edge to stress, especially sideways. When using a Japanese knife with a thin blade, the edge should always be in motion when cutting. Under no circumstances should you push the blade through an ingredient without the edge being in motion. Nor should you twist or wiggle the blade to pry the ingredient apart.

If you press, twist, or wiggle the blade, in short, force it, sideways stress on the thin edge can easily occur. An edge usually tolerates quite a lot when cutting straight down while moving forwards or backwards. This is because you have the entire blade above the edge supporting it and absorbing and distributing the stress. With a sideways force, there is only the razor-thin edge, and very little material to absorb the force. The hard edge will therefore flex as much as it can, but when the load becomes too great, a chip will break off the edge, or a piece of the tip will break off. Damages of this type are often seen when cutting hard cheeses, avocado pits, frozen fillets, bones, butternut, etc.