On Tue, 20 Nov 2007 04:57:33 -0600, Sqwertz > wrote:

>They're the best santoku knives on the market. JHenckels seems
>to have the market cornered on "Decent" to "Very decent" Santoku
>knives.

Oh, please. You've sampled the entire market?

But just for any newbies who might be reading: Many years ago, I started out
with a few Henckels knives (Four Star). Now, Henckels makes a fine product. But
what they make may or may not suit your needs and desires. I soon figured out
that they generally don't suit mine.

Today, I have two very large, full knife blocks in my kitchen. There's not a
single Henckels knife in either one. They've either been given away, or are
stuck away in the attic as travel spares or such. I've found other knives that
suit me better (e.g., more heft, better balance, wider handle, either a deeper
belly or an outright French edge, etc.)

For me, both the Wusthof Culinar and the Shun with kullens are superior to the
Henckels santokus. Moreover, there are ceramic santokus, like the Kyocera, that
can be very useful. And I'm sure there are a number of Japanese knife
afficionadoes lying in the weeds who can name all sorts of more traditional
santokus that they consider superior to any I've mentioned.

-- Larry