The Best Santoku Knives In 2022 Whatever Way You Slice It

The ZUIUN Santoku Knife from Bokksu Market is an excellent “three virtues” knife with a high-quality stainless steel blade and exceptionally crafted wood handle for easy handling and precise cuts. This is one of our editors’ favorite knives. She reports that when using the ZUIUN, both she and her partner had to pay extra attention to their cuts as the knife is remarkably sharp, something that isn’t surprising from a samurai sword-inspired knife. Our tester has used this blade to prepare everything from vegetables to meat and fish, but is most impressed with how this knife cuts through fish – it’s unlike any of her other knives and is her right-hand man during the PNW salmon season.

The importance of quality cooking tools both in a kitchen and in restaurants cannot be stressed enough, and a high-quality knife like this sharp, double-edged multipurpose knife by ZUIN is a must-have for any chef, professional or amateur. This is especially true when it comes to seafood. The included wooden cover offers safety when this knife is not in use and the hand-crafted feel in all aspects of this knife had our tester falling in love with it over and over again.

The Mercer Culinary Millennia knife is made from high carbon Japanese steel metal, which is extra sharp and durable. With a fine edge and sharp point, this one-piece knife is stable and perfect for chopping, mincing and cutting, and we’ve even seen folks use it for bread cutting. While we don’t recommend using your pricy santoku knife for bread cutting, this is one affordable model so if you want to experiment, this is the knife to do it with!

The handle is molded rubber and has textured finger points and a protective finger guard. Might not look fancy as some top-of-the-line Japanese knives, but it’s comfortable to hold for prolonged periods. Other commendable features include its razor-sharp blade edge and a limited lifetime warranty on every purchase. Like most chef’s knives and santoku knives, this kitchen knife should be hand washed to prevent early deterioration of the blade and handle. When washing, use warm water and soap, before drying your knife with a soft towel. Avoid soaking your knives in water or aluminum sinks as this might result in the pitting of your blade.

The Zelite Infinity Santoku Knife is as beautiful as it is efficient. As a member of Zelite’s Alpha Royal series, it’s made with AUS10 steel with 67-layer high carbon steel, meaning it’s incredibly durable and quite resistant to stains and rust. Like all high carbon steel blades, it’s super-sharp and has excellent edge retention.

The Zelite Infinity knife boasts full tang construction, offering minimal slicing resistance and satisfying heft, which is exactly what we expect from a high-quality knife. The handle is as ergonomic as it is good looking too. It features a triple riveting system to the full tang and is also ergonomically rounded for good grip and safety. The best part about the handle is its tapered bolster that makes the knife a real pleasure to use even for long periods of time. Overall, a great forged santoku knife at a very reasonable price!

For all you cheese lovers, if you’d like a dedicated cheese knife, we have a guide to the best cheese knife sets.

No knife cuts meat, poultry and veggies easier than the Mercer Culinary Genesis Forged Santoku Knife! This is one of the best santoku knives in this price range; in fact, it performs equally as good, if not better, as some of the more expensive santoku and chef knives. If you are a chef or a culinary enthusiast in need of a reliable cutting tool that doesn’t break the bank, this is a fantastic option.

The Mercer’s Genesis knife is precision-forged with high-carbon German steel for durability and stability. It can be used on all your meats, fish, and vegetables without worrying about material residue. This knife has a very sharp blade that resists corrosion, discoloration, and rust. Thanks to its simple but soft grip ergonomic handle, you’ll be able to use it comfortably even with wet hands. Every Mercer Culinary knife comes with a limited lifetime warranty and an NSF certification which is handed to the manufacturer after rigorous tests and experiments. Our guide to the top steak knives features more excellent blades you can use in your kitchen.

If you’re looking for a versatile, quality santoku knife at a budget-friendly price, check out the Victorinox Fibrox Pro Santoku Knife. With seven inches of durable but lightweight stainless steel blade and an ergonomic Fibrox Pro handle, this excellent knife is the perfect cutting tool for both home cooks and chefs as it chops, slices, and minces meat, fish, herbs and vegetables with ease. A true kitchen workhorse!

