Samura Reptile Santoku Knife 170 mm

The Samura Reptile santoku knife is a Japanese-style all-purpose knife with a 170 mm blade. You can use it for slicing, dicing and chopping vegetables, fruit, meat and fish, and for cutting bread. Its AUS-10 stainless steel blade has a convex edge and is paired with a ribbed stainless steel handle.

Blade and steel

The blade is a single layer of AUS-10 stainless steel, hardened to 59–61 HRC. At this hardness the edge stays sharp for a long time, which means fewer trips to the whetstone. The trade-off is that a hard edge does not like bones, frozen food or glass boards, so keep the knife for the jobs it is made for. AUS-10 is a corrosion-resistant stainless steel; wash and dry the knife soon after use and it stays in good condition.

The edge is convex-sharpened, as described for the Reptile series, with a bevel that is gently rounded rather than ground flat. The blade has a satin finish and is sharpened to a precise angle, so it moves smoothly through different kinds of food.

Handle and balance

The stainless steel handle is silver and ribbed, in the style of the Reptile series. It is durable and resistant to corrosion, and its ergonomic design gives you a secure grip and precise control while you cut. SAMURA describes the series as ultra-light, and this santoku weighs 140 g net, with an overall length of 316 mm.

Best uses

• Chopping, slicing and dicing vegetables
• Slicing fruit
• Cutting boneless meat into slices, strips or cubes
• Slicing and portioning fish
• Cutting bread

Care and sharpening

Rinse the santoku with hot water and wipe it dry before you use it for the first time. Clean it by hand with non-abrasive materials and wipe it dry; a dishwasher is not recommended, and the knife should not sit in the sink for long. Work on wooden or plastic boards rather than glass, use a SAMURA cleaver for bones and a double-sided saw knife with a serrated blade for frozen food, and keep the knife in a brush block or knife holder where the blade does not touch metal items. Between sharpenings, draw the edge along a honing rod from the handle to the point, and resharpen on a whetstone at the original factory bevel angle of 15–17°.

About the Reptile series

Inspired by the Mesozoic era, when giant reptiles roamed the Earth, the Reptile series brings heritage and contemporary design together in knives with ribbed stainless steel handles. Every SAMURA knife, this santoku included, comes with a 2-year warranty.