Kotetsu Petty VG-10 Damascus 150mm (5.9")
✔︎ No import fees & duties - worldwide |
- Description
- Specifications
- Knife Care
- Shipping
The Kotetsu VG-10 Damascus Petty 150 mm is a small Janapese knife with visible hammer prints, a damascus pattern and a classic Japanese (wa-style) teak handle. It will impress anyone who appreciates aesthetically designed kitchen utensils.
The knife is extremely thin (1.9mm) so it will slide through ingredients with ease, and the choice of VG-10 stainless steel ensures rust resistance, durability, and wear resistance. Because it is low-maintenance, it is suitable as a first Japanese kitchen knife, and due to its exceptional value for money, it also makes a great gift for your favorite cooking enthusiasts.
BLADE SHAPE:
A petty knife is a multi-purpose knife that is smaller in size than other Japanese knives, so it also allows for in-hand work such as coring and peeling, as well as other smaller tasks for which larger knives are deemed unwieldy. It is seen as one of the most important knives to have in the kitchen, coming second only to gyuto (the Japanese version of the Western chef’s knife).
In basic terms, a petty knife is a preparation knife that gets the ingredients ready for the use of a larger knife such as a santoku, bunka, gyuto, or sujihiki. It is used as a primary knife that complements a larger secondary all-rounder, and together they can handle the vast majority of food prep work.
The reason for its popularity lies in its small size and sturdy spine—it can handle most small and intricate tasks that other knives are too big or fragile for, including in-hand work such as peeling, or cutting meat at the tendons. Its smallness is also the source of its name petty, which comes from the French word “petit”.
STEEL:
VG-10 is currently the most popular Japanese steel. When deciding between the steels from which we want to make a knife, we consider properties such as hardness, ability to maintain sharpness, ease of maintenance, grain of the steel, ease of sharpening, and, ultimately, price and availability. VG-10 (V for Vanadium, G for "gold", denoting superior quality) is produced by Takefu Special Steel Company, a relatively small company that managed to find just the right balance between the various elements that make up today's most popular Japanese steel. VG-10 is a relatively high (1%) carbon (C), 15% chromium (Cr), 1% molybdenum (Mo), 0.3% vanadium (V) and 1.5% cobalt (Co) stainless steel. The combination of Cr, Mo and V forms a lot of hard carbides, which gives the steel resistance to abrasion and consequently better retention of sharpness.
LAMINATION:
The blade consists of 17 layers of steel. Steels with high hardness have many advantages, but because of their hardness, they are more brittle and thus more susceptible to damage. Blades made of such steels are therefore laminated using the san-mai method, thereby improving their structural integrity and consequently resistance to various impacts and other physical factors that could lead to damage. San-mai means "three layers" in Japanese and refers to a blade that consists of a primary inner layer of harder steel (hagane) and two outer layers of softer steel (jigane) that are made up of multiple layers.
BLADE GEOMETRY:
The blade is double-bevel (symmetrical) and extremely thin, which is key to preparing food with minimal damage to the cell membranes of the ingredients. This enables greater preservation of the taste and appearance of the food.
The thickness of the blade largely determines the sharpness of the knife, as well as easier and faster sharpening.
BLADE FINISH:
The blade stands out because of its hammer impressions that were added across the top of the blade, in combination with a damascus pattern. The wavy shinogi line runs along the cutting edge and marks the boundary between the layers.
Hammer patterns are called tsuchime. Air is trapped in the air pockets during cutting, which helps the blade slide through the food without sticking, which enables fast and accurate food preparation.
HANDLE:
The knife has a classic Japanese handle (wa-style) made of teak wood, with a resin ferrule. The shape of the handle is octagonal, so it fits in both the right and left hand.
SMITHY:
The Yasuda Hamono smithy has been operating since 1957. It is located in the city of Seki (Gifu Prefecture), which is the cradle of blacksmithing in Japan. They are dedicated to research and development, tirelessly perfecting heat treatment and grinding techniques to make the most of the unique characteristics of different steels when making knives. This dedication to knife making has carried over from the original "Sakusaku" brand to brands such as Seki Kotetsu, Gen Kotetsu, and Kotetsu. Knives are the work of dedicated hands of craftsmen who have a deep love and respect for their craft.
