$1 Santoku

[UnknownVT]

What can you get for a dollar?

I was really surprised to see a 7" Santoku at my local Dollar Tree -

How good can it be for a dollar?
How wrong could it be for a dollar?

I spent a little time trying to find one that seemed to have a narrow bevel - which usually means that the blade is thinner toward the edge
- that is through the plastic.

So I spent a buck....

Carefully opened the pack (tell you why later)

Tried the blade as is....
about as a sharp as a butter knife -
OK, slight exaggeration -
but it was not that sharp -
it certainly could not slice paper cleanly -
not only that, the time spent trying the find a narrower bevel - was basically wasted -
the "blade" - a laughable term - was pretty thick toward the edge -
I've seen camping knives with thinner edges!

OK what did I expect for a dollar....
I guess not much - but that's still a lot of metal for the money and it kind of looks nice.

So that's it?
That all I have to say?

No, wait there's is more....
(no I don't work on TV....)

I took that thick slab that's laughingly called a "blade" -
as a challenge.

Could I possibly sharpen it enough so that it was no longer a mockery to the term "blade"?

Very fortunately I do have a Work Sharp (belt grinder) Knife Sharpener (link to review thread)

So I set to work on the "blade"

First the green P80 grit belt (the coarsest I have)
with the outdoor guide in place as a visual aid I held the blade vertically and set about grinding a 20deg convex bevel -
with (safety) glasses on, it took a long time to grind that convex bevel - despite the WorkSharp being very effective and efficient -
simply because the blade was thick toward the edge and the way it came the bevel was pretty obtuse (remember my butter knife reference?)
It could have gone quicker - since I was cussing and swearing....
which was a lot coarser than the P80 grit.....

I then used the red P220 medium grit belt and finished with the purple 6000 grit.

But I ws not quite satisfied because I still could feel a shoulder/discontinuity to the bevel - it is now a lot better than before -
but I still would like to make it better -

So I went beck to the coarsest green P80 grit belt and by eye halved the angle between holding the blade vertically and the belt surface and ran the blade pass a few times -
then I place the blade to as close to flat as I dared to the belt then passed the blade through a few times.

Just in case, I then used the red P220 medium grit belt with the blade held vertically for that 20deg convex bevel again -
and finished at 20deg with the ultra fine 6000 grit belt.

The resultant bevel was pretty wide -
the picture above on the knife out of the package was after the sharpening see how wide the bevel is?

Blade after sharpening -

Detail of bevel/edge:

After that pretty drastic sharpening - it finally has the right to be called a blade -
it will slice free hanging paper really well - being that it has heft - it seemed to out cut the CRKT Ken Onion Eros - my EDC -
but again I haven't touched up the Eros blade for some time now -
nevertheless that is pretty impressive.

It seems to cut well now and despite the thickness toward the edge - seems to cut through things well -
I think that is simply due to the convex edge.
I'll compare this to the Chefmate $6 Santoku (from Target) - please see: Another Santoku (cheap),
which does really well, rivaling my Victorinox/RH Forshner 8" Chef's knife (which is very highly regarded by many, including me)
all three side-by-side - later.

OK, why the careful removal from the package......?

if done right the package can be used as a blade guard/carrier......
it's free and any blade guard probably would cost more than the knife!

--
Vincent

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[wnease]

Nice! I have done ridiculous things with dollar store knives... they usually are not very hard so the edge ripples and rolls easier than a hard blade, and I find the burr hard to remove, but for a buck or two they cut stuff!

If you want to make a knife last a long time charge so much money that people won't use it.

Now, on to the testing...

 

[UnknownVT]

If you want to make a knife last a long time charge so much money that people won't use it.

LoL!

First quick casual test.

Comparing this $1 Santoku against my favorite kitchen knife the Victorinox/HR Forschner 8" Chef -
I happen to have some grapefruit peel - and although this was just something conveniently at hand -
it turned out to be a better test than I initially thought.

First I thinly Julienne the peel (fancy word for cutting into (thin) strips)
then I diced/minced the Julienne.

look carefully for some leftover thin strips/Julienne - that's how thinly I Julienne the peel.

Why did it turn out to be a better test than expected?
I think it was the texture of this particular peel - most grapefruit peels tend to be pretty resilient - they will tear fairly easily - but unlike orange peel for example they do not "crumble" (can't think of a better word - it doesn't really crumble per se) and fall apart. With grapefruit, one has to deliberately tear, whereas orange peel it can "tear" in a direction that's not quite expected - a poor analogy might be grapefruit peel is more thin leather-like, orange more thin cardboard-like?
I think it's harder to explain in words (or at least with my linguistic limitation) than to experience, or see it.

Anyway - this grapefruit peel - there is some initial resistance to the cut as it goes through the top surface - then there is give when it gets to the pulp underneath - the initial Julienne - the Victorinox did cut marginally better - but that could have been the better more comfortable handle for the way I hold a knife - then the dicing of the Julienne - there was little to no difference.

On this initial casual limited test I am pleasantly surprised at this modified/sharpened $1 Santoku,
and somewhat impressed -
well OK, for a dollar knife -

Remember this may be more of a testament to the Work Sharp knife sharpener

Hopefully more comparison tests including the $6 Chefmate Santoku

--
Vincent

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[whetrock]

For a buck it's hard not to give it a rip. It's also sobering to think about what non-knifenuts have ready access to. All in all I'm very entertained and impressed, by this review. Very thorough.

