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Named for the sacred sword carried by Japan's Samurai warriors, Calphalon Katana Series cutlery has its roots in a centuries-old tradition of superior cutlery craftsmanship. Like the awe-inspiring swords wielded by the Samurai, Calphalon Katana Series cutlery is crafted using a time-honored layering process that creates a Damascus style blade, clad with 33 stainless steel layers. This unique series of cutlery uses VG Japanese steel, which provides exceptional sharpness and ultimate edge retention. These knives also feature a patented integrated bolster design and an ergonomically designed poly-resign handle. This 8 piece Katana series set is an ideal combination for the kitchen. The set includes: a 3.5" Parer, 5" Santoku, 5.5" Serrated Utility, 6" Utility, 8" Chef's, Kitchen Shears, Bamboo Knife Block and a Diamond Steel.
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Technical Details
- 8-piece Katana knife set by Calphalon- Includes 3-1/2-inch paring knife, 5-inch Santoku, 5-1/2-inch serrated utility, 6-inch utility, 8-inch chef's knife, kitchen shears, bamboo knife block, and diamond steel
- Crafted from 33 layers of VG Japanese stainless steel; Damascus-style blade
- Integrated bolster design and ergonomic poly-resin handles
- Hand washing and prompt drying recommended; lifetime warranty
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By Mountain (Austin, TX)
Great Knife set! I did lot of research and finally decided to buy Calphalon Katana 8 piece set. But it turned out to be great decision. The Knives looks beautiful and the handle is one of the best I have seen so far. It is very comfortable; especially the integrated bolster for my pinch grip. I specially like the 8" Chef knife. It has perfect weight and balance. Out the box I did not find them super sharp. Some were sharper than others. The smaller ones had Don't get me wrong; it is sharp for average person but not for me because my obsession for sharpness. After few minutes on 6000 grit Japanese water stone and little bit of stropping on leather belt it now scary sharp! It holds the sharpness for very long time. The average user should be able to keep the sharpness for months without any use of sharpening steel. My old German knives are gathering dust. I just simply can't think of going back to German blades.
Beware of the included Sharpening steel, it is very abrasive; if not used correctly it will dull your knives. I actually do not use them and instead use my old ceramic steel.
It is a great bargain for the price. If the money were not an objective I would have got those custom Japanese Damascus knives. Buy these, you will not go wrong.
Calphalon Katana Stainless-Steel 8-Piece Knife Block Set
By J. Richards
Really enjoying this knife set. The selection and sizes of knifes are good for home cooking. Have owned these for about 8 weeks now and they knives seem to be holding there sharpness well. I particularly like the Santuko knives and use those the most. And I found cleanup of the knives to be simple and easy. They fit well in my hand and feel very comfortable. They also seem well made and high quality.
While I'm not a chef myself a couple people I work with are and they showed me a bunch of different manufacturers knives. They told me they rather liked the Calphalon knives and suggested I check them out. I bought the 7" Santuko by itself prior to buying the set. I liked it so much that I decided to invest into a set. No regrets at all. A set of knives like this will last me for many years to come.
By Driscoll Kent Bell (Venice, CA)
These blades are NOT stainless steel - the damascus style outer metal is stainless but the knife edge itself and the center "core" of the blade is actually high carbon tool steel and rusts, pits and even chips away VERY easily. Anyone who owns high-end knives knows that this is completely unacceptable for any knife marketed to the general public.
I own several Hinkels, Wosthofs, and even two Shun "classics" and received the 5" Santoku knife as a gift. I very much enjoyed the knife - from the unconventiaonal look to the fierce quality of the blade. It was great until one fateful day when I was lazy after a dinner party and left the blade alone in a slightly wet sink. The next morning, you wouldn't believe how badly the knife edge splintered and rusted after only 12 hours! It was completely ruined!
Every one has been warned!
Do NOT purchase these knives.
