Kai Michel Bras n°4 16cm santoku knife stainless steel + wooden sheath

The n°4 Santoku Kai Michel Bras knife offers unrivalled comfort and long-lasting blade efficiency for effortless vegetable slicing!

Michel Bras is a world-renowned chef known for his "creative" cuisine at his three-starred restaurant in Laguiole. His popularity extends as far as Japan, where he also runs another restaurant. The collaboration between Kai and Michel Bras was therefore a natural one, as the chef wanted to offer high-performance, durable and aesthetically pleasing knives and Utensils that would delight professionals and private individuals alike.

Kai Michel Bras knives strike the perfect balance between visual appeal, performance and durability. Michel Bras has created knives the way he likes them: easy to sharpen, comfortable to use thanks to an ergonomic handle and the right balance of weight (neither too light nor too heavy), yet pleasing to the eye like a piece of jewelry. When you choose knives from this range, you'll be owning tools designed by a great name in the culinary arts, made from quality materials and crafted in Japan by one of the country's most famous knife manufacturers.

The santoku knife is typically Japanese, but is also very popular in the West. It is appreciated for its maneuverability and the shape of its blade, specially designed for cutting, chopping and slicing vegetables. Whether you're chopping herbs with precision, or cutting vegetables into cubes, sticks or slices, this is an indispensable multi-purpose knife. The domed surface on the tip of the blade automatically creates a rocking motion, making it much easier to cut vegetables quickly without damaging them. It's also a knife with an authentic, aesthetic shape that appeals to fans of Japanese culture.

This Michel Bras santoku knife features an VG10 steel blade, an alloy considered one of the best on the market. It is considered a stainless steel thanks to its Chromium content of over 13%. This does not prevent it from having interesting characteristics in terms of blade wire endurance. In fact, VG10 steel is enriched with carbon, giving it sufficient hardness for a high-quality cutting edge. The rest of the composition includes molybdenum, which increases hardness and resistance to shock and corrosion. Finally, vanadium and manganese also enhance strength in the face of wear and abrasion.

The result is a hardness rating of 63 HRC on the Rockwell scale, equivalent to a long-lasting sharp edge after multiple uses, thanks to a well-balanced combination of the 3 steel layers that make up the blade. Nevertheless, the blade is easy to sharpen when the need arises. You can maintain it with a Sharpening stone if necessary. Be careful not to use it to cut very hard foods, such as bones.

The blade's titanium coating provides extra protection for the steel, and makes it non-stick to optimize cutting.

Finally, you can see the brand name embossed on the cutting surface, as well as the words "Made in Japan", a guarantee of quality. The back of the blade also features a cistre leaf, symbolic for Michel Bras, the delicate herb that grows on the Aubrac plateaux in Laguiole, where the chef's restaurant is located.

The handle is made from wood composite, a particularly robust and easy-to-maintain material. Its weight is designed to be neither too light nor too heavy, maximizing comfort of use for better cutting.

Michel Bras chose a "chestnut" shape, taken from Japanese tradition, to create an ergonomic handle for easy, comfortable use. It makes the knife so easy to handle that it becomes an extension of your hand.

The stainless steel bolster and base strengthen the handle. The base is engraved with the designer's name.

The knife is delivered in its wooden sheath, in a beautiful jewel-like case. This accessory will be a great help in preserving your knife.

Knife care :

Wash the knife by hand (it should never be put in the dishwasher) and wipe with a dry cloth immediately after cleaning. You can then store it carefully on your magnet bar, in a block or in one of your drawers after putting it in its sheath.

Kai Michel Bras is on KnifeLeader.eu!