Tsunehisa AUS8 Santoku

About this range

First Impressions

When you first open the box, the first thing you'll notice is a similarity with some of the other Tsunehisa knives we stock, there's definitely some consistency once you take a closer look at the grind along the cutting edge of the AUS8 and this is a good thing. 

These are well finished and impressively sharp knives right out of the box.

Beauty

It's a great looking knife, Tsunehisa's hammer finish and the grind down to the cutting edge really have that visual appeal and practically, the hammered dimples aid food release so when paired with the full tang Western shaped pakka wood handle it's a great all round package.

In Hand

Obviously with the Western full tang handle the knife is a little heavier than its Japanese wa handled alternatives but it's still got a nice feel in hand and is well balanced light and easy to use.

Durability

Now with a knife at this price point, you do have to accept some degree of compromise to reach this price point and the compromise here is just that AUS8 at 60HRC understandably doesn't quite have the edge retention of harder and higher priced steels.

It means you will have to hone and sharpen a little more regularly to keep that edge super sharp but it's quick and easy to get an edge with AUS8 so it's hardly the end of the world having to spend a little extra time once in a while with your sharpening stone and honing rod.

This doesn't mean you're going to have to sharpen it every time you use it by the way - simply that in comparison, you will want to spend a little more time keeping up to maintenance than with higher priced knives.

Ease of Care

Just follow our normal care and storage instructions and learn more about carbon steel care.

Our Verdict

This is a knife with a lot of positives!

It looks fantastic, it's priced extremely well and would be a perfect choice for someone just starting to get into Japanese knives and it's got a great edge and fininsh quality. 

The only "downside" if we can even call it one, is simply that AUS8 doesn't retain an edge as well as knives in a higher price bracket made from higher standard steels but honestly it's hard to expect anything else. 

At this price point, Tsunehisa have made a very impressive knife that's a welcome addition to our site and one we'd happily recommend for a first time buyer or someone looking to add one to a collection.