Reach for this when a full 7-inch santoku is too much knife for the job. Halving cherry tomatoes, slicing a single capsicum, trimming herbs off the stem, or prepping a small bowl of shallots - these are jobs where the shorter length actually helps. You're not fighting extra blade weight, and the flat belly stays in full contact with the board through the cut.
Compact Length, Same Santoku Geometry
The 5.5-inch length puts this in the same category as a utility knife, but the profile is pure santoku: nearly flat belly and no tip curve to push produce away on the downstroke. That flat belly is what you want when you're shaving zucchini into thin coins or running through a bunch of spring onions without the forward tip of a chef knife pushing the food away. Lighter in the hand than its 7-inch sibling, it's also the knife that works well for smaller hands or tighter prep spaces.
Retro Handle, Familiar Foundation
The blade is 3-layer 10Cr15CoMoV composite steel - hard high-carbon core with two flanking layers of softer stainless for corrosion resistance - vacuum heat-treated to 60-62 HRC. It holds a keen edge without the brittleness of a single-steel hard blade. The octagonal Red Wood handle with genuine black buffalo horn collar matches the rest of the Retro Series, so it sits naturally alongside the larger knives in the block.
Specifications
-
Blade Steel: 3-Layer 10Cr15CoMoV Composite Steel
-
Hardness: 60-62 HRC (Vacuum Heat Treated)
-
Blade Profile: 5.5-inch Santoku
-
Handle: Red Wood & Black Buffalo Horn (Octagonal), full tang
-
Use: Quick vegetable prep, slicing soft produce like tomatoes and mushrooms, and any push-cut task where a shorter, lighter blade is the better choice.
-
Series: Retro Series (PM8S)
-
Model: PM8S-5.5RS
Complete Your Set
Pair it with the Retro 7" Santoku (PM8S-RS) when you need extra reach for larger produce, or the Retro 8.5" Chef Knife (PM8S-CS) for the rock-chopping tasks where this flat santoku profile isn't the right tool.
