Nenox..really that bad?

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HappyamateurDK

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Hi all.

Looking at some Nenox knives made me curious about them. The fact that they don't inform what steeltype they use, made me even more. And so, i did a bit of Google searching.

To say they are disliked is an understatement. But besides the pretty expensive prices. There was not much info about why they are so disliked.

So.. can you guys tell me if they really deserve there pretty bad reputation?

Thanks👍
 
To me they're just underwhelming for the price they're asking. For that money I can get far better knives with Western handles and no gaudy logo.
 
I would say the profile is a bit problematic. Probably meant to please more or less a large group of home users, but best suited for drawing. I don't think forward slicing as in guillotine & glide will be great fun. Anyway, the strong curve all allong the edge limits the contact area with the board. Expect frequent sharpening.
 
HappyamateurDK said:
Hi all.

Looking at some Nenox knives made me curious about them. The fact that they don't inform what steeltype they use, made me even more. And so, i did a bit of Google searching.

To say they are disliked is an understatement. But besides the pretty expensive prices. There was not much info about why they are so disliked.

So.. can you guys tell me if they really deserve there pretty bad reputation?

Thanks👍
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They're fine, it's just a price to performance thing. They're like the ITK knives that Koki sells. Like full stop, they're great performers, look good, will get the job done, and are a far cry better than most intro production knives. But if you give even one micron of a rat's ass about knives, you can find better.
 
I have a set. I have just because i want to have it. Its pretty in the hand, but its really under performance for professional kitchen. The steel is in soft side. Peek sharpness and edge retention is a little below average.

For average line cook and home use its good. You pay premium for eye candy, fit and finish
 
They were a good gateway j-knife in the US years ago, when Korin was one of the only knife shops. Many ITKers had them. Some people coveted the 'premium' fancy handles, too. The twice-per-year sale at Korin was a big event -- there would be many sold.
 
Benuser said:
I would say the profile is a bit problematic. Probably meant to please more or less a large group of home users, but best suited for drawing. I don't think forward slicing as in guillotine & glide will be great fun. Anyway, the strong curve all allong the edge limits the contact area with the board. Expect frequent sharpening.
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It was another luxury knife I had in mind, the Nesmuk. This clearly doesn't apply to the Nenox. Sorry for the inconvenience.
58696_NMJANUSCHEF140-01.jpg
 
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I have a Nenox 240mm gyuto knife. I spent almost $1000 to purchase it.
It has a very beautiful Western-style handle. Perhaps the best craftsmanship I've seen on a Japanese knife handle.The blade is relatively thick.
I'm not sure what material it's made of. All I know is that it's stainless steel, definitely not powdered steel. Some say it's VG1, while others claim it's VG10, but the official source hasn't confirmed the material.
After using it for a week, I decided to put it away. I didn't like the thickness of the blade. It caused a lot of resistance during cutting.
I've sharpened it a few times, and it's relatively easy to sharpen. So, I can confidently say it's definitely not powdered steel.
The cutting feel is no different from cheaper VG10 or AUS10 knives, including the edge retention.
It's a well-crafted tool with a beautiful handle and a stunning mirror finish
The seller claims it's Honyaki.But this knife lacks the pattern of carbon steel Honyaki.
I believe the term 'Honyaki' for this knife is just a linguistic technique, as in Japanese terminology, any single-piece steel knife can be referred to as 'Honyaki'.
My Nenox knife is more suited for display in a glass cabinet in the dining area rather than in the kitchen.
Its value depends on the buyer's needs. If the buyer is looking for a well-crafted and visually appealing knife without high demands on actual performance, then it's worth it.
 
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I have had Nenox knives for pushing 2 decades. They were popular back then, 2005ish. Purchased from Korin.

Overall, they are very good knives. However. They are way overpriced for what they are.
 
I would t call them trash per se, but definitely not worth the money. I played with a friends and I was borderline disgusted, knowing what he paid for it
 
I see theres still is a lot of dislike towards the Nenox knives. Have you guys taken into consideration that there are different lines. And that the s-line may perform different then the G-line. Are they the same steel and grind?
 
HappyamateurDK said:
I see theres still is a lot of dislike towards the Nenox knives. Have you guys taken into consideration that there are different lines. And that the s-line may perform different then the G-line. Are they the same steel and grind?
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The forum consensus is that the commonly available Nenox alloys (G-Type, S1, etc.) are something not a million miles away from relatively ordinary VG-10, and though their handles are good their prices are nowhere near justifiable. (I can't state myself since I've never had or used one.)

However, if you're intent on paying Nenox prices, there are other alloys they use, and you might talk to the vendor about customizing the knife if you suspect that the Nenox grind isn't what you like. You are in Europe, so perhaps contact Korin France to discuss the matter in more detail (Korin is a vendor of Nenox custom knives.)

There are also Nenox honyaki knives (made by Ikeda and Ino), and other similar things by brands that are eerily nenoxic (Gesshin Ittetsu comes to mind).

If you seek positive reviews of a Nenox, IIRC @dragjp liked his Nenox Hiiragi non-ferrous alloy knife.

More generally though, what are you looking for? If you seek a stainless-steel gyuto with a well-made Western handle, perhaps you might contact some custom makers nearby in Sweden? (I'm not aware of any Danish makers at this time, and there are a lot of Swedes on the forum.)
 
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I can imagine Nenox knives were a lot more popular and interesting 10-15 years ago by virtue of their simply being far less competition in the market of 'flashy knives'.
Nowadays there's a lot more options, both on their pricepoint and below it, if you're willing to spend the extra bucks for something gucci.

I guess what didn't help them is that they're basically 'fancy yo handles' when the market seems to mostly have shifted towards wa handles.
 
Qapla' said:
The forum consensus is that the commonly available Nenox alloys (G-Type, S1, etc.) are something not a million miles away from relatively ordinary VG-10, and though their handles are good their prices are nowhere near justifiable. (I can't state myself since I've never had or used one.)

However, if you're intent on paying Nenox prices, there are other alloys they use, and you might talk to the vendor about customizing the knife if you suspect that the Nenox grind isn't what you like. You are in Europe, so perhaps contact Korin France to discuss the matter in more detail (Korin is a vendor of Nenox custom knives.)

There are also Nenox honyaki knives (made by Ikeda and Ino), and other similar things by brands that are eerily nenoxic (Gesshin Ittetsu comes to mind).

If you seek positive reviews of a Nenox, IIRC @dragjp liked his Nenox Hiiragi non-ferrous alloy knife.

More generally though, what are you looking for? If you seek a stainless-steel gyuto with a well-made Western handle, perhaps you might contact some custom makers nearby in Sweden? (I'm not aware of any Danish makers at this time, and there are a lot of Swedes on the forum.)
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It's not that I plan on buying a Nenox or anything particular at the moment(trying to stay clean this April)

But I just sometimes feel like I wanna question when there is a consensus about a knife being bad. It may sound weird, but to mee it often seems like knives get a bad reputation based on secund hand experice, Bias against anything mainstream, and a wish to get your prejudices confirmed by others experience.

It could just as well be a shun or some other mainstream knife.
 
HappyamateurDK said:
It's not that I plan on buying a Nenox or anything particular at the moment(trying to stay clean this April)

But I just sometimes feel like I wanna question when there is a consensus about a knife being bad. It may sound weird, but to mee it often seems like knives get a bad reputation based on secund hand experice, Bias against anything mainstream, and a wish to get your prejudices confirmed by others experience.

It could just as well be a shun or some other mainstream knife.
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On KKF?!? Never...
 
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