By Tcubed (Phoenix, AZ USA)
Have now had Calphalon Katana's for almost two years; may initial reactions was what great looking knives, but I've found the beauty is somewhat skin deep. The knives are initially very sharp but they don't hold a edge as well as my (much more expensive Shun knives). But my biggest gripe is that if they are NOT cleaned and dried right away they tend to rust, most annoying. I've been very careful about this, but when others use them the problems persists; and if the rust develops close to the edge, the edge tends to pit. This can and has been corrected but I don't know why it should be a problem. I care these knives the same as I do with a few Shun knives that I have and I don't have the same problem with them. Probably a different type of steel used, but both have the beautiful layered blades. The Shuns are 3 to 4 times more expensive than the Calphalon Katana's, they are sharper and stay sharper longer and are a little lighter. The Kantana's are a good value for what you get, the Shun's are an investment.
By Jessica Tok (Lincoln, NE United States)
Pros:
These knives are pretty, with a rounded black handle, and a layered damascus-style blade. This means the blade, while relatively smooth, has a wavy-layered look to it. The Amazon picture is accurate to what you will receive in your set. Out of the box, each knife is quite sharp; enough to shear paper, but not hair.
I have smaller hands, and have some trouble wielding the 8" chef's knife, but find that the 5" Santoku is excellent for chopping vegetables. The 6" utility knife is also very useful for thinly slicing meats. I do use a different paring knife (Pampered Chef) as I find the Katana paring knife a little too sharp and rigid for say, lopping the ends off string beans in my hand. We also made the additional purchase of the 9" bread knife to complete the set. The bamboo block is attractive, and the slots are wide and deep enough to put other wide-bladed/long knives in. However, note that if you get the bread knife, that only leaves 3 empty slots (i.e. no dedicated steak knife slots).
Cons:
Two slight cons about this set: (1) The diamond-sharpener looks too coarse to use on these blades, and; (2) The shears in this set are lackluster. While they are relatively heavy-duty, they do not come apart for cleaning, and the handles are a little large and unwieldy. I prefer a smaller-handled set of kitchen shears that come apart for cleaning (when I decide to cut meat instead of slicing it, a la Alton Brown). But in their defense, they do cut cleanly.
Comparisons:
We love our Katanas, and they make ordinary chopping/slicing a much more endurable chore with their sharpness and ease. If you are "stepping up" from an ordinary consumer-grade set, you will definitely feel the difference. For example, I had a $90, 10-piece Kitchenaid set. The Katana Santoku knife is definitely more balanced, and the garlics/onions slide right off the Katana's grooves, whereas sometimes foods would stick on the Kitchenaid. I do find that the Kitchenaid chef's knife is slightly easier to handle, due to the longer curve (better rocking-chopping motion), and the slightly reduced weight, but the Katana is sharper, more rigid, cleaner-cutting, and therefore faster. The Kitchenaid shears were lighter (easier to wield) but flimsier. Unlike the KitchenAid shears, don't expect the Katanas to make a scissor-like snipping noise, they are entirely silent. The Katanas do require slightly care than your run-of-the-mill knife set, but simply wash them shortly after you're done using them and dry them prior to putting them back into the block.
Personal Opinion:
I don't know what "Professional Chefs" think, and I'm just an average cook. Thus, these knives went above and beyond my expectations by reducing my prep time, and adding an attractive focal point to the counter. Granted, they don't come out of the block making a lovely ringing steel noise like our Shun steak knives, but for the foreseeable future on a limited budget, the Katanas are a worthy investment.
Some Miscellaneous Notes:
These knives are made from VG-Japanese steel, but they are manufactured in China. We found this set (1st Quality) at more than 50% off in one of the big box stores, which made it a steal. However, if we had paid full-price, we probably would have done a comparison with a Shun knife set instead.
[Edit - July 2008] Since purchasing these knives, we have noticed the following: (1) do not leave them overnight in water - as they will rust badly, (2) the 5" Santoku has inexplicably developed two hairline fractures in the blade. It was my favorite knife, was not used on inappropriate objects/materials (not used for chopping bones or anything), and was always used on a cutting board, so this development within a year has been very disappointing. I still like the set, but the rusting and the fracturing make me a little less pleased with them. I would drop the star-quality to 3.0-3.5.
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