Wusthof WU4176 Classic Ikon 7-Inch Santoku, Hollow Edge, Black, One Size

This is quite a beautiful knife, but I was surprised to see how much smaller it is compared to the Santoku knife that I have used for years. It is extremely sharp, very high quality, and a nice addition to my kitchen cutlery collection. (A few weeks later) Now that I have had this knife for awhile, I find myself using it quite a lot. It is a perfect size for slicing meat and vegetables for stir fry or stew, and it’s great for slicing tomatoes. It has become my “go to” cooking knife.

I got The Wusthof Classic Ikon Santoku 5" knife after researching about the different tiers of models and their craftmanship. The Classic Ikon line I would consider Wusthof's middle-of-the pack line of knives. Before I did my research, I have already purchased a set of Gourmet line knives (entry level). Let me tell you, The quality between the two lines is like night and day. The balance, quality and ergonomic on the Classic Ikon santoku is amazing. Very light weight and cuts up vegetables and boneless meats with ease. I am a lefty in a world of righties, so this fits well on either hand. This fact (along with pricing) is a reason why Shun knives with their cool Demascus blade out of the equation: because of their special "D" handles makes them -handed specific...but I digress. I am an amateur when it comes to cutlery and cooking, but when friends and family come over and help prepare the meal, I always get the "woah!" expression when they use this knife. It also helps that I have my set on a magnetic rack on the wall to showcase them. My sister was so impressed that I instantly knew what to get her for Christmas. Keep in mind that when you do need to sharpen this knife, to do it with an Asian knife sharpener. It has a sharper angle than other knives like the Chef's knife. I believe it's 15 degrees for Asian knives like the santoku versus 20 degrees on the others like the Chef's. From an amateur's perspective, this is the best knife I have ever used (except for the all-mighty butter knife!).

This is my first Wusthof purchase. I currently own a Henckels knife set and wanted to add the 7" Santoku Chef knife to my collection for a new twist. The Wusthof Ikon Classic Santoku has an incredibly sharp edge, cutting through soft tomatoes with little effort was a joy. I nicked and cut myself without even knowing because the blade was so sharp. I love the ergonomic way the Santoku handle feels in my hand, the knife is very balanced. I haven't been able to rock this knife the same way like my classic edge knives, so this knife definitely cuts differently. The hollow edge is supposed to keep food from sticking to the blade while making cutting easier, it made cutting seem easier, not so sure about food not sticking to blade. Sadly after about 3 weeks of cutting on a wooden cutting board it had already lost some of it's razor sharp edge and will need sharpening. Wasn't expecting this to happen so quickly, but I use it several times per day. I'm planning on adding the regular Hollow Edge Ikon Classic 6" Chef Knife & 3.5" Paring knife to my growing Wusthof collection (Merry Christmas to me!)and eventually phasing out my tired Henckels for the new Hollow Edge tech. All in all, I'm converting.

I have an entire set and had one slot left a decided to but the 7 inch Santoku. If I could only buy one knife it would be this knife. It works great for everything. I use this instead of a chefs knife or the wonder knife. It cuts cheese so well along with produce, fruit, meat.. it’s super sharp and I love this color. It’s like jewelry in your kitchen.

Very sharp out of the box, and holds an edge nicely. It is extremely high quality, and is well balanced and lightweight. It cuts with extreme ease (mostly vegetables), slices very thin, and will last many years based on the high quality construction, full tang, etc. For those that aren't familiar with Santokus, be aware they are slightly more brittle than the average chefs knife, and are not intended for raw meat cutting, and you should avoid cutting around bone especially (they're designed more for chopping). They tend to hold their edge for a long time, so shouldn't need sharpened very often. Additionally, this particular model (the Classic Ikon) is the top tier of the Wusthof knife lines, and you won't be disappointed. They are an elegant and useful addition to the kitchen, if the price tag doesn't scare you off. But remember, with these knives, it is a life long investment, and will be worth it in the long run.

Used to work in restaurants cooking, then moved on to actually get paid. Missed having a good chef knife and just settled with a semi dull knife. Watching Gordon Ramsay chopping veggies, I was annoyed I couldn’t rock on like he was, anymore. So I looked at the knife he was using and it was this one. Hit Amazon and it was at my door. Wow... first foray into it and I was reliving my glory days. Soooo sharp. Had to clean up my habits as I got distracted and knife made decent slice on my fingernail. Don’t get people complaining about it getting rust... don’t leave a quality knife wet and don’t toss it in dishwasher for God’s sake. Takes me 20 seconds to handwash and dry. Take care of your tools. I handwash mine after each use and quick hand dry and back in knife magnet. Zero rust and still incredibly sharp after 3 months of use. Also, don’t drag blade along cutting board to move your food. Flip it over and use the top or lightly drag food with knife. That will save your knife edge a lot of wear.

This knife is a quality knife. I've had the Wusthof Classic Santoku for several years, it became my "go to" knife. I always hand wash my knives. The handle has developed several cracks. I know I can send it back to Wusthof on a lifetime warranty, which I will do. This knife compared to that one makes my old "go to" knife seem so cheap. This knife is beautifully balanced and is so very sharp. I looked around for something to cut. I found half a lemon and made several paper thin knife cuts. It went through that lemon like butter. My "go to" couldn't do that, even though it was sharp. If you're looking for a better knife get this one. It's really sharp so be mindful and careful.

We have been building our Ikon series for a few years as we can find good deals. They are expensive but worth it. We had to replace our cheap 5” santoku and decided to go ahead with this one. The weight and how it feels in the hand is excellent. It slices like a fine instrument and is a joy to prepare food with.