Hi Claus,
A true damascus, like the two I presented in the OP, doesn’t have a core. The Shun dual core weaves the two together all the way to the edge. The dual core santoku has become Dr. H’s main knife.
We’ve compared it to my Miyabi birchwood and my Shun Kaji santoku on various tasks, and it’s performed very well–even though it’s Rockwell score for hardness is lower.
The way Kai Shun weaves the two steels together gives them a very special appearance, and Kai Shun has been further developing the potential of this dual core style for many high end customers:
https://www.cutleryandmore.com/shun-engetsu/chefs-knife-p139817?nosto=landing-nosto-3-copy
If I didn’t already own my birchwood gyuto and my Kaji santoku, I might have purchased the Shun dual core kiritsuke.
Since I didn’t when I could, the ebay price has jumped over $100.
Ray
