blade angle between 40 and 45 degrees (a bilateral 20 to 22.5 degree shoulder, from cutting edge); Japanese knives typically incorporate a chisel-tip (sharpened on one side), and maintain a more extreme angle (10 to 15 degree shoulder). A classic Santoku will incorporate the Western-style, bilateral cutting edge, but maintain a more extreme 12 to 15 degree shoulder, akin to Japanese cutlery. It is critical to increase the hardness of Santoku steel so edge retention is maintained and "rolling" of the thin cutting edge is mitigated. However, harder, thinner steel is more likely to chip, when pushing against a bone for example. German knives use slightly "softer" steel, but have more material behind their cutting edge. For the average user, a German-style knife is easier to sharpen, but a Santoku knife, if used as designed, will hold its edge longer. With few exceptions, Santoku knives typically have no bolster, sometimes incorporate "scalloped" sides, also known as a Granton edge, and maintain a more uniform thickness from spine to blade. Variations Some of the knives employ San Mai (or "three layered") laminated steels, including the pattern known as suminagashi (墨流し literally, "flowing-ink"). The term refers to the similarity of the pattern formed by the blade's damascened and multi-layer steel alloys to the traditional Japanese art of suminagashi marbled paper. Forged laminated stainless steel cladding is employed on better Japanese Santoku knives to improve strength and rust resistance while maintaining a hard edge. Knives possessing these laminated blades are generally more expensive and of higher quality. There are many copies of Santoku-pattern knives made outside Japan that have substantially different edge designs, different balance, and different steels from the original Japanese Santoku. One trend in Santoku copies made of a single alloy is to include scallops or recesses, hollowed out of the side of the blade, similar to those found in meat-carving knives. These scallops create small air pockets between the blade and the material being sliced in an attempt to improve separation and reduce cutting friction. See also Japanese cutlery Chef's knife Cimeter Kitchen knife Kitchen knife indentation References External links "Equipment Corner: Do You Really Need a Santoku Knife?". Episode "Bistro Classics." America's Test Kitchen TV show. 2005 Season. Viewed April 3, 2005. How to Use the Shun Hiro Santoku Knife - Chris Cosentino by Williams-Sonoma 4:23 French Chef Knife vs Santoku - YouTube Japanese kitchen knives