Hayabusa Utility HAP-40 180mm (7.1")

The Hayabusa Utility HAP-40 180mm is a medium-sized Japanese kitchen knife that sits somewhere between a long petty knife and a small sujihiki. Despite the name, this is not just a small utility knife. Its longer, narrow blade makes it an excellent choice for anyone who prepares a lot of meat. It works beautifully as a compact meat trimmer, whether you are trimming silver skin, portioning steaks, butterflying chicken breast, slicing smaller cuts of meat, or doing precise prep where a full-sized slicer would feel too long. The thin HAP-40 steel blade is precise, sharp, and built for excellent edge retention. HAP-40 is one of Japan’s most advanced powder steels, known for its high hardness, long-lasting sharpness, and impressive cutting performance. This means the knife will stay sharp for a long time with less frequent sharpening. If you are looking for a handy, precise meat knife with the feel of a long petty and the cutting ability of a small sujihiki, the Hayabusa Petty HAP-40 180mm is a great choice. Fun fact: Hayabusa petty shares its name with the peregrine falcon (ハヤブサ), the fastest member of the animal kingdom. This knife may not reach speeds upwards of 350 km/h, but chopping with it will feel just as fast. BLADE SHAPE: Petty knives are small, precise utility knives designed for trimming, slicing and detailed prep. This longer 180mm version behaves more like a compact slicer, making it especially useful for meat trimming, silver skin removal, butterflying chicken breast and slicing smaller cuts of meat. STEEL: This knife’s hard core is made of a somewhat exotic and currently one of the most mysterious and attractive steels produced in Japan (at least as far as kitchen knives are concerned): Hitachi’s HAP-40 steel that fits into the category of modern and technologically advanced steels. HAP-40 is fine-grained enough to sharpen very well, and knives from this steel keep their sharpness 3-5 times longer than traditional knives. An interesting fact is that, considering it is a powder steel, it has an extremely small content of chromium (around 4%) and can react as a high-carbon steel in specific circumstances. LAMINATION: The core layer consisting of the harder HAP-40 steel was sandwiched between two layers of softer steel. This technique is called san-mai and is used to protect the hard (but delicate) core from outside factors and physical impacts, which could lead to breakage. GEOMETRY: It has a double bevel (symmetrical) blade. The cutting edge is sharpened to a 50/50 angle and stays sharp even after hours of constant use. BLADE FINISH: The minimalistic-looking, highly polished (also called migaki finish - see article Blade Construction: Blade Finish for more) blade is extremely thin, which allows the user to work precisely even with the smallest pieces of ingredients. HANDLE: The knife features an octagon Japanese (Wa) style handle made out of wenge wood, complemented by an epoxy ferrule. The octagon shape of the handle provides a comfortable and secure grip, allowing for precise control during use. Wenge wood is known for its durability and attractive grain pattern, making it a popular choice for knife handles. The epoxy ferrule adds strength and stability to the handle, ensuring long-lasting performance.