Mercer CulinaryM20707 Genesis 7-Inch Santoku Knife,Black

I bought the Mercer Knife to replace my other two knives I've have for 10+ years. I only used it once, to cut some parsley. It's very nice to have a knife that cuts herbs, and not squish and bruise it. Even after sharpening my old knives, they still wouldn't cut parsley the way the Mercer knife does. It is definately a good entry level knife to hone in your knife skills and pinch grip, without killing the bank.I'm no professional, but I do love to cook. I like that it gives me the confidence to better my pinch grip. Not gonna lie, I was a bit skeptical about the handle, not being wood, boy I was wrong. It feels great in my hand and the balance is great. It is light in weight, but has enough weight to slice easily through herbs, and still have complete control. I can see it slicing through potatoes and other harder root vegetables eith ease. There's enough weight so you won't have to press hard, just let the knife do its job.I highly recommend this knife and I know what knife I'll get when I have to replace mine. I'm hoping I won't have to for a long while. Thank you for my beautiful knife.

I originally bought this knife in 2020, I just wanted a knife for the line. I wanted a santoku style because there is not really a point on it, and I move fast on the line so no time for a long pointer to accidentally stab myself with lol. The sound of the blade is different sounding, I love it. It's carbon steel will rust, but not easily and is want makes it so nice. I use this knife more than any other, easily the best 40$ I've sent on kitchen gear. With a different material on the handle and it's 100$ this is it 5 years later.

I've owned this knife for over 5 years now and it is pretty much the only knife I use. Well-made, holds a keen edge, easy to clean and cuts through everything with ease. I replaced a much more expensive knife with this one, thinking I'd buy a "good one" later. No need, this knife preforms as well as a knife costing 2-3 times as much. I just sent my son one as a housewarming gift.

This is an excellent knife for a sous-chef. It comes perfectly sharp, able to handle any job. If you know how to keep the blade edge properly, this knife will last you for a VERY long time. PLEASE don't use a knife sharpener and expect it to keep your blade perfect. If you don't know how to use a steel, then don't try. You need to learn to use a steel so watch about 3 videos on youtube and practice with a knife you don't care about. Make sure you are really comfortable before you pick this knife up to straighten it. 99% of people should not attempt to "sharpen" which is different from straightening. It is best to leave sharpening to the pros PERIOD.How To Use A Knife Sharpening SteelUsing a knife steel, also called a sharpening steel or honing steel, helps smooth out that roughness, leaving a nice, straight edge.With your left hand (or your right hand if you're left-handed), hold the sharpening steel point-down, with its tip resting firmly on a dry cutting board -- as if it were a large nail you were about to hammer into the board.With your other hand, hold the knife crossways against the steel with the back of the blade (the part nearest the handle) touching the steel. You're going to be pulling the knife backward, toward you, so you want to start with most of the blade in front of the steel.Tilt the knife so that its cutting edge meets the shaft of the sharpening steel at a 22½-degree angle. Don't have a protractor handy? That's OK! Remember that 90 degrees is a right angle, and 45 degrees is half of that. So 22½ degrees is just half of that. You can pretty much eyeball it.Now, maintaining this 22½-degree angle, gently pull the blade toward you while simultaneously gliding it downward along the shaft of the steel. You want to cover the entire length of the blade, keeping the blade at that 22½-degree angle the whole time. Do this step 10 times.Switch to the other side of the blade, give it ten more strokes on the steel and you're done!Tips:Make sure your sharpening steel is at least as long as the blade you are honing. For instance, if you are using a 10-inch chef's knife, your knife steel should be no shorter than 10 inches as well.After using the sharpening steel, rinse and carefully wipe the blade dry with a towel so that any tiny metal filings on the knife's edge don't end up in the food you're about to work with.Keep your knife steel handy while you're working in the kitchen. Just a few minutes of ordinary slicing on a wooden or plastic cutting board can knock your knife's delicate edge out of alignment. Once you're accustomed to the feel of a sharp knife, you'll feel the difference right away. When you do, just a few quick strokes on the steel will straighten it right out again.culinaryarts.about.com/od/culinarytools/ht/honing.htm

This is the 7-Inch Santoku.This knife can do almost everything I need a knife for in the kitchen. The only thing it can't do well is filet fish (because the blade is too sturdy) or cut through bones (e.g., like a cleaver). Otherwise, I use it for everything else.I also bought a 10-inch chef's knife from the same brand. It has the same non-slip grip, which I like much more than the wood handles I have on my other (considerably more expensive) kitchen knives. It's made from the same kind of high-carbon steel. And it holds an edge better than most of the more expensive knives I've bought before.The blade is balanced in weight with the handle. The blade's size and depth make it easy to hold. The non-slip grip is good if you're a knife-skills novice or if you're an expert who happens to be cutting up high-fat content meat.I think this knife is easier for people without a lot of experience in the kitchen to use than something like a 10-inch chef's knife, too. So if you're just learning basic knife skills, go for this over a chef's knife.And if you're an experienced chef, you're going to find this knife has everything you'd have liked from the knives in a commercial kitchen.

Most reviews will state this knife is good for the money. That is accurate. It is not a great knife, but it is good for the money. Out of the package it was sharp, but nothing compared to the Henckel or Tojiro, or Cang knives I have. All of them cost more...but not that much more. You can often catch a Henckel (not the Zwilling) Pro line on sale for a few dollars more, and it is in every way a far superior knife. However this lines up very nicely, and in many ways is better than their synergy line. The soft grip handle is unique among makers. It feels good in your hand.