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Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers on choosing a knife, care, shipping, returns and your order.

Choosing and buying

Most home cooks start with an 8 inch Gyuto (chef knife) or a 7 inch Santoku. Choose a Nakiri for vegetables, a Kiritsuke for a longer, flatter chef blade, or a Petty knife for small detailed work. Our guide How to Choose a Japanese Chef Knife walks through each shape.

HARATUMI knives use a VG-10 core, a high-carbon stainless steel, inside 67 layers of Damascus cladding, hardened to 60 ±2 HRC. Our Japanese Knife Steel Guide explains what that means for sharpness and care.

Our products are manufactured both locally and globally. We carefully select our manufacturing partners to ensure our products are high quality and a fair value.

We ship to addresses in the United States, and shipping is free on every order. We do not offer international shipping at the moment. Orders are delivered by USPS or, in some areas, a local delivery partner.

Orders are processed within 1 to 4 business days, Monday to Friday. After dispatch, estimated delivery is 2 to 4 weeks in total, including processing. You receive a shipping confirmation email with a tracking link once your order is on the way.

You can request a return within 30 days of delivery. Knives must be unused, in original condition and packaging, and registered with our customer care team before they are sent back. Customer-initiated returns are shipped at your cost. Faulty or damaged items are replaced free of charge when reported within 7 days of delivery.

Care

No. Wash the blade by hand with warm water and mild dish soap right after use, then dry it completely with a clean towel. Use a wood or plastic cutting board, never glass, stone or ceramic. More in How to Care for a Japanese Knife.

HARATUMI knives are hand-sharpened to a 12 to 15 degree edge on each side. Sharpen on a whetstone at that angle; a stone around 1000 grit and one in the 3000 to 6000 range cover nearly everything a home kitchen needs. Skip the honing steel: it can chip a hard Japanese edge. Step by step in How to Sharpen a Japanese Chef Knife.

Orders and returns

Yes, within 24 hours of placing it. Email support@haratumi.com or call +1 (504) 399-3015 and we will update or cancel the order. After 24 hours the order may already be in processing and changes may not be possible.

You'll receive a shipping confirmation email once your order is on the way. This email includes your tracking number and a link to track your shipment in real time. Tracking updates may take 24 to 48 hours after dispatch to appear. Orders may arrive in separate shipments if they contain multiple items.

Please contact us within 7 days of delivery with your order number, the name of the damaged item, a brief description of the issue and clear photos of the damage. If your item arrives faulty or damaged, it is eligible for a free replacement, and you do not need to return the item (unless we request it as part of verification).

Please email us with your order number, the item you were meant to receive, the item you actually received and a clear photo of the incorrect item. If we confirm an error on our side, we'll arrange a replacement at no cost.

Once we receive and inspect your return, we will process your refund. We do not charge a restocking fee. Approved returns are refunded in full for the item price to your original payment method. Please allow up to 7 business days for the amount to appear on your account.

We do not offer direct exchanges. If you would like a different knife, blade size or set, please return the original item (once approved) and place a new order.

Email support@haratumi.com or call +1 (504) 399-3015, Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern Time (ET). We aim to respond to all inquiries within 1 business day.

Still have a question? Email support@haratumi.com or call +1 (504) 399-3015, Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM ET.

Full details: Shipping Policy and Refund Policy.