Superior Japanese Knives Made From ZDP 189 Steel

Damascus Gyuto Japanese Chef's Knife

The super steel material ZDP 189 from Hitachi used in knife production, has an extremely high carbon (3%) and chromium (20%) content making it expensive to manufacture. It is made using powdered metal technology.
 
The pure carbon content of ZDP 189 makes it one of the most edge retentive alloy in the knife industry. What makes the ZDP 189 steel remarkable is that it can be hardened up to RC 65-67 without any problems of chipping. The manufacturing processes of this steel make it one of the toughest steel available in the market today.
 
It is also noteworthy that the ZDP 189 steel is one of the harder steels to sharpen by hand. The Henckels call it by the alias “MC66”.
 
The best way to maintain the sharpness of the ZDP 189 blade is by using diamond rods with very light pressure. Though some people reported that Japanese water stones can do the job as well.
 
The secret to Japanese knives sharpness and cutting performance roots from the techniques and the long history of knife making. However, the type of steel to be used in producing a knife is equally important because each steel represents different characteristics and it is one of the factors people are determining when looking for a Japanese knife.

Damascus Gyuto Japanese Chef's Knife

Generally, there are three categories as far as steel material is concerned:

• Stainless Steel
• Carbon Steel
• Powdered High Speed Tool Steel

Stainless Steel

Stainless steel is popular for its characteristic of being rust-resistant. Steels is considered stainless when it has more than 11% of chromium in chemical composition. Providing the steel resistance to wear and corrosion is the chromium.

 

Carbon Steel

Unlike a stainless steel blade, carbon steel blade can get rusty and discolor very easily. This is the reason why extra care and maintenance is needed to avoid rusting and discoloration of the blade like; never leave your carbon steel blade in wet condition, and giving the blade extra wiping to dry it even during cooking. Should discoloration and rusting appears, note that the cutting performance is not affected.

Powdered High Speed Tool Steel

The process in producing these steels is different than those used in other types of steels. The process is called Powder Metallurgy which calls for rich chemical composition.   The blades made from these steels are often used to cut hard materials. This characteristic sets knives made from this type of steel apart from the rest. It is often referred to as the next generation of special steel.
 
Serious users and professional chefs prefer to use knives made from ZDP 189 steel because of its superior cutting performance and longer edge retention.
 
The ZDP 189 falls in the third category of steel materials. The Hitachi Steel Company produced this steel to compete against the Daido steel’s Cowry X.
 
See more, click this>> Japanese knife made from ZDP 189 blade.