Usuba or Nakiri prep vegs

LOCATION
What country are you in?
USA, Hawaii


KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in (e.g., chef’s knife, slicer, boning knife, utility knife, bread knife, paring knife, cleaver)?
Usuba or Nakiri
Are you right or left handed?
right
Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?
Wa Handle
What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?
180mm
Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)
Semi Stainless G3
What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
250$ extra with saya


KNIFE USE
Do you primarily intend to use this knife at home or a professional environment?
Sushi Restaurant
What are the main tasks you primarily intend to use the knife for (e.g., slicing vegetables, chopping vegetables, mincing vegetables, slicing meats, cutting down poultry, breaking poultry bones, filleting fish, trimming meats, etc.)? (Please identify as many tasks as you would like.)
Prep vegs, negi, daikon, julienne, etc
What knife, if any, are you replacing?
None vegs knife, just try new knife beside gyuto
Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.)
Finger Point
What cutting motions do you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for types of cutting motions and identify the two or three most common cutting motions, in order of most used to least used.)
Japanese style
What improvements do you want from your current knife? If you are not replacing a knife, please identify as many characteristics identified below in parentheses that you would like this knife to have.)
a fine tsuma or negi cutting
Better aesthetics (e.g., a certain type of finish; layered/Damascus or other pattern of steel; different handle color/pattern/shape/wood; better scratch resistance; better stain resistance)?

Comfort (e.g., lighter/heavier knife; better handle material; better handle shape; rounded spine/choil of the knife; improved balance)?
light knife
Ease of Use (e.g., ability to use the knife right out of the box; smoother rock chopping, push cutting, or slicing motion; less wedging; better food release; less reactivity with food; easier to sharpen)?
push cutting
Edge Retention (i.e., length of time you want the edge to last without sharpening)?
1 day after work


KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.)
wood
Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.)
yes, shapton ha-no-kuromaku and shapton glass
If not, are you interested in learning how to sharpen your knives? (Yes or no.)

Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives? (Yes or no.)



SPECIAL REQUESTS/COMMENTS: for now i saw the knife SAKAI TAKAYUKI Kamagata-Usuba 180mm for 220 at "japanny". Any suggest after that welcome.
Thank you

Can you elaborate more on what you will be cutting exactly? You mentioned cutting negi and fine tsuma but will you be during katsuramuki? If all you're doing is cutting then I would definitely recommend a nakiri for the easier touch ups when you're doing it in great volume.

If you're actually doing katsuramuki then chop I would go the usuba route for obvious reasons. However I would suggest a regular over a kamagata unless you have a specific use for the tip. Oh, and get 195mm minimum for usuba, preferably a 210mm.

P.S- try doing pull cuts or pull chops for your negi and tsuma. You'll get finer cuts when you get used to the technique.

S-Line said:

Can you elaborate more on what you will be cutting exactly? You mentioned cutting negi and fine tsuma but will you be during katsuramuki? If all you're doing is cutting then I would definitely recommend a nakiri for the easier touch ups when you're doing it in great volume.

If you're actually doing katsuramuki then chop I would go the usuba route for obvious reasons. However I would suggest a regular over a kamagata unless you have a specific use for the tip. Oh, and get 195mm minimum for usuba, preferably a 210mm.

P.S- try doing pull cuts or pull chops for your negi and tsuma. You'll get finer cuts when you get used to the technique.

Click to expand...

Aloha, for now i just back to prep vegs, sushi rotation every months. I think next 2 months i go a lot of vegs because the busy season. Beside cutting daikon, katsuramuki cucumber roll also and only by hand can't use the daikon machine. I not sure about the tip but would like try out some dice vegs also.

Almost every time the Nakiri/Usuba question comes up the answer is Nakiri.

Yours is the exception. The Usuba is all about technique. If you're doing katsuramuki (and want to up your game there) the Usaba is the way to go. I have a 210 Tadasuna Kakugata that I like a lot though I do not use professionally. I'm not sure what the advantages/disadvantages are with different tip types.

Like all single bevels this is not the time to head to wally world but you don't need to break the bank either. If I was buying I would prob go with another Tad or Uraku.

daveb said:

Almost every time the Nakiri/Usuba question comes up the answer is Nakiri.

Yours is the exception. The Usuba is all about technique. If you're doing katsuramuki (and want to up your game there) the Usaba is the way to go. I have a 210 Tadasuna Kakugata that I like a lot though I do not use professionally. I'm not sure what the advantages/disadvantages are with different tip types.

Like all single bevels this is not the time to head to wally world but you don't need to break the bank either. If I was buying I would prob go with another Tad or Uraku.

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Hello, i been watching the forum since this year, i don't see a lot member work at japanese restaurant. I think go buy 180mm to learn and try to improve katsuramuki techinique. The knife i saw around 250$ not so expensive and make the job easy for me.
Thank

daveb said:

Almost every time the Nakiri/Usuba question comes up the answer is Nakiri.

Click to expand...

So, ah, why is that? Been wondering.

daveb said:

The Usuba is all about technique. If you're doing katsuramuki (and want to up your game there) the Usaba is the way to go.

Like all single bevels this is not the time to head to wally world

Click to expand...

If you don't know you need a Usaba, you don't need a Usaba. Wanting one is entirely different of course.

daveb said:

If you don't know you need a Usaba, you don't need a Usaba. Wanting one is entirely different of course.

Click to expand...

Ah. Yeah, they look fantastic, but I have a nakiri that it turns out I don't like using anyway, though I may give another try to. "Need" aside though, what makes a nakiri better for average people?

DanHumphrey said:

Ah. Yeah, they look fantastic, but I have a nakiri that it turns out I don't like using anyway, though I may give another try to. "Need" aside though, what makes a nakiri better for average people?

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I don't have one, but I would guess the fact that it would steer like crazy for most uses, and sharpening is entirely different. I believe they're designed for very thin slicing and very little board contact...again, this is only coming from someone without one...who likes to bang on a cutting board.

Ah-ha. Thanks for that, that makes sense. But the tip on the kama types (if I remember the name correctly) is just so beautiful. And nakiris are blah, if I may say so.

My home-cook-experience with usuba: The usuba is a good example of a knife that is super at its specific task and not much else. I fint it to be one of the most demanding knives to use. It really takes skill and you definitely work slower in the beginning. Usuba means something like "thin blade" and that is exactly what it is. It would be a pain in the ... to dice vegetables for a stu with it, but making super fine strips (julienne??) of carrots and that kind of cutting is what it is great at. Id doesn´t take board contact very well and it stears like hell if you want to cut something tall.
I think it is important to figure out if speed or precision is higher in priority to you. I would definitely guess that it would take everybody time to learn how to use it.
I would expect it to be helpfull to have experience with using single bevels to start with.

I don´t like using nakiris very much. I really like using my usuba if I have the time. If time is an issue I use a well sharpened gyuto.
Lastly: I have heard people advocating against buying especially usubas too cheaply (because it is extra important for this blade to be well made to avoid having to compensate when sharpening)
- Hope this might be helpfull.
- Kim