Help Choosing My First Nakiri

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I'll just say it like this... I don't need to wind up with the perfect knife... right now I haven't experienced anything too sick so I'm sure I'll be happy with a lot of different knives.

My first supercar doesn't need to be a Bugatti when I'm coming from a Civic with a turbocharger, a Ferrari is still a Ferrari and a Porsche is still a Porsche, they are amazing stand alone in their own right, I just don't want to wind up paying for Lambo and getting one that needs to be in the mechanic without putting a mile on it and the only mechanic around is me who can only do simply oil changes or sending it out for weeks at a high expense to the specialty shop. I'm even fine going with the domestic like a Vette or a G37 coupe which might not be exotic but has damn near all the speed and handling of them at half the price.

Hope that analogy worked.
 
CoqaVin said:
Get a king 1k/6k combo stone and practice sharpening on there
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That's what I have haha. Have used it at this point 6 or 7 times on 4 or 5 different knives. I felt naturally pretty comfortable using it, I'm just far away from properly thinning out convexes and re-profiling and what not and even if I was proficient at it don't know how I feel about spending that much on steel which is advertised as some of the best around only to have to put extensive time and effort into getting it that way because it came mediocre and overall false claimed OOTB. Also then I would need to own a low grit stone to make these changes and a high grit stone and strop to finish the job as well right?

I am not saying these blades are bad in that manner, but I have read a number of people on these forums, most with their own personal pictures saying just that.
 
I hear ya I am not too keen on the lower grit stones since I am into using naturals but you will need a low grit stone to set bevels and what not
 
Dave Kinogie said:
Yeah, I am not sure if others were talking about the KU or not, but I was lol. The Kitaeji is beautiful but I'm not looking to spend over $500 on any knife right now, let alone my first nakiri.

I got one of my best friends a cheaper white #1 nakiri as a Christmas gift this year and got to mess around with it and really enjoyed using it. I already wanted one and that sold me on it, just wanted to spend a little more on my own haha.

I really am all over the place on price range and what not, but did really want to add an at least entry level high end knife to my collection and figured why not start with a nakiri?

Like mentioned the last couple pages though, might just resort back to a $75 to $125 range nakiri for now and cop a premium gyuto. The Shig nakiris are pretty much sold out everywhere right now anyway, although I really like the look of and rep from word of mouth on the Takeda and the Kono HD2 with ebony handle, plus thinking about just looking into a Murray Carter.


Still so confused right now haha.:laugh:
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Let me add to your confusion by recommending the Watanabe 180 nakiri - blue paper steel in stainless clad kurouchi:

http://www.kitchen-knife.jp/pro/nakkiri.htm

Rick
 
Dave Kinogie said:
Hmm... see that was exactly what I was expecting to see with the Takeda from what I've read and other pics, thought that was the allure with them? But you said yours needed some legit work on the stones to get to look like this? That it wasn't as advertised when you received it?

I'm still very noobed up with the stones. Only used them one additional time since the OP ITT. I enjoy using them and will be gradually adding more stones and soon to make a strop setup and will be watching and reading more info on sharpening and continue to attempt to get better through practice on cheaper knives, but I'm nowhere near ready to be re-profiling and what not on my own.
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I know where you're coming from, I think.

The Takeda pic I took was before I worked the bevels a little. It actually was not a wedge monster and is in fact a very thin knife overall...but it was not "fall through thick carrots" kind of thing. Actually, with the cross section, it was my best cutter for thin slices of carrot without any stickage. For the applications it's designed, it might be one of the best shapes out there, and it taught me a good deal about the usage of a nakiri.

I did not do any major work to it...the very edge was somewhat more convex than I liked and felt the bevel could be thinned a little, so I took it mostly to my 1k stone, laid it on the wide bevel, and just worked it down for a little while. No need to worry about handholding angles. I kept it a little convexed and redid the microbevels, which wasn't very hard.

