The Shun Premier Grey Santoku Knife is a beautiful, Asian-inspired chef's knife. It works exceptionally well with vegetables, proteins, and fruit for slicing, dicing, and chopping. The slight belly curve enables you to rock the blade slightly and makes this santoku as easy to use as a chef's knife. It is especially well suited to a down-and-forward cutting motion or push cut, and many cooks swear by their santoku for top performance.<br /><br />The Shun Premier Grey line calls to mind as the hand-forged knives of ancient Japan. While each knife still takes at least 100 handcrafted steps to complete, the materials Shun uses are among the most advanced in the industry. Each blade has a cutting core of Shun's proprietary VG-MAX "super steel" to take and hold a precision edge. The layered Damascus cladding supports the core and provides additional stain resistance. Near the edge of the blade where the steels meet, an undulating line is formed, similar to samurai swords using a traditional clay-baking technique. The hammered tsuchime finish acts like a series of hollow-ground cavities to reduce drag. The grey PakkaWood handles nestle comfortably in the hand, while the embossed end cap adds balance and beauty. Handcrafted in Seki, Japan with a limited lifetime warranty.