Vie Belles 7″ Damascus Santoku Reserve Series Knife Review
April 21, 2018
Star Rating: 5.9 Stars
Overall Rating: Excellent Quality Professional Knife
Knife: Vie Belles 7″ Santoku Reserve Series Knife
Brand: Vie Belles
Bladesmith: Unknown
Blade Construction: Damascus – 67 layers of SUS 430 Japanese Stainless steel on each side with a VG-10 steel core (HRC 61-62) and hand-hammered divots which adds beauty and additional non-stick characteristics to the blade
Blade Thickness:
Rockwell Rating: HRC 61-62
Edge: Double-beveled blade with a 15° angle
Handle: Solid Rose Wood with a black Micarta ring, a brass ring, and a beautiful mosaic pin
Tang: Full tang
Weight:
Total Length:
NSF Approved? The construction appears to meet NSF standards but it does not have an official NSF approval seal
Cleaning: Handwash in warm water and towel dry. Do not place in dishwasher.
Cost: Promo price of $150 until early May 2018. Retail price is $270 US
Availability: Currently in production mode. Available November 2018
Warranty: LIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTY: against any defects in workmanship or materials. 100% Satisfaction or Money Back Guaranteed.
Vie Belles 7″ Reserve Series Santoku Knife Review Summary
Star Rating: 5.9 Stars
Overall Rating: Excellent Quality Professional Knife
Joe Bartlett aka The Knife Nerd joined me for another knife review. The Vie Belles Cutlery company donated 5 of their new Reserve Series knives for us to review… their 7″ Damascus Santoku, 8″ Damascus Chef Knife, 10″ Damascus Bread Knife, 5.5″ Damascus Utility Knife, and 5.5″ Damascus Nakiri Knife.
We tested the Santoku and the Chefs Knives first. Both knives did exceptionally well through all of the tests however the Santoku slightly out performed the Chef Knife. It offered very minimal resistance on the dense vegetables like carrots and onion. As Joe put it the Reserve Series Santoku went through the onion and carrot “Like butter.”
Overall the Vie Belles Damascus 7″ Santoku Reserve Series knife with 67 layers of Damascus steel is a very high quality, exceptionally well performing knife and did well on all of our knife review tests. In fact, no other knife which we have reviewed so far has performed as well.
This knife has a VG-10 core blade hardened to a 61-62 Rockwell rating. It has a full tang with a beautiful Rose Wood handle design, micarta & brass rings, a mosaic pin, and a “soft D” shaped handle which feels comfortable in the hand. And the handle has an elegant engraved end cap which adds to the beauty of the knife. It also feels firm in the grip (i.e. so slipping) and has a nice roll while cutting vegetables. The hand-hammered steel gives the blade an elegant look, and also helps to release food while you slice because it is similar to a granton edge. When we tested the balance it is perfectly centered where blade meets handle.
For the price you would be hard-pressed to find a better performing knife than this Damascus Santoku, especially when you consider the added value of the beautiful design and craftsmanship of the blade.
Note: According to Wikipidia the definition of Santoku is, “The word refers to the three cutting tasks which the knife performs well: slicing, dicing, and mincing. The Santoku’s blade and handle are designed to work in harmony by matching the blade’s width/weight to the weight of blade tang and handle, and the original Japanese Santoku is a well-balanced knife.”
Vie Belles 7 inch Santoku Knife Video Review
| Vie Belles 7″ Santoku Reserve Series Knife Review | |||
| Possible | Actual Rating | Test | Notes |
| Sharpness | |||
| 5 | 5 | Carrot-Lengthwise Test | It pulled nicely through the carrot with minimal resistance. |
| 5 | 5 | Shallot Test | Performed very well on the shallot w/ clean cuts. |
| 5 | 5 | Onion Test | Performed exceptionally well on both the horizontal & vertical cuts. |
| 3 | 3 | Tomato Test | Cut nice thin slices of tomato on the free hand slicing test. |
| 3 | 3 | Basil Test | Fabulous job on the basil chiffonade w/ no bruising or tearing. |
| 3 | 3 | Paper Test | Fabulous job on the paper test! |
| Comfort | |||
| 5 | 5 | Comfortable Handle | Very comfortable ambidextrous handle. Has a good “grip” in the hand while not sticking or biting. |
| Quality Materials | |||
| 5 | 5 | Steel Quality | VG-10 core with 66 layers of softer steel |
| 3 | 3 | Durability | This knife should hold up during normal professional kitchen work |
| 3 | 3 | Handle Quality | The full tang and durable materials make for excellent handle construction |
| Quality Construction/Design | |||
| 4 | 4 | Overall Construction Quality | The materials and steel are high quality. |
| 3 | 3 | Design, Engraving, End-cap, etc | Damascus steel blade, etched name on the blade, micarta spacer, brass spacer, mosaic pin, and engraved end cap. The hammered steel gives it an elegant look. |
| General Ratings | |||
| 5 | 4 | High-end Knife? | 1 = under $25; 2 = $26 – $75; 3 = $76 – $150; 4 = $151 – $300; 5 = $301+ |
| 5 | 5 | Utility | Nicely designed santoku knife. The edge has a good roll to it (not too flat), the handle is comfortable and doesn’t slip. |
| 7 | 7 | Overall Impression | This is both a beautiful looking knife and a practical one. We were both very impressed with every aspect of this knife and it’s performance. |
| 5 | 5 | Our Star Rating | Overall this is a fabulous knife. It’s high quality materials and craftsmanship raise it above many other knives. And for $150 you would be hard pressed to find a better knife. |
| Total | |||
| 69 | 68 | 5.0 Stars = Excellent Quality Professional Knife – See Overall Ranking Below formula: (actual score/total possible*6) |
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Check-out the Vie Belles Reserve Series Kickstart or visit their website for more info.
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