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Rooij knives

During our trips and stages in Japan we met many high skilled knifemakers. One of them is our brand  knifemaker, who manufactures knives in SEKI, Gifu prefecture, Japan.

Miraiden series

This series is made by our young craftsman in Sakai, Osaka. I gave him the name Rooij ''Miraiden'' series. ''Mirai'' means future and ''Den'' represents the craftsman. The series is created by new young craftsman who are learning the skills needed to become master craftsmen. This means that they are perfect knives under the watchful eye of the master and also help support the next generation of craftsmen.

Rooij VG5 series

The blade is forged by sub contractors in Seki. Mr. Tsukahara puts on a handle manually and afterwards finishes and sharpens the knife, all by hand. This results in a extremely sharp edge. The VG5 core is friendly if it comes to maintaining sharpness and known for it's capability to remain high sharpness for a longer period. On the outside of the blade you will find a delicate tsuchime and our name ROOIJ in kanji. Thinned througout the whole bladeand this will benifit with less friction during cutting.

A thin blade combined with a razorsharp edge will enhance the experience of a sliky smooth cut. The tsuchime is refined and the same goes for the matte finish on the blade. The hamon ( forging line ) indicates clearly the san mai, three layered, construction.

The choil is rounded and polished, so it creates a " Finger rest " for pinch grip and will give you more control on the handling. The classic Western handle is made from a grey pakka wood. It is warm, non slipping and maintainance free. The bolster has a flat side, which in this way, you always know the position of the blade.

VG5 is the little brother of VG10, designed by Japanese steel manufacturers especially for the Japanese knifemakers. VG5 components are almost identical to VG10, but VG5 uses more vanadium and a little less kobalt. VG5 has proven in practice to get the job done right. Our VG5 series excels in geometry, balance and out of the box sharpness. These are perfect ingredients for a perfect knife.

The hamon ( forging line ) indicates clearly the san mai, three layers, construction.

The choil is rounded and polished, so it creates a " Finger rest " for pinch grip and will give you more control on the handling. The classic Western handle is made from grey pakka wood. It is warm, non slipping and maintainance free. The bolster has a flat side, which in this way you always know the position of the blade.

VG5 is the little brother of VG10, designed by Japanese steel manufacturers specially for the Japanese knifemakers. VG5 components are almost identical to VG10, but VG5 uses more vanadium and a little les kobalt. VG5 has proven in practice to get the job done right. Our VG5 series excels in geometry, balance and out of the box sharpness. These are perfect ingredients for a perfect knife.

Rooij VG10 series

VG10 is a well known and in practice proven, high end steel for knives in Japan, manufactured by Takefu steel company and designed for the Japanese knifemakers. VG10 is embraced by many knifemakers nowadays and with the right manufacturing recipe and blade construction, ideal for knife blades. Mostly to find in layered steel, or damascus steel. Literally VG10 stands for V-Gold steel , or in Japanese V-kin steel.

Although VG 10 is used by many steel makers, VG1o is different from all knifemakers. Why? The knifemakers have to buy the steel, but then the manufacturing process begins and that's where the differences start.

Here an example: "Two chefs start with a chicken and same ingredients, an hour later you come back and yo'll find two completely different chicken". This also goes for knifemakers and the forging recipe combined with the construction of the blade: VG10 is a name for steel, not a quality stamp.

Our knifemaker also has his own recipe for forging VG10 , hardened to 60HRC-61 HRC, in my idea ideal for use in practice. Afterwards the blade is thinned on the Kaiten Toshi water stone, this way there is less friction while cutting. Finally the edge is sharpened like a razor, like you would expect from a ROOIJ knife.

Rooij HAP40 series

The development of new steels is not on a hold these days. Also not in the world of Japanese knives. New high end and exotic steels are used for blades in price ranges that can empty your bank account easily. If I would choose to make my own line up, which steel should I use? Of course, a question that went through my head for years: VG10, R2 od SLD?? Maybe Aogami steel?? All these high end steels already proved their excellence in the knife business.

Now, there it is, HAP40 steel, also known as "Voodoo steel". Semi stainless powder steel which holds an edge longer then many other steels in our shop. I think, this steel has the ability to become one of the best steels for high end kitchen knives. The steel is made by Hitachi steel factory and contains elements of tungsten, molybdenum, vanadium and kobalt.

