Review: WÜSTHOF Classic Ikon 7" Santoku, Hollow Edge

Published on 07/19/2023 · 3 min readCurated Kitchen Expert Leo C. shares their experience with using the WÜSTHOF Classic Ikon 7" Santoku. Note that experts are not sponsored by any brands; these are their honest opinions.

By Kitchen Expert Leo Cocchiara

7 photos

The Curated Take

4.7/5

The Wusthof Classic Ikon 7" Santoku Knife is ideal for both professional chefs and home cooks due to its versatile 7" blade, perfect for large and intricate kitchen tasks. Its German steel construction---balancing sharpness, durability and ease of at-home sharpening---coupled with its ergonomic handle ensures comfort and precision during use. Despite being slightly heavier than traditional Japanese knives and needing sharpening more frequently, its outstanding resilience makes it a worthy kitchen tool for daily use. It excels in providing great performance for the price, suitable for various cooking techniques and cuisines.

Ideal for

Reliable precision cuts
Grommets on the blade keep produce from sticking while cutting
Very sharp

Not ideal for

Full tang might add more heft than desirable for some folks
58 rockwell hardness may require more sharpening than a Santoku with 60 rockwell hardness
Grommets on blade are suited for right-handed users, so lefties might consider a blade without grommets or a left-hand santoku

Blade Length

A quick search of Santoku knives will tell you that the standard size is a 7" blade which is just an inch shorter than a traditional western style chef's knife....Read more

Blade Quality

The Classic Ikon series is designed with the professional chef in mind while still being approachable for the home cook. It's the first knife I take off the magnet every...Read more

Handle Comfort

The primary reason I went for the Classic Ikon Wusthof Santoku over the standard Classic series was the design of the handle. The Classic Ikon's handle is rounded and ergonomically...Read more

Durability

The knife is designed to be a work horse. This is not a knife you have for aesthetics or special occasions---it's a knife that's meant to be used day in,...Read more

Blade Sharpness

The hardness of steel is described by a ranking called the Rockwell scale. The higher the number, the sharper you can get the metal and the longer it stays sharp,...Read more

Weight

The German construction of this traditionally Japanese style knife gives us the best of both worlds when it comes to precision and durability but comes with more heft than a...Read more

Expert Reviews of the WÜSTHOF Classic Ikon 7" Santoku, Hollow Edge

Leo Cocchiara Santoku is a Japanese word that means 3 virtues or 3 uses, underscoring the versatility of this design for chopping, slicing, and dicing. The Wusthof Classic Ikon Hollow-edged Santoku is an excellent daily driver in the kitchen for experts and novices alike, suited for just about any preparation for meat, fish, and veggies. The 7" blade is well balanced and easy to handle, especially in tight spaces or smaller hands where a traditional chef's knife might feel unwieldy. Because it's easy to control, it's easy to cut with precision and good technique. "Hollow edge" refers to the grommets on the blade, which prevents your produce from sticking to the blade, making it great for cleanly getting through a cucumber or tomato. Overall, I couldn't be happier with the performance of this knife. It delivers exactly on its intended performance. However, there are a few things about the German steel construction of this knife that I don't think surpass my Japanese steel santoku. For one, it's heavier. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I do find that a Santoku with a lighter Japanese style handle feels nimbler in my hand. Secondly, the 58 Rockwell hardness dulls more quickly in comparison to the sharper 60 Rockwell hardness of my Japanese blade. There is an upside to that though, in that it's less brittle, so I feel less bad about using it aggressively, and it's easier to sharpen at home on whetstone vs having it professionally done.

Review Ratings

Blade Length

5/5

Leo Cocchiara gave 5 of 5 stars. A quick search of Santoku knives will tell you that the standard size is a 7" blade which is just an inch shorter than a traditional western style chef's knife. There's no need to mess with perfection in this case. It's long enough to handle big jobs like large cuts of meat, a butternut squash, or a watermelon, and nimble enough to do fine tasks like mincing herbs, juliennes, and wafer thin cuts.

Blade Quality

5/5

Leo Cocchiara gave 5 of 5 stars. The Classic Ikon series is designed with the professional chef in mind while still being approachable for the home cook. It's the first knife I take off the magnet every time I step into the kitchen. The Blade is a forged construction with indentations to reduce friction, drag, and sticking, which it performs flawlessly. The quality of this blade in shape, balance, and performance is exactly what it promises to be as a champion of versatility in the kitchen.

