Mercer Culinary M23590 Renaissance, 7-Inch Santoku Knife

I have a friend who I'm trying to bring out of the ugly world of serrated knives. I wanted to buy him a good all-round kitchen knife that I could most easily teach him to sharpen on a waterstone. So I chose a Santoku style. The next question was what knife in particular. I have been cooking for decades and have a fair collection of Japanese and European style knives and so have some knife savvy. I didn't want to try to start him off with a hard low-angle Japanese blade - I wanted something more like Wustof, but without their absolutely unwarranted, ridiculous pricing. A chef friend told the culinary schools almost all use Mercer for their students. Now that sounded just right. So I researched a bit and found that most folks liked them so I pulled the trigger. Well, they were everything I hoped for, A good forged high-carbon stainless blade with a partial bolster, a full three-rivet tang with industrial quality scales, and a nice fit and finish. According to my micrometer the blade is exactly .100" thick at the spine which is plenty. I honed it up on a 2000 grit Shapton stone and it took a really nice edge. I mean really, for $40.00 what more can you ask for?

My last knife purchase was a $150 Zwilling Chef's Knife, so I do appreciate good knives. This 7 inch Santoku Knife from Zwilling is every bit a knife as the Zwilling. The blade is every bit as sharp as the Zwilling and the ergonomics fit the hand beautifully. Fit and finish is flawless. All in all it is just a wonderful kitchen tool in every respect. It has quickly become my go to knife for most kitchen needs with the more expensive Zwilling left sitting in the knife block. This my third Mercer Knife. The others being a meat slicing knife and a round tip serrated knife for breads and and such. If I need a knife in the future there is a very strong chance that it will be a Mercer. They ARE that good.

We've had it for a year, and it's stayed sharp with some honing. It's similar shape and size to our Wulstof that we've owned for years, but I like this one a little better so it has been my go to knife from our block. And the price is much lower too.

Prior to purchasing this I bought the 8 inch Chef's Knife in the same Renaissance line with the Granton edge. it has great edge retention, was razor sharp out of the box and is overall a well made knife using quality steel.I was looking for a slightly shorter knife as a daily driver with less rounded belly and the the Santoku looked perfect for that. The Santoku shares all the same qualities as the Chef's Knife EXCEPT it lacks the rounded spine found on the Chef's Knife. If it had the same nicely rounded spine I would have definitely given it 5 stars but since it's still from the Renaissance line I would have expected it to also have a rounded spine and it doesn't.For those time when I want to choke up on my grip I do feel the spine edge press into my palms and it wouldn't be comfortable longer periods of use or harder materials like butternut squash or carrots, etc.

I've been using Mercer knives for a while now. I dated a chef and we owned Wusthofs and Zwilling knives and let me tell you. The Renaissance line has not much to envy them. It has POM, German steel, and are well balanced with beautiful shape. They're a smidge lighter which I like. Zwilling pros handles are kinda uncomfortable (too bulky and square), this is the closest match to a Whustof you will ever find and it's 3 times cheaper with the same materials. Honestly, If my Whustofs ever break, I'm replacing them with these mercers. There is nothing bad I can say about them other than the packaging is the only thing that looks deceptively cheap. Only the packaging.

Best knife I've bought in a LONG time. Don't be afraid of it being a brand you're not familiar with - it's a lot better cutter than other known brands that I've bought. I liked it so much, I bought a second exact duplicate of this knife because me and my husband are often times food prepping at the same time, so it's nice to have two excellent cutting knives available. Enjoy!

Super sharp put of package. Holds edge well with home cooking use.

This is a true pro-grade industrial knife with a full tang, excellent steel, and good ergonomics. I previously bought two knives that were total crap - one had a short partial tang and the handle broke after modest serious use. The second just had no backbone and was cheap, cheap. Of course they all had 5-star reviews from the paid trolls, or idiots. This brand is sold by many supply houses to the pros and i believe is the brand provided to CIA students. German steel. Well made. Don't ask about sharp - while it is, that's YOUR job :-)