MAC Brand Santoku Knife w/Bolster (#MSK65)

It only took seventeen years of sharpening in professional restaurant kitchens to wear out my first Mac. These are fantastic knives and if you're buying one for home use it will last the rest of your life--assuming you care for it. Can't recommend this brand enough, they're the perfect blend of German and Japanese styles. I recommend sharpening on a very fine grit (6000/8000).

According to Heston Blumenthal, 3 Michelin star chef - "Knives ...what I consider to be the best available, MAC. These are not cheap, but are simply the best!" (Family Food, 2004). After reading this recommendation from Heston a few years ago, I hunted high and low for MAC knives and eventually found a kitchenware shop selling them in San Francisco. I have bought four MAC knives so far, (3 through Amazon) and just gave one of these to my son to take to University - he really enjoyed using it while learning to cook with his mother, and favoured it over all the other knives we have. (including several Global knives). I also have the normal bladed version of this (without the dimples in the blade) - somehow the dimples make a difference - there seems to be less resistence while chopping or slicing, maybe due to the voids reducing the surface tension between the blade and the food being chopped. This knife is extremely comfortable to use, is beautifully balanced and slices through vegetables effortlessly. Simply the best.

I am starting to replace all the inferior kitchen supplies with good ones, so I can perhaps start to enjoy cooking, and eventually cook better food! I got this knife because it was recommended in the America's Test Kitchen book (which is awesome-- so far I've made the pot roast and the skillet baked ziti-- both tasted like someone else cooked them, so I take that as a good sign of things to come.) I have small hands, and this knife feels very secure in them. The handle is balanced nicely with the blade, so even though it is a lot bigger than i am used to using, I feel comfortable using it. It's also a pretty knife, which is important to me. Like I said, I'm trying to enjoy cooking more, so if pretty knife is more fun to use, then so be it. I like the fancy packaging, too. One thing I didn't notice online, was that under the Mac logo, it says "mighty" in cursive. I love that more than I can say. Yes, it is a mighty knife! And it makes cutting fun! I cut up three onions and didn't make an angry face once.

smooth cutting, light weight. Seems like the one everyone grabs but the edge has held up well with only a light honing on a DMT white rod. Glides trough about everything. Edge feels thin on some things and worries me about damage but none appears. Sweet santoku and I have others in similar price range that are no better if as good. Shun Premier, Zwilling Twin Cermax M66. Tojiro Dp, Tojiro Damascus , Lamson & Goodnow, Suncraft/Messemiester. You'll problely love it unless it's subjected to abuse that would damage most fine edges.

I am an experienced cook and this knife is by far my favorite to reach for when I need a chef's knife. My personal choice is to have a cadre of highly functional and useful knives that I trust implicitly rather wasting money on a matched set of knives of which most are only marginal performers. The sharpness of this knife is, as most describe, incredible. You can cut through most things with very little effort. The balance of this knife and the in-hand feel make it a pleasure to use. If you consider yourself an intermediate cook or below that skill level, I recommend that you buy yourself a Forschner or Victorinox (same company) mesh cutting glove for the hand opposite the one you hold the knife with. It's a small price to pay for not having to worry about cutting yourself with this (or any other good) knife.A couple of drawbacks: the knife is very thin and so it must be handled with care; the tip is easily breakable. It is not dishwasher-safe, so for those of you who run your fine cutlery through the dishwasher (I do not) that might be a drawback for you. It will eventually lose its sharpness and you must have specific tools to sharpen Japanese knives - if you use a traditional electric sharpener, for instance, you will ruin the edge and have to send it out for resharpening. And even with waterstones and ceramic rods you will find it can be a challenge to return it to its like-new sharpness.All that being said, I have purchased several of these for gifts for my friends who are cooks because they are that good. I'm about to purchase a second one for myself. By the way, the House of Rice store that sells this knife through Amazon is easy to deal with and has great prices.

Been using a couple German knives for over a dozen years and I thought they were at the top of the heap in their price range. Then a couple of years ago I got a MAC knife as a present. It outclassed the German knives I had been using in most every way. The knife I reach for first is a santoku. Resisted replacing it because it is a decent knife and I wondered how much better a MAC santoku would be. When I gave in a bought a MAC santoku, I found it exceeded my expectations. Handling is great and the edge is so keen you can barely feel it cutting. I believe you have to be more diligent about washing the MAC promptly because of the slightly different composition of the metal in the blade. The blade angle is different from conventional knives also. But they make a clever sharpener for people like me who lack the skill to hold a precise, consistent angle while sharpening with a rod or stone: http://www.amazon.com/Mac-Knife-Rollsharp-Hone-Sharpenner/dp/B000RKT41Y/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1393171202&sr=8-6&keywords=mac+sharpener

I emailed MAC Knife customer service on June 2 to inquire the best way to sharpen my new knife since I want to be very careful not to damage the blade. Over three weeks later and I have yet to receive a response. The knife is well constructed and exceptionally sharp. The three star rating is a combination of the manufacturer's customer service (poor) and the quality of the product (very good).