TL;DR

• Four decisions are enough: size, steel, skill level, and handle.

• For your first santoku knife, aim for 165 to 170 mm.

• Ginsan is the recommended choice for most beginners.

• The Yo handle is suitable for a first purchase, followed by the Wa.

One hundred models, Japanese steel names, sizes in millimeters: choosing a handcrafted santoku knife can be paralyzing. This guide breaks down the decision into four practical steps—size, steel, skill level, and handle—and then provides a recommendation for each budget. At Stay Sharp, a specialty shop in Montreal, every santoku in the catalog is carefully selected.

Step 1: Choose the size of your santoku

Size depends on your kitchen, not your skill level. The 135 mm is a small santoku, precise, but rarely a first knife. At 165 to 170 mm, it is the most recommended size for a first santoku. The 180 mm offers more surface area for vegetables. The 210 mm is designed for large work surfaces and high volumes. For a first santoku: 165 to 170 mm.

Step 2: What steel for your santoku?

Stainless and semi-stainless steels suit most people: VG10, the benchmark stainless steel, is a good entry point; Ginsan, a semi-stainless steel with a superior edge, is the recommended choice for beginners; SG2, a powder steel, offers very long edge retention. Carbon steels, Shirogami and Aogami, require immediate drying and are suitable for advanced cooks. Damascus is chosen according to its core steel.

Step 3: Choose according to your skill level in the kitchen

• Beginner: stainless or semi-stainless, Ginsan or VG10, 165 to 170 mm, budget under $200 CAD.

• Intermediate: you are ready to sharpen regularly, 170 to 180 mm, $200 to $400 CAD.

• Advanced: carbon steel accepted, maintenance routine mastered, 180 to 210 mm, $400 CAD and up.

Discover damascus santokus as well.

Step 4: Choose your handle style (Wa or Yo)

The Wa handle, traditional Japanese, is lightweight, often octagonal, made of wood such as ho or ebony, with the balance shifted toward the blade: it is suitable for intermediate and advanced cooks. The Yo handle, Western-style with a guard, has a familiar central balance: it is the choice for a first santoku. Most entry-level models, including the Hitohira TP, are available in both styles.

Blade finishes on a handcrafted santoku: what they change for your purchase

Kurouchi is the raw, dark forged surface that naturally protects carbon steel. Nashiji is a satin finish, slightly textured like pear skin. Tsuchime is hammered, with hollows that can reduce food adhesion, without a systematic effect. Damascus is the most expressive finish. Always name the steel beneath the finish.

Maintenance: choose according to what you are really ready to do

Most regrets come from a steel that contradicts actual habits. Thirty-second self-test: after cooking, are you ready to wash and dry immediately? If yes, carbon is possible; if not, stick with stainless or Ginsan. Ginsan, VG10, and SG2 forgive an oversight. All handcrafted santokus are sharpened on a whetstone, never with a steel rod.

How many santokus do you really need?

One santoku is enough to start. The second is considered when your habits are established: a different size, a more demanding steel, or a Wa after a Yo. Before buying more, check that you use your first one regularly and that maintenance has become a reflex, rather than accumulating blades you do not yet need.

The selection philosophy at Stay Sharp: your santoku, built on 4 decisions

The santoku selection is organized around the four steps of this guide: each model corresponds to a combination of size, steel, skill level, and handle. Olivier Caza-Berthelet selected forges such as Hitohira, Hado, Yoshikane, and Takada no Hamono, from beginner to advanced. In the shop, we feel the difference between Wa and Yo. The sharpening service is offered in the shop or by mail.

Our recommendations by budget (in Canadian dollars)

Under $150: a handcrafted entry point

Hitohira TP Santoku 170 mm, semi-stainless, easy maintenance.

From $150 to $300: the first real jump

Hitohira Kikuchiyo Ren Santoku 180 mm, crafted finish.

From $300 to $500: confirmed craftsmanship

Yoshikane Shirogami 2 Nashiji Santoku 180 mm, forged in Sanjo.

$500 and up: the pinnacle of craftsmanship

Takada no Hamono Reika Santoku 210 mm.

Testing a santoku in the shop

Nothing replaces the feel in your hand. In the shop, perform the push-cut motion, compare a Wa handle and a Yo handle, and feel the balance of the blade. Come with your habits: the size of your board, the foods you cut the most, the maintenance time you accept. The team helps you convert these answers into a model.

What questions to ask yourself before buying?

• What size board do you use?

• What maintenance do you accept every day?

• What is your budget, in Canadian dollars?

• Do you prefer a Wa or Yo handle?

Answering these questions before coming to the shop speeds up the choice and avoids unnecessary purchases. Write down your answers: they serve as a starting point with the team.

Conclusion

Four decisions: size, steel, skill level, handle. A clear budget, a named knife at each step: choosing your Japanese santoku knife is not complicated with the right guidelines. To learn more about the technique, read our article on using a santoku, then see the Japanese santoku knife collection.