Member Reviews: Mundial Olivier Anquier 7-Inch Santoku Knife

A friend of mine asked me to sharpen her mother's Mundial Olivier Santoku.  While it was here I had the chance to fool around with it, and did.    General: Mundial makes knives of a peculiarly German type in Brazil.  They are thoughtfully, computer designed, forged from a "quality" German "high carbon" alloy.  The boys in Brazil do alright.  While the workmanship may not be top-end Henckels or Wusthof, neither are the prices.     Profile: I don't like santokus, but that sure as heck doesn't mean you shouldn't.   A santoku is hardly a German design, but they have become very popular worldwide and all the German makers are producing them.  Santokus are "intuitive,"...

This knife has a nice, comfortable design. At around $30, it's a great value. It doesn't hold an edge as long as some more expensive knives, but is easy to sharpen. If you run it over a steel now and then, it will hold its edge for some time. If someone else grabs it and uses it, you won't spazz as much as they can't really hurt it, and even it they did, you're only out $30. Less stress for good performance.

I have several sets of knives, J A Henckels, Wusthof, and Mundial. I love all of my knives, but since I bought this Santoku knife I rarely use any other. It is not only a very nice looking knife, it does just about everything. This knife holds an edge better than most, and it takes an edge quickly. The handle is wooden and fits my hand quite well. I have never had an issue with it being slick or losing my grip, even after oiling it with block oil. My sister in law tried to take it one day, I gave her one of my block sets of J A Henckels in stead.   If I could own only one high end knife this would be it.