Rolling Cutlery 75mm Petty Knife Review: A Small Japanese-Style Knife With Real Charm

Introduction

Some knives arrive with a story attached, and this one does. The Rolling Cutlery 75mm petty knife is made by Tim Rolling, a full-time knife maker who spent more than 20 years working in professional kitchens before leaving the industry to focus on blade making. He specializes in Japanese-style kitchen knives and waist (wa) handles, often crafting handles for knives made by blacksmiths in Japan.

This particular example was won in a giveaway, but the knife itself is a regular part of Tim’s available work, sold through his Etsy shop and Oldtown Cutlery, where he serves as resident artist doing restorations, sharpening, and his own handmade pieces.

First Impressions and Unboxing

The packaging itself deserves a mention. The knife arrived with personal signatures, business cards, and a cleverly designed logo: a cow illustration with a kitchen knife hidden in its bottom quarter. Small touches like these signal a maker who cares about the full experience, not just the blade.

The test unit features a six-sided Honduran rosewood wa handle that came out polished and slick, in the style Tim prefers for Japanese kitchen knives.

Cutting Performance in Hand

At 75mm, this is about as small as petty knives get in the Japanese kitchen knife world, and that size shaped the whole test: everything was cut in the air rather than on a cutting board. The goal was to use minimum effort, letting the weight of the produce itself push the blade through.

The knife glides through cherry tomatoes cleanly, which is the classic first test for any sharp small blade. It also handled a pale orange (not an oversized lemon, despite appearances) with ease, and showed genuine wedge potential when tested against denser produce.

Best Uses: Small Produce and Precision Work

Tim’s daughter reportedly uses hers as a little strawberry knife, a charming use case that translates roughly to a small strawberry kitchen knife. In testing, though, the knife arguably performed even better on radishes than on strawberries, cutting clean slices with minimal pressure.

That makes this knife best suited to small, delicate tasks: trimming strawberries, slicing radishes, detail work where a full-size chef knife feels clumsy. It is not a board knife; it is an in-hand precision tool, and it rewards that style of use.

Edge Retention and Care Notes

One detail from the maker is worth repeating: an edge generally will not dull unless it hits a cutting surface, but the acid in food itself can eat away at the steel. That makes care and prompt cleaning especially relevant for a small knife like this, even when it only touches soft, low-acid foods.

Things to Consider Before Buying

• Availability is artisan-based rather than retail: pieces are listed on the maker’s Etsy shop and at Oldtown Cutlery, and custom requests are welcome.
• The 75mm blade is very small, so it complements rather than replaces a main kitchen knife.
• Handles are handcrafted, so finish and figure will vary piece to piece.

Buying Advice

If you want a genuinely handmade Japanese-style petty knife from a maker with two decades of professional kitchen experience behind him, this is an easy recommendation. Reach out directly if you want something specific, since Tim makes pieces to order alongside his listed work.

Conclusion

The Rolling Cutlery 75mm petty knife is a small knife with a big personality: excellent in-hand cutting on tomatoes, radishes, strawberries, and beyond, thoughtful packaging, and a maker who clearly enjoys the craft. For precision produce work, it is a delightful tool.