KAN + KENJI = No Kid Hungry
Update: Thank you! Your donations and a portion of knife sales provided over 1/2 a million meals. You can still donate here to help a great cause!
Ready for an upgrade?
The complete KAN Core knife line is now available, but for a limited time, we’re selling them at the preorder sale prices.
Now is the perfect time to upgrade your experience in the kitchen.
KAN: /kän/
perception; intuition; the sixth sense (Japanese)It’s a great looking knife. Perfectly balanced blade and handle, and nice and sharp even out of the box. It’s a dreamy knife. If you’re in the market for a really great, high-end knife, this is the one to go with.
*Kenji is not being paid for this endorsement.
Heard Enough?
Introducing our KAN Core knife line:
Knife sets are here! Orders ship in 1-2 business days
Knife bundle preorder sale prices still apply for a limited time, so take advantage and shop now.
Knives that will transform your time in the kitchen.
With the blade, balance, and beauty of KAN Core knives, cooking will never be the same.
Introducing: KAN Core Chef Knife
The KAN Core chef knife is all about blade and balance;
the beauty is just a bonus.
The Blade
We set out to create our favorite chef knife, at a reasonable price. We started at the core. When you build a knife that needs to take a very sharp edge, then hold it for a long time, the obvious choice is VG-10 Japanese super steel.
VG-10 is a very hard high-carbon steel that can take an angle as acute as 15 degrees and still hold it for a very long time. Our steel is imported from Takefu, Japan, and the hardness is between approximately 60 HRC.
This is the sweet spot for having a razor-sharp blade without needing to sharpen very often, and you won’t have a difficult time restoring the original edge when you do.
The Balance
We balance our knives just behind the pinch point for a comfortable blade grip. We advise against a handle grip with our chef knife as it can be unwieldy and even dangerous, as the blade can flop to one side or the other. Using a pinch grip allows for more precision and control.
Our 200mm (~8-inch) chef knife weighs just over 8 oz, so you won’t get the hand fatigue that comes with bulky German knives, even after myriad strokes. You will have enough weight, however, to avoid working so hard to get through tougher foods.
The Beauty
From top…
The KAN Core series features a 67-layer damascus steel blade, with 66 stainless steel layers clad about the VG-10 core. We offer both a hammered and non-hammered finish. Both show off the beautiful damascus wood grain-like patterns.
…to bottom
We offer two handles: ebony wood (left) and jet black G10 (right). G10 is a glass-based epoxy resin laminate. Though we never condone soaking our knives, G10 will never absorb water, and will last through the ages. Ebony is an extremely hard and beautiful wood, and you won’t go wrong with either choice.
Ebony
G10
We are so excited to have launched our KAN Core series. We’re so excited to get one into your hands.
With our recent launch, we are so grateful for all the support from our backers. We can’t wait to hear what you think of the new knives. You can post on and follow our updates on our Facebook page.
Will you offer other knives/sizes?
We just launched pre-orders of our full set of knives. Shop now to take advantage of our early bird discounts.
What are the specs for the KAN Core chef knife?
- Weight: 8.4 ounces
- Blade length: 200mm (7.9inches)
- Blade:
- Core composition: Japanese VG-10 high carbon steel
- Core hardness: Approximately 60HRC
- 66 Damascus layers, stainless steel cladding
- Finish: hammered or non-hammered
- Edge angle: 15° double-bevel (30° total)
- Handle: Ebony wood (dark brown) or G10 (black)
How do I take care of my new knife?
Please see our Start guide for the best tips and tricks for safely getting the most out of your knife for generations. Also, see the video we made with Kenji on sharpening and maintaining your knives.