Agree, this was my first santoku some years agoordered a hiromoto AS santoku. 1) it's the only 190mm i can find? 2) it's stainless clad to survive usage from room mates. 3) it's cheap
Why? I wanted to check the AS steel, having the SS clad. And it was cheeper then the regular Gyuto
I have many much more expensive and rare knives ( some Shigefusa, Kitaeji as well, Kato, Honyakis, even the real Tamahagane etc), but this one is still one of my favorites. I have a thin version, the core is perfect, the retention is outstanding, maybe one of the best- it outperforms many much more expensive knives, really.
And i use it as a test knife for my Jnats and my tests reg finish etc. check it here View attachment 23266