Napoleon Santoku Knife with German Steel Blade - 55212

Got this knife about 3 weeks ago. Feels great in the hand. We'll balanced a great fit in the palm. I've used it to break down chicken thighs, prep ribs, slice vegetables and to slice whole turkey breast. It performed well and held its edge flawlessly. It really shined through on slicing the breast as it perfectly sliced it with skin on no matter how think or thick of a slice I made. I'd recommend this knife to anyone. It out performs my Henkles and Chicago Cutlery.

This Asian-style santoku knife has a large 7-inch/18cm blade, and is forged from a single solid piece of stainless steel, so there is nothing that can break. The substantial handle is sculpted and balanced to comfortably fit in the hand, even when wet. Its broad and sturdy blade is super-sharp, but there's a well-developed tang or edge to keep your fingers away from the edge of the blade, so chop away! This style of knife of optimized for larger-scale cutting, chopping, slicing, and dicing vegetables and fruits: it's better at slicing strawberries or apples, but too big to use cutting-out their cores. Chopping whole cabbage or squash down to a size to fit in your skillet is where this knife shines. While it can be used to slice meats large or small, it is not as optimal as a carving knife for these tasks, however. Finally, it might make an attractive gift, as it comes in a fine padded box with a magnetic closure.

As can be seen in the photos (quarter used for scale), this is a hefty knife! It's just about a foot long in total length and weighs in at 8 ounces. I judge packaging for items like this on how "giftable" it is, and I'd say this would be very giftable. It arrives in a nice case that unfolds to reveal the knife inside. In your hand, it feels great, very well balanced, which is key. The manufacturing quality seemed great, I couldn't notice any sort of defects or edging where the blade and handle come together. The ultimate test for this was letting my mother-in-law use this, as she's insanely picky. She LOVED it, specifically how the knife was sharp enough to glide through anything she was cutting with ease and how well it handled while chopping and how the wide blade is great for scooping up ingredients and transferring them to the pan. The one "negative" I'd say is that there was no mention of care/washing instructions for this. However, I'm sure it's safe to assume this is not something that should go into the dishwasher and should be hand-washed only. I can't speak to how this knife will hold up for years to come, but based on the quality of the other Napoleon products I own, I have very little doubt this knife will be in our kitchen for a long time to come!

(I received this knife free for testing purposes) This seems like a really solid knife- I was pretty excited to use it right after receiving it. The blade is super sharp - went through this melon like it was butter. It's well balanced and has a comfortable handle making it good for delicate jobs like peeling this cucumber as well. Will be my go-to knife from now on - trimming ribs, steaks, etc will be a breeze!