Our HAP40 knives are hardened to a 65 Hrc to provide optimum performance in practice. Thanks to the thin edge and sharp edge, these knives are killers out of the box.

The blade is thinned, which provides the right geometry for a better cutting experience. The rounded western handle is made from pakka wood and decorated with a mozaikpin, which is esthetically beautiful. As well as our VG5 series, the rounded choil provides a finger rest and will add comfort while cutting and using a professional pinch grip. This is where quality meets craftmanship. 

Rooij GINSAN series

Our ROOIJ GINSAN series is made by our knifemaker in Nagasaki prefectuur, Tanaka san, 4th generation of a small family business. In his small workshop close to his home, he manufactures different knife series, for example our GINSAN silver steel series. Traditional forged in three layers, on the outside two layers of stainless steel with a core of ginsan steel. Tanak san finishes his knives on the ouside with a nashiji look: Raw and maybe  a few imperfections. None of his knives are the same. His style, known in Japan as wabi sabi, is the beauty of imperfection. Recognisable with many Japanese small knifemakers in Japan.

GINSAN /Gingami No.3 ("Silver Paper No.3”) / Gin#3 ("Silver#3") / Ginsan-kō ("Silver 3 Steel")

Gingami No. 3, known as ginsan steel silver steel (manufactured by Hitachi Metals Ltd.) is a semi stainless steel. It has a very fine structure, which can be maintained easily and can be sharpened to extreme sharpness. Hitachi steel factory disigned silver to position it next to the well known VG10 steel, same characteristics, but a little less chrome and more refinement. The ginsan silver steel becomes more and more popular with home cooks and professionals..

Rooij Saku series

Saku is literally melting pot in Japanese, steel will be heated and becomes liquid and this is then poored in the melting pot, Saku. This pot is used in the final process of knifemaking. By heating the blades in the saku and then to cool them down by air, the knifemaker will determine the hardness of the steel. 

Our SAKU series is constructed with a mono steel 1k6, a common kind of steel, normally hardened to a 58 Hrc, but our knifemaker manages a higher hardness. This way the steel becomes a better blade in practice for edge retention and sharpness. Thanks to the thin blade it wil have less friction during cutting. The SAKU series is the perfect additional line up in our assortment, a fair price for a high quality knife. It performs like a high end steel, easy to maintain and razor sharp edge.

Rooij SG2 series

Completely handmade, finished and sharpened by mr. Tsukahara. A core of SG2 steainless steel with two outer layers of a softer stainless steel.

The blade is finished on the Kaiten Toshi ( water wheel ) by hand. This ensures a thinness, which is hard to achieve by machine. This thin blade will provide a smooth silky cutting experience. This combined with a razor sharp edge, this knife will out perform many other knives. The refined matte finish is called migaki finish, sober, but instead of screaming "bling bling", this knife will do it's talking while it is cutting: immaculate.  The matte finish is distinguised and called migaki finish in Japanese. Sober in design, but immaculate in performance. The choil is rounded and will ensure a lot of control while cutting, especially when the pinch grip is used.

The micarta handle has a white filler and is comfortable. Micarta is made out of cotton and epoxy, glued under high pressure. This material is tough, non slipping and endurable. Blue is also the national colour of Japan. SG2 powder steel has a uniform hardness of 63 Hrc and is stainless in normal use. This steel, made by Takefu steel factory, is known for it's hardness and can be sharpened like a razor. The edge retention is as expected , extremely good.

Elwin de Veld about ROOIJ knives:

A Rangelrooij knife has to have it's own identity. Now in 2019, I am a knife sharpener for 25 years, I have sharpened many knives. I think as a knife sharpener, I have held many models and brands in my hands. A knife from Rangelrooij has to have it's own identity. Now, speaking in 2019, day in day out  knives went through my hands, probably I have seen a big part of all chef knives. No, a ROOIJ knife  is not a new invention of a knife, it's a process of experience, listening to the end user and negotiate with the knife maker. Our highly skilled knifemakers in Japan are doing an awesome job. We are so proud at this collaboration.  All our knowledge, experience and passion come together in our ROOIJ knives. Arigato gozaimasu.