Makoto Kurosaki Samidorizuki SGStrix Petty 135mm

A petty is a small utility knife, from the French petit. It is commonly shaped like a small gyuto and runs from 120 to 150 mm, up to 180 mm. Its clearest role is detailed work where a larger knife feels cumbersome: fruit peeling, garnish work, condiments, and small board work beside a gyuto or santoku.

A knife maker, Tojiro, frames the petty as a useful second knife, not an automatic necessity, and recommends santoku plus petty or gyuto plus petty combinations. It is not a replacement for a full size chef's knife; it lacks the blade length and belly for efficient chopping, rocking, or breaking down larger proteins. Treat it as a precision tool, not an all-rounder.

Petty knife lengths vary by maker: KAI's guide defines a petty (ペティナイフ) as a small knife with a narrow blade measuring 150 mm or under. Its table gives 90 to 150 mm, and it describes the shape as a smaller gyuto with a pointed tip.

We list petty knives from 70 mm to 165 mm, including lengths above the limit used in KAI's guide.

Takefu, which makes SPG STRIX, designed it that way. It says a blade steel's hardness comes from its metal base and its carbides, and it made this stainless powder steel by strengthening the base, which it says gives ease of sharpening like carbon steel at about HRC 65.

Takefu calls it a powder steel developed for blades and does not disclose its composition. We recommend drying the knife after washing.