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Suwada Blog

Right-handed Deba with an asymmetric single-bevel blade

What Are the Disadvantages of Single-Bevel Knives?
Single-bevel knives can be highly precise, but they are more specialised, handed, more prone to steering and harder to sharpen correctly than most double-bevel kitchen knives.

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Right-handed Yanagiba with a long single-bevel slicing blade

What Is a Single-Bevel Knife?
A single-bevel knife is ground primarily on one side, while the back is usually flat or slightly hollowed on traditional Japanese designs. This creates directional cutting behaviour and makes handedness and sharpening more important.

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Santoku kitchen knife with a visible layered Damascus blade pattern

What Does Damascus Mean in a Kitchen Knife?
In modern kitchen knives, “Damascus” usually describes visible layered or patterned steel, often used as cladding around a separate cutting core. It is not one specific steel grade and does not by itself determine cutting performance.

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Japanese Petty knife showing stainless cladding around a carbon-steel core

Full Carbon vs Stainless-Clad Carbon: What Is the Difference?
Full-carbon blades expose reactive steel across the blade faces, while stainless-clad carbon knives protect most of those faces with corrosion-resistant outer layers. The cutting core can still be carbon steel in both.

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Japanese Petty knife with carbon-steel core and stainless-steel cladding

Stainless-Clad Carbon Steel Explained
Stainless-clad carbon steel combines a reactive carbon-steel core with corrosion-resistant outer layers. The cladding reduces maintenance on the blade faces, while the exposed core at the edge still needs normal carbon-steel care.

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Japanese Gyuto chef's knife with an SLD semi-stainless core and stainless cladding

Does an SLD Knife Need Oil?
An SLD kitchen knife usually does not need oil for normal daily use if it is washed and dried carefully. A thin food-safe oil layer can help during long storage or in very humid conditions.

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Japanese Petty knife with an SLD semi-stainless core and stainless cladding

Is SLD Stainless or Semi-Stainless?
SLD contains about 12% chromium, but in kitchen-knife use it is usually safer to describe it as semi-stainless rather than fully stainless because it can still stain or rust if neglected.

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Japanese Santoku knife with an SLD semi-stainless core and stainless cladding

Is SLD Steel Good for Kitchen Knives?
SLD can work very well in kitchen knives because it combines high wear resistance with useful hardness and better corrosion resistance than simple carbon steel. The finished result still depends on heat treatment and blade geometry.

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Japanese Petty knife with a Shirogami #2 carbon-steel cutting edge

Can Beginners Use a Shirogami Carbon-Steel Knife?
Yes. Beginners can use Shirogami successfully if they are willing to wash and dry the knife promptly, avoid twisting and hard impacts, and learn basic whetstone maintenance.

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Japanese Petty knife with a Shirogami #2 carbon-steel edge and stainless cladding

Does Shirogami Steel Rust?
Yes. Shirogami is a reactive high-purity carbon steel and can rust if left wet, salty or acidic. A normal dark patina is different from active orange corrosion.

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Japanese Petty knife with a Shirogami #2 carbon-steel cutting edge

Shirogami #1 vs Shirogami #2: What Is the Difference?
Shirogami #1 contains more carbon than Shirogami #2 and has greater hardness potential. Both are very pure reactive carbon steels, and finished performance depends heavily on heat treatment and blade geometry.

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Japanese Nakiri knife with an Aogami #2 core and stainless-steel cladding

How Long Does an Aogami Edge Stay Sharp?
There is no honest fixed time for how long an Aogami edge stays sharp. Heat treatment, hardness, edge geometry, cutting board, food and technique all matter at least as much as the steel label.

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