By Chris D
GSI Outdoors Santoku Knife Set
The GSI Outdoors Santoku Knife Set was provided to this reviewer for a full review. GSI Outdoors has recently come out with this handy set of kitchen knives for home or camp. See their web page HERE.
Description from GSI Outdoors
Compact, stainless steel blades are perfectly rockered for kitchen prep and any other camp use
Protective safety covers ensure safe handling and preserve sharpness
Ergonomic, rubber handles provide a sure grip
Two-sided cutting board with meat and vegetable icons helps to prevent cross-contamination
Quick-drying, microfiber cleaning cloth has a soft, non-abrasive side for delicate items and a rough, scouring side for scrubbing.
Durable ballistic nylon outer case keeps everything organized
PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS
MAJOR DIMENSION: 4 Person
WEIGHT: 25.6 oz.
DIMENSIONS: 12.2 x 6.9 x 1.6
PRODUCT USE: Destination Camping
INCLUDES:
4″ Knife, 6″ Knife, 6″ Serrated Knife, Cutting Board, Soap Bottle, Dish Cloth, Ballistic Nylon Case
First impressions
The two pictures below I took when I received the knife set. The zippered folio it comes in it well designed. I will say that the small bungee loops that hold the knife handles are a little frayed which is a quality control issue I think. But between the loops and the hook and loop straps, the knives are held securely in their respective places.
The left side holds a very handy folding cutting board, an ingenious dish washing cloth, and a small bottle for dish detergent. I filled it with Dawn Dish Detergent when I took the kit inside for preliminary testing (ie. chopping up dinner ingredients!)
The knives included in this kit are very well made for the price of all included. The handles are slim but comfortable for basic camp cooking chores. I would not want to have to slice up 50# of potatoes or anything with them, but they are a nice size and are balanced well for basic chores. They came very sharp but protected with their sheaths. I hit them with my Spyderco SharpMaker sharpening system and a leather strop after I tried them out and I got them razor sharp just to see how they would take an edge. The blades are pretty thin so they took an edge pretty easy.
As you can see above, they did the job well! I will be using them all extensively for a few more weeks and then my daughter’s Girl Scout Troop will be taking the whole kit on their road trip out to Yellowstone National Park! They will test the washcloth and cutting board with the knives and I will get report updates during their trip. That should do a good job of torture testing everything! I will post an update before they leave. In the mean time, wish me luck actually getting to use the GSI Outdoors Santoku Knife Set as my daughter has taken a liking to them…