Best Japanese Knives For The Money Buying Guide 2022

To master your knife skills, you first need to get a knife for your practice. It better is to choose Japanese knives. However, if you don’t want to spend on premium knives, you can still get the Best Japanese Chef Knives.

For this reason, we have crafted this exclusive list of the Best Japanese Knives for the money. So, without any delay, let’s dive into it.

Best Under $50

Best Under $100

Best Under $150

Best Under $175

Along with quality & performance, we have also considered your budget. If you want Best Japanese Knives for the money under $100 specifically, then worry not as we have six contestants under a hundred bucks.

If you are a true professional chef, then we have also made the list for you, as per your needs & expectations. For beginners or student chefs, some of the Best Budget Japanese knives are also waiting for you.

In a hurry? Take a look at this section to save your time by validating your needs & simply checking them out!

Top 3 Picks of Best Japanese Knives For The Money

Best Japanese Knives for the Money | At A Glance

IMAGE	PRODUCT	SHOP
Overall Best	Yaxell Mon 8″ Chef’s Knife Benefits: 12° blade angles, A Durable blade, Quite Versatile knife, Razor Sharp blade, Pretty Stable handling Best for cutting: Slicing, Chopping, Dicing, Vegetables, Citrus & Non-Citrus Fruits, Mincing, Cheese, Butter, Bread & Buns.	Shop Here
Lightweight	DALSTRONG Serrated Utility Knife – Shogun Series X Benefits: Rockwell Hardness of 62HRC, Comfortable & full-tang handle, Lightweight yet durable knife, Pre-Sharpen & easy to maneuver, The Well Balanced knife Best for cutting: Vegetables, fruits, Cheese, Breads, Butter, Buns, Steak, Cooked Meat, hot dogs & a lot more things.	Shop Here
Best Budget	YAIBA Utility Chef Knife 6 Inch Chef Knife Benefits: Lightweight & thin blade, Best Budget Japanese knife, Fine yet Comfortable handle, A Perfect balance & sharpness, Easy to sharp yet versatile blade Best for cutting: Fish, Poultry, Pork, Meat, Beef, Steak, Vegetables, Dry & Citrus fruits, along with cheese, butter & dairy products.	Shop Here
With Cover Or Sheath	KYOKU Daimyo Series – Professional Chef Knife Benefits: Incredibly sharp knife, Impressive build quality, Double Bevel sharp blade, With a Premium sheath, Non-stick yet lightweight Best for cutting: Vegetables, Citrus Fruits, Dry fruits, Breads, Buns, Sandwiches, Butter, Cheese, Steak, cooked meat & some sort of light butchery.	Shop Here
Best For Chicken	Sunnecko 8 Inch Sharp Sashimi Knife Benefits: 12-15° sharp angle, Versatile & sharp knife, A 60HRC hardness scale, For Poultry & seafood, A Comfortable handle Best for cutting: Chicken, Steaks, Beef, Pork, De-boning, Chopping, Slicing, Mincing, Fruits, Veggies, Ginger, Onion, Tomatoes, Potatoes, Cheese, Butter, Bread & a lot of other stuff.	Shop Here
Easy To Sharp	Global 8″ Chef’s Knife Benefits: Dishwasher safe knife, Razor-sharp yet versatile, A Long-Lasting blade, Easy to sharp & use, Resists corrosion Best for cutting: Cooked Meat, Steak, Chicken, Sausages, Hot Dogs, burgers, buns, breads, citrus fruits, dry fruits, veggies, dairy products, butter, & cheese.	Shop Here
Best Edge Retention	Enso Nakiri Knife – HD Series Benefits: A Marvellous design, Pretty sharp blade, Comfortable handle, Best edge retention, Good for pro chefs Best for cutting: Pumpkins, Watermelon, Large fruits and Vegetables, beheading the fish, chicken, mincing & chopping the onions, tomatoes, garlic & slicing of dairy products.	Shop Here
Best For Vegetables	Zelite Infinity Santoku Knife 7 Inch – Alpha-Royal Series Benefits: Excellent feel & smooth grip, A Double bevel sharp blade, Overall Nicely crafted knife, Best to cut Veggies & Fruits, Pretty Reasonable Pricing Best for cutting: Meat, Fish, Vegetables, Fruits, Chickens, Steak, Dry Fruits, buns, & dairy meals.	Shop Here
Long-Lasting Blade	KUMA Professional Damascus Chef Knife Benefits: A Durable steel knife, The Long Lasting blade, Spectacular handle knife, Lightweight Chef knife, Easy to use & sharpen Best for cutting: Fish, Chicken, Steak, Beef, Pork, Sausages, Veggies, Fruits (Dry & Citrus), Cheese, Butter, & slicing of leaves as well.	Shop Here
Best Comfortable	Shun Classic 7” Hollow Benefits: Most premium handle, 16° double bevel knife, Non-Stick & wide blade, An Exceptional sharpness, Lightweight yet durable Best for cutting: Cutting, Slicing, dicing, mincing of Cheese, cooked meat, vegetables, herbs, nuts, dry fruits, citrus fruits, seafood & breads.	Shop Here

