Dressed in beautiful cross-cut oak, this 176mm / 6.9" santoku by Austrian bladesmith Martin Huber is hits a sweet spot in size, balance, geometry, and overall utility to become the go-to chef's knife for all manner of daily meal prep. The go mai (five layer) blade, clad in satin-finished stainless steel over pure nickel which protects against the diffusion of carbon out of the1.2519 carbon steel core during the forging and hardening process, is thin, hard, and razor-sharp at the edge and features convex bevels, a needle-like tip, and gently curved profile that rocks on the board and enjoys a flat section toward the heel for efficient chopping. Rounded along the sides and bottom and faceted above, the oak handle is emblazoned with a tapered, stainless ferrule, stainless spacers on either side of a carbon fiber ring, and a stainless retention nut visible at the back.