China
5Cr15MoV, pakkawood, and a bevel that suits either hand
Two knives, consistently specified.
A 9 cm (3.5 in) paring knife and a 17.8 cm (7 in) santoku, both 5Cr15MoV with pakkawood handles, both stated for left- and right-handed use, the santoku with a 13° double bevel and the paring knife stated rust resistant.
A double bevel ground equally on both sides cuts straight for either hand. A single-bevel or asymmetrically ground knife steers, and it steers the wrong way for a left-handed user. Stating it is more useful than it looks.
5Cr15MoV is a soft-to-middling stainless: easy to sharpen, quick to dull, and forgiving of a dishwasher in a way a hard Japanese steel is not. That is a fair trade at this price.
The santoku, for the published 13° bevel.
17.8 cm (7 in) blade · 5Cr15MoV steel · 13° double bevel · pakkawood handle · left- and right-handed
A 17.8 cm (7 in) santoku in 5Cr15MoV steel ground at a stated 13° per side, with a pakkawood handle and a symmetrical bevel that suits either hand.
Best for: Vegetables and fish, from someone who will keep it off bones.
9 cm (3.5 in) blade · 5Cr15MoV steel · pakkawood handle · left- and right-handed · stated rust resistant
The top of this hub: a 9 cm (3.5 in) paring knife in named 5Cr15MoV steel with a pakkawood handle, ambidextrous, from the same range as the santoku above.
Best for: Someone building a matched set rather than buying a multipack.