Best Chef Knife Under $50

1. YAIBA Utility Chef Knife 6 Inch

Last on the list of Best Japanese Knives for under $100, we have got you covered with a Japanese Gyuto that is the most recent launch of this entire list in 2022. Still, the knife has successfully got the attention of the casual & beginner chefs. It is the cheapest knife currently on this guide.

Build Quality & Material:

This knife comes in two different variants with only a difference in blade length. Both these knives are using the same steel, which is known as VG-10 Japanese. To lower the cost, YAIBA is using an alloy of this steel that works best for the price.

Being a budget Japanese knife, this one is still using layered steel in its core. But, it would be even better, if they would have followed the manual handmade process rather than batch manufacturing.

For the price, the knife is durable & tough for sure. This knife holds a Rockwell hardness score of 62HRC, which makes the knife resistant to rust, & impact forces. Moreover, this is using an acrylic wooden handle by the way.

Cutting & Performance:

For the price, this knife is doing a really good job. But this is not the best one even for intermediate chefs. If you are a beginner, casual, or food enthusiast, then we can recommend it to you just to practice & save some bucks.

This blade is non-stick which is doing its job pretty okay. For its edge, the knife is durable & sharp at the same time, but the edge is only passing the price. However, this is still acceptable, as this is not meant for professional hands.

Moreover, this is using a double bevel blade, that is sharpened at 10-15° for each side. Overall, the knife is lightweight for beginners, & doesn’t take patience in sharpening. Plus, its handle is crafted beautifully & feels pretty comfortable.

Best for cutting:

Fish, Poultry, Pork, Meat, Beef, Steak, Vegetables, Dry & Citrus fruits, along with cheese, butter & dairy products.

Best Japanese Knives for the money | Under $100

2. Yaxell Mon 8″ Chef’s Knife

Yaxell has captured the most premium spot for the best Japanese knife for the money, with its chef knife of the name Mon-8 VG-10. This is a lightweight knife that has a launch of the year 2017.

Build Quality & Material:

When it comes to build quality, Yaxell can’t be underrated especially in terms of materials. The knife is a great masterpiece of VG-10 Japanese steel, worth the price & efforts of the craftsmen.

In this steel, the combination makes the knife perform at its best due to its perfect ratio & balance in every single element. Here, the Yaxell is using a bit different sort of Molybdenum, Cobalt, Steel, Carbon along with Chromium.

All these materials don’t only protect the knife from rust. Plus, it also makes the blade of the knife perform at an exceptional sharpness. In order to make the knife last longer, Yaxell’s heat treatment has increased the hardness to 61HRC.

Cutting & Performance:

For its performance, you will be satisfied for sure. The knife is using a contoured sort of cutting edge, that makes you take deep cuts inside the meat as well. Now, the knife is double bevel, & it is still acceptable for the price.

Even being a double bevel knife, the blade performs optimal in its cutting. This has a sharp cutting blade, that you can use on various sorts of ingredients. Not only that, but this also gives a good edge retention to prevent it from getting dull.

Though there is little to no traditional pattern on the blade. But, its minor claddings along with sandblast finished blade, that prevents the ingredients from sticking on the blade. Still, there’s a chance of sticking on some ingredients.

Moreover, to make you feel comfortable while using it, Yaxell is using a Micarta handle that makes a beautiful effect on Black Resin as well. The knife is full tang, & the rivets are stainless steel to avoid oxidation.

Best for cutting:

Slicing, Chopping, Dicing, Vegetables, Citrus & Non-Citrus Fruits,  Mincing, Cheese, Butter, Bread & Buns.

3. DALSTRONG Serrated Utility Knife – Shogun Series X 

So, the first knife from Dalstrong is their Utility knife, which belongs to its flagship Shogun series X. The knife is a marvelous launch of the year 2017, & it is now ranking as the 45th best Japanese Utility knife out there.

Build Quality & Material:

Just like their exceptional brand name, Dalstrong is using an exceptional combination of the steel known as AUS-10. Dalstrong is calling the material as Super steel, but it is not the real one as it is impossible for this price.

