Calphalon Katana Series 7-in Santoku

Famous for its indentations along the edge to alleviate food from sticking while slicing, the Santoku Knife is extremely popular among Calphalon's Katana Series.  Like a chef's knife, the Santoku is an all-purpose Asian-style knife that's designed to cut meat, vegetables and fish.  The definition of Santoku is "three good things", referring to the three main cutting tasks the knife performs: slicing, dicing and mincing.  Made from high-carbon stainless steel, this 7-in. Asian-style cleaver is the perfect choice for the chef at home. And, yes I love this knife.

I've owned this knife for about three years now and it gets more use than any other knife in my kitchen.  I haven't had a single issue with it. Seeing as how it meets the cutting board every day that says quite a bit.  It's a good bit lighter than my Calphalon Contemporary Series 8" Chefs Knife but it still has enough weight that it slides right through fruit skins and tough cuts of meat.  The fact that it's lighter than your usual chef's knife makes it very easy to control. 

I'm a firm believer in finding a quality product for a reasonable price and then buying it one time only to have it last forever. It's a much better tactic than trying to save a little money up front and then ending up with a cheaply made product that eventually self destructs don't you think?  I mean, in the end it's like paying more than you should have for the product you wanted in the first place.  That said, this knife is quality for a reasonable price but you MUST take care of any knife for it to last.  Knives are very delicate tools.  Keeping them in working condition depends on your care for them.

It seems the only time I hear bad things about a knife of this quality or greater is when some knucklehead puts it in the dishwasher or tries to use it to cut a shoe in half.  A quality knife is designed to cut food when it's properly maintained.  You don't see Craftsman advertising a new jig saw that can de-bone a chicken...If you're cutting through concrete blocks with your kitchen tools then go buy a block of kitchen saws from that other company and take a few cooking classes.  Just remember, once those are dull you'll basically have a block of useless knives.  "Knives" like that can't be sharpened or honed, so get the right tool for the right job.