Featured Hatsukokoro Hayabusa HAP40 Santoku

First Impressions

The Hayabusa is a great mix of old and new, the overall blade shape is made using more modern roll forging process that creates a consistent and exacting profile and then each individual blade is sharpened and finished by hand which gives it the excellent edge you’ll enjoy from the moment you start using it.

Beauty

This is perhaps not a range you’re going to buy based entirely on its looks. It’s a classic polished finish with a visually interesting and consistent grind exposing the HAP40 steel core and the Kanji is 初心 meaning初 (innocent) 心 (spirit).

In Hand

The entire range is impressively lightweight and overall they’re pretty thin all the way along the spine and taper nicely. The heel of the knife is comfortable but it would be nice if it were perhaps just a little more rounded and finished around the edges for added comfort.

Durability

Made by Hitachi Metals Limited,HAP40 is a super steel that is well regarded for its hardness and the treatment of this range is around 64-65 HRC so edge retention is excellent and these are durable knives when looked after correctly.

The durability and edge retention is the big feature of this range.

Ease of Care

These are a semi stainless knife so we’d recommend caring for them following the normal rinse and dry routine but it would also be worth applying drop or two of camellia oil from time to time as HAP40 steel has a chromium content but it’s worth the extra care for the edge retention properties it offers.

Our Verdict

This range is an interesting combination of new and oldblade productionandthen sharpened and the handles fitted by hand. There’s a great level of consistency across the knives in the range thanks to the use of more modern machinery which allows Hatsukokoro to keep production costs down without compromising on the finish which is done by hand.

It makes theHAP40 steel more accessible in price and if you’re looking for a knife which is going to take and retain an excellent edge and offera high level of durability despite it’s thin profile then look no further.

Overall, an impressively light but solid knife that’s going to last.