Tojiro Knives Review

Tojiro Knives Review: 

Tojiro Knives are  manufactured by the Fujitora Industries in Niigata Japan and they produce several lines of kitchen knives from very inexpensive to over a $1000 and every price point in between. They also make several lines of Kitchen Knives for the western market with varying steel quality and price points. This review will focus on the two most popular western lines: The Powdered High Speed Steel Series, and the DP Series. Both have similar 3 rivet, traditional western handles and a minimal collared bolster they call a ring. Both lines are beveled symmetrically and are clad, meaning they sandwich a piece of high quality steel that can take a super sharp edge on the inside with an outer shell of softer stainless steel to protect the inner core. You can see the demarcation of the two steels on these knives at the edge. Over time the hard inner core steel will discolor with a mild patina over time.

The Tojiro DP Line is a mid priced line that truly offers one of the best values in the kitchen knife world today. The knife we tested was the Tojiro DP F-808 which measures 210mm on the blade or about 8.25". The knife is light in the hand and well balanced. The edge is remarkable and the first time we sliced an orange an audible gasp came from the tester it was so sharp. The knife's edge held up very well over our 1 month trial but needed an occasional swipe of a steel to keep the edge aligned. This knife out performed several other knives that were twice the price and we feel this is a best buy at $89.95. We can't think of another knife that offers better performance at this price.

The Tojiro Powdered High Speed Steel Series is a similar looking knife with different core steel used on the knife's edge. All other components of the knife including the exterior of the blade appear to be the same. The knife was similar in sharpness out of the box but it held its edge longer than the DP. It was also slightly more difficult to hone and sharpen. The core is made from very expensive steel called Powdered High Speed Steel. The knife can take a very sharp edge but at over twice the price of the DP Line, we prefer the value proposition of the DP. The analogy here is you get a 10% better knife with the Powdered Steel Knife at more than twice the price. Our opinion is go for the DP.