Semi-High/Stainless clad carbon
Japanese stainless-clad carbon knives are the best balance for cutting performance and maintenance. Even though carbon steel can rust easily, for high-end Japanese traditional knives, artisans keep using the carbon steels, such as Blue Steel and White steel (#1 and #2 ). And this is not surprising since carbon steel has better edge retention and toughness. To avoid the disadvantage of being susceptible to rust, Japanese blacksmiths developed such forging techniques as SAN-MAI AWASE, WARIKOMI, KOBUSE-TSUKURI, and more, where protective layers of stainless steel cover the high-carbon core (cutting edge) on both sides. The only small area of carbon steel exposed close to the edge will be susceptible to rust and patina. So, even if a mistake is made, only a tiny portion of the blade will rust, and the usual sharpening can quickly fix it.
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