During testing, this knife was perfectly sharp without being flimsy, despite its light weight. And unlike steel blades that seem to have some give, this one felt inflexible in comparison. It cut butternut squash cleanly and cut completely through our paper tests directly out of the box.

Knife-making is a trade off between hardness and brittleness. “If you try to sharpen a banana it won’t develop a very sharp edge, because it’s a soft material. At the other end of the scale, if you sharpen glass it will get very sharp indeed, but it’s very brittle,” says Timpson.Key specs – Blade material: Roll-forged Japanese steel and copper; Handle material: Kebony; Size: 17cm If Global’s Samurai heritage is a bit oversold, TOG’s is easier to justify. They’re a British firm but their blades are made by hand in Seki, about 200 miles west of Tokyo, each passing through the hands of eight different craftsmen. They’re released in small batches and they cost an awful lot – but they feel qualitatively different to use. I used to be a motoring journalist and the feeling is similar to your first time driving a Ferrari. (You can see how people come over all unnecessary about Japanese knives.) We tried the knife on a number of items, including garlic, onion, tomato, and a piece of paper. There was no tearing on the tomato, and the knife was able to slice very thinly with ease. It also smashed garlic easily and minced well. The knife's sharp hollow edge helped it glide through an onion, and it only experienced a slight drag when cutting butternut squash. It even sliced through paper twice with only minimal tearing on the second run.

It's a hefty investment and the mountain etchings are less traditional that the typical santoku grooves. You will also need a knife sharpener to keep your knives in good condition. (See below for our favourite one.) Minimal sized mirror polished bolster further perfects the carefully engineered balance and gently encourages a comfortable and proper pinch grip

Knife Shop UK

We investigate the most popular and bestselling chef's knives. We buy all the knives we test. Sharpness test We found this knife to be very good at most cutting tasks, leaving a pretty edge. However, the handle may be somewhat awkward to hold for those with smaller hands. It's a bit longer and straighter than similar knives, which had the end of the handle bumping into our forearm.