However, the steel is still of great quality without any doubt. For the price, it is using a great combination of Vanadium, Molybdenum, Chromium, Cobalt along with the crystal carbon content.

Though the knife has a sharp blade that doesn’t rust due to its encoding in the stainless steel. But, the core blade is still the best one as it has a Rockwell Hardness score of 62 HRC.

Cutting & Performance:

Whenever you get a Dalstrong’s knife, it will perform for sure. The same goes for this Utility knife. First, the knife is using a thin blade that is not too wide which makes it easy to handle for every size of hand.

On its blade, you can find a traditional Japanese Tsuhime non-stick pattern that looks and performs well. Its steel cladding makes the ingredients pass through it with a clearance. It has a length of 6-inches by the way.

The knife is very sharp due to its steel composition & the single bevel blade. This makes it the first-ever knife with a single bevel blade on the list. Along with its sharpness, it also gives a decent edge retention for the blade size.

This variant comes in two different knives. One is a common knife while this one is a utility knife with a serrated blade. With this blade, you can surely use it for dairy products, but it does perform well on other ingredients as well.

Last but not the least, the knife comes in a beautifully crafted handle, which makes the knife pretty handy to use for long sessions. Even after that, the knife doesn’t get dull. However, the handle is wooden & a full tang to make the knife versatile.

Best for cutting:

Vegetables, fruits, Cheese, Breads, Butter, Buns, Steak, Cooked Meat, hot dogs & a lot more things.

4. Sunnecko 8 Inch Sharp Sashimi Knife

Middle of the way, we have got you with Sunnecko’s Japanese Sashimi Knife. This is a knife from the launch of the year 2018, & it is not that popular currently, which makes them provide the best possible quality to prove them.

Build Quality & Material:

Sunnecko is using a VG-10 premium blade core in its knife, which has a composition of true cutlery steel. Here, you will be getting a blade with high carbon content, Cobalt, Vanadium, Chromium, Molybdenum & a good quality of white steel.

With this steel, you will be getting a hardness level of 60 HRC on the Rockwell Scale, which classifies the knife as a durable construction. Besides these things, the knife is also tempered to make the micro-structure to last for a long time.

Sunnecko claims that this knife is a forged one with 73 layers of stainless Damascus steel. But, let us clear the catch before you fall into it. There is no such thing that exists for this price. You will always find them with at least double the price.

Cutting & Performance:

A good thing for this knife; it is a single bevel knife that holds an exceptional sharpness for this reasonable price. This is a non-stick knife, that holds a shallow traditional Japanese pattern to prevent any stickiness.

The knife comes in a host of variants, from Santoku to clever Japanese knife set to Slicer & Nakiri. However, it depends on your choice. For the context, we will be considering the slicing knife.

Difference between Santoku & Chef Knife

If you work in a seafood restaurant or you want a knife to deal with fish sort of stuff at your home, then this knife is the ideal one to get. With this knife, you can get nice & clean fillets, as this is one of the best matches for fish.

Lastly, the knife has a good edge that makes it last for a long time. With this knife, you should be handling fish, Chicken and cooked steak sort of stuff to get the most out of it. Plus, the handle is also really comfortable.

Best for cutting:

Chicken, Steaks, Beef, Pork, De-boning, Chopping, Slicing, Mincing, Fruits, Veggies, Ginger, Onion, Tomatoes, Potatoes, Cheese, Butter, Bread & a lot of other stuff.

5. KYOKU Daimyo Series – Professional Chef Knife

One of the top-notch Japanese knives from Kyoku that comes with a gorgeous sheath as well. This knife is a launch of the year 2018, which is still a good one to have on the list as well as in your kitchen’s countertop.

Build Quality & Material:

Even for this price, Kyoku is providing a knife that is using a layered high carbon steel to make it ever shine & to last longer. The blade has a completely VG-10 steel core blade that stands out pretty good for the price.

The blade is just like the other ones, it is also providing an enormous level of durability. Usually, High Carbon steel has an extended level of toughness which is a good and a bad thing at the same time.

The blade has a Rockwell hardness of more than 58HRC on its 8-inches long blade. However, the blade is slightly contoured at every single point, which results in an enhanced edge retention. Still, the Enso’s Nakiri is the king for edge retention.

Cutting & Performance:

This knife is a well-balanced tool that you being a newbie or even as a professional can easily handle it to glide. Its lightweight construction makes the knife pretty easy to maneuver. To give you a durable yet sharpened blade, the knife is forged.

It is a non-stick knife, which prevents the ingredients from sticking onto its blade. With its blade, you can handle almost any sort of vegetable, fruit & some meats as well. Its deep & dense cladding makes the knife pretty aggressive.

