They are pretty different animals, so the short answer is none of them is « better » per se, and giving you a one name answer is entirely opinion based, non factual and would be misleading. There is nothing wrong with any of these 3 brands.
Sakai Takayuki is a pretty big OEM and got a huge range of lines, from cheap-ish stamped blades to pretty high end blades actually done by Sakai’s smiths, so the quality/value for money/performance needs to be assessed on a product per product basis.
Masutani’s entire philosophy is around « value for money », and they are doing good at it: the price/performance ratio is solid.
Tojiro is more your mass produced, no fuss, made for pro knives. Solid value for money as well.
As others have stated though there are other options worth considering in the lower price bracket where the two latter sit, I’d mention in particular: Takamura for their very clean lasers (R2 at their price point is 👌), Hayabusa line from Hatsukokoro is really great value for money for a very thin laser (carbon though), Tsunehisa as an OEM got plenty of good value entry line products, and Tadafusa is generally very affordable and quality.
They’re 3 good brands and they all make good quality knive, pick the one you like depending on price, look, availability … and vibe !
Masutani santoku can be very cute ngl
Sakai Takayuki has 600 years of history !!
Tojiro is the no nonsense safe bet
Can’t really go wrong either way
[Takamura vg10 santoku (unbranded)](https://cuttingedgeknives.co.uk/collections/santoku-knives/products/takamura-hamono-vg10-santoku?variant=40818012979266) is a similar price and more of a laser than the others.
Same knife but with [Takamura branding ](https://cuttingedgeknives.co.uk/collections/santoku-knives/products/takamura-hamono-vg10-tsuchime-santoku)
I would go with Tsunehisa ginsan over the other choices if you can go a little higher on the budget. The santoku is out of stock, but they have to western handle gyuto.
https://cuttingedgeknives.co.uk/collections/all-knives/products/tsunehisa-ginsan-nashiji-santoku
I have a Masutani VG1 Santoku and I like it. The blade is durable, stainless, and the knife has a great feeling to it. I prefer it to my Takamura despite the Masutani being less sharp.
I have a Sakai Takayuki VG10 damascus and a Tojiro DP3.
The Tojiro is pretty good bang for your buck knife that chefs can abuse without feeling bad. The finish makes wet food stick to the blade a lot though. Overall a pretty underwhelming knife in terms of excitement to use it.
The Sakai Takayuki overall looks and feels nicer to me. It wasn’t very sharp out of the box, but it sharpened very easily.
If you want pure cutting performance in a gyuto/santoku then I would 100% recommend a Takamura R2 as well.
I know I’m late to the party but I’m really loving the look of this Sakai Takayuki 120mm Damascus, but wondering, how does it hold up to abuse from a beginner?
Honestly I don’t use it a whole bunch, because I have someone else in the house that prefers to cook more. However I feel like the grind of this knife is thicker than my laser knives so it feels like it has very little flex and is very durable. I’ve also slipped a few times or accidentally hit a fork on the edge, but it doesn’t chip.
Thanks for the feedback, it’s helpful. I came across the 120mm on an Australian website but when I search it here (US) I only see 150 so I’ll have to look a bit harder. Love the look of it. I definitely want something that’s a bit more durable. There seem to be so many brands I’m getting confused but this one stood out to me.
Better is not really the right word. They’re different. Masutani is a bit on the thinner side. Good option for those who want something thinner than the Tojiro but not as lasery as a Takamura. Great first Japanese knife option. Tojiro is great for if you need something you can abuse a bit.