Handle Comfort

5/5

Leo Cocchiara gave 5 of 5 stars. The primary reason I went for the Classic Ikon Wusthof Santoku over the standard Classic series was the design of the handle. The Classic Ikon's handle is rounded and ergonomically shaped with its resilient synthetic handle that feels a lot more comfortable and balanced, especially for more precision tasks like dicing, mincing, or making the wafer thin cuts Santokus are known for.

Durability

5/5

Leo Cocchiara gave 5 of 5 stars. The knife is designed to be a work horse. This is not a knife you have for aesthetics or special occasions---it's a knife that's meant to be used day in, day out for all of your major cutting applications and doesn't mind being used aggressively. The 58 Rockwell hardness of the German steel isn't at all brittle, which means you can wield it without fear of putting force behind it. It's going to stand up to a tough cut.

Blade Sharpness

4/5

Leo Cocchiara gave 4 of 5 stars. The hardness of steel is described by a ranking called the Rockwell scale. The higher the number, the sharper you can get the metal and the longer it stays sharp, but it also becomes more brittle and less durable. The lower the number, the softer the metal and the quicker it loses its edge, but it makes up for it in durability and ease to sharpen again. Most kitchen knives range between a 52-62 Rockwell hardness. At 58 on the Rockwell scale, the Wusthof Ikon classic hits a nice sweet spot of sharp, durable, and easy to sharpen, but I subtract 1 star because I can get a Japanese blade sharper and have it stay sharper longer. However, my fine Japanese steel requires professional sharpening and my German steel can be done at home. This should be considered when picking what's right for you.

Weight

4/5

Leo Cocchiara gave 4 of 5 stars. The German construction of this traditionally Japanese style knife gives us the best of both worlds when it comes to precision and durability but comes with more heft than a Japanese construction. The durability comes from the full tang construction in the handle of the knife with its classic 3 rivets. It also is constructed with German steel which is heavier than the more carbon infused Japanese steel. This construction adds more weight to the design overall which is neither good nor bad, just personal preference.

FAQs

What was your favorite moment with this gear?

Leo Cocchiara Cooking dinner for my family is always the highlight of my day. It's a moment to step away from the grind and do something wholesome for myself and the people that I love. This knife has opened the door to experiments with finer techniques to take my meals to the next level. A good example of this for me was trying a new take on eggplant parm.

Why did you choose this product?

Leo Cocchiara I chose this knife because I wanted a durable hollow edged Santoku that I could sharpen at home. I use a Wusthof honing steel to keep the edges honed in between sharpening sessions on the whetstone.

What is the value for the money versus other options?

Leo Cocchiara The Wusthof Classic Ikon Santoku hits the perfect balance of performance and price. It gets you a no frills professional level knife, with a great handle and classic style.

What do you love about this product?

Leo Cocchiara There's a lot to love about the Wusthof Classic Ikon Santoku. It perfectly marries the durability of German construction with thoughtful Japanese design. The two things I love most about this knife are the comfort of the ergonomic handle in my hand and the hollow edge indentations that prevent my produce from sticking to the blade as I cut.

5.00

Leo Cocchiara

Kitchen Expert

Food is Love ❤ Coming from a fully Italian family, I was raised in the kitchen and I like to say my body is 3% olive oil. My personal style is to cook off book and from the heart, taking whatever ingredients are in front of me and turning them into inspired creations. Every dish may not have a name and the technique might not be perfect, but you can bet it's going to be delicious! For the past few years with the encouragement of my vegan wife - I've been inspired by plant-based proteins, which has allowed me to eat healthier, lower my carbon footprint, and expanded my pallet beyond traditional meat focused meals so if you want to learn more about making your tofu, tempeh, seitan, and beans shine, I'm definitely your guy! 🌱 Don't worry though - I can still perfectly roast a whole chicken 😉🐔🍗 Whether you're cooking to survive or cooking for the love it, the right tools for the job will allow you to achieve your culinary goals. As a kitchen enthusiast and general nerd for quality investments (if I'm going to get it, I'm going to get the best) I'm here to guide you through the world of kitchenware and help you get the best fit for your needs! Let's get cooking! "https://linktr.ee/leocurated" (https://linktr.ee/leocurated)

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