Best for cutting:

Vegetables, Citrus Fruits, Dry fruits, Breads, Buns, Sandwiches, Butter, Cheese, Steak, cooked meat & some sort of light butchery.

6. KUMA Professional Damascus Chef Knife

Another good knife for commercial chefs, or for those who want to master their skills by using the professional Japanese knife at a reasonable cost. Though the knife is not that popular, it has a launch date of 2017.

Build Quality & Material:

Like a few more guys, this one does also come in a couple of variants. Except for this one, all of the others are offered in Knife sets, that is not the context for now. However, all of these things have one common thing in terms of material & build.

Now, the specific model of the steel is not clear for this knife. But we are pretty sure that it is made up of High Carbon steel. In this specific steel, there is a more addition of carbon & vanadium for durability & rust resistance.

Surprisingly, Kuma is using layered steel, which is rare for this price as it is a time-consuming thing. Maybe, they are using batch production instead of craftsmanship, which makes them save their time, along with some money.

Cutting & Performance:

The knife has a long-lasting & sharp blade that doesn’t rust nor break out. This knife is capable of providing some support while cutting the large ingredients by providing you with a slightly contoured blade edge.

Kuma is calling the knife as the Japanese Sushi knife, but the knife is not just limited to it. You can cut down a host of other ingredients at a good speed. The blade is just plain, with some laser engraving that adds beauty to it.

From its spine part, the knife turns to a semi-circular end, which helps in dealing with poultry & light meat stuff. Moreover, the knife is not a true non-stick because it is specifically meant for seafood, but you can still prevent it from slipping.

Best for cutting:

Fish, Chicken, Steak, Beef, Pork, Sausages, Veggies, Fruits (Dry & Citrus), Cheese, Butter, & slicing of leaves as well.

Best Japanese Knives for the money | Under $150

7. Global 8″ Chef’s Knife

Global is a good Japanese knife brand that keeps renovating their knives to satisfy the needs of a Chef. Currently, it is ranking as the 35th Best Chef knife out there.

Build Quality & Material:

Sit tight as Global is using some exceptional materials that you are going to see for the first & maybe for only one time on the list of Best Japanese Knives for the money. It is the knife using Stainless steel core here, known as Cromova18!

The stainless steel is durable, & resists against corrosion though. But, at the same time, it also makes the knife hard to sharpen due to its exceptional strength. But, Global has composed the structure that makes it fairly easy to sharp.

Here, Global is using a composition of Vanadium, Molybdenum, & Carbon elements to make it ever-lasting. Now, there is no possibility of getting dull or catching oxidation frequently. The knife doesn’t weigh a lot being a stainless steel knife.

Cutting & Performance:

The knife is meant for professional chefs, due to its performance & cutting quality. However, you being a home or casual cook can also use it because it doesn’t cost a premium. This is the beauty of every Japanese “Global” knife.

It is a very fine blade, that makes you take ultra fine slices of veggies, steaks, and fruits with exceptional sharpness and accuracy. With this knife, you will get a double bevel blade with this level of sharp blade.

Finally, the knife comes in a complete metallic construction, which is not using any sort of plastic or wood on its single inch. Though the knife is slightly heavy, it is still easy to grip due to dimples engraving on the handle.

Best for cutting:

Cooked Meat, Steak, Chicken, Sausages, Hot Dogs, burgers, buns, breads, citrus fruits, dry fruits, veggies, dairy products, butter, & cheese.

8. Enso Nakiri Knife – HD Series

Enso makes the place on the 9th spot with its HD-Series Nakiri that is the only Nakiri on the entire list. The knife is meant for professionals that is a launch of the year 2005. Now, it is ranking as the 14th best Nakiri knife out there.

Build Quality & Material:

Just like some other ones, this knife is also using the same VG-10 with some minor yet true changes in its composition. Here, the blade is using slightly more cobalt and vanadium to stand out in its edge retention.

Believe it or not, but this knife is by far the best one when it comes to edge quality. You can expect a long life span, even being a mid-range Japanese knife. The core is made up of completely VG-10, which gives Rockwell hardness of 61 HRC.

To lower the price, Enso is making all of these knives in a batch process where it takes both manual and machining processes. However, the knife is manually forged due to its layering technique that makes the overall structure durable.

Cutting & Performance:

With its excellent edge retention, the knife makes the cutting experience at its best. Blade comes sharpened out of the box and performs well in terms of sharpness. The blade has a length of 6.5-inches that is versatile though.

It has a completely rectangular blade, which gives a true profile of a Nakiri. To protect the knife from rusting whether due to juicy ingredients or from water, the blade is protected in Stainless steel that is brazed.

