Customer Reviews

MAC brand Santoku knife #SK65

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

America's Test Kitchen rated this #1. I bought it even though I have the Shun knife which cost more than double what this knife does. Well, the Mac knife is amazing--it is hands down my favorite knife and I have many. Buy the Mac ceramic sharpening steel as well. This knife should not be sharpened with an electric knife sharpener.
Also, the blade is very thin so don't use it to try to cut off a wedge of Reggiano cheese---you can break the blade.

For many years I did my chopping with a high-quality Henckels Twin chef's knife. I had received an Anolon Advanced 5-Inch Santoku as a gift, which was so bad that I dismissed the value of Santoku knives for a long time. Boy, I didn't know what I was missing! Santokus are incredible, as long as you buy the right one.

The MAC Santoku has an incredibly sharp and narrow blade. It requires so much less effort to cut up vegetables than a chef's knife. It also makes it much easier to hold an onion together while chopping, as you don't have a thick blade pushing the pieces apart. The MAC also holds its edge very well, and only requires occasional sharpening.

This isn't appropriate as an only knife. The thin blade means that it's really not useful for anything where the blade might get bent or hit something hard. It's not for jointing or boning poultry, cutting super-hard cheeses, getting chunks off of thick blocks of chocolate, etc. However, for chopping and slicing vegetables, this works so much better than a chef's knife to be well worth the money.

I bought this knife after doing lots of research because I wanted one good knife that would do the job and would be built to last. After a recent trip home to my parents house, I realized I made the right choice. They have terrible knives. I will be buying them one of these for Christmas this year.

This knife is fabulous. It cuts well without needing any of my strenth to force it to do so, which I believe to be the true test of a good knife. You shouldn't have to force it to cut. It works well on everything! I can't imagine owning anything else.

About 45 years ago, I purchased this knife in a neighborhood cooking shop. I asked the salesman about sharpening and he showed me that I could pass its blade gently on the rough ceramic base of a coffee mug. I have used and abused this knife for years and it has never failed. A few weeks ago, it was misplaced by houseguests who were cooking in my kitchen. After frantic searches, I ordered another Mac knife, the mac MTH 80 8" version. By the time it arrived, I had found the smaller one. Now I have two great knives that will certainly outlast me. I think I'll put them in my will for future generations.

I first tried a Mac side by side with a Global and a Forschner. A professional chef laid a piece of red bell pepper down and filleted the meat off the skin. I tried the same with all three knives. I came home from that knife skills class and ordered my own Mac santoku. Cutting is effortless and a pleasure. Even thick carrots and potatoes offer no challenge.
Buy this knife, and you will not be sorry.
My other knives just sit in the block and get jealous.
Be very careful, this knife is SHARP out of the box.
I suggest the Mac ceramic sharpening rod to go with this, to keep that edge.

This is a wonderful knife. I researched for awhile before I bought this knife and I have been really pleased with it. It is extremely sharp and great for cutting things like vegetables. It's not as universal as a Chef's Knife and if I had to choose only one knife I would choose that, but this is a great second knife.

This knife is light and sharp. It is almost my favorite knife. The only problem I have with it is the texture right above the blade. It grabs hold of the food, making chopping tricky. My food keeps sticking to the blade and then the food on the blade gets pushed up by the next layer chopped, causing it to topple all over the cutting board and counter. Trying to slide the food off the blade takes some pressure, as well. I'm assuming the textured layer was there to make things easier, but as my veggies scatter 'round the counter, I am left wondering "Why?" I am an experienced cook, but am I missing something about this feature? Any suggestions on how to fix my current problem and this knife will go from almost perfect to perfect.

I got this knife for christmas a couple years ago and use it constantly... The blade stays so sharp...it cuts an onion before I cry....so I liked it so much I got one for my sister-in-law for christmas this year...she loves it too!

This knife is excellent. I purchased this knife due to America's Test Kitchen recommendation. They were right. It slices through vegetables like butter. Makes quick work of them in no time. I highly recommend this knife.

I just got this for Christmas (today). My wife knows to check out cooks illustrated for stuff like this. Although they can't test all Santoku's, they tested the biggest names in knives and they liked this one the best. I've already chopped a couple of onions and a carrot. I can see where this knife would not be used to cut through a butternut squash or something difficult like that because the blade is so thin it would probably break. I know I'm going to love it. I'll post an update soon after I chop some herbs and a tomato.