Due to its geographical location and natural resources, Seki has been a place where blacksmithing has been perfected for more than 800 years and is known throughout the world as the home of the modern Japanese knife industry. Namely, the blacksmiths of this area transferred the ancient knowledge of forging katanas into kitchen knives.
Blade shape: Petty
Steel type: VG-10
Blade construction: San-mai / tsuchime
Hardness (HRC scale): 61
Overall length: 278mm (10.9")
Blade length: 153mm (6.0")
Blade height: 29mm (1.1")
Spine thickness: 1.9mm (0.07")
Weight: 70g (2.46 oz)
Handle length: 115mm (4.5")
Handle type / wood: Japanese handle [wa] / teak and resin
Kanji on the blade:
Blacksmith: Yasuda Hamono
Location of the smithy: SEKI / Gifu Prefecture / Japan
☝️ Japanese kitchen knives in our store are handmade from natural materials. Slight variations in color, texture, weight and other dimensions are possible. We try to give a good photographic representation of our products, however computer screen resolution and colors do vary, so products might not look exactly as they are seen on screen.
Blade wear depends on the quality of steel, usage and maintenance of the blade. Japanese knives are made of high-quality steels. Follow these tips to keep your Japanese knife in top-notch shape:
✔ Use a wooden, plastic or rubber cutting board.
✔ After use, wash the knives and wipe them dry.
✔ For storage, use a knife holder or a protective knife sheath (saya).
✔ A good cutting technique is your best bet to prolong sharpness.
✔ Use sharpening stones to sharpen the knife.
❗️Don’t leave the knife in the sink. Wash it by hand.
❗️Don’t wash the knife in the dishwasher.
❗️Don’t use the knife on glass, ceramics, marble or steel surfaces.
❗️Don’t scrape the food off the cutting board with the edge of the blade. Use the spine of the knife instead.
❗️Knife is a tool intended for specific use - cutting food. It is not a can opener, screwdriver, trowel, wire cutter, hammer etc.
→ For more details, read our guide
on Maintenance of Kitchen Knives.
🤙 Contact us if you need some help. We reply within 1 business day.
SHIPPING RATES:
- €10 - flat worldwide rate with DHL Express (express delivery, 2-5 business days).
- FREE - all orders over €300 (DHL Express).
EXCEPTIONS:
- United Kingdom - shipping to UK costs €15. All orders are shipped with UPS Express (2-3 business days). Free shipping on orders over €300.
- Russia (currently not available) - shipping to Russia costs €40. All orders are shipped with EMS postal service.
DUTIES AND IMPORT TAXES:
We ship all orders DDP (duties & taxes paid). This means you will not be charged for any import fees and taxes (including VAT). All our prices are final. The price you see at checkout is the final price, no hidden costs.
DELIVERY TIME:
- Europe: 1-2 business days
- US & Canada: 2-4 business days
- Rest of the World: 3-5 business days
RETURNS:
Our return policy lasts 30 days. If more than 30 days have gone by since the day you received your order, unfortunately we can’t offer you a refund or exchange.
→ Read our SHIPPING & RETURNS policy for more info. We strive to solve any issues fast and with as little hassle for you. If you have some additional questions, please contact us.
Each knife comes with:
✔️ Instructions and knife care leaflet.
✔️ A preventive Band-Aid – the knives are very sharp! 😉
✔️ Original box from the blacksmith, which we wrap in an old Japanese newspaper sheet – so every knife is ready to be passed on as a gift as soon as it hits your doorstep!
✔️ We also offer a special gift wrapping option with the traditional Japanese washi paper.
QUIZ
Still doubting which type of Japanese knife should best fit your needs?
We created a 5-steps quiz to help you find the perfect knife based on your cooking skills and the type of food you prepare.