K08 Santoku

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The K08 Santoku is part of Spyderco's kitchen knife series. It was also know as the 1108.

Appearance in catalogs

Designer

History, mentionings etc. from the forums

FYI, the Spyderco Santoku was the first Santoku on the market from a non Japanese company. I saw tthe design in Japan in the '80's and thought it to be a good compromise design, The width of a 12" Cook's knife but short enough to be in a normal kitchen. It also served as a Chinese slicer. I widened the design from the Japanese versions so one's hand wouldn't hit the cutting board with our normal plastic handled Kitchen knife handles. I decided to call it a Santoku to avoid confusion. It seems like the entire kitchen knife market now offers a Santoku.

It's been a mainstay in the line for more than 30 years. My recommendation for a kitchen, especially a small kitchen, is: a Santoku, a K04 serrated and a K09 paring knife to serve most functions with the fewest designs. [1]

Information from the Spyderco catalog on the web

K08 Santoku Polypropylene Black(re-release in 2017)

Spyderco’s involvement in kitchen knives dates back to the early 1980’s and the beginnings of the company’s knife production. After being discontinued a number of years ago, they are now back by popular demand and better than ever.

The K08 Santoku has a special place in Spyderco’s history, as we were the first company to introduce a commercial santoku into the U.S. market. This unique Japanese kitchen knife design straddles the line between a traditional Asian cleaver and a Western chef’s knife and performs the tasks of both exceedingly well. Its 6.81-inch blade is made from premium MBS-26 stainless steel blade, ground exceptionally thin and meticulously heat treated for optimal edge retention. The durable black polypropylene plastic handle is injection molded directly onto the tang of the blade and features a distinctive “stepped” texture pattern that provides amazing comfort and control during use.

If you’re a serious chef, you owe it to yourself to give the Santoku a try. Once you do, you’ll wonder how you ever got along without one.[2]

Variations

The K08 is:

  • originally made by Masahiro (meaning Wide-Quality) in Seki City, Japan
  • does not feature Spyderco's trademark round hole
  • features a modified Sheepsfoot Blade shape
  • "each blade is individually heat treated, oil quenched, and ice tempered." (according to the 1996 Ironstone Product Guide)
SKU Handle Edge Steel From/To MSRP Note Number made Grind Collectors club
1108 Black Sermollan PE MBS-26 1986?-1990 $24.00 (1986) Part of Spyderco's Professional-grade Kitchen "Sharps", would later become the K08BK. N/A Full Flat
K08BK Black Polypropylene PE MBS-26 2017 - $80.00(2020) re-release - small change to blade profile and handle. N/A Full Flat

Most collectible variation

The original K08 Santoku, complete with original box and papers in mint condition is likely to be the most collectible version.

Questions regarding collecting the K08

Some interesting questions we are looking for an answer to:

Questions with an answer:

Technical information

Measurements (mm and grams) of the K08 Santoku:

Variation Length overall Length blade Length edge Blade thickness Weight
K08BK 306mm 306mm 162mm 1.80mm 147g

Measurements (inches and ounces) of the K08 Santoku:

Variation Length overall Length blade Length edge Blade thickness Weight
K08BK 12.06" 6.81" 6.36" 0.070" 5.2oz

References

  1. From the Spyderco.com discussion forum thread | 'Spyderco Santoku'
  2. The K08 Santoku in Spyderco's online catalog

Pictures

The K08 Santoku

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