The knife is non-stick due to its Damascus hammering on its blade face that prevents the ingredients from sticking on to it. On the lower side near the cutting edge, this pattern starts to fade.

Last thing, the blade is slightly beveled which makes it viable to use for large ingredients without any problems. However, the knife is double bevel & performs perfectly for this thing. Plus, the handle is comfortable & full-tang at the same time.

Best for cutting:

Pumpkins, Watermelon, Large fruits and Vegetables, beheading the fish, chicken, mincing & chopping the onions, tomatoes, garlic & slicing of dairy products.

9. Zelite Infinity Santoku Knife 7 Inch – Alpha-Royal Series 

Alright, if you are fond of western design knives, but you want an exceptional sharpness just like Japanese knives, then this is a knife that is meant for you. This comes in plenty of variants but the Santoku is the best one here. A couple of Yoshihiro knives can also come under $150.

Build Quality & Material:

Along with this Santoku, all of the knives in this model are using AUS-10 steel. This is a true Japanese steel, which is known as the best cutlery steel in the Far East countries.

Here, Zelite is optimizing the construction a little bit, by adding more carbon elements into it. This knife has a layered steel which was already expected for this price. Moreover, the steel is capable of resisting corrosion.

Cutting & Performance:

The knife comes in a double bevel blade, which is still acceptable for this price. But, when it comes to performance, the knife provides a sharp blade though. It is a nicely balanced blade, that you can handle it with little to no problem.

The blade is using a Tsunami pattern on its face, which gives it a decent look overall. However, its Wustuf sort of design makes the knife in front of sticking. With this blade, you can enjoy its long life from its edge side.

Last thing, the blade is slightly thick as compared to other ones. But it does make a deep & sharp cut on the ingredients. Along with its durable, sharp, & non-stick blade, the knife makes a great value for money due to its stunning yet comfortable grip.

Best for cutting:

Meat, Fish, Vegetables, Fruits, Chickens, Steak, Dry Fruits, buns, & dairy meals.

Best Japanese Knives for the money | Under $175

10. Shun Classic 7” Hollow

The successor to the Yaxell & the only knife from the house of Shun is their Classic 7-inches blade. This knife is a launch of the year 2003, which makes it one of the most senior & professional knives on the list. You can get a Miyabi knife under this range too.

It is a Santoku model that is ranking as the 20th best Japanese Santoku.

Build Quality & Material:

Starting from its build quality, & you can imagine its quality in advance before us. Shun is using its flagship steel known as VG-10 max in its manufacturing. For its name, you might not judge it, but the composition will make you feel proud.

In this knife, Shun is using a specific combination of Tungsten, Cobalt, Chromium, Vanadium & a bit more carbon along with the steel to make it stand out both in terms of sharpness, durability, & resistance against corrosion.

All this stuff leads to its exceptional hardness of more than 62HRC on the Rockwell Hardness Scale. Just to make its justification with the price. Besides, the knife is supposed to last for a long time without any doubt.

Cutting & Performance:

The Santoku is using a fairly wide blade, which makes it easy to take deep cuts. With this knife, you can cut down pumpkins, watermelons, fat trimming & slicing of large sizes of ingredients.

Here, the blade is a true sort of non-stick, which prevents the materials and ingredients from sticking on to it. On its entire blade, you will get a shallow Tsuchime pattern, that enhances the cutting performance along with beauty.

This is a professional knife, which makes it stand out better for the professional, commercial, and bust chefs to get the most out of it. For its price, we will never recommend it to beginners or home chefs, unless you want it for your collection.

To be honest, this is a knife that extremely validates its branding name. It is using a classic handle which is the best one on the entire list undoubtedly. With this comfortable & full-tang handle, you can glide the knife for long hours on the spot.

Best for cutting:

Cutting, Slicing, dicing, mincing of Cheese, cooked meat, vegetables, herbs, nuts, dry fruits, citrus fruits, seafood & breads.

Best Japanese Knives for the money | Frequently Asked Questions

The Bottom Line | Best Japanese Knives for the money

Though, every knife in the world is meant for cutting. But, the challenge is to get a knife with an exceptional sharpness, quality build, long-lasting blade, & good edge retention at a reasonable price.

Usually, knives with long blades tend to get more versatility & it is a dream of every chef. To master your cutting skills, or to cut down the ingredients for your meal at home, you can not always afford a premium Japanese knife.

With the Best Japanese Knives for the money, all these things are still real even though these knives are pretty expensive. There’s a host of options available when choosing, but figuring out the best takes your time & patience.