Yu Kurosaki Gekko XEOS Santoku

About this range

First Impressions

Right out of the box the Gekko is a thin knife and that profile is just ready to cut. Kurosaki-san is perhaps better known for knives that are a bit more showy with their incredible hammer finishes but this line is pure understated class.

Beauty

In an update from the previous versions of the Gekko line, the XEOS features a light nashiji finish on the cladding and the single piece octagonal oak handle or subtly patterned dark birch wood with white spacer are both lovely ways to offset the blade.

The slightly unorthodox "Ei" shape of the spine provides more visual interest as well as additional clearance.

In Hand

Across the range, the Gekko has a thin profile bordering on a laser and on the smaller petty and longer sujihiki you'll find even with the slanted Ei shape, they feel quite familiar in hand height wise.

That shape does come into its own a little more once you use the all rounders (bunka and gyuto) and also the nakiri where there is a definite feel and benefit of the additional height and clearance.

Durability

VG XEOS is a newly developed steel from Takefu Special Steel Co. and has been designed to offer high levels of stain and corrosion resistance and durability at a high hardness.

At 61HRC it strikes a closer balance between edge retention and robustness than the significantly harder previous version so is a bit more forgiving for longer term use.

Ease of Care

The XEOS steel has been designed to offer high levels of stain resistance so is effectively a fully stainless knife so we'd recommend caring for them by following our normal care tips.

Our Verdict

The original HAP40 Gekko was a favourite of ours, the understated looks and unique Ei profile and impressive finish and the incredible edge retention of the HAP40 steel made them exceptional knives so it's a little unusual for a blacksmith to change out the core steel of a line rather than introduce a different "version" or range.

The difficulty of reliable heat treating HAP40 meant Kurosaki-san has decided on the switch to a steel that is a little easier to work with and has a lower failure rate during production.

XEOS steel was introduced in 2023 and will be a widely used material in many blacksmiths ranges because of its durability and corrosion resistance.

Our initial impressions are that the updated nashiji finish is of a higher standard than the previous line and that overall, the profile, shape and feel of the knives remains the same as before. No doubt this version of the Gekko will be just as successful and it's another impressive range.