Konosuke Madei Sumiiro 210mm Gyuto SLD Kurouchi Nashiji - by Nihei with Saya

Hand forged and hand ground in Fukushima for Konosuke by Takahiro Nihei. Excellent forging, heat treatment and finish with a classic robust feel. With saya.

Konosuke has been making inroads into the Japanese knife making community outside of Sakai collaborating with skilled shokunin knife makers that are working along the lines of dedication to craft that Konosuke has made thier name through. We are excited to work with Konosuke as they expand their offerings.

SLD steel is an improved SKD11 steel most commonly used in metal stamping and tap and die tools. It is designed to stay tough when treated hard and to retain its workability at a high hardnesses. For knife making this translates to a very long lived tough edge with near stainless or stainless properties.

SLD has great cutting feel, good sharpen-ability, and excellent edge life, it both holds an edge well and cuts well as it dulls. SLD ranges from 12-13% chromium content, right on the stainless / non-stainless boundary. It has excellent toughness and can be ground very thin without becoming excessively chippy. In our opinion, these are some of the best nearly-stainless hand-forged knives. They are ideal for the professional or home cook who is looking for a great workhorse with long edge life, and easy sharpen-ability.

Although these knives are nearly stainless, they should still dried after use to avoid rust and care should be taken not to twist or scrape with the edge and to avoid cutting bones, shells or excessively hard items.