The Victorinox knife may not look as elegant as some of the top-of-the-line Japanese knives, but it’s a good-quality versatile kitchen tool that comes with the features of a santoku knife, chef knife and meat cleaver merged into one. It also has a unique shape that enables it to act as a scoop or spatula to help you collect your diced items from a chopping board with ease. The thermoplastic rubber non-slip handle is ergonomically designed for safe and comfortable cutting. Crafted in Switzerland, the knife comes with the company’s lifetime guarantee against defects in material and workmanship.

The Tatara Santoku Knife is a 7-inch santoku knife with an 8-12 degree cutting edge. Thanks to its non-stick blade divots, it’s perfect for slicing delicate foods such as all kinds of sushi. Of course, like most santoku knives, the Tatara is also quite versatile – great for chopping vegetables, meat, fish and herbs.

The Tatara knife is built from quality Japanese steel and features a razor-sharp blade that also remains sharp for long. It has 67 Damascus layers and a core of 62+ Rockwell Hardness, giving good resistance while being easy to maintain. The ergonomic military grade G-10 handle provides a good grip in all conditions and makes the knife really comfortable to use even for prolonged periods. Be sure to also check out our guide to the best-selling bread knives for more blades you can add to your collection.

Whether you have multiple cooks in the kitchen or just want to upgrade your culinary arsenal, this Mac Knife Superior Santoku Knife Set of Two is a fantastic option. The starter set includes a 6.5-inch knife and a 5-inch mini knife, both made from rust-resistant high-carbon stainless steel.

With ultra-sharp blades, these quality knives will make short work of chopping, slicing and mincing your veggies, seafood and meats. The bigger knife is great for larger prep jobs, while the smaller one is ideal for finer detail work. A simple triple-riveted handle is made from pakkawood or engineered wood/resin composite, making it dense and durable but still lightweight. A no-frills knife set offering an great money-to-quality ratio!

You may also like some of the most sought-after electric knives from our list, so be sure to check them out.

A Japanese knife made with German steel? Yes, the Paudin Santoku Knife has the best of both worlds. Made from highly durable high carbon stainless steel, and boasting a beautiful waved pattern (but not real Damascus), this hybrid knife provides excellent control for slicing and cutting tougher meats and root vegetables.

The Pauding knife has an ergonomic pakkawood handle that provides good balance and a non-slip grip even when your hands are wet. While most western knives have 25-degree cutting edges, this knife has a 15 degrees edge, making for an ultra-sharp cutting blade that allows smooth slicing. Perfect for cutting all kinds of meat and seafood, including frozen!

The Shun Premier Santoku Knife is a beautiful, perfectly symmetrical cutting tool made from premium materials. It is a luxury Japanese knife, razor-sharp and well-balanced, ideal for both right- and left-handed home cooks and chefs alike.

The Shun’s Premier knife is handcrafted in Japan with 34 layers of VG-Max stainless Damascus cladding. The walnut-colored and contoured handle is made from pakkawood and it fits every hand like a glove. You can cut all your vegetables, fruits, meats and fish with this ultra-sharp santoku knife. With proper care, it should last for years if not decades, making it a fantastic addition to anyone’s cooking arsenal. Elegant and attractive, it also makes for a wonderful gift for foodies – if you don’t mind paying for top-of-the-line quality, that is.

If you’re looking for top-quality, larger santoku knives but don’t want to spend a small fortune to get one, we highly recommend this Dalstrong Santoku Knife. Reasonably priced but boasting outstanding craftsmanship, this is definitely one of the best kitchen knives in this price range.

The Dalstrong knife is made with the highest quality high-carbon German steel, so it’s incredibly durable (less prone to chipping than Japanese steel) and perfect for all sorts of chopping, cutting, slicing and mincing. Like all full tang knives, this knife offers great balance and handling, making it ideal for beginners and seasoned professionals alike. The G10 Garolite handle is triple-riveted, offering excellent grip and easy maneuverability. To always keep your cutting tools perfectly sharp, check out our top picks of the most reliable knife sharpeners.