Most of the problems folks have been having with Takeda are not with nakiri.

Still, I'm totally sympathetic about not wanting to modify out-of-the-box knives...especially very expensive ones. That's why I suggested Itinomon, which is very trouble-free, doesn't have a reputation for crazy reactivity, isn't as chunky as a Kato, and has a good "true nakiri" grind according to pics. Still, Murata and Kumagoro or Zakuri might well be brilliant; I haven't tried them.
 
I've bought a Shigefusa santoku about a year back as a gift for a relative and had the opportunity to try it a few times... and I would say that while it just absolutely destroys root vegetables, it is a little more reactive than some other carbons if you plan to use it for everything. I'm not sure how much his Nakiris run these days but on the whole, I think Shigefusa product is being priced "where demand is"... i.e. a little out of the water, not to say it isn't great product, but I'm not sure if you want to start buying so close to the top of the range. You may also need to queue as some have mentioned...

The Murata is a very good value for the money imo if thats your aim. For Nakiri's specifically I actually only own a Kamata and a Shigeharu. Its not my favorite profile... I bought them as souvenirs. I actually use them as mini menkiri for pasta/noodles more often than anything else. They did teach me that kurouchi finishes wont last if you actually plan to use the knife though... so don't buy a KU for the aesthetic :)

Given your criteria I think Konosuke HD2 is a good choice here as a balance of being easy to sharpen and easy to maintain while being bloody sharp. Perhaps you can also consider a Masamoto KK or even their lower lines if you want an affordable carbon? its a brand that has sort of lost popularity online due to being a larger enterprise, but I've always found their knives good all rounders performance-wise.
 
Brad Gibson said:
The shigefusa nikiri, in my opinion, is the best option period. It has amazing steel and heat treat and comes with a very nice handle. Edge retention and sharpenability are very very good. If you want a nikiri I would get the shigefusa.
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can you be more specific? are you referring to this knife
http://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/shigefusa-kitaeji-nakiri-180mm/

im in the market for a nakiri myself and have been following this thread as my needs and situation are very similar to the OP
 
insomniac said:
I've bought a Shigefusa santoku about a year back as a gift for a relative and had the opportunity to try it a few times... and I would say that while it just absolutely destroys root vegetables, it is a little more reactive than some other carbons if you plan to use it for everything. I'm not sure how much his Nakiris run these days but on the whole, I think Shigefusa product is being priced "where demand is"... i.e. a little out of the water, not to say it isn't great product, but I'm not sure if you want to start buying so close to the top of the range. You may also need to queue as some have mentioned...

The Murata is a very good value for the money imo if thats your aim. For Nakiri's specifically I actually only own a Kamata and a Shigeharu. Its not my favorite profile... I bought them as souvenirs. I actually use them as mini menkiri for pasta/noodles more often than anything else. They did teach me that kurouchi finishes wont last if you actually plan to use the knife though... so don't buy a KU for the aesthetic :)

Given your criteria I think Konosuke HD2 is a good choice here as a balance of being easy to sharpen and easy to maintain while being bloody sharp. Perhaps you can also consider a Masamoto KK or even their lower lines if you want an affordable carbon? its a brand that has sort of lost popularity online due to being a larger enterprise, but I've always found their knives good all rounders performance-wise.
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Which Murata are you speaking of?

Also, does anyone know anything about the Gassan blades?
 
Timthebeaver said:
You misunderstand. Maksim is the seller of the Itinomonn knife, he will rehandle it before shipping it to you if you want. I believe he offers worldwide free shipping as well. The burnt chestnut handles he sells are very nice, as are his knives.
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Where do you contact him? The only website I found for Itonomonn was japanesenaturalstones. Also, why rehandle and what woods are available other than chestnut? I'm looking to upgrade from a cheapie Tojiro DP nakiri ("borrowed" by my mother) and this sounds reasonable. The other one I was considering was the Takeda (out of stock and expensive) and a $200 Shigefusa (out of stock at CKTG).
 
you can contact him through messaging here the username is Maxim he is the one who runs JNS
 
probably easier to just shoot him a message through here is an active user
 
Wound up copping a Gassan from that fictional place I'm not allowed to say aloud...

