KRAMER by ZWILLING Meiji 7-inch Santoku Knife

Insanely great, sharp, great on my hand. Love the shape of the knifes

This is by far the best knife I have ever used. It's functional art. Bravo Zwilling and Kramer

For as long as i have been a chef. I have always wanted a Kramer knife. I love using this knife. I'm a collector of culinary knives and all types of beautiful made blades. I am glad to have this product added to my collection. This will be more of a home use, then it would be for work. [This review was collected as part of a promotion.]

Meiji is a little different in design than previous Bob Kramer knives but none the less spectacular! It has the wide blade design Kramer is so famous for in his hand made knives which makes cutting large fruits, vegetables or piles of food easy. It has a core of FC61 steel which is incredibly durable, very chip resistant and is surrounded by 100 layers of steel in a very unique Damascus design. The handle is made from a durable wood and is curved to almost mirror the palm of your hand; fits like a glove. Beautiful, durable and will be a complete work horse in your kitchen.

This is a very "edgy" Kramer knife. The shape of the blade is mildly unique to a santoku style but the handle is very unique to Kramer knives. Now that he has ventured into Asian Cutlery, I am excited to see it showing up in his production lines. This has the feeling of his custom asian knives he now makes but at a price more can afford.

If you haven't experienced a Bob Kramer knife, you are in for a great surprise! Own one of these and you will never turn back. This 7" Meiji Santoku will glide and slice right through the toughest of jobs and your hand and fingers stay supported and comfortable. We love the look of the pakkawood and it feels so good on the handle. Invest in one to treat yourself and your kitchen!

This beautiful knife designed by Master Blade Smith Bob Kramer is a work of art. With 100 layers of ladder Damascus surrounding a FC 61 core this knife is built to last. The exaggerated D shape of the handle is designed to feel secure in both the left and the right hand. These are well balanced yet light weight knives that cut with precision and ease.

Beautiful and effective. I'm left-hand and noticed this knife is probably made for right handed people because the handle shape is asymmetrical. I can still use it easily enough and I love it, so I'm keeping it. I do wish they made a left handed version

I love the look and the shape of this knife. The blade is very sharp and durable. The handle fits into my right hand nicely, though I find after using this knife for long periods of time the super defined D shaped handle starts to bother me. I do have pretty small hands, it might not be the same for someone with larger hands.

Kramer knives have some unusual shape when it comes to knives, and these Meiji are no exception. Whether you like it or not is a matter of taste. I like taller knives, so I love the look of these. The Santoku cuts fairly well, but it's thicker than your typical japanese Santoku (as in other Santoku made in Japan). As such, don't expect it to slice just as well, as your produce could wedge a little bit if it's too big. Bigger carrots will wedge, so will harder, crispier apples, for example: You won't be able to get smooth cuts despite using proper technique and I find it to be mildly irritating because it's an otherwise superb knife when it comes to the overall shape and design. However, the worse thing about those knives, very high cost aside, is the relatively poor quality control and fit and finish on the blade themselves. The handles are usually top notch, but the blade damascus effect is all over the place. I've had 4 different Meiji knives in the last months, and none of them arrived in perfect condition. My first Chef's knife arrived with a bent tip. Not a big deal, but I returned it, sadly. The first Santoku I bought arrived with a weird "zigzag" of missing Damascus effect on top of a bent tip and a crooked handle (i.e. the handle isn't in the correct angle and goes too far to the right, while being too rotated). I bought another one to replace it, and got a Santoku with the very same missing zigzag, a proper handle, but with a weird bump in the edge near the choil, as if it wasn't sharpened properly. Then comes the Bread knife, which has the same missing zigzag effect but otherwise looks and function perfectly. For the price those knives retail for, you expect something a bit more premium with a proper edge, proper handle placement and no missing damascus that makes it look "synthetic" instead of "organic". That might be why they're getting phased out / discontinued, at least in Canada.