Nakiri? Shig vs. Watanabe vs Kato

[maxim]

I haven't tried any of them, but a friend has a Kato nakiri which he says is good but not 'wow'.

That Kato was not from me, as i just send first Nakiris out today
Probably from Japan, witch is whole other animal then mine !

[zitangy]

That Kato was not from me, as i just send first Nakiris out today
Probably from Japan, witch is whole other animal then mine !

IF it is not out of line, may I ask wherein lies the differences between the stock Nakiri from Japan and yours?

rgds
d

[maxim]

Better FF different geometry, different steel, Different stone finish and different shape

[kiefer]

Thank you for all the replies thus far. They are really helpful.

[stopbarking]

I don't think anyone could ever flame you for that. Sounds like you got quite the special little knife there. I wonder what would cause that vg10 to perform so much better than any other that you've tried (or that I have based on your description). I know that HT makes a HUGE difference, but the knives that you're comparing it too are from makers that are typically regarded as doing the best job with vg10 (hattori on the forum knife). Maybe there's a guy at the Togiharu factory that's got a magic touch, or maybe they ran out of vg10 the day they made yours and used aeb-l or r2 instead.

I've considered this. It really is kind of remarkable. I think myself lucky. That knife was a spur of the moment add on to an order

[Noodle Soup]

This tread made me pull my own Shig from the block and start using it again. Very heavy duty knife as nakiri go. Strange as it may sound it has long been my favorite Dungeness crab shelling knife. Crack all the legs etc with the heavy spine of the knife and do the few cuts required with the edge.
My Shig is a great vegetable knife for our normal two person size meals. If I wasn't such a knife nut, switching blades just to try something new all the time, the Shig would be on my list of keepers for a more minimalist kitchen.

[Noodle Soup]

Another comment about my Shig. While I've been told on this forum that I shouldn't "drop" my wa handled knives into my wood block, the handle on my Shig nakiri came loose like most of my Carters, Wantanbe etc knives have in the past. I quickly noticed on this one I could reverse the D-handle to left hand! It may not be a perfect left-hand but it is a lot better than an all right-hand grip. There is now a bit of super glue holding it on the left hand bias.

[cclin]

That Kato was not from me, as i just send first Nakiris out today
Probably from Japan, witch is whole other animal then mine !

Maxim, if you have time...I love to hear your thought about shig vs. kato Nakiris! I think you are the only kkf member who able handle/play both Nakiris side-by-side.....

[Amon-Rukh]

When I was looking to buy my first nakiri last year (this was before mayos were an option) I emailed maxim about it and he recommended the zensho nakiri over a KU shig. I went with his advice and haven't regretted it at all! Granted, I don't have a Whig nakiri to compare things to (yet) but I would certainly say that the zensho (the one made by Kunio Isikawa) is something else to consider.

[kiefer]

Thanks again for all the input. I'm happy to say that I just ordered my first Shigefusa, the 180mm nakiri from Maksim.
Now the wait begins.