 

[Gramps]

I have one very similar to that, marketed by the same outfit. Mine has an integral, oval metal handle. I got it several years ago in some sort of "grab bag" Christmas exchange. It's still in the original package sitting in a kitchen drawer. Occasionally I "spy" it, and think about playing with it....and then life jumps in. Good to know it can be made functional.

 

[wnease]

can you run the bevel the full length of the blade next time you sharpen? Should make the comparison closer

 

[UnknownVT]

I have one very similar to that, marketed by the same outfit. ... It's still in the original package sitting in a kitchen drawer. Occasionally I "spy" it, and think about playing with it....and then life jumps in. Good to know it can be made functional.

Please take a look at: Another Santoku (cheap) - does your knife look like that one?
If so, please look more carefully at the blade thickness toward the edge - see if it is thin.....
If so, don't wait - take it out of the pack and use it....
you may have an all time bargain on your hands.......
(please then read that review)
some work will be needed to get rid of the very poor edge (no more than a ton of strokes on a V-hone)
- but if the blade is thin toward the edge - it is a very, very good knife.......

That is unlike this $1 Santoku......

I did a comparison tonight against that $6 Chefmate Santoku (please see link above) -
preparing food:
initial crushing and mincing garlic glove went fine - and I was encouraged -
next dicing onions - still OK'ish but I knew it was not as good as the $6 Chefmate Santoku without even using the other knife.

Next slicing green pepper - not exactly a difficult task - but WTF!
the $1 Santoku just could not do it anywhere near respectably -
as my friend said I looked as though I was ready to throw the $1 Santoku into the trash!

Gently putting that down, and picking up the $6 Chefmate Santoku -
it was more than night and day -
the Chefmate simply zipped/sliced through the green pepper like it was nothing.

I now know the limitation of this $1 Santoku -
its thick blade basically allows shallow cuts like dicing peels and already crushed garlic -
but it was worse than terrible for slicing through things, where a nice clean cut was needed -
I am sure it can hack through it -
and Hack would be a charitable description.

can you run the bevel the full length of the blade next time you sharpen? Should make the comparison closer

Sorry, simply I ain't going to use this joke of a knife again -
not when I already have worthy knives like the Victorinox/Forschner 8" Chef
and that $6 Chefmate Santoku

Eh, I guess it was fun doing this......
wish the results were better -
but simply should have remembered that blades that are thick toward the edge - are just not real cutters.

--
Vincent

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[Gramps]

Please take a look at: Another Santoku (cheap) - does your knife look like that one?
If so, please look more carefully at the blade thickness toward the edge - see if it is thin.....
If so, don't wait - take it out of the pack and use it....
you may have an all time bargain on your hands.......
(please then read that review)


some work will be needed to get rid of the very poor edge (no more than a ton of strokes on a V-hone)
- but if the blade is thin toward the edge - it is a very, very good knife.......

That is unlike this $1 Santoku......

I did a comparison tonight against that $6 Chefmate Santoku (please see link above) -
preparing food:
initial crushing and mincing garlic glove went fine - and I was encouraged -
next dicing onions - still OK'ish but I knew it was not as good as the $6 Chefmate Santoku without even using the other knife.

Next slicing green pepper - not exactly a difficult task - but WTF!
the $1 Santoku just could not do it anywhere near respectably -
as my friend said I looked as though I was ready to throw the $1 Santoku into the trash!

Gently putting that down, and picking up the $6 Chefmate Santoku -
it was more than night and day -
the Chefmate simply zipped/sliced through the green pepper like it was nothing.

I now know the limitation of this $1 Santoku -
its thick blade basically allows shallow cuts like dicing peels and already crushed garlic -
but it was worse than terrible for slicing through things, where a nice clean cut was needed -
I am sure it can hack through it -
and Hack would be a charitable description.



Sorry, simply I ain't going to use this joke of a knife again -
not when I already have worthy knives like the Victorinox/Forschner 8" Chef
and that $6 Chefmate Santoku

Eh, I guess it was fun doing this......
wish the results were better -
but simply should have remembered that blades that are thick toward the edge - are just not real cutters.

--
Vincent

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....mine is not quite the same as the Chefmate :

.....it's called The Thomas Rosenthal Group Large Santoku Knife (175mm/7"); Carbon Stainless Steel. I'll have to take it out and use it so I can give you some indication of it's quality. I have a nice Tojiro DP Santoku (VG-10) I bought years ago, when I was in Japan so I haven't paid much attention to this Thomas Rosenthal China made knife.

 

[UnknownVT]

....mine is not quite the same as the Chefmate :

.....it's called The Thomas Rosenthal Group Large Santoku Knife (175mm/7"); Carbon Stainless Steel. I'll have to take it out and use it so I can give you some indication of it's quality. I have a nice Tojiro DP Santoku (VG-10) I bought years ago, when I was in Japan so I haven't paid much attention to this Thomas Rosenthal China made knife.

Thanks, I can see why you haven't used it, with your other santoku.

I did a quick search against the name and Amazon (US) has it listed at $50 -
other countries do have it at about US$30 equivalent
so you did well to get it cheap.

It looks as though it may be (much) better tapered toward the edge
making it thinner toward the edge?
(but then almost anything short of a lump of putty would have a better edge than this $1 Santoku -
OK (slight) exaggeration - but after my food prep experience I don't want to see it again)

Thanks,

--
Vincent

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