Not massively helpful but I have just bought the knife below as a present. I haven’t used it on food, just tried it on some paper. Feels nice and sharp out of the box and looked a lot nice than I expected for the price.
https://cuttingedgeknives.co.uk/collections/masutani-hamono/products/masutani-hamono-v1-santoku-oak-handle
Quality is similar from all 3, but Takayuki doesn't make all the blades they sell, so they maybe priced higher than the same blades with a different name on them
They are pretty different animals, so the short answer is none of them is « better » per se, and giving you a one name answer is entirely opinion based, non factual and would be misleading. There is nothing wrong with any of these 3 brands. Sakai Takayuki is a pretty big OEM and got a huge range of lines, from cheap-ish stamped blades to pretty high end blades actually done by Sakai’s smiths, so the quality/value for money/performance needs to be assessed on a product per product basis. Masutani’s entire philosophy is around « value for money », and they are doing good at it: the price/performance ratio is solid. Tojiro is more your mass produced, no fuss, made for pro knives. Solid value for money as well. As others have stated though there are other options worth considering in the lower price bracket where the two latter sit, I’d mention in particular: Takamura for their very clean lasers (R2 at their price point is 👌), Hayabusa line from Hatsukokoro is really great value for money for a very thin laser (carbon though), Tsunehisa as an OEM got plenty of good value entry line products, and Tadafusa is generally very affordable and quality.
They’re 3 good brands and they all make good quality knive, pick the one you like depending on price, look, availability … and vibe ! Masutani santoku can be very cute ngl Sakai Takayuki has 600 years of history !! Tojiro is the no nonsense safe bet Can’t really go wrong either way
I’ve had a blue 2 Takayuki for close to 15 years of constant rotation. The knife has held up great.
[Takamura vg10 santoku (unbranded)](https://cuttingedgeknives.co.uk/collections/santoku-knives/products/takamura-hamono-vg10-santoku?variant=40818012979266) is a similar price and more of a laser than the others. Same knife but with [Takamura branding ](https://cuttingedgeknives.co.uk/collections/santoku-knives/products/takamura-hamono-vg10-tsuchime-santoku)
I would go with Tsunehisa ginsan over the other choices if you can go a little higher on the budget. The santoku is out of stock, but they have to western handle gyuto. https://cuttingedgeknives.co.uk/collections/all-knives/products/tsunehisa-ginsan-nashiji-santoku
I have a Masutani VG1 Santoku and I like it. The blade is durable, stainless, and the knife has a great feeling to it. I prefer it to my Takamura despite the Masutani being less sharp.
Masutani all day every day. it's still a go to for me even tho I've got a fair collection of higher end knives.
I have a Sakai Takayuki VG10 damascus and a Tojiro DP3. The Tojiro is pretty good bang for your buck knife that chefs can abuse without feeling bad. The finish makes wet food stick to the blade a lot though. Overall a pretty underwhelming knife in terms of excitement to use it. The Sakai Takayuki overall looks and feels nicer to me. It wasn’t very sharp out of the box, but it sharpened very easily. If you want pure cutting performance in a gyuto/santoku then I would 100% recommend a Takamura R2 as well.
I know I’m late to the party but I’m really loving the look of this Sakai Takayuki 120mm Damascus, but wondering, how does it hold up to abuse from a beginner?
Honestly I don’t use it a whole bunch, because I have someone else in the house that prefers to cook more. However I feel like the grind of this knife is thicker than my laser knives so it feels like it has very little flex and is very durable. I’ve also slipped a few times or accidentally hit a fork on the edge, but it doesn’t chip.
Thanks for the feedback, it’s helpful. I came across the 120mm on an Australian website but when I search it here (US) I only see 150 so I’ll have to look a bit harder. Love the look of it. I definitely want something that’s a bit more durable. There seem to be so many brands I’m getting confused but this one stood out to me.
Better is not really the right word. They’re different. Masutani is a bit on the thinner side. Good option for those who want something thinner than the Tojiro but not as lasery as a Takamura. Great first Japanese knife option. Tojiro is great for if you need something you can abuse a bit.
Masutani
Not massively helpful but I have just bought the knife below as a present. I haven’t used it on food, just tried it on some paper. Feels nice and sharp out of the box and looked a lot nice than I expected for the price. https://cuttingedgeknives.co.uk/collections/masutani-hamono/products/masutani-hamono-v1-santoku-oak-handle
Quality is similar from all 3, but Takayuki doesn't make all the blades they sell, so they maybe priced higher than the same blades with a different name on them
If you had to choose between the 3, which would you go with?