WHY JAPANESE KNIVES
It's not without good reason that discerning chefs reserve a place in their kitchens for Japanese knives. Here are some of them.
Different by distinction: The argument for Japanese knives
Type of steel
Visibly different Damascus-forged knives
Depending on the desired finish and its intended use, today's Japanese knife maker uses a variety of alloys; forging layers and layers of metal together for the striking \"Damascus\" effect seen on our knives.
Hardness
Knives from Japan are harder, for longer edge retention
Japanese knives usually have a hardness ranging from HRC 58 - 65, higher than the usual HRC 52 - HRC 56 of European knives. The harder the steel and the better its quality, the longer its edge stays sharp.
Angle of blade
A Japanese chefs knife has a more acute angle for a sharper edge
Due to the harder steel used, the cutting edge on Japanese knives are honed to a much finer angle. This contributes to a sharper knife that slices and cuts through food with ease with the additional benefit of less pressure on the muscles and joints in the hand.
Thickness and weight
A Japanese chefs knife is lighter and allows for faster cutting, all while causing less fatigue to the user.
Being lighter and having relatively sharper, thinner blades, Japanese knives are best used to slice and dice. Heavy cutting tasks like chopping through bones should be left to special purpose knives, as this would otherwise chip the blade.
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