Blue steel #2, blue steel #2, blue steel #2!

tim-burton-returning-to-direct-beetlejuice-2-preview.jpg%3Fformat%3D500w


I appreciate all the suggestions and discussion we've had here and still plan on getting a Shig or Murray Carter, probably whichever comes in stock somewhere first, or maybe the Watanabe, maybe even a Kono HD2 or Takeda... jesus, I just ordered this knife and am already scheming on the next cutter... :lol2:

But I couldn't pass up on the price and am a sucker for the unknown and if the grinds are anything like the pictures it will be a steal, plus said fictional proprietor of said fictional interwebz page has always given me very good customer service and quick response so unless something weird happens I personally don't hold the disdain for him some here do.

Not trying to promote this mysterious place nor apologize as if I did something wrong lol, just hope an open mind can be kept when I discuss this blade once I get it and put it through it's paces.

My plan is to get this rehandled by the summer if it's the goods while adding one more nakiri, this time a more high end one such as described above. If it's meh, it will be my beater that maybe a year down the line I sell on the cheap or pass on to a friend who's looking to get into real knives.


Still hope to keep this thread alive as just a general nakiri introduction thread, it's been mad real. :biggrin:
 
Pensacola Tiger said:
Never heard of "Gassan", so I had to go look. Seems like it should be a decent knife. I'm looking forward to your impressions. Congratulations!

Rick
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Yeah, I hadn't heard of them before a week or so ago either and couldn't find anything on them on Google even. What's the worst it could be though lol? For a Benji none the less haha?
 
Dave Kinogie said:
Wound up copping a Gassan from that fictional place I'm not allowed to say aloud...

Blue steel #2, blue steel #2, blue steel #2!

tim-burton-returning-to-direct-beetlejuice-2-preview.jpg%3Fformat%3D500w


I appreciate all the suggestions and discussion we've had here and still plan on getting a Shig or Murray Carter, probably whichever comes in stock somewhere first, or maybe the Watanabe, maybe even a Kono HD2 or Takeda... jesus, I just ordered this knife and am already scheming on the next cutter... :lol2:

But I couldn't pass up on the price and am a sucker for the unknown and if the grinds are anything like the pictures it will be a steal, plus said fictional proprietor of said fictional interwebz page has always given me very good customer service and quick response so unless something weird happens I personally don't hold the disdain for him some here do.

Not trying to promote this mysterious place nor apologize as if I did something wrong lol, just hope an open mind can be kept when I discuss this blade once I get it and put it through it's paces.

My plan is to get this rehandled by the summer if it's the goods while adding one more nakiri, this time a more high end one such as described above. If it's meh, it will be my beater that maybe a year down the line I sell on the cheap or pass on to a friend who's looking to get into real knives.


Still hope to keep this thread alive as just a general nakiri introduction thread, it's been mad real. :biggrin:
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Lol at this post.... sound like the mafia :)

"i got that thing from the place with the guy i may or may not have associated with"
 
Is the Watanabe stainless clad? Or it's full carbon?

EDIT: Never mind, just went back on page 7, it is stainless clad.
 
Dave Kinogie said:
Is the Watanabe stainless clad? Or it's full carbon?

EDIT: Never mind, just went back on page 7, it is stainless clad.
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and its a fantastic knife. got mine today, went through a ton of veg. really happy with it as a cutter. love the weight and size, the slightly rounded tip.
 
jamaster14 said:
and its a fantastic knife. got mine today, went through a ton of veg. really happy with it as a cutter. love the weight and size, the slightly rounded tip.
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Thanks, just PM'ed you about it, didn't think to check this thread first haha.

So does it still show patina?
 
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