Santoku • 170 mm • White #1 • Kurouchi finish • Japanese octave walnut handle • for both left and right-handed use

Elwin de Veld about his White #1 series

A completely handmade knife made of full carbon steel. Tanaka san makes a slightly higher blade than we are used to from our other knives, resulting in a knife with a bit more weight than you are used to from a classic Japanese knife with a WA handle. More feeling, more stability and a nice contact surface against the product while cutting. The blade is sharpened by hand, making the knife very thin behind the cutting edge. Result: little resistance during cutting. This combined with a razor-sharp edge creates a "wow" effect while cutting.

Our ROOIJ White #1 series is made by our knifesmith in Nagasaki prefecture, Tanaka san, 4th generation of this family business. In his small forge near his house, he makes various series, including this White #1 series. 3 layers of forged steel: two layers (non-stainless) on the outside, with a core of White #1. Tanaka san gives his knives a raw look and no two knives are the same. His style: "Beauty through imperfection and always looking to improve the process", a style embraced by many blacksmiths in Japan. Continuously looking to improve the process, resulting in a perfect knife that proves itself in practice.

White steel, also called: Shirogami

Not named after the color of the steel, but after the paper in which the steel is packaged at the Hitachi steel factory in Japan. There are 3 different grades: #1, #2 & #3, of which #1 has the highest amount of carbon and #3 has the lowest. In general, #1 can be made very sharp, but #1 is prone to breakage. While #3 will stay sharp the longest and is tougher. Grade #2 is the most common in white steel. White steel is a very fine type of steel with a low percentage of iron, popular because it is easy to sharpen. In practice, a very sharp cutting edge can be quickly created with a whetstone. Often used by sushi chefs who want a very sharp knife. White steel rusts very quickly and needs to be properly maintained.

Elwin de Veld about the Rooij knives

A Rangelrooij knife must be a Rangelrooij knife. No Ryusen, no MAC, no Takayuki, but its own identity. Now, it is 2021, I have been sharpening chef's knives for 27 years, day in and day out. I think I have had all the models in my hands at least once. No, I'm not going to reinvent the knife, no, I'm not going to forge it myself. My friends (business relationship sounds strange after so many years) in Japan can do this so much better. I can indicate how I want the knife constructed, which types of steel, which model handles and what the geometry and finish should be. And believe me, I have used all my knowledge to make ROOIJ knives an absolute success.