Santoku 180mm choices

hi guys im in the market for a Santoku 180mm and have looked at two knives but i would like some advice on which to get the first choice is the Damascus 101 Santoku 180mm and the second is the Inazuma Santoku 180mm.
both these knives are from JCK i live in the uk and was told there would be no import fees awhile ago by a forum member which confuses me a bit because the prices are in US Dollars(i just bought the 210 inox and 300 gessin ginga suji from JKI and got hit with a sizeable import tax) the reason i like the 101 is because of the intricate Damascus patterning but i dont like the western handle the reason i like the Inazuma is because of the wa handle and i really like the hammered blade going into Damascus but i dont know if either are any good has anyone had any expiriences with these blades? i really want a heavily patterned Damascus blade but if ihad to choose which to buy first it would be the Inazuma hands down any advice?

Fwiw, jck is pretty good at evading import taxes, but you still could get hit by them. What sort of budget are you running on?

yeah... its a tough situation and UK customs seems to be on top of everything all of the time

rdm_magic said:

Fwiw, jck is pretty good at evading import taxes, but you still could get hit by them. What sort of budget are you running on?

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thanks for the quick replies guys i guess my budget is £300

JBroida said:

yeah... its a tough situation and UK customs seems to be on top of everything all of the time

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i agree Jon i import things from the US quite often and get taxed most of the time

I have a nakiri from the Inazuma range and I have a lot of respect for it.
It's nice and thin, light, takes a good edge and keeps it for a fair while.

It was the first japanese knife I bought. It was used fairly heavily by myself, the wife and mother in law and it was 3 months before I noticed that it was starting, just starting, to push down on a soft tomato before cutting. It still cut fine, and other veggies were no problem.

I have a bunch of other knives now, stainless, semi stainless, carbon and R2/SG2 and I still have a lot of respect for the Inazuma.

Very good value for the money imho.

I ordered directly from the Teruyasu Fujiwara website and the 180 Maboroshi No Meito Santoku will end up costing around £150 including taxes (international shipping is free). While you will not always be taxed it is safer to budget for 25% extra and courier handling fee at around £15. I know some vendor undervalue goods but it is risky in case of loss or damage. Plus they could easy get on the HMRC list of companies not playing by the rules making their future transactions extremely difficult (additional paperwork, evidence of value, delays..).

VAT = 20%

Import tax 8.5%

£15 "handling fee" for the thieving bar stewards at Parcelforce

Good rule of thumb - add a third.


If you like the Inazuma, go for it. Very nicely priced.

If Damascus is less important than performance I would consider this:

http://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/itinomonn-kasumi-180mm-wa-santoku/

After the edge develops a patina it will look cool anyway. The grind on these Itinomonn knives is a level above the likes of the Inazuma, imo.


If you want to blow your budget, these are pretty spectacular. 10% off for forum members helps to ease the sting of the shafting you may receive from HMRC.

http://www.epicedge.com/shopexd.asp?id=90020

I have the Inazuma Gyuto 210 and use it many times during the week. I love it and it was my first Japanese knife.