When I was researching Japanese Santoku knives, my supplier strongly recommended the MAC Mighty Professional. Why? Because he said it was the one he reached for most in his personal collection. Then he proceeded to list the benefits. It is razor sharp and stays that way. It has a nice lightweight. I have the one with the dimples, so that food won’t stick as readily. This knife requires a little bit of care because it’s composition includes carbon steel. Which means you need to make sure it is dry when you wash it. Also, these knives cannot be sharpened with a knife steel. There’s a special procedure to get them professionally sharpened. I believe this is true for all Santoku knives on the market. I love this knife! It glides through the peel and flesh of a whole pineapple with ease, it makes precision cuts when dicing, julienne, batonnet, brunoise or any other cutting technique you care to try. It’s amazing cutting meat too! It’s another all purpose charm in the kitchen.
You might ask what is the difference between this knife and the Sanelli 9.5 inch Cook’s Knife? There are many differences. The Sanelli Cook’s knife does not require the same care as this Santoku for one. It won’t rust. You can sharpen it with a stone or steel…no problem. The main difference for me is that I use my Sanelli Cook’s knife when feeding a crowd, large audiences. The long blade and width allows me to cut and scoop large produce and quantity of pieces. I use both interchangeably when teaching a class or cooking for clients. If you purchase both and start to experiment, you will automatically be switching from one to the other as it feels right to you.