Fire Sale Yoshida Hamono HAP40 Kiritsuke Petty

First Impressions

Much like the ZDP-189 range from Yoshida Hamono, the out of the box sharpness of the HAP40 is excellent and these are unquestionably some of the sharpest knives we’ve tested.

Beauty

If you’re looking for a classic Japanese knife, the kurouchi finished blade and traditional wa shaped handle is a great combination and shows the style and design that’s been used for generations.

This range is available with a standard magnolia handle or an Oster Rob special edition “Tottori sand” maple burl handle. Please note the Tottori handles are all individually made and patterns may vary.

In Hand

The HAP40 range is comfortable across the various knife styles and sizes with a balance typically around the middle of the kanji on the longer knives and just towards the bottom of the kanji on the shorter ones which makes them easy to hold when using a pinch grip and nimble in hand.

Durability

Made by Hitachi Metals Limited,HAP40 is a steel that is well regarded for its hardness and the treatment of this range is around 67-68 HRC so edge retention is excellent and these are durable knives when looked after correctly.

The exceptional 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 ofcamellia oilfrom 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

We’ve been big fans of the ZDP-189 from Yoshida Hamono, the finish and sharpness out of the box is exceptional and when you pair it with the incredible level of hardness you get a knife that keeps it edge for a very long time.

The HAP40 fits in a nice spot in that it’s a bit easier to sharpen than the ZDP-189 steel and so gives you the similar high level of performance but makes it a little more accessible in terms of sharpening convenience.

It’s the same profile and shape with the same great finishing edge but an easier to work with steel!