A gyuto on NKW's Nakiri Ranch!? - Evaluating a TF Denka

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nakiriknaifuwaifu

nakiriknaifuwaifu

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So, I was talking to JKI Jon about his nakiris and such, and he said that gyutos could do anything that a nakiri could do in addition to more stuff, and that since he caters to pros he doesn't have the widest selection of nakiris.

It wasn't the first time I've been told that, but I figured it was time to pick up a cow sword of my own. With all the TF threads, I figured if there would be any knife that could convince me to switch to a gyuto (within budget) it would be a TF.

Of course, being a non-profit ranch dedicated to rehabilitating nakiris, I decided to take in an abused TF Denka. It came in with a very uneven profile (3 - 4 cm of the heel did not touch the board at all) and more chips than a bag of Lays. I spent a lot of time getting her back in shape, but here she is:

0.jpg


I've taken her for a spin, but will use this thread to write down my thoughts as I go along.

Thanks for reading,
NKW
 
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Nice, that looks a bit abused indeed. How much of the original height was lost?
 
If you're looking for blue-super western-handle nakiri's, there's the JCK Deep Impact.

If you're looking to diversify your vegetable-knife collection, you might also check out things like mukimono's.

What stones did you use to repair the gyuto?

Anyways, it'll be interesting to see a TF knife review written by someone not of the TF cult.
 
Qapla' said:
If you're looking for blue-super western-handle nakiri's, there's the JCK Deep Impact.

If you're looking to diversify your vegetable-knife collection, you might also check out things like mukimono's.

What stones did you use to repair the gyuto?

Anyways, it'll be interesting to see a TF knife review written by someone not of the TF cult.
Click to expand...

The finish you see is just 400 grit wet/dry. The blade road came very convex, so it was difficult to get to it with stones.

I thinned it out directly behind the edge first because I had evened out the blade. I tried shifting the blade around to see what kind of access the curvature would afford me. Jumped up to a cerax 1k, but no dice. I could only get to the last 3mm or so of the edge.

20201009_181112.jpg


I was tired, so I refinished back at 400 grit (I don't have any higher grit sandpaper). I don't particularly mind keeping it at this level of refinement because the core steel patina will give me all the contrast I need.

20201009_175719.jpg


I really despise working with SG2 steel, so I was always concerned that AS would be as difficult to sharpen. Not the case for this knife, takes an edge like a dream. Just as well or perhaps even better than my Moritaka Blue 2. That being said, it is not as easy as white steel. But at 1 - 2 passes for white vs 2 - 3 passes for blue, does it make it that different? Not for me, since I touch things up every weekend or so on my koppa.

Plus, I had a good amount of burr going from the thinning and the stones before I tried to put an edge on it, so take that with a grain of salt as that's only my initial opinion. All carbon is better than SG2, so all the carbons I have tried have impressed me equally.

The real value will come when I have a chance to put it through its paces for holiday cooking over the winter to check edge retention.
 
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josemartinlopez said:
Nah, you wouldn't want a TF Denka nakiri. They're pretty heavy and different.
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That's interesting, I'd like to hear more. How specifically did you come to the conclusion that being heavy and different makes it a bad knife?

I don't mind workhorse nakiris at all as long as they can get through sweet potatoes.
 
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josemartinlopez said:
Nah, you wouldn't want a TF Denka nakiri. They're pretty heavy and different.
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What don't you like about heavy Nakiri's? If you were to get a lighter one which maker do you think makes the best one? How do any of the knives you own feel in use?
 
Henry said:
You would want one. I have a 200 and they are heavy but awesome.
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I don't want to derail this thread any further but hearing of a big TF nakiri in the wild has caught my attention. It would be awesome if you could share some thoughts on it in NWK's nakiri thread! Super interested in them but hard to find much info.
 
4wa1l said:
I don't want to derail this thread any further but hearing of a big TF nakiri in the wild has caught my attention. It would be awesome if you could share some thoughts on it in NWK's nakiri thread! Super interested in them but hard to find much info.
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All TF threads on this forum get derailed (only a matter of time), so let me help you. I found this collection on the other forum with a western handle bolster 165mm cleaver (user's name was inzite?)

Screen Shot 2020-10-11 at 12.57.31 AM.png
 
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Took advantage of the cloudy skies and took a few pictures in the diffused lighting. Vibrant colors from violet to orange. These photos aren't edited but I hope the colors come through. I was hesitant about the stainless-cladding aesthetics plus not having a kasumi finish on there, but I could get used to this. Don't want to cross-post - should I be sharing this to the patina thread too?
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Back with a choil shot for you all. Work has been taking me away from writing a review of this knife, but thanks to that I've been able to do a lot more direct comparisons with my moritaka nakiri. I have been focusing on improving my knife skills to get the best out of this knife, too. It's going well, but as much as I try to use it as a daily I can't help but pull out my nakiri sometimes.



20201030_114015.jpg
 
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nakiriknaifuwaifu said:
So, I was talking to JKI Jon about his nakiris and such, and he said that gyutos could do anything that a nakiri could do in addition to more stuff, and that since he caters to pros he doesn't have the widest selection of nakiris.

It wasn't the first time I've been told that, but I figured it was time to pick up a cow sword of my own. With all the TF threads, I figured if there would be any knife that could convince me to switch to a gyuto (within budget) it would be a TF.

Of course, being a non-profit ranch dedicated to rehabilitating nakiris, I decided to take in an abused TF Denka. It came in with a very uneven profile (3 - 4 cm of the heel did not touch the board at all) and more chips than a bag of Lays. I spent a lot of time getting her back in shape, but here she is:

View attachment 98141

I've taken her for a spin, but will use this thread to write down my thoughts as I go along.

Thanks for reading,
NKW
Click to expand...

True that a gyuto can do what a nakiri can and more, but so can a Chinese cleaver.

Nakiris are my latest obsession, their implied limitations aren't an issue in the least. I have more than enough gyutos, now need nakiris.

A denka nakiri would be awesome!
 
This was a bit of a tease. I did indeed buy the knife, but it's happily in another home now. Can't blame a man for doing a little catch and release. By the way, this particular knife had absolutely no flatspot 😱😱😱

I am surprised there aren't more comments on the choil shot I posted, normally you guys are all over that.
 
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