[Tom Briggs]

I’m thinking about picking up a Matsato as my main kitchen knife, but I’m not sure how much upkeep it needs. I know it’s stainless steel, so is it basically just wash and dry like any other knife? Or does the beech wood handle require special treatment over time? Just trying to figure out if it fits into my normal routine before I commit.

[Maya Rose]

I wouldn’t overthink the handle honestly. Mine gets splashed and wiped down like any other kitchen tool and it still looks fine after about a year of regular use. I don’t do anything special to it, no oils or treatments, and it hasn’t dried out or cracked on me.

[Alex Miller]

I’ve had mine for a while now and it’s really not that fussy. The stainless part I treat exactly like any other kitchen knife, hand wash with soapy water and dry it off. No special routine there.

The beech wood handle is the part people seem to get hung up on, but mine gets splashed and wiped off all the time and nothing bad has happened. I’m not careful with it either, it just sits on my counter and gets used daily. I think as long as you’re not leaving it soaking in the sink or tossing it in the dishwasher, you’re fine. Wood handles can look drier after a year or two, but that’s just natural wear.

I don’t oil it. I don’t do anything extra. It still feels solid and hasn’t cracked or warped on me. I’d say it fits into a normal routine without issue.

[Julia Writes]

I think the handle is the only part that really needs any thought. Mine has gotten wet plenty of times during use and I just make sure it dries fully before it goes back in the drawer. The blade itself is no different from any other stainless knife I’ve owned.

[Chris Writes]

Honestly? I had kind of the opposite thing happen with mine. I picked it up expecting it to be one of those knives you have to baby a little, given the wood handle and everything. I read a few things before buying it that made me think I’d be doing some kind of extra ritual every few weeks to keep it from drying out or cracking.

Turns out I was wrong. The beech wood handle is way more low maintenance than I assumed. I treat it like I do all my kitchen stuff: hand wash it with warm soapy water after I’m done cooking and dry it off with a towel before putting it away. That’s it. No special oils, no weird conditioning routine, nothing like that. After several months of near daily use, the handle still looks pretty much the same as the day I got it. Maybe slightly darker from being handled, but in a nice way.

The blade itself is the part that actually shifted my thinking. I went in assuming stainless steel meant I could be a bit more careless, but it still needs attention if you want it to stay sharp. It’s not that it dulls fast, it’s just that I found myself reaching for the sharpening steel way more often than I do with my other knives. Not a complaint, just a reality check. It made me realize that no knife is truly maintenance free, even the stainless ones.

So yeah, it fits into a normal routine. Just don’t expect to completely ignore it.

[Eli]

The handle is the one thing I’d say to pay a little attention to. I’m not gentle with mine, it gets splashed and wiped down with whatever rag is nearby, but I do make sure it dries fully before it sits in the block. A year in and the wood still looks fine, no cracks or rough spots.

[Dana Lee]

If you cook a lot and keep your knives somewhere they can get knocked around, the wood handle is the only thing I’d keep an eye on. I’ve seen mine dry out a bit faster than I expected, so I rub a little mineral oil on it a couple times a year. Other than that, it’s been as low maintenance as any stainless knife I’ve owned.

[Mike38]

The beech wood handle is the only thing I’d question long term. Mine has seen a lot of sink splash and it’s fine, but I also don’t throw it in the dishwasher. The blade itself is just like any other stainless knife. I’d say buy it if you like the feel. The handle is the one thing I’d say to pay a little attention to.

[Ben Harlow]

I treat the blade like any other knife I own. It is stainless, so it doesn’t need any special ritual. I do make a point to hand wash it, but that is honestly because of the wood handle, not the steel.

I would not say the handle is high maintenance. I have had mine get splashed plenty and it is fine. The one thing I would avoid is letting it sit in a puddle of water on the counter or throwing it in the sink with dishes. Keep it dry when it is not in use and you will be fine.

[Nina_gadget]

The handle is honestly the only reason I hesitated too, but mine has been fine as long as I don’t leave it soaking. I just wipe it down after washing and let it air dry on the rack, nothing fancy. The blade itself I treat like any other stainless knife, no special ritual needed.

[Elena Voss]

Mine gets treated like every other kitchen knife I own, honestly. I hand wash it because the wood handle is the only real variable. Left it in the sink once overnight by accident and the handle looked a little dry afterward, but nothing cracked or warped. Blade itself has never given me any trouble.

[M_Ortiz]

The blade part is pretty much set and forget, I just hand wash it like any other good knife. But I actually had the opposite experience with the handle compared to some people here. Mine started to feel a bit rough and dry after about six months of regular use, so I do rub some mineral oil on it every few weeks now.

[Mike in NYC]

I’ve had mine for about a year and just treat it like any other knife I own. Hand wash it, dry it, throw it in the block. The handle hasn’t given me any trouble so far, but I also don’t leave it sitting in a wet sink. If you’re already used to caring for a decent knife, it fits right in.

[RonWeek]

The handle is the part that changes things, not the steel. I keep mine out of the sink entirely and just wipe it down after a wash, which is easy enough if you already hand dry your knives.

[Mark Carrell]

If you already hand wash your good knives, the Matsato is not going to add extra work. The steel is the easy part. I found the handle is the thing that actually needs a bit of attention. I just make sure it is totally dry before it goes back in the drawer, and I do not let it sit wet in the sink while I finish cooking. No oiling or anything so far, but I am only a few months in.

[S4r4 Hernández]

I think it really comes down to how you already treat your nicer knives. If your routine is just tossing everything into the sink until later, then yeah, the Matsato will need a little more thought because of that wooden handle. But if you’re already in the habit of hand washing and drying right away, I don’t see why it would be extra work for you.

The blade itself is stainless so that part is basically worry free. I wouldn’t leave it wet for long periods anyway just out of habit, but the steel isn’t the thing that’s going to give you trouble. It’s the beech wood that you have to be a bit mindful about. I’ve seen handles get that dried out, greyish look when people let them sit in water or run them through the dishwasher. It’s not the end of the world but once that happens it never quite looks the same.

For me personally, I would treat it like my main daily driver but keep a little dish towel nearby to dry it off right after washing. I wouldn’t oil the handle or do anything fancy unless it starts looking dry. I think people overcomplicate it. If you’re the type who already wipes down your cutting board and doesn’t leave wet stuff around, you’ll be fine with zero extra effort.

The only thing that would make me hesitate is if I knew I’d be lazy about drying it, because I do know myself and sometimes I just want to walk away after cooking. But if you’re past that stage, I’d say go for it.

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