Damascus utility knives

What is a utility knife?

A utility knife is a medium-sized kitchen knife with a narrow blade and a fine tip. It fills the gap between the small paring knife and the large santoku or chef's knife. It's also often called a petty knife or all-purpose knife.

What is a utility knife used for?

• Fruit: quartering and coring apples, hulling strawberries, cutting mango.
• Small vegetables: shallots, garlic, radishes, mushrooms or tomatoes.
• Cheese and cold cuts: for supper or a cheese board.
• Small meat jobs: removing sinew, scoring chicken breast.
• On the go: at a barbecue or picnic, a single utility knife is often enough.

What to look for when buying

• Blade length: 12 to 14 cm is ideal. Shorter and it's a paring knife; longer and it's a main knife.
• Narrow blade: easy to guide in the hand, even without a board.
• Fine tip: important for detailed work such as removing cores.
• Hardness: our utility knives are 60 to 62 HRC and stay sharp for a long time.

Our utility knives at a glance

• KAYA: 13.5 cm, olive wood and buffalo horn handle.
• ORIBU: 13.5 cm of 73-layer damascus powder steel with an olive wood handle.
• DAIKI: 13 cm of AUS-10 damascus steel with a walnut handle.
• BLACK: 12.8 cm with a black G10 handle, especially low-maintenance.
• HIIRO: 12.6 cm blade of steel, copper and brass, sycamore maple handle.
• NAMI: around 13 cm with a hammered surface and ebony handle.

If you want several knives at once: our knife sets often already include the utility knife, together with a large knife.

Sharpening and care

Sharpen the utility knife on a whetstone at about 15 degrees per side. Because you often cut in the hand with it, it's worth keeping the tip especially sharp. Wash by hand, dry straight away, not in the dishwasher. With us you get a 30-day money-back guarantee and a 5-year warranty on every knife.

Professional damascus utility knife

A professional damascus utility knife combines a hard, sharp blade with a handle that feels good in the hand even during long prep sessions. Our kitchen utility knives are 60 to 62 HRC with a bevel of about 15 degrees. For the outdoors there's the NATSUMI outdoor knife, a utility knife for barbecues and camping. We don't award our own test seals, and we don't call ourselves a "test winner". You're the best judge of whether a utility knife suits you: with our 30-day money-back guarantee you can try it out at your leisure in your own kitchen.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between a utility knife and a paring knife?

The paring knife is shorter, usually around 9 to 10.5 cm, and made for working in the hand. The utility knife, at 12 to 14 cm, is a little longer and also works well on the board.

Do I need a utility knife if I have a santoku?

It's a very good addition. For small things like fruit, garlic or cheese, a large knife is often unwieldy: that's exactly what the utility knife is for.

What length should a utility knife be?

12 to 14 cm. Our utility knives range from 12.5 to 13.5 cm.

Can I cut bread with a utility knife?

A bread roll is fine, but for a loaf with a hard crust, use a serrated bread knife.