Sakai Takayuki | SKU: ST-VGDM33-SA180-BLU

Sakai Takayuki VG10 33 Layer Damascus Santoku 180mm Blue Handle

Name: Sakai Takayuki VG10 33 Layer Damascus Santoku 180mm Blue Handle
Brand: Sakai Takayuki
SKU: ST-VGDM33-SA180-BLU
Price: 259.95 AUD
Availability: InStock

$259.95

Add a saya or K&S Knife Roll to receive $20 bundle discount!

Detailed Specifications

Line	Sakai Takayuki 33 Layers VG10 Damascus Tsuchime
Profile	Santoku
Bevel Type	Double Bevel
Weight	179 g \| 6.3 oz
Edge Length	170 mm \| 6 11/16″
Heel Height	46 mm \| 1 13/16″
Width @ Spine	1.8 mm \| 5/64″
Width @ Mid	1.8 mm \| 5/64″
Width @ 1cm from Tip	1.2 mm \| 3/64″
Steel	VG10 \| Stainless
Blade Construction	Sanmai - Stainless Damascus Clad
Hardness (HRC)	59 - 61
Surface Finish	Tsuchime
Handle	Western Pakka Wood with Bolster
Region	Sakai
Best for	First-timers Students

Free shipping for knives over AU$200 Australia wide.
World-wide shipping via DHL Express, 3 to 5 days.

The 33 layer Damascus by Sakai Takayuki have been the benchmark of home use knife at this price point. Its design is very much oriented towards the non-professional users. The VG10 being the golden standard for ingot stainless steel offers a very well balanced performance, paired with a durable pack wood handle and flashy combination of Tsuchime and Damascus, making it a very attractive option for gifting and Japanese knife first-timers .

These knives excels at their appearances, the fit and finish is done really well from corner to corner. The bevel and blade are polished differently to bring contrast to 33 layers of Damascus patter while the Tsuchime textured Hira is polished very evenly. Although the sharpening is not the best in its category, it may be an advantage for new users. A slightly thicker blade behind the edge can be stronger and potentially survive a slight misuse. The western style handle employed by this line adds more weight to the back of the knife, but it shift the balance towards the hand rather than the tip, which could be a more familiar for users switching from a typical western knife produced in Europe.

This line have a very clear target, which is the people who are interested in getting/switching to a Japanese knife to experience the excellent sharpness and good edge retention. These knives will deliver this performance, while offer many desirable features at a reasonable price.

Pros	Cons
Ideal for the household Easy to look after Excellent fit and finish	On the thicker side

Care Instruction

Don't cut hard things! Japanese knives are brittle so bone hacking is a NO NO!
Wash with neutral detergent after use, and wipe dry;
Please don't wash knife with dishwasher, it will damage the wood handle;
Be careful not to leave the knife close to a heat source for a long time;
It is a lot more dangerous to cut with a blunt knife than a sharp knife!
It is best to sharpen a Japanese knife regularly on a waterstone.

Sakai Takayuki

Sakai is the largest knife making region of professional single bevel knives, with over 600 years of knife making history. Sakai Takayuki stands out as the largest brand in the region. These knives, celebrated for their precision slicing and unparalleled sharpness, cater to professional chefs and culinary enthusiasts who demand the highest quality. At the heart of Sakai Takayuki's operations is the Sanbo Factory, a dedicated hand forge knife plant. Contrary to the notion of it being a place of innovation, the Sanbo Factory is focused on the traditional art of knife-making, where skilled artisans employ time-honored techniques to create knives that are both functional and beautiful.

Adding to the brand's allure are collaborations with famed Sakai craftsmen like Itsuo Doi, who works exclusively for Sakai Takayuki. Doi's contributions exemplify the brand's commitment to maintaining the highest standards of craftsmanship.

Profile: Santoku

The Santoku knife, embodying the meaning "three uses," is a cornerstone in Japanese kitchens, adept at slicing, dicing, and mincing. Esteemed for its versatility, it features a blade length typically between 15cm and 20cm (6 to 8 inches), catering to a wide array of culinary tasks. Distinguished by its less pointy tip compared to the Gyuto, the Santoku boasts a unique profile that contributes to its functionality and popularity. Its design is tailored to provide ease and efficiency in preparation, also because of its less aggressive prrofile, making it a preferred choice for home cooks.
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Steel: VG10
Takefu VG10, is a high-end stainless steel celebrated for its exceptional edge retention and sharpness. It is a popular choice among Japanese kitchen knife makers and widely used in various types of knives, including kitchen knives, folders, and fixed blades.

VG10 achieves a hardness of around 60-61 HRC, with some makers pushing it to 62 HRC, ensuring good edge holding and stain resistance. The steel's composition includes 15% chromium (Cr) for corrosion resistance, 1% molybdenum (Mo), and 1.5% cobalt (Co) for matrix strengthening, leading to high hardness and durability. The addition of vanadium (V) refines its microstructure and, along with Cr and Mo, produces hard carbides that enhance wear resistance. VG10 is easy to sharpen, has good machinability, and supports secondary hardening with high-temperature tempering, making it suitable for blades that may undergo surface coating treatments up to about 450℃. Its well-rounded attributes make VG10 steel highly versatile, performing excellently in a range of applications from kitchen and general-purpose knives to machine blades.
Manufacturer:
- Takefu Special Steel, Japan
Nature: Stainless
Hardness: 59- 61
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Construction: Sanmai - Stainless Damascus Clad

Sanmai(Three-Piece) is a common construction for double bevel knives where two pieces of softer cladding steel are forgewelded to each side of a harder core steel. The harder but more brittle core steel will form the hard cutting edge after heat treating, and the softer cladding will support the core to increase the overall strength of the blade.
Damascus Sanmai utilize damascus steel as the cladding material for the Sanmai construction, which adds aesthetic feature to the blade. On the Kitchen knives with stainless core steel, the damascus cladding will be stainless, this means they will also protect the carbon/semi-stainless core from rusting/discolouration.
The soft cladding enables the thinning process to be a lot easier than a honyaki or monosteel construction. However, when the cladding is made of damascus, whether etched, polished or mirror polished, the thinning process will take a toll on the cladding, meaning the damascus won't look the same as when it was taken out of the box.
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Finish: Tsuchime

The "Tsuchime" finish in Japanese kitchen knives refers to a distinctive hammered texture on the blade's surface. This traditional technique not only adds a unique aesthetic appeal but also provides practical benefits, such as reducing drag and preventing food from sticking to the blade during slicing. It's a hallmark of craftsmanship that blends functionality with artistry, making each knife not only a tool but a piece of art.
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Handle Specs
Profile: Western with bolster
Material:
- Pakka Wood
Western Pakka Wood handle is the common choice for entery level knives, in some cases, they will be made with bolster that is welded to the blade. The Pakka wood created by laminate wood with resin, creating a dense material that can have layers of different color. Compared with natural timber, this engineered wood is harder and absorb less water, in addition, the low cost of production makes it ideal of grip of entry level knife.
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