This 150 mm petty in VG10 sits at the mid-range of the Japanese utility knife format: compact enough for in-hand work like peeling and herbs, long enough for fine brunoise or boning small cuts of poultry on the board. The profile tapers steadily to a fine tip, which orients the knife toward detail work rather than long slicing strokes.
The handle is ebony, a very dense, tight-grained wood with a dark, smooth surface that contrasts cleanly against the polished steel of the blade. The wa-handle style, with its partial tang inserted into the wood, keeps the balance forward toward the blade, which suits the precision-focused use of the petty format.
VG10 has been made by Takefu Special Steel since the early 1960s, designed from the start for knifemaking. Its 15% chromium content provides strong corrosion resistance under normal use. The addition of cobalt (1.5%) allows it to reach 60,61 HRC, a notable hardness for a stainless steel. The trade-off is that high chromium content makes it less responsive on the whetstone than lower-alloy steels: sharpening takes more passes, and quality stones make a real difference. Edge retention between sharpenings is solid.
Care
Rinse and dry after each use. Do not put in the dishwasher.
