30 DAYS OPEN PURCHASEIt is in the details that a kitchen reveals its ambition. The precision work done in the palm of the hand, without a chopping board and with complete control: freeing an apricot from its stone, zesting a lemon without reaching the bitter white pith, reducing a shallot slice by slice to exact rings. For that work, 100 millimetres is the right length.
Suncraft has been making knives in Seki since 1948. Senzo SPG Strix is their new collection, named after the steel at its core: SPG Strix, a new powder steel from Takefu Special Steel that resolves an old compromise in knife making.
High hardness and good sharpenability have long worked against one another. Takefu addressed this with what it calls Strong Matrix construction: instead of simply increasing the carbide content, it reinforced the steel’s underlying matrix. The result is 64–66 HRC, a hardness that keeps the edge sharp for a long time, in a steel that still responds well to the whetstone. Corrosion resistance is good. The core is flanked by stainless cladding steel on each side in a classic three-layer San Mai construction.
The shorter blade makes every movement deliberate and controlled. The kurochi finish, a traditional black surface treatment, is combined with a hammered tsuchime texture to reduce friction against the ingredient. The wenge handle, made from dense African wood with its distinctive dark grain, sits securely in the hand and provides a good grip even with damp fingers.
A 100 millimetre petty is not a replacement for the other knives in the kitchen. It is the kitchen’s fine motor control.
