The Kiritsuke from Kotai is made in China and comes with 440C steel. They also have added a repeatable hammered pattern. The knife comes with a full-tang wooden octagon-shaped handle.
Kotai Kitchen 440C Core Material + edge retention
The knife Rockwell hardness is specified with a Rockwell of 59 +/- 1. My review sample came with a Rockwell of 58. If used at home, you can get away with 3 to 4 months before needing a whetstone touch-up if you regularly hone your knife with a honing rod.
Edge durability & sharpened angle
The knife is sharpened at a 15-degree angle per side. The core material is also strong, so you don’t have to worry about chipping. My review sample came with an inconsistent sharpened angle. And the blade is also quite thick behind the sharpened edge.
Weight and Spine tapering
The weight is around 190grams, and the knife has no distal spine tapering. The thickness across the spine is 1.9mm.
Knife handle
The knife comes with a comfortable full-tang octagon-shaped hollow Ebony wooden handle.
Knife balance point
Thanks to the hollow handle design, they managed to keep the balance point nicely in the middle. If you pinch grip at the blade or cap, the knife will be middle balanced.
Blade profile + Knuckle clearance
The blade profile is relatively flat at the back and middle of the knife, but it gently gets a curve at the front. It is pretty similar to a Gyuto profile.
There is also enough knuckle clearance.
Fit and Finish + Choil
The knife had a few flaws. My review sample came with an inconsistent sharpened angle, and the endcap is not perfectly in the center. Other than that, the fit and finish were good.
I do wish that they thinned out the blade a bit after the sharpened edge.
Final Conclusion and my Recommendation
Despite the few flaws, the knife itself is pretty good. The handle is comfortable. The balance point is nicely in the middle, and that is thanks to the hollow handle design. 440C is a good and durable material, and it comes with a unique unboxing experience.
At the same time, the hammered pattern is repeatable and not uniquely individually created. It is not a bad thing as it saves time and labor costs.
However, the price point is very steep for what you get. The included Saya is very rough.
The blade is also on the thicker side behind the edge, which causes a splitting effect.
Worth it or not for you? That is something only you can decide.
🛒S H O P:
NA: Kotai Kitchen
EU: Kotai Kitchen
N O T E S:
The Kotai Kitchen Kiritsuke review sample has been provided by Kotai Kitchen. However, I’m not getting paid to make this video and article or to include their knife in a video and article. No one will get a chance to preview my footage or thoughts before the video and article go up on youtube or my website.
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