I don't normally review kitchen knives because I just don't have anything important to say about them. They're fixed blades designed to slice and dice food in the kitchen, enough said, right? For a long time, I thought so. I have my Old Hickory knives, my Opinel paring knives, some Victorinox and Forschners, the cheesy Forever Sharp knives, OXO brand, and a handful of knives I've never heard of. I decided to try out the Cold Steel hocho-style kitchen knives, mainly because they're made of VG-1 steel and I like that. There is a four-inch blade, a five-inch blade, and a seven-inch blade version; what size to choose? I decided to get the one with the 5" blade, as that would accomplish most of my kitchen chores without being too large. It's made in Japan and costs around $20. The model number is 45KL5P.
The Handle: The K5 is a full tang knife, although the tang is hidden underneath the handle. The handle is one-piece Kraton, colored black, with a checkered surface and ridged front and back. It's 4-1/4" long and 1/2" thick.
The lanyard hole is large enough to slip a shoelace in, and it shows the tang.
The front and back of the handle have ridges textured in, and are quite comfortable.
The handle makes this the most comfortable kitchen knife I've ever used. It's soft enough to grip your hand and ensure a safe usage, yet it doesn't feel flimsy or too cushy. The front of the handle is grooved on the undersiade, and I'm only guessing that this is to give your index finger a little area behind the blade to rest without touching the cutting surface.
Actual use of the knife was very, well, comfortable. The combination of blade and handle materials really makes this a winner for slicing meats and fruits, as well as dicing vegetables for a stew. Probably the best-feeling handle I've held in a kitchen knife.
The Blade: The K5 has a blade made of VG-1 stainless steel, hardened to around 59 on the Rockwell scale. I like the idea of using a good steel in a kitchen knife without the exorbenant price, and the K5 does this nicely. The blade is technically 5-1/8" long and just a hair under 1/16" thick; it's very thin. It's also full flat ground, and for a blade this thin, that makes it an excellent slicer (did I say that already?). The blade is a hocho-style shape and lends itself perfectly to kitchen tasks, as it should.
The blade came extremely sharp, and was ready to slice and dice right out of the box. It also came with a black plastic cover for the blade, so you can keep it in your kitchen drawer or backback without fear of injuring yourself. I like this idea, and wish more kitchen knives would come with something like this; for now, I'm stuck making sheaths out of cardboard and tape.
Again, the blade is extremely thin and sharp. Here it is in comparison to an Old Hickory boning knife (which is 1/16" thick)
Fit and finish were perfect. I understand that there isn't much to wrapping some Kraton around a handle, but I've got knives like this that had gaps or just plain shook around in the handle - right out of the box. After using the K5 for a while, there was none of that. There were no overlaying mold lines or uneven seams.
The Handle: The K5 is a full tang knife, although the tang is hidden underneath the handle. The handle is one-piece Kraton, colored black, with a checkered surface and ridged front and back. It's 4-1/4" long and 1/2" thick.
The lanyard hole is large enough to slip a shoelace in, and it shows the tang.
The front and back of the handle have ridges textured in, and are quite comfortable.
The handle makes this the most comfortable kitchen knife I've ever used. It's soft enough to grip your hand and ensure a safe usage, yet it doesn't feel flimsy or too cushy. The front of the handle is grooved on the undersiade, and I'm only guessing that this is to give your index finger a little area behind the blade to rest without touching the cutting surface.
Actual use of the knife was very, well, comfortable. The combination of blade and handle materials really makes this a winner for slicing meats and fruits, as well as dicing vegetables for a stew. Probably the best-feeling handle I've held in a kitchen knife.
The Blade: The K5 has a blade made of VG-1 stainless steel, hardened to around 59 on the Rockwell scale. I like the idea of using a good steel in a kitchen knife without the exorbenant price, and the K5 does this nicely. The blade is technically 5-1/8" long and just a hair under 1/16" thick; it's very thin. It's also full flat ground, and for a blade this thin, that makes it an excellent slicer (did I say that already?). The blade is a hocho-style shape and lends itself perfectly to kitchen tasks, as it should.
The blade came extremely sharp, and was ready to slice and dice right out of the box. It also came with a black plastic cover for the blade, so you can keep it in your kitchen drawer or backback without fear of injuring yourself. I like this idea, and wish more kitchen knives would come with something like this; for now, I'm stuck making sheaths out of cardboard and tape.
Again, the blade is extremely thin and sharp. Here it is in comparison to an Old Hickory boning knife (which is 1/16" thick)
Fit and finish were perfect. I understand that there isn't much to wrapping some Kraton around a handle, but I've got knives like this that had gaps or just plain shook around in the handle - right out of the box. After using the K5 for a while, there was none of that. There were no overlaying mold lines or uneven seams.
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