I would add that the other shortcoming of the nakiri is the absence of a tip.
Or it can be an advantage if you are working in small spaces.
A nakiri or vegetable cleaver has a tip. Lift up the handle and the tip is similar to box knife, which is helpful with pull cuts.
In the produce departments, at least in the Pacific Northwest, the grocers use nakiri shaped knifes to trim fruits and vegetables.
A sujihiki and petty have a more traditional tip. Again a knife to compliment a nakiri.
A gyuto might be the only knife that is needed but it is much nicer to have a knife that is suited for the job. A nakiri or vegetable cleaver are better knifes for vegetable prep then a gyuto. Where it isn't practical to use two or three knifes, then a gyuto is the right choice.
One of the things I enjoy about Japanese knifes is trying out the different types. I picked up a nakiri and was impressed with how easily it chopped vegetables. My family has large gatherings, so I wanted a knife that could handle large amounts of prep work. That lead me to vegetable cleaver.
A vegetable cleaver that is 210 x 110mm or larger is everything the forum doesn't like in a knife. It's heavy, cumbersome, thick, etc.... To use a vegetable cleaver is all about technique. They can't be muscled around. Learning how to use a vegetable cleaver noticeably improved my skills with a gyuto. A 300mm gyuto feels small in the hand.
What's next after a nakiri and vegetable cleaver? A kamagata usuba. It's still early in the learning process, but it will be interesting to find out what the knife can do.
A person in a restaurant kitchen with the pressure to get everything done yesterday is going to choose knives that are proven to work in that environment, namely a gyuto. The rest of us have the time to explore knifes that might be better suited to our kitchens such as